I tramped for 8 years. 5 nights a week every week, away Monday morning then back Saturday. Had a late start every other Monday. Loved it for the first couple of years, it was like going away on an adventure every week, waking up in a different town every morning not knowing where I’d be sleeping the next night. I didn’t do lay-bys but knew industrial estates ect that were near pubs, takeaways and town centres along my routes. But realised that there’s more to life than working for most of your life, missing your kids growing up. When you get to the pearly gates and get asked if you’ve any regrets, it won’t be that you worked more. It’ll be that you spent more time with your Mrs, or was home more to find one! And you saw more of your kids growing up. I’m now not a proper driver as regarded by some. I’m a day man, home every night to see the kids and Mrs and wouldn’t change that for the world. Still get to do mid distance, up to Scotland and down to South Wales with no two days the same. And getting paid more than tramping!
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Night-and-day:
I tramped for 8 years. 5 nights a week every week, away Monday morning then back Saturday. Had a late start every other Monday. Loved it for the first couple of years, it was like going away on an adventure every week, waking up in a different town every morning not knowing where I’d be sleeping the next night. I didn’t do lay-bys but knew industrial estates ect that were near pubs, takeaways and town centres along my routes.
I can see that appeal. For me, tramping is something you do when your younger as a bit of an adventure, sometimes I wish earlier on when I had no ties I’d have been a bit braver and ■■■■■■ off Euro-tramping for an foreign outfit or tried out Canada/Australia for a bit of adventure and some stories to tell. However,that ship has sailed now. There are even times when 13 hours into a shift I think “I may as well stay in the truck tonight”, but when I get home it’s always worth the commute. Once you’ve got a partner and especially kids, thats the time to be home everynight.
Each to their own and everything, but I will forever question the logic of choosing to sleep in a truck when theres kids at home who’d like a bed time story off dad and/or a Mrs who wants to see you. Like other day men on the outside looking in, I just don’t get it.
rob22888:
Night-and-day:
I tramped for 8 years. 5 nights a week every week, away Monday morning then back Saturday. Had a late start every other Monday. Loved it for the first couple of years, it was like going away on an adventure every week, waking up in a different town every morning not knowing where I’d be sleeping the next night. I didn’t do lay-bys but knew industrial estates ect that were near pubs, takeaways and town centres along my routes.I can see that appeal. For me, tramping is something you do when your younger as a bit of an adventure, sometimes I wish earlier on when I had no ties I’d have been a bit braver and ■■■■■■ off Euro-tramping for an foreign outfit or tried out Canada/Australia for a bit of adventure and some stories to tell. However,that ship has sailed now. There are even times when 13 hours into a shift I think “I may as well stay in the truck tonight”, but when I get home it’s always worth the commute. Once you’ve got a partner and especially kids, thats the time to be home everynight.
Each to their own and everything, but I will forever question the logic of choosing to sleep in a truck when theres kids at home who’d like a bed time story off dad and/or a Mrs who wants to see you. Like other day men on the outside looking in, I just don’t get it.
It’s because they think that £20 odd is a fortune lol
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demand
If there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortage
Ive been employed by my other skills for 6 weeks , upon returning to this industry i have had about half a dozen creaming themselves to employ me today .
But none are willing to raise their pay to secure my employ .
This is because they know there will be another driver along tomorrow , not of my class of course , but anothe wheel monkey anyways
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortageIve been employed by my other skills for 6 weeks , upon returning to this industry i have had about half a dozen creaming themselves to employ me today .
But none are willing to raise their pay to secure my employ .
This is because they know there will be another driver along tomorrow , not of my class of course , but anothe wheel monkey anyways
If you have to brag then its not all that impressive.
More pearls of wisdom from Boredwiththinking.
Radar19:
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortageIve been employed by my other skills for 6 weeks , upon returning to this industry i have had about half a dozen creaming themselves to employ me today .
But none are willing to raise their pay to secure my employ .
This is because they know there will be another driver along tomorrow , not of my class of course , but anothe wheel monkey anywaysIf you have to brag then its not all that impressive.
It is to the mind of a 14 year old who’s frapped his hand red raw over the prom pictures of Kirsty in year 11 and decides to take a rest and log onto trucknet with his other hand.
Yuk! Was that the hand that was holding the sock then?
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortage
That is absolutely 100% correct. [emoji106]
There’s a lot of dreamer’s on here, which struggle to grasp the very fact that their LEAN wages signify that they, and their counterparts, are enormously abundant.
V40LLY:
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortageThat is absolutely 100% correct. [emoji106]
There’s a lot of dreamer’s on here, which struggle to grasp the very fact that their LEAN wages signify that they, and their counterparts, are enormously abundant.
Inflation for the last 12 months was 0.4% The basic pay rise agreed yesterday where I’m at just now was 2.5% = an above inflation (real terms) rise of rate of 2.1% and that is a company with better T&Cs than most.
chicane:
V40LLY:
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortageThat is absolutely 100% correct. [emoji106]
There’s a lot of dreamer’s on here, which struggle to grasp the very fact that their LEAN wages signify that they, and their counterparts, are enormously abundant.
Inflation for the last 12 months was 0.4% The basic pay rise agreed yesterday where I’m at just now was 2.5% = an above inflation (real terms) rise of rate of 2.1% and that is a company with better T&Cs than most.
Exactly!
I’ve said it before - and I’ll say it again. It is the INSURANCE that is key to “Market forces” having no play in the wage structure of drivers today.
IF you can employ an idiot who smashes up all the kit, gets lost, wastes fuel going the long way around, hits bridges, and cannot be disciplined because “it’s against their human rights” - then the moment the Insurers refuse to pay out any more on such drivers - will be the day that firms start offering premium pay to premium drivers. Currently, there is no such thing as a premium driver of course. A spotless driver currently gets paid the same as the bod who gets past the “basic” two-year’s experience, over 21, prepared to work for low pay" regime. If he smashes the kit up, he gets replaced by someone else perhaps very similar. NO attempt is made to filter out the dross during the recruitment process, as it’s all about keeping the pay, T&Cs down.
Once insurers wise-up, we’ll start to see firms scrambling for the pool of proper drivers out there - by offering not only full time jobs with practically “job for life” job tie-ins, but higher pay to aid recruitment and retention as well.
UNTIL insurers wise-up, it’ll be “more of what we’ve had this past decade” of course. My bones tell me this era is finally coming to an end though. 
Winseer:
I’ve said it before - and I’ll say it again. It is the INSURANCE that is key to “Market forces” having no play in the wage structure of drivers today.IF you can employ an idiot who smashes up all the kit, gets lost, wastes fuel going the long way around, hits bridges, and cannot be disciplined because “it’s against their human rights” - then the moment the Insurers refuse to pay out any more on such drivers - will be the day that firms start offering premium pay to premium drivers. Currently, there is no such thing as a premium driver of course. A spotless driver currently gets paid the same as the bod who gets past the “basic” two-year’s experience, over 21, prepared to work for low pay" regime. If he smashes the kit up, he gets replaced by someone else perhaps very similar. NO attempt is made to filter out the dross during the recruitment process, as it’s all about keeping the pay, T&Cs down.
Once insurers wise-up, we’ll start to see firms scrambling for the pool of proper drivers out there - by offering not only full time jobs with practically “job for life” job tie-ins, but higher pay to aid recruitment and retention as well.
UNTIL insurers wise-up, it’ll be “more of what we’ve had this past decade” of course. My bones tell me this era is finally coming to an end though.
Problem is, won’t that make it even harder for newbies to get starts?
To be honest, I think a lot of companies would already much rather pay higher rates for premium drivers, but they are hindered by the peanut rates they are having to work for. This problem has been brought out about foreign hauliers, cheapskate firms and some of the big guns undercutting decent rates over the years & basically fuelling the race to the bottom. Lets be honest, the wide (but now declining) availability of cheap labour that became available from the EU had a lot to do with this.
What we have been left as you mentioned with is a scenario where pay & conditions have been driven down, to the extent that firms are having to settle for the dregs to make up the numbers because the jobs become so unappealing. I suspect many a TM sigh at the sight of some of the drivers they are having to offer work & the revolving door of decent drivers.
The only real solution is for the whole UK transport industry to agree on minimum rates, then build the profession up again from there into one which attracts professionals.
V40LLY:
boredwivdrivin:
One of the most basic tenets of economics is the law of supply and demandIf there is a driver shortage wages would rise .
If wages are not rising significantly , there is no driver shortageThat is absolutely 100% correct. [emoji106]
There’s a lot of dreamer’s on here, which struggle to grasp the very fact that their LEAN wages signify that they, and their counterparts, are enormously abundant.
+1
Bloody hell. Its trollfest.
It’s a troll trilogy. Very rare.
Triple troll. Good spot Contra.
A trio of trolls.