Pop Larkin:
I can remember when there was courtesy on the roads, but then I can remember when folk said thank you when you held a door open for them. Attitudes when driving are just an extension of attitudes in life.
Totally agree with you people are in such a rush now an dont have time to say thanks,in the old days if you went in a cafe you wouldnt sit on your own you would sit next to someone for a chat how many people even stop in cafes now.Very few people say thanks for letting trhem out or giveing way.Its not just youngsters its every age but thats how this country has got.It wont change now.
Yes, I totally agree we ARE in too much of a rush these days , part of the blame has to be with supermarkets timed deliveries, a lot of drivers in the last 10 or so years are so afraid of their bosses (Who on the whole have absolutely no idea how long it takes to get from A to B) I think there are enough jobs out there for patient drivers, so Its about time we started to slow the pace down a bit Let them get the load when we get there at OUR pace…I know it will never happen but we can all dream a bit
boyzee:
[in the old days if you went in a cafe you wouldnt sit on your own you would sit next to someone for a chat how many people even stop in cafes now…
boyzee:
[in the old days if you went in a cafe you wouldnt sit on your own you would sit next to someone for a chat how many people even stop in cafes now…
Your right spardo no matter what country you come from in europe in routiers or cafes we would all sit together i think they should bring the transport section back in uk services like the old days and the services here had notices up “transport drivers have priority due to there hours and will be served first” i remember see this at hilton park and other services but i quess it was soon forgotten like every thing else.
montana man:
:shock: Really ■■ seems to me I see a lot of younger drivers being over polite trying to live up to the camarderie that the older drivers tell them of.
Some of the worst displays being given by older and more bitter drivers who have failed to adapt and/or should now better
We should be leading by example and helping educate the newbees not stereotypicaly slagging them off gentleman
I think montana man has slightly missed the point. Its not that we can’t adapt or that wer’e bitter about todays truckers, it’s that we ol’ ■■■■■ had a differant work ethic and knew that once you left these shores you were on your own. If you had a blowout you changed it yourself (along with your mates or other truckers that stopped to help) and if you had engine trouble you got your toolbox out and tried to fix it (hopefully). You always got your load there and you always had mates and other drivers to help. There was always some arse’oles that didnt help but they don’t count. In the old days the maxim was that there wasn’t any problem that couldn’t be solved. OL’GRAVEL GUTS
I totally agree with Ol’Gravel Guts.I couldn’t have put it better.Full marks young man.However I am a little jealous of all the tecnology that exists now.Also the engineering eg auto boxes etc.I have a satnav in my car and on the odd occasion I use.it.Very handy.Personally I dont think that the standard of driving has dropped.I maybe think that there is more speeding than when I was on the road.That maybe due to the fact that I remember When the speed limit was raised from 30mph to 40. Big deal. I was driving a Leyland Octopus with a top speed of 36.The good old days eh!
i seem to have picked up some good habits from my late father when it comes to doing the job properly, when my boss rings me up and tells me to push it, ill push it only as far as i know i can without being dangerous, and when he tells me to push it some more, i say “do you want me to get there at all? or do want me to stack the truck?” they generally dont have an answer for that
so theres no need to drive like a madman, if you have that sort of boss that expects you to, then youre working for the wrong company
boyzee:
[in the old days if you went in a cafe you wouldnt sit on your own you would sit next to someone for a chat how many people even stop in cafes now…
Your right spardo no matter what country you come from in europe in routiers or cafes we would all sit together i think they should bring the transport section back in uk services like the old days and the services here had notices up “transport drivers have priority due to there hours and will be served first” i remember see this at hilton park and other services but i quess it was soon forgotten like every thing else.
Spardo and Boyzee were correct when they spoke about the ROUTIERS in France. I;ve been retired from Italien trucking for seven (7) years now after 22 years. Apart from standing on the stairs on a Sunday night I thoroughly enjoyed those years running down to Italia. It was those Routiers that made the job so good. You always measured the distances you were going to do by which Routier,AutoHof or Ristorante you were in in the morning and which one you would meet up at night. Once across into Calais,boulogne et al you were treated as a proffessional and what a difference that made. Now I don’t miss the driving down but I DO miss the restaurants and the cameraderie of old.
'OL GRAVEL GUTS ( I’m not grumpy…thats only a myth )
I was doing the tuesday night stint on the stairs,same c~~p,just 48hrs later than old gravel guts,but the up side was getting to milan/turin/prato or wherever on thursday night,just that one night of the week made the stairs bearable,pleasant meal and loads of vino with a decent crowd of blokes.
That basically is what the job was about,when customs clearance finished the whole thing changed,what before was groupage to the agent was now a delivery on wheels and the workload was increased to such an extent you could go a couple of weeks without seeing even other drivers on the same company as yourself, i retired from european driving some 10yrs ago and must admit i dont miss what the job morphed into but i do miss the good nights i had over the years.
I made a few good friends on that job,and we still keep in touch,i think we should form an old gits club.
I was going to suggest forming an Old Gits Club but gave the idea up when I thought about all the old gits I know.They are nearly all dead or all nearly dead.Does sound like a good idea though.
charlie one,a crowd of us met up last weekend for a beer and a chat,and,i aint kidding when i tell you there was a collective age of 3000 or thereabouts,dago,baccy bill and the mayor of barking accounting for 250yrs between them. (i now have to await the barrage of abuse),an old gits club would have a quite high membership turnover,dont you think?
As you say,quite a high turnover.However I’m sure thatthere are a few old gits left. Some of whom are like me.I was a bit fierce in my youth.But with the passing of time and two marriages behind me i’ve slowed down a bit. I only fight men who are on crutches.I would like to put my name forward for treasurer.
I’m sorry to take issue with you Supercube.However my need is greater than yours.I’m an old pensioner down on my luck. Plus I’m older than you I would say.
Viking:
You were well spoiled charlie one…mine would only do 29mph flat out.
Mind you, it always had 25+ ton on its back.
And I thought I was slow, my Scammell Highwayman at Ilkeston Haulage did 38 mph flat out fully freighted on the A1, but about 80 in angel gear coming back down from Stainmore - haiiirree.
But not everything was slow in those days. At Shaw’s I had a Kew Dodge with a Perkins 6354 and 28ft. 4-in-line trailer which I regularly pushed down the third lane on the M1 at 75. And all perfectly legal.
, part of the blame has to be with supermarkets timed deliveries, a lot of drivers in the last 10 or so years are so afraid of their bosses (Who on the whole have absolutely no idea how long it takes to get from A to B) I think there are enough jobs out there for patient drivers, so Its about time we started to slow the pace down a bit 
Let them get the load when we get there at OUR pace…I know it will never happen but we can all dream a bit 
, but then perhaps we have an advantage in having cafés that people actually want to go into. 
