robroy:
Juddian:
A few years down the line, owner driver, small fleet owner, recession…bankruptcy
, start again o/driver, main contract goes bust no warning so…so do I again
lose house, and everything else.
Get a couple of GOOD Euro jobs, redundant x2, a worse Euro job, a relatively poor paid UK job now.
So Mr Juddian, I DID have the “certain nature”, it was for me, and I was happy and did have pride, the only bit I agree with you is…yeh, maybe I shouldn’t be doing the job now, as it has turned me cynical in as far as I believe everything in transport has a hidden agenda ie… DCPC, all parking gone, speed cameras, Euro legislation, VOSA… the list goes on. I also believe that a lot of drivers are as good as ever, but an ever growing amount of d/heads with licences shouldn’t be let out with a bike, never mind 44tonnes, so sorry if I have bored the arses off you all
, but that is why I am on a downer with the job and put forward a YES vote.
You tried to make a transport business and it didn’t work out, i didn’t and i’m undecided as to whether i should have or not, i have a healthy mistrust of other people and their dishonour so other people not paying me for my services or simply conveniently going bankrupt is one of my biggest turn offs for going it alone, seen too much of it to risk it now.
I did get my CPC and O licence back in the early 80’s but never used it, just as well cos if it had worked i’d have been cleaned out by my ex anyway.
I’m envious of you in a way cos at least you tried it, i didn’t, which of us was right we’ll never know cos our circs are as different as our personalities.
I was lucky in that i found my first big break and niche job which also paid well, and subsequently once tasted have always chased the money/conditions/hours combination, type of lorry or work involved of little interest, so i’ve driven everything from general on ropes and sheets to skips to tippers to animal and other waste to newspapers to supermarket work, later to cars and now tanks.
The increase in regs and pitfalls is just a game, you find a job that allows you to both earn money and sidestep the problems, currently i would suggest a well salaried day job with a limited working week is the best bet, you then don’t worry about MSA’a, parking, fuel or load thieves, VOSA, the old bill, speed cameras or DCPC, as whilst quietly sidestepping round each problem especially by playing by the rules you are still being paid the same.
The days of being paid for fast productivity are over all bar the shouting, the stresses risks and obstacles involved have turned it into a rat race, hourly pay isn’t too bad so long as its a decent rate not like too many who have to work two weeks in one to make a mediocre wage at the end of it.
I found in my thankfully short agency periods that modern RDC work (delivering to supermarkets rather than working out of) is the most soul destroying that i could imagine, and multi drop parcel and pallet work the most stressful, i will not contemplate either full time and i’d advise anyone to avoid that type of work unless it suits them of course, luckily we’re all different.