How long have you been driving, what do you remember?

[markoc]

I’m 45years old this year and have to have a medical in a few months to retain my licences. I drove 7.5tonners when I was 18 and passed my class 1 at the age of 21, working class 3’s for a year and was lucky enough to get on the artics at the age of 22,couldn’t get enough of it… I always listened and looked up to the older lads when I was a younger inexperienced driver. They’d be there to help you out in any situation and over those year I’ve made some really good mates.

24 years later and I wonder where that time has gone. I’m the 3rd generation in this job, I’d travel with my dad as a kid in Fodens and ERF’s and loved it, couldn’t wait to get that licence despite my old dad trying to convince me otherwise …lol.

I’ve seen a few changes and noticed however that despite my age there doesn’t seem to be many younger people coming into the industry (…and I can’t say I’d blame them ) and I wonder how things will turn out… I don’t know if the comradery has gone or whether it’s me begining to get tired of the job…

I’ve been lucky to have worked on so many aspects of transport, distance/ international work, tankers, tilts, containers, fridges, cutainsiders and low-loaders. I’ve loved it and absolutely hated the job at times, it cost me my marriage but in all honesty I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, maybe I’m just getting too old. .

But I just wondered how long everyone else out there has been out on the road ■■? How old were you when you got your ticket, how did you feel and do you still enjoy the job ■■?

[swedish_blue]

Started driving 7.5 in 1971. Did class 3 (rigid 4 wheeler) in 1975. Wish had done something else Now on Class 1(sorry LGV C+ E) Love the driving. But thats about it. What else can I do except Retire soon

[bald_bloke]

Passed class 1 in Feb 1987 and I used to love those pre limiter days and i would stick between 60 mph and 100 kph on the speedo which gave me about 62 mph but couldn’t go back to not having cruise control.

[limeyphil]

Started out as a computer programmer and electronics engineer, couldn’t stand being in an office.
my brother asked if i fancied a trip to spain, so jacked in my job and [zb]ed off, drove the unit to portsmouth where my brother hooked up a trailer, we then went up and down from france to spain for a few weeks. I didn’t drive in france, but a few pesetas sorted the fact that i only had a car licence.
That was the start for me. I started driving vans delivering fruit and veg locally, then bought a tipper and started shifting waste, then got a class one and started on abnormal load work within the week.
Tachographs were pretty much optional extras up until about 6 years ago. I think that was the turning point between a slapped wrist and a prison sentence.
The main thing i’ve noticed is the amount of jobsworths coming into the job, or being brainwashed by large logistics providers. They havn’t put up much of a fight against the hard working East Europeans.
It’s the jobsworths that have spoilt this job.

[geoffo]

I started (In '84) working for a transport company when I was 17… I worked In their warehouse, but regularly took a Transit van out once I’d passed my car test…
About a week after my 18th birthday, the boss asked me If I’d like to drive a 7.5t truck full-time (Apparently you could drive a 7.5t on a ‘B’ licence once you were 18 & not before) & by then the bug had bitten, so I accepted the offer…

I drove the 7.5t for 3 years & during this time I had the opportunity to do some shunting (Artics) In the yard as overtime…

On my 21st birthday I started my Class 1 training… 3 days later I’d passed my driving test In the morning, went back to the company I worked for to tell them the good news & the boss asked me If I’d like to take a run out that afternoon In their Volvo F7 artic… I accepted of course …

I never did go back on the 7.5t, but had the F7 until It was replaced by an FL7… In Jan 1990 the company was taken over & a few of us lost our jobs ( me Included), but after spending 2 days on the dole I’d found a job working for a well known company with green trucks & an interesting uniform …

I enjoyed working for the ‘Green Machine’ as It was a good job back then, OK so they ran some Ford Cargo artics ( ), but the work was good & clean…

I spent 6 years working for Stobarts & In that time I’d driven all over the UK, Ireland,Benelux,France, Some Spain & Portugal (In a FL10 I might add)…

In '96 I returned to the land of my for-fathers & started working for a well known French Haulier & driving mainly back to the UK …

A couple of year’s later I went to work for a company that did (Mainly) round trips from France to Scandinavia… A good job with good material & V.good wages…

By Jan 2007 I’d had enough of being away all the time ( anywhere between 2 & 6 weeks away. I did one stint for 3 months away ) & decided to take a job locally, home everynight & staying within the Belgian borders…

I only worked there for 6 months… By that time (22 years of driving) I was sick to the back teeth of driving & felt like I was going mad & I needed a complete change of direction… I landed a job working in a food processing plant…

Now nearly 6 years later I have no regrets about driving… I’ve driven all over Europe & experienced many thing’s…

I think a lot of drivers go through a stage where they can’t stand the job anymore & need a break from It…

I’m now at the stage where I wouldn’t mind giving driving another go… I know the world has turned since I last drove & thing’s haven’t got any better for the drivers ‘lot’, but people always say ‘once a driver always a driver’…

[gembo]

Passed car test in 83 and remember being able to hoon around without being bothered by plod or bloody speed scamera’s.
Happy days
I can also remember racing my mate on the M4 with a couple of solo Foden 4300 units at 70+ in the wee small hours.

[fatboy_slimslow]

I remember driving a Saracen in the early 70s in south Armagh XMG, crossmaglen but they were too easy to blow up! then everything was choppered in, then it was footsie all the time! as crab airways were too scared to fly!

[weeto]

Passed class 1 test in June 1988, Is 25 years something to celebrate??
Still remember most of that test to this day, but not a great deal in between haha.
I miss being able to park more or less any were you wanted with out worrying about some scroute nicking ya diesel.

[retired_old_fart]

Started in 1964 driving nights illegally before I was old enough to drive HGVs. That was in the days before HGV licences- as soon as you turned 21 you could automatically drive big 'uns without taking a further test. I used to run steel from South Wales to Hereford with a six-wheeler AEC for the day driver to deliver.