Well i know i have not been in my new job for long but i have decided i have had enough with driving abroad and driving in general. So i will be finishing driving the continent this week and starting back on uk work untill i find a office based job. I have been looking for office work for some time now and it seems that no one wants to take on a x driver into a trafic office. Maybe it’s fear of the new person knowing a little bit more or maybe because it just wont work. But either way i will be getting out of driving soon all together because its just to much stress on the family life.
I am only 28 i have been driving since 21. The first class 1 work i had was european, i have had two marriages go down the drain and lost my son all mostly because i am never at home, or when i am at home its compressed into 45 hrs, which is no way to hold a family life. My new partner (she is german i met her out there) and i are planning to start a family and i wont be making the same mistake twice so i have come to the conclusion EURO work must go and soon after the driving all together.
I been to many countries in Europe and beyond while driving, i have been as far east as Turkey and as far south as Morocco. I will miss it i’m sure but i will not miss the countless hours of chasing to get home, knowing that Calais is 4.5 hrs from lux or from Aachern, or from Lille or from where ever. I wont be spinning at Stafford because i’m short of one hour any more. I will be home every night with my new partner watching corrie or some crap german soap.The recent influx of every eastern block country is slowly but surely bringing the transport industry to it’s knee’s. Not just in the UK it’s evident in every country i have driven in. Its also the hot topic for them too. I have not driven for an hour in the last two years without seeing one of there number plates. This has amplified my reasons for getting out of the driving side as fast as i can. As i mentioned in one of my posts about the norfolk line ferry, i feel some what unsafe when i am the only one one the boat be it P&O, Seafrance Norfolkline or Britanny ferries that is going home or speak English.
I will i’m sure miss the free super strength coffee with every tank and the little points cards from shell, total and IDS. the good food, parking and very nice to see you have delivered us something today attitude i’m sure i will miss soon also.
All of you lads who do the job i wish you the best of luck in the future i realy do, and i hope you all drive safe.
I have met many friends and many nob rots doing european work. The friends i will no be able to see when they are home because i will be home first this time.
So if you see a 6ft 4" happy as larry driver on a P&O ferry going home on sat night that will be me because im going home and staying home.
I know where you are coming from Spacemonkey and I wish you the best of luck with it.
However, from reading your past posts I would give you six months max working in an office. If you wanted to be a clerk you would have gone clerking in the first place!
However, like I said, all the best with it and keep in touch.
It must be something in the water because I am working my notice on the tanks this week and although will still do some C/Mental work I will be home at weekends and occasionally in the week.
I am quite looking forward to it. I realised I love my lady more than I love my lorry
spacemonkeypg
I’m with Harry you are a trucker,end of.
For my 3 pennies worth,you have 3 options.
1,Tipperwork OK but boring.
2,Officework.Got a real CPC like me?If not menial work.
3.Why not try drivertraining like ROG?He loves it.
You’re old enough,got the experience & would get home each night.
What ever you decide,best of luck in the future.
I thought the same a few years back and gave up driving because of the hours etc. but am in the process of giving up my current construction job for life back on the road. Its very hard to stay away from. I will probably only have about 2/3 of my current pay and be away for weeks at a time but [zb] it i like it.
I totally understand where you’re coming from mate. I’m 23 now and like you have been doing it since 21 and its almost impossible to lead any sort of social life outside of work, especially when I have situations like now where I’m away all week, get home Friday afternoon, have 24 or so hours off and ship out again on Saturday evening. I’m alright once I’m across but its so depressing knowing that I’ve only got 24hrs off. The thing is though I cant think of any other job that I’d want to do, let alone one that wouldn’t drive me crazy because I have to be on the move all the time, doing and going to different places so I’m pretty much screwed in the long run. I will have to give it all in at some point though, not because of being away, but because I’m not compatible to what truckers will have to be in the future, ie pencil pushing book worms having to keep written records of every minute worked, rested, poa and crap like that, not to mention getting a cpc every five years, thats not my idea of a way of life I want to lead and I’m not spending 50-70hrs a week doing something I would hate. So the future for me is either Canada, which with me doing all this continental now would be ok for me as they all seem to want drivers with a few years continental experience or just try and find some other line of work, but thats much easier said than done.
eldor:
I especially when I have situations like now where I’m away all week, get home Friday afternoon, have 24 or so hours off and ship out again on Saturday evening. I’m alright once I’m across but its so depressing knowing that I’ve only got 24hrs off.
eldor:
I especially when I have situations like now where I’m away all week, get home Friday afternoon, have 24 or so hours off and ship out again on Saturday evening. I’m alright once I’m across but its so depressing knowing that I’ve only got 24hrs off.
so how is that legal?
Because you can reduce a weekly rest at base now to 24 hours, thats how its legal, or am I to be accused of running bent?
milodon:
sorry then, for some reason I assumed you were reducing it week after week
God no, I’d be totally burn out after a few months. I’ll reduce this weekend, next weekend will be a full 45 plus whatever I need to make up from this weekend. Its just the nature of our German run, for whatever reason it has to go direct from England to Germany so that means the Immingham - Cuxhaven ferry and that leaves at some pretty horrendous times, usually Saturday afternoon/night. I’ve only been lucky enough once for it to sail on a sunday night. If I do a Swiss run and go on a Sunday we usually leave at about 9am but if we have time to make up or can’t squeeze a 45 in we leave later, but thats left down to us, we’re not told to leave at any certain time, so long as the stuff gets delivered, we’re left to our own devices!
Move to N.Ireland
Plenty of day work here driving for Montgomery/Woodsides hauling around NI or down to Dublin and back,any amount of bulk tipper day work also.
I know you’ve looked at Canada before check out this firm for hourly pay/day work,shifts are 12 hour shifts, 7on/3off week 1,7 on4off week 2.
Pay is $23/hour first 9 hours $33.50 OT for rest www.rjhoffman.com
all the best Phil, are you getting out of haulage all together or just want to be involved from a different angle ?
it will be quite a change for you especially going into an office Job from your current situation…I reckon you will get fed up of that soon enough, sitting in some office …Looking out of the window thinking this is [zb]… If you like being oudoors then you wont settle in an office job…
Being home and in your own bed every night is great but in some cases you have to do what you need to do to earn your crust., be it whatever and that unfortunately may take you away from your home and family…
Hope you find your path in life, at only 28 you are young enough to try whatever …
