Theres nothing like long distance going from one country to another and i love it, im mainly consigned to Malaga/ Seville to Portugal onto Calais/Reims return now but have done Sweden to Italy and Greece regularly years ago. Obviously have to work to a reasonable time scale but with no boss to answer to its great 
Re the UK though i cant understand how any so called professional driver could refuse to do just a few hundred kmâs and back, its only a little island and dont really see why doing for example Glasgow to the south coast would be a big deal let alone Milton Keynes to Birmingham as posted up earlier in the thread as thats just ridiculous 
AndrewG:
Re the UK though i cant understand how any so called professional driver could refuse to do just a few hundred kmâs and back, its only a little island and dont really see why doing for example Glasgow to the south coast would be a big deal let alone Milton Keynes to Birmingham as posted up earlier in the thread as thats just ridiculous
I get the idea that there may be more to the story than the distance involved in the journey. Perhaps the delivery point in Brum have a habit of treating drivers in a way which we are all familiar with, and which if it happened to a member of an ethnic minority, would result in a court case?
AndrewG:
Theres nothing like long distance going from one country to another and i love it, im mainly consigned to Malaga/ Seville to Portugal onto Calais/Reims return now but have done Sweden to Italy and Greece regularly years ago. Obviously have to work to a reasonable time scale but with no boss to answer to its great
Re the UK though i cant understand how any so called professional driver could refuse to do just a few hundred kmâs and back, its only a little island and dont really see why doing for example Glasgow to the south coast would be a big deal let alone Milton Keynes to Birmingham as posted up earlier in the thread as thats just ridiculous
The Southampton one is because I only drive a 18t so donât venture that far that much but for the Brum to Milton Keynes thatâs only 100miles tops
danalex84:
Bit of an odd one this, but I have noticed recently more and more drivers who refuse to do any distance driving.
I might be wrong in saying this, but I have always been of the opinion that I get in the motor on Monday morning and get out again on Friday night or Saturday morning and I go where dispatch tells me, as long as its all legal and I can make it home at the end of the week.At the firm I work for, I constantly hear drivers (who are 4/5 night a week trampers) moaning about having to drive any distance work, in fact I know my boss struggles to get drivers who will work on contracts that involve a lot of driving.
We are based in Milton Keynes and I have witnessed on more than one occasion drivers, kicking off about having to take a load up to Birmingham. When I returned a few weeks ago after working in North Yorkshire and North Wales on a contract for 6 days, 4 drivers told me they would have flat out refused to work up there.
What is becoming of this once proud industry? I would much rather be doing distance driving and getting to see the country, than using the same roads day in day out and sleeping about an hour from my house every night.
Maybe I am wrong, and will happily except all criticism that comes my way.
At the firm I work for, I constantly hear drivers (who are 4/5 night a week trampers) moaning about having to drive any distance work, in fact I know my boss struggles to get drivers who will work on contracts that involve a lot of driving.
Long distance drivers never had it so good 9 hours a day driving then rest, thats real long distance maybe there is a lot of waiting time on the runs that would bring them up to 15 hours with waiting time, who wants that.
I wouldnât mind going further afield but really donât want to do nights out.
I do fairly set hours so baring breakdowns or a major traffic problem I know il be home by 5-30 at the latest and get to spend quality time with my family every evening.
Iâd certainly rather spend the evening playing games and reading storyâs with my son than parked up in a layby.
But each to there own
Iâm a driver, I knew my wagon was equipped with a bunk, fridge and stuff, my company told me I will night out a few nights a week, and thankfully involve distance driving,
they pay me a fair wage and compensation for my nights out⊠And the problem is?
Get a grip or go and deliver to gastro pubs⊠Bloody hell Iâve ranted for the first time on here⊠Maybe second time just to keep the pedantic mob happy 
I know it comes with the job but maybe [and iâm just guessing]drivers are sick and tired of the jams in this country,normally motorways,there isnât a day goes by where I donât hear about massive delays due to accidents/roadworks/road closures and so on,if you are on distance work you normally work out how long it will take you from A to B,when you are looking at I maybe 2 hr delays you start stressing[as I use to] about your hours and how much longer it will take you once clear,i personally hate distance work on days[500 to 600 km a day] done enough in my time now I want it easy [which I have]so iâm happy at the moment but who knows it could change one day.
I suppose we are lucky, we just phone up, tell them we are stuck and poop happens, night out reorganise and crack on in the morning, do our best to catch up and we help each other as drivers (four of us).
Working as a team in a small unit is easy.
My idea of âCreamâ would be Monday-Wednesday, 15 hours to do 9 hours driving, 45 hour week completed in 3 days.
Monday Start 15:00 Finish 06:00 Tuesday
Tuesday start 15:00 finish 06:00 Wednesday
Wednesday start 15:00 finish 06:00 Thursday, and thatâs your working week done.
Overtime would be 15 hours should you do the one extra shift, but the hours would have to be 17:00 start because youâve already used up your 9 hour reduced rests. 
The point is though - youâd HAVE to have all your on-duty hours count as âPaid forâ here.
Who wants to be wasting their life away in a layby âoff dutyâ and âunpaidâ for a single hour more in a day than necessary?
In my mind, ALL trampers would be better off getting paid for 15 hours each day.
Letâs be real, itâs always been this way.
Trampers apply for tramping jobs, others know they may have a few nights out and apply for the job⊠So if you canât cope, then do not apply for that role of job.
Itâs so easy to think for yourself⊠Honest 
truckman020:
I know it comes with the job but maybe [and iâm just guessing]drivers are sick and tired of the jams in this country,normally motorways,there isnât a day goes by where I donât hear about massive delays due to accidents/roadworks/road closures and so on,if you are on distance work you normally work out how long it will take you from A to B,when you are looking at I maybe 2 hr delays you start stressing[as I use to] about your hours and how much longer it will take you once clear,i personally hate distance work on days[500 to 600 km a day] done enough in my time now I want it easy [which I have]so iâm happy at the moment but who knows it could change one day.
There is no stress in lorry driving.
Going by some of the posts on here it does seem as though theres more than a few who dont like distance or nights out. Have this attitude in Europe and the whole thing comes to a standstill. I still find it odd that in such a small place as the UK theres drivers not willing to drive from one end of the country to the other to avoid having to have a night out, is it because they need to keep an eye on the missus maybe?? 
I do 4 nights out a week. Furthest Iâve been this year is upto Tummel bridge and down as far as Penrith.
Drift:
Iâm a driver, I knew my wagon was equipped with a bunk, fridge and stuffâŠ
Good point, if you go for an interview and theyâre sleeper cabs then a night out isnât a shock is it? If you take a job on rigids on foodstuffs, donât be shocked when you expected to be the customers free shelf stacker (you are your own worst enemy if you work for P and H).
As a day driver I preferred not to do nights out but I ended up doing one on a 250 mile round trip from Norfolk to Dartford. I ran out of driving time (10 hours) fifty miles from base. It was purely down to traffic and chaos at the Dartford crossing.
In the past I used to do Thetford to Magor or Cwmbran with time to spare, a distance of 450 miles.
I could understand some of you day men who get hot flushes and go all âtime of the monthâ if you very occasionally have to have an unscheduled night out, or even mention the words ânight outâ (.oooh the drama 
) if it was in a day cab, and
you had to sleep across the seats.(as it once was) then I could see your point.
In transport â â â â has always happenedâŠfact, sometimes you will be held up and have to stay away maybe once a year in winter for egâŠ
. The clue is in the fact that you have designated bunk in there with you, so stop moaning like teenage girls and get on with it.
ffs.
robroy:
I could understand some of you day men who get hot flushes and go all âtime of the monthâ if you very occasionally have to have an unscheduled night out, or even mention the words ânight outâ (.oooh the drama
you had to sleep across the seats.(as it once was) then I could see your point.In transport [zb] has always happenedâŠfact, sometimes you will be held up and have to stay away maybe once a year in winter for egâŠ
. The clue is in the fact that you have designated bunk in there with you, so stop moaning like teenage girls and get on with it.
ffs.
When I started driving HGVâs in 1972 sleeping across the seats of a Bedford TK was the norm., I later progressed to a Ford D series.
In more recent times, as a day driver, I always took my overnight kit despite being a casual and having to load and unload it every trip. Being prepared makes life easier, no horrible surprises.
Fincham:
robroy:
I could understand some of you day men who get hot flushes and go all âtime of the monthâ if you very occasionally have to have an unscheduled night out, or even mention the words ânight outâ (.oooh the drama
you had to sleep across the seats.(as it once was) then I could see your point.In transport [zb] has always happenedâŠfact, sometimes you will be held up and have to stay away maybe once a year in winter for egâŠ
. The clue is in the fact that you have designated bunk in there with you, so stop moaning like teenage girls and get on with it.
ffs.When I started driving HGVâs in 1972 sleeping across the seats of a Bedford TK was the norm., I later progressed to a Ford D series.
In more recent times, as a day driver, I always took my overnight kit despite being a casual and having to load and unload it every trip. Being prepared makes life easier, no horrible surprises.
You are obviously a âproperâ professional driver who understands how the job works, so you cater and adapt.
It is those precious types, who bleat on about âI need to get home to my own bedâ or 'âIâve no desire to sleep in a tin boxâ â as if it is beneath them 
the same ones who look down their snouts at trampers, and think we are ALL unwashed carrier bag crappers with no social skillsâŠWe are not!!
Why did they even consider a career in road transport ffs ?
I also remember the dubious pleasure of sleeping in a TK and a D series too btw 
, but you just got on with it in those days with no drama queens in the job.
Beaver repellent? Cheeky sod
Anyway, what are you doing on a distance thread? I have never seen you more than 10 miles away from WarringtonâŠ
robroy:
It is those precious types, who bleat on about âI need to get home to my own bedâ or 'âIâve no desire to sleep in a tin boxâ
Why did they even consider a career in road transport ffs ?
Youâre reading a bit too much into this, I think. I donât currently do nights out, although Iâve had thousands in my time. I donât âlook down my snoutâ at anyone who does, thatâs their choice, just as my choice is mine.