To tell the truth actually… if I could get a job that involved even less human interaction than this, I’d take it in a heartbeat.
pish:
To tell the truth actually… if I could get a job that involved even less human interaction than this, I’d take it in a heartbeat.
Get a job cleaning out cesspools. Don`t bother too much about changing out of work clothes and I reckon most of humanity would run at your approach.
Always wanted to be a pilot but careers teacher at school put an end to that although I’ve regretted it ever since.
Car broke down when I was 20 and Tate & Lyle driver gave me a lift, sat there chatting to him and thought this looks ok, soon as I was 21 passed class 1 and have been driving for 33 years and 5 years as TM although that was a mistake, missed driving too much.
My dad use to run 2 wagon and drags, mostly weekly to France.
So at a very young age, washed with diesel, over the years we had Hanomag Henshel, Daf 2600, Daf 2000, Scania-vabis 85 super.
Started as a mechanic, did my apprenticeship, as soon I was 18, I did my Class 1 in an Opel Blitz, and was send the following week into Amsterdam to collect a load.
After 6 month driving and mechanic at home, I decided that the grass was much greener outside, and moved to an Internatinal operating near home.
They did live stock to Italy (pigs), reefers to anywhere in Europe, and general haulage to mainly Austria, Swiss and Germany.
Started on general, did everything else later on.
After a couple of years moved companies, did a stint for a heavy haulage company.
Found a company who went even further than West Europe, stayed with them until, I had a serious accident in south Germany, after a extreme long and fast journey 
Went into tanker ( powder and liquid) and tanker containers for over 18 years, moved to the Uk, and became Transport Manager / operations manager, did this for 13 years, and have now moved sideways.
Work now for a third ofthe money, and 10 times better quality of life.
Any regrets? Absolute not!
Would I do it again in these time? Absolute not!
The job is knackered, companies running for peanuts, no driver loyality, no camaraderie, no respect, no knowledge.
Transport was once the pillar of our economies, it kept companies going, delays? What delay, the driver would get it there.
Nowadays, many a driver starts with crying on the desk that they cannot do the job, to much, to far, to whatever.
They loose half a day, with complaining.
We use to get on with it, and find out on the back-end of the day if it could be done or not, and the job satisfaction when a seemingly impossible job got done in time.
When I applied for my first job outside my parents company, the gaffer asked: “how long can you stay awake?” And 24 hours was not the right answer.
I am still alive, I am still a strong believer in the words my grandad use to say; “hard work kills nobody”
My tip to any new driver would be, proof that you are the best and give it all you got, when you say it can’t be done, they will believe you.
The moaner will never be believed or even taken serious.
With great difficulty against the wishes of my dad who wanted me to follow him into engineering involving lots of arguments in that regard.Let alone all the other bs obstacles involved in trying to climb the ladder within the industry itself. 
blue estate:
Chunkzilla:
mrginge:
Chunkzilla:
Now I’ve started working on bulk haulage work and in honesty I enjoy it, it’s just a rather steep learning curve.One of the Barnsley companies?
No, don’t fancy working for a company (or companies) in the midst of family drama!
Currently, the big walking floor firm. First time I’ve worked for a large firm.AWJ or the Green bunch ?
Jenkinsons mate, although the green bunches walking floors are really jenkinsons maskerading as stobart, they work for us, our planners plan them and everything.
I used to watch the trucks coming off the Sally Line ferry in Ramsgate with things like “Istanbul weekly service” and “Saudi Arabia overland” written on them and I thought it seemed a bit more interesting than the minicab driving I was doing at the time. I never did go to Saudi but I’ve been to a hell of a lot of places and it’s heartbreaking that that work has all gone now.
Chunkzilla:
Jenkinsons mate, although the green bunches walking floors are really jenkinsons maskerading as stobart, they work for us, our planners plan them and everything.
You will see some of the Smith’s lorries in Meare then when we deliver loads from Compton Basset.
I started out as a Ford Transit driver for a leather factors in Northampton where I met by now life long friend Steff, who drove a Noddy lorry for Wilkinsons parcel carriers. On my days off I would ride around with him having a laugh, I also had a good mate ‘Steve Jolly’ who drove for Wrefords and he persuaded me to apply for a job with Swifts in Duston, I got the job on nights and my weekly wage went up from 30.00 quid to over 100.00. After a few weeks of driving fork lifts I taught myself to dive the Ford D series shunter and they put me through my class one. Never looked back … But wish I had been anything but a dam truck driver
Joined the Army as a Vehicle Mechanic at 18, after some months training on that, they put us through our class 3 HGV as part of the VM course (I also didn’t have a car licence so they put the small car L plate on the wagon along with the larger HGV L plate so I was covered for both). I was hooked straight away and passed my class 3 and changed trade to a Driver. Drove every sort of military wagon and left the Army with class 1 and just fell into general haulage from there.
Took a career change 20 odd years ago into I.T as had a young family and wanted to be home at night but now I’ve recently got my licence back.
Teacher told me all i would be fit for was…looking out of windows…lol
all of my family wanted the building trade…i wanted to travel since i got my first Red Rover ( ask your dad )…so i got to do what i wanted and got paid for doing it…and loved it ever since…still do…especially the euro work…but sadly i am winding down now, 55 years in the game, still working at 70 yrs but not as much.
complete moron as a teenager found myself in all manner of trouble at 18 semi illiterate without any qualifications and about as unemployable as it gets, managed to scrape some money together and get an old van and made money selling sea coal and logs. got a bigger van and got into removals then parcels in a puddle jumper, done very well sub contracted to ‘Roadline’ (anyone remember them ?) and probably my favourite time working When that lot ended (86ish) moved onto bigger stuff and done well out of the open casts bulking coal around durham to merchants. Done other stuff after that but the fun was gone out of it
Got sacked at 41 with no real qualifications and thought now what?
Did my class 2 and then my class 1.
Very few drivers I have found do it through choice- they only do it because they can’t do anything else , me included.
If I failed a medical or got banned you would find me stacking shelves or street sweeping.
To old to flip burgers.
Was fitting some juliet balconies to flats in Leicester.
Steelwork was all wrong,which meant altering it in a puddle,with hand tools in the pouring rain.
Watched a tipper dump his load…then break out the flask and newspaper.
It dawned upon me,there and then… that lorry drivers don’t have a care in the world.
SOLD
Pretty standard I suppose…my Dad was a truck driver for a local firm and was tramping on uk work so used to go away for a a week long trip in the school holidays (to give my mum a break no doubt as I had two brothers who had no interest in going away so I kind of got pushed and accepted it, and really liked it anyhow) sometimes just for half a week as he’d get back to the yard which was close to home in the middle of some weeks etc. From there just always been interested in it.
My Dad then became an owner driver so used to help him out in the school holidays etc. Went down the route of a factory job after leaving school, mainly because it was local and a decent company to work for and a decent enough job, factory moved onto shifts which I hated so moved onto driving.
Good days and bad days, work with a decent enough bunch and does involve handball and multidrop but I don’t mind it.
Never seen the appeal of tramping with the facilities and the summer weather etc so don’t see myself doing that, happy with the day work for now but who knows whats round the corner these days!
I got into it through my Dad and Grandad. My Gandad drove for the rubber works in St Albans, and my Dad drove for Lockwood at Bardney. I used to go out with the old man as a kid.
I saw the film Convoy at around the same time as someone “suggested” that joining the military would be more beneficial than a stint in Borstal so joined the RCT. Once there I decided that I wanted to be bigger and better than anyone else so persevered until I was posted to a tank transporter regiment.
Should’ve opted for Borstal tbh.
conned by tales of untold riches, laybys full of new start free prostitutes, all the food and alcohol you need for a couple of quid, security gated fully camera scanned free parking for my truck only, no starts before 7 or finishes after 5, and top of the range Bedford tk 10 ton gross but under 3 ton empty so no lgv needed and a 7 ton payload,
and it was not the truck that was the let down,
My grandad, dad’s side, was a wagon driver.
My dad ,after 20+ years in the merchant navy , was a wagon driver. I went with him every school holiday with a company called Ken Abrams based in skelmersdale.
I tried the merchant navy, didn’t work. Tried the security, it did work but didn’t pay enough. Got my license and up to now it’s working.
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pish:
In a nutshell, it just affords me the distance from people that I crave. I’m a bit of an asocial one meOnly time I need to deal with people is loading, unloading, and getting signatures. I can just about deal with that.
Similar sentiments from me…
I’ve done a few different jobs - farming, manufacturing, warehousing, armed forces, police… even property developing. I gained something from them all in their own way, but none of them ever felt ‘right’, or fully enjoyable.
So I had a long think one day. I recalled heading out with my uncle once when he drove class 1 delivering bitumen. I quite enjoyed the travelling. So thought I’d give my Class 2 a go. Now an OD, making a good go of things and really enjoying it.