Talk of Sikhs, Muslims etc got me thinking of that other rare beast ‘the Degree Educated Driver’. A lot of Middle Class, Wofie Smith type ‘dropouts’ are turning to the job nowadays; though there was always a few about. I remember meeting a chap at Tesco’s Fenny Lock around 10 years ago who was a ‘Petroleum Geologist’ by trade; but had dropped out of the mainstream to drive wagons by choice. Similar anybody remember that Head Teacher (from up North as I recall) around 10 years ago who made National Headlines when he stuck his fingers up to the system and started a Driving career. All the Head’s of the associated Union’s and represenatative bodies were heckling from the sidewalk. ‘We can’t have Head Teacher’s becoming Lorry Driver’s’ I recall one interview statement on R4 at the time…
I was waiting an eternity to get loaded about a year and a half ago in York, Pennsylvania when a driver of a nearby Canadian truck came over for a chat. Turns out he was a former senior executive at the Sears Canada HQ in Toronto and upon retiring in his 50s became bored. At some point he met a former colleague of his who told him he now drives trucks for the fun of it and some extra money…after thinking about it this guy decided to do the same and now drives for Kriska out of Toronto.
I also know a former airline pilot in the UK who spent quite some time driving trucks and even became an owner driver for 3 or 4 years before returning to the airline industry.
I have been driving over 22 years (don’t do much now, more office based) and I have a degree in Avionics Engineering (courtesy of my time in the RAF) and in 2010 I achieved a Batchelors degree in Logistics Management.
Just a normal guy who loves driving trucks (occasionally now)
Hiya …the girl next door sat her exams went to uni studing chemistry, she got her masters degree
went to work in a lab near Mostyn docks…wait a moment i don’t like these four walls
the last time i spoke to her she’d been doing cotinental tours for Global Coaches and was starting
to drive for Silver Service Coaches doing Austrian / German holidays Ive not seen her four 5 years
…good girl go for it…
John
I worked with a lad who had a degree in Geography, but as his father always had trucks, so he’d grown up round them and always really wanted to be a driver. However once he got into the nitty gritty of haulage he hated it.
I got him a job with me on a race team, he took to it like a duck to water. He was only 24 when he started working with me, but he was one of the most competant and conscientiousness drivers I’ve ever double manned a truck with. He now works for Mercedes F1 and is unlikely to have to drive a truck again.
I once worked with a driver whose parents were the ambassadors for the UK in Kuwait and they were there when it kicked off and he certainly was well spoken, I think he works for Yearsley now.
I know a bloke who has a City & Guilds, post grad’ qual’ in engineering management and fell a gnat’s quaver short of an open BSc degree when ballsing his final, 30 point dissertation at level two by a paltry 4% two years ago.
Not that he’s bitter
He might wrap the BSc. one day, though at approx £500 what’s really the point - although it does help him avoid & shrug-off bull-muck from office cowboys at work
I’ve got a 2.1 degree in Marketing. I only went through college and university as my parents were very keen on it. I spent most of my time working, driving a 7.5 tonner and went to university just enough to get through it
Never had any interest in continuing in marketing. I remember on the very first day we were told that as soon as we got a ‘marketing’ based job to forget everything we were learning for the next three years as each company looks at things differently. Kind of defeated the purpose of the next three years in my eyes!!
Passed my Class 1 in the January, got my degree in the August and was off driving artics round Europe in the September. Never looked back and have got no regrets about the way things have panned out
sdg1970:
Similar anybody remember that Head Teacher (from up North as I recall) around 10 years ago who made National Headlines when he stuck his fingers up to the system and started a Driving career.
Is this the guy who started Leven Valley Coaches, running out of Puddlers road in M’boro?
He was a teacher for many years, then left and set up Leven Valley Coaches, for no other reason than he had a good interest in transport.
I can’t remember the guys name, but he’s a thoroughly nice bloke, I picked one of his Optare busses up when it broke down (thats what Optares do).
I only got as far as NVQ3 and HNC in both Aviational Eng and Mech Eng.
I realised that in the industry, there were lads with NVQs were earning the same as the lads with degrees.
But the lads with degrees had a massive student debt to pay off.
I doubt it’s as rare as you think, but it’s not something that you would bring up in your average RDC waiting room conversation.
We currently have an entire generation being pushed through the university system, and I would imagine most of them don’t really know why, apart from the fact that everyone else went, and it was the way they were pushed. My school assumed everyone sitting A-levels would be going and they werent interested in telling you about any other possible options (apprenticeships for example), I didn’t think it really fit me so I dropped out and joined the Navy.
I could do a degree, but I can’t see the point, as I don’t have a particular direction I want to go, and thus any use for one. I like studying so I read about the things I want to read about, and nothing that I don’t. I just don’t get a piece of paper at the end.
I’m also not convinced it counts for very much anymore, and know plenty of graduates who can’t string a basic sentence together or spell particularly well, and a degree is certainly no guarantee of common sense.
WildGoose:
I’m also not convinced it counts for very much anymore, and know plenty of graduates who can’t string a basic sentence together or spell particularly well, and a degree is certainly no guarantee of common sense.
I agree completely. When only the brightest 15% went to University having a degree meant something, now with what seems like nearly everyone going to Uni it means stuff all.
I met a Scottish guy who had degree in Geography and also math theacher who was fed up of working with kids
As for Poles - I know many educated drivers, who become drivers years ago when it was a good paid job comparing for example to teaching and they stayed in because they liked it.
As for myself: I completed studies to be a physics teacher and I had (according to Polish rules) two years to write my thesis. Suddenly they made some changes when I was still in game and told me that my dissertation is now no longer awaited, as they changed the rules and now I have to go back to the uni to pass some more exams, which was quite difficult since I was already in Scotland. I told them that they cannot change the rules, but they were not giving a ■■■■. So I told them to bugger off, they won’t take my knowledge away from me, I can still benefit from what I learned and since I am no longer willing to be a teacher in Polish school, I just left it as it is. I went to trucking as a temporary solution, but I like it so stayed a bit longer. But still had some plans to do something else, so I am now doing another degree and I am on junior honours year just now (joint) in Czech and Central and East European Studies on Glasgow Uni.
