Grayham:
If you want regular start times and an easy life, how about driving for a builders merchant? Surely one of the big players in your area has a vacancy?Be about the same wage but least you can escape from the numpties for a few hours whereas in a warehouse you’ll be stuck with them all day
Builders merchant work is good and fairly skilled work in my opinion.
MikeCunn:
I wonder if it’s worth the extra 38p per hour to drive a 44T Artic around the country, being treated like [zb] and made to wait in RDC’s for hours on end with woeful facilities. I personally think not.
I concur.
MikeCunn:
The average wage seems to be going down. The amount of legislation we have to know and abide by is getting worse. The standard of driving is getting worse and there’s traffic everywhere. None of this will get better.
I still love driving HGV’s, it’s everything we’re expected to do and put up with that’s got to me.
+1,000,000. Well said that man 
In my opinion, this post should be stickied in the new/wannabes section so that new drivers can at least get some kind of forewarning about what this job is really like, and what they’re getting themselves into before forking out a grand odd for their LGV licence. You’re definitely not alone in how you feel Mike, and I agree with you to the letter. It’s only going to get worse, I’m trying everything I can to find another job, before LGV driving finally goes to utter pish, it’s well on its way there already.
COOKiEEES!!:
this post should be stickied in the new/wannabes section.
No it shouldn’t. If I’d listened to all the drivers when I was starting out I would probably never have done it and now be sat bored and depressed in an office because I never followed my dreams. As it happens I did follow my dreams and they all came true. The new drivers never knew how it ‘used to be’. This is their time and maybe 20 years down the line they’ll be moaning how its not like it used to be but there we go. Let people make their own decisions. With the right attitude and right outlook on life this can still be a great job if you make it. It just takes time and hard work to get where you want to be, just never give up.
MikeCunn:
Ok, I’m 33 and I’ve been driving Class 1 since I was 26, almost 8 years. I worked for a bakery and did a run from near Wigan to Bellshill four or five days per week for 6 years.
I left that job and since I have Tramped, multi-dropped and worked at different companies, (including 3 months Tramping at Stobarts) with different pay and work etc.
I’ve driven in high winds with 16’ 3" trailers and the worst snow in Scotland for decades in 2010 with a double decker and brown undies. I also came fourth in the UK Finals of the Scania Young European Truck Driver 2012 (age limit 35.)
By no means have I done it all, but I would say I’m fairly experienced for my age.
At the moment, I’ve had enough. I’m completely fed up of it and looking at agency jobs in factories and warehouses instead of driving for agencies.
The pay is less, but not much. I’ll know my start and finish times and can plod on with the work. Sure it can be boring but so can the M6 at 3am past Penrith and falling asleep in a warehouse won’t kill me or shut the Motorway.
I went for a job in a local factory, £8.04 per hour. I’ve just done a few months at Kammac on £8.42 per hour, no overtime rate and start times up the wall.
I wonder if it’s worth the extra 38p per hour to drive a 44T Artic around the country, being treated like [zb] and made to wait in RDC’s for hours on end with woeful facilities. I personally think not.
The average wage seems to be going down. The amount of legislation we have to know and abide by is getting worse. The standard of driving is getting worse and there’s traffic everywhere. None of this will get better.
I still love driving HGV’s, it’s everything we’re expected to do and put up with that’s got to me.
I know this makes no difference to any of you, one less driver to compete for jobs with if anything! I suppose I just wondered if it’s just me?
No fella its not you,I am being made redundant new years eve after 20 years on the same company delivering petrol and they are even trying to screw us out of our redundancy package,I agree with everything you have said and sadly even courtesy is dying on the roads with other lorry drivers Good luck to you my friend.
I also agree with you mike cunn 100% !
Can i also add that for the crap money we are paid,we are also responsable for…
drivers tachograph rules
vehicle checks
road rules and regulations
load safety & security
I dont know of any other job where you dont get paid overtime after you’ve worked 40hrs !
And on top of this we are the only industry that i know of where we are not allowed to earn a little bit more money doing another part time job at weekends i.e. …working behind a bar saturday night.
The sooner i get out of this profession the better.
Good luck Mike.
I’m the first to admit that at times commerical driving ■■■■■; there are more days than I can remember when I’ve wanted to jack it in…and some that I have done just that!
However, I can say from experience that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Factory work, erecting marquees, chauffeuring, HGV driving…I’ve tried a few things over the years. Those jobs too all have muppets, crap days and crap wages at times and with certain employers. News flash - the grass is the same colour in these jobs!
The trick is to try and keep your head and sleep on any problems before making any rash decisions…don’t think I’m a smart arse as I’m not always good at practicing what I preach! No one is. I currently have 40+ folks I look after and I interview fairly regularly for new people. I see a lot of CVs and a lot of folks at times. The main thing I notice currently is that the job market is grim, given the amount of applications I look at. I also see a huge spectrum of folks from no qualifications to lots applying. There is very little on offer job-wise in the UK just sadly now and wages are in favour of the employer in most sectors.
However, there are good employers out there and jobs which are more enjoyable than others. Find one of those if you can and don’t hang up your keys in hope of better prospects elsewhere…as they may not exist. It has been said before but it is true - it is so much easier to get a job when you are in one, for several reasons.
I 100% agree there’s no finer job than truck driving on the right day/right mood/right weather/right radio station but it’s the worst in the world on a lot of other days! It can be amixed bag and ain’t for everyone. A break in another career for a while is often a good way to go…it tells you you really want back to driving or leaving it was a good move.
Good luck.
this job is great…best move i ever made.
factory work is ■■■■…every minute seems like an hour,and by the time youve done 40 hours youll be ■■■■■■…both mentally and physically.
in winter,youll never see daylight. youll grow to hate your life,and then turn into one of the countless morons we (as drivers) have to deal with every day.
there are still good driving jobs out there…but they take some finding.
switchlogic:
COOKiEEES!!:
this post should be stickied in the new/wannabes section.No it shouldn’t. If I’d listened to all the drivers when I was starting out I would probably never have done it and now be sat bored and depressed in an office because I never followed my dreams. As it happens I did follow my dreams and they all came true. The new drivers never knew how it ‘used to be’. This is their time and maybe 20 years down the line they’ll be moaning how its not like it used to be but there we go. Let people make their own decisions. With the right attitude and right outlook on life this can still be a great job if you make it. It just takes time and hard work to get where you want to be, just never give up.
What pish
Boss & Driver:
switchlogic:
COOKiEEES!!:
this post should be stickied in the new/wannabes section.No it shouldn’t. If I’d listened to all the drivers when I was starting out I would probably never have done it and now be sat bored and depressed in an office because I never followed my dreams. As it happens I did follow my dreams and they all came true. The new drivers never knew how it ‘used to be’. This is their time and maybe 20 years down the line they’ll be moaning how its not like it used to be but there we go. Let people make their own decisions. With the right attitude and right outlook on life this can still be a great job if you make it. It just takes time and hard work to get where you want to be, just never give up.
What pish
Coming from the oracle of all knowlege. Shouldn’t you be busy writing your next load of drivel, sorry fiction?
commonrail:
this job is great…best move i ever made.
factory work is [zb]…every minute seems like an hour…
+1
I wish all these moaning old [zb]s who have driven all their lives and never done a proper days work would just ■■■■ off and stack shelves in Tesco without preaching to the rest of us.
I’ve stacked shelves in Tesco. I’ve worked in a factory. I’ve worked in an office. I’ve worked on the road bullying old people into buying stuff they don’t need and can’t afford. I’ve shovelled [zb] and I’ve driven a taxi…and do you know what the easiest money I ever earnt was? I’ll tell ya. It’s the job I do now; driving an artic from A to B and back to A again.
If you can’t hack that, you sure as hell ain’t going to be able to hack a real job.
I hope this helps.
SmashedCrabFace, you’ve forgotten one thing; You wont be a proper lorry driver until you’ve driven to the Middle East and bored a specific number of phoney drivers with the stories of said experiences.
I’m not fussed if this helps anyone or not.
I’ll be turning 30 in a few weeks and will be hanging up my keys as well, after 8 years of running to best and worst europe and western asia has to offer. Will be taking a pay cut of about 4 times 
don’t really care though, doing a few trips to spain during my summer vacation will be all I plan for the next 30. back to doing body and paint, don’t regret the 8 years but waking up in my own bed every morning next to my very fit gf sounds pretty ■■■■ good 
.
milodon:
…don’t regret the 8 years but waking up in my own bed every morning next to my very fit gf sounds pretty ■■■■ good
This post is pointless without pictures.
SmashedCrabFace:
If you can’t hack that, you sure as hell ain’t going to be able to hack a real job.
What do you think I did before truck driving? I worked in factories and warehouses, the jobs I’m looking at getting back into, so I know what the ‘real’ jobs are like.
SmashedCrabFace:
I’ve worked on the road bullying old people into buying stuff they don’t need and can’t afford.
I’d rather be on the dole than do a job like that. You must be very proud of yourself.
MikeCunn:
SmashedCrabFace:
If you can’t hack that, you sure as hell ain’t going to be able to hack a real job.What do you think I did before truck driving? I worked in factories and warehouses, the jobs I’m looking at getting back into, so I know what the ‘real’ jobs are like.
My post wasn’t specifically aimed at you Mr Cunn; it was more for everybody who does a “I’m hanging my keys up” post. We get a lot of them on here.
MikeCunn:
SmashedCrabFace:
I’ve worked on the road bullying old people into buying stuff they don’t need and can’t afford.I’d rather be on the dole than do a job like that. You must be very proud of yourself.
I was young and naive; my first proper job after college. But now you mention it, I am proud actually; proud that I didn’t sign on instead. I’d rather do an immoral job than be a doley bum anyday. Some people prefer to provide for themselves by whatever means necessary rather than rely on state handouts you see
I hope this helps.
milodon:
I’ll be turning 30 in a few weeks and will be hanging up my keys as well, after 8 years of running to best and worst europe and western asia has to offer. Will be taking a pay cut of about 4 times
Alrite Milton who have you been driving for I’m looking to do eastern euro n Asia
It sounds like you need to drive for a supermarket of something!
Whatever you choose I wish you luck.
Best of luck to the op, if your jobs getting you down then getting out of it and trying something else is the right thing to do. Nothing to stop you coming back to driving in future.
If a lot of the ‘veterans’ you hear whinging and moaning about everything day in and day out took the same advice and tried something else then it’d be better for all of us…
a) they’d be out of the way, leaving the job and opening vacancies to those who actually enjoy it.
or…
b) they’d come back with a more positive outlook having realised the grass wasn’t that greener.
As it is, 90% of the drivers you hear saying how much they hate it and want to get into something else actually won’t and will carry on polluting our waiting rooms, cafes and transport offices with their miserable faces and negative bleating for years to come. 
switchlogic:
Saaamon:
switchlogic:
Although to be fair most of the companies I’ve worked for wouldn’t care anyway, as they are run by transport men (& a woman) not corporate lackeys in a suit!
Luke, this sentence sums up why we’re in the ■■■■■! 
and it’ll get worse for the race to the bottom! I think the Egotistical Selfish Little willy wavers will win though! the bigger you are, THE harder you fall!
