Tomorrow my colleague will be retiring after doing 40 years for the company, most of which have been doing the same job hauling plant with a lowloader. In this day with people job hopping it seems very rare for someone to stay in the same place for so long. Any of you lot out there in the same boat?
Quite a few at our place. Staff with over 40 years service are not uncommon… it’s very much dead mens’ shoes.
I think it is like that with Pulleyns and Davies in Southampton.
We got a few 20 plus years and a couple of 30 year men.
Done 36yrs in the present job.
I did 39 years at Pickfords Removals
Feels like I’ve done 90 in mine.
Always thought the drivers names,and x amount of loyal service on the side of grocontinentals cabs was a nice touch 
did 11 years at my last spot but was no better thought of than the new uns
My Dad drove for the same firm from 17 until he retired, had six years WW2 Army service as a driver which counted.
At my first driving job they had a “25 year club” and there was a hell of a lot of people in it, even if you left the company you were still part of it and would often go out for meals etc, there was one or two people that had been there for nearly 50 years but of course by then they were only doing 2-3days a week.
Ever notice how the ‘long service drivers’ tend to complain the most about how rubbish that particular job is? We’ve got a couple with almost 20 years service, and they don’t half complain. I find this job to be by far the easiest of any driving jobs I’ve done, so maybe the fact they’ve not worked anywhere else would suggest they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. . . . ? 30/40/50+ years in the same job is a long time though! True company men indeed.
Usually yes, and they are often he ones who can’t put up with much more of this… and I’ve got a job lined up with … Most of them will get a gold watch for sure.
Happy to say that my mate would only moan as much as the next man.
He finished yesterday afternoon, he was due to run across to Dartford to drop off but as the traffic was particularly bad I offered to do it this morning. When I found out it was an early one I pulled a face and he said he’d come back this morning to do it!
I couldn’t really let a bloke retire on Friday afternoon only to come back on Saturday morning just because I wanted to stay in bed!
My Dad’s just done 35, I did almost 14 at the same place, although “old time” drivers are not thought of as much as the new ones.
Where I am now, our “senior driver” has been on the road for them more than 15 years. The others I don’t think have more than 4 or 5 years as the handballing/being free shelf stacker for bakers plus the weird lorry share system makes people jack. The job and knock system of “work 60 hours, get paid for 55” is a pee take too.
Somehow I doubt I’ll be around to get a gold watch (or a seat at the xmas party if I can get a job back on tippers).
My family were very much job for life people, but I see work now as me selling my labour for a fee with acceptable conditions. If someone else makes me a better offer, I’ll go. Business is business.