Are we finally getting to see some proper market forces taking effect here? 
Whilst there are muppets willing to work for such crap rates just to get their “own” lorry then these firms will continue to take the ■■■■. Any driver who condones such rates, regardless of the reason should hang their heads in shame because it is they who are keeping rates low.
The rates of pay are low for hgv drivers because the job is a piece of pi*s to do.Does any driver honestly at the end of shift go home and think they have done a hard days graft.Labouring on a building site is a proper days work, or out on the motorways digging up the road.
I would never call myself a professional driver.How can you be a pro, when it only takes a week to pass your class one.A doctor is a professional, a lawyer, civil engineers, pilots…not lorry drivers, hence the reason we are paid accordingly.
For how easy our job is and the amount of time we get when waiting to tip whilst laid on the bunk, i think we get paid quite well.Usually new and clean motors to drive, your own choice of music to listen to, instead of chav fm if you work in a warehouse, no set breaktimes, youre out and about seeing different places.I did many menial jobs in my early twenties and everyone was harder than the lorry driving i do now.
LeedsChris:
The rates of pay are low for hgv drivers because the job is a piece of pi*s to do.Does any driver honestly at the end of shift go home and think they have done a hard days graft.Labouring on a building site is a proper days work, or out on the motorways digging up the road.I would never call myself a professional driver.How can you be a pro, when it only takes a week to pass your class one.A doctor is a professional, a lawyer, civil engineers, pilots…not lorry drivers, hence the reason we are paid accordingly.
For how easy our job is and the amount of time we get when waiting to tip whilst laid on the bunk, i think we get paid quite well.Usually new and clean motors to drive, your own choice of music to listen to, instead of chav fm if you work in a warehouse, no set breaktimes, youre out and about seeing different places.I did many menial jobs in my early twenties and everyone was harder than the lorry driving i do now.
So we should all work for ■■■■ all right? we should be grateful that the boss lets us drive his lorry and put our pelmets and tassels in the cab right?
You sir are a muppet!
^^^^^+1^^^^^
FYI LONGS pay the FORKIES in the yard more than the class 1 drivers IMHO that is taking the ■■■■.
They do pay for night parking.
I now work for a much larger firm, days only, weekdays only reasonable start and finish times and earn more in a week than I did at longs, by a considerable margin, taking in to account the very unsociable hours, way happier now.
It’s great to have my life back, leave the tramping to the tramps!
LeedsChris
Yes I do think I work hard. Some of the stuff iI deliver weighs up to 200 kilos, I either do a 2/3 day run with about 10 deliveries on or 1 delivery with a wagon and drag full, all handball.
If it’s just one job It could be about 15 ton unloaded in about three hour’s, try it in the summer it’s like working in a greenhouse.
i dont even earn that im on £6.31 p/h all handball
LeedsChris:
The rates of pay are low for hgv drivers because the job is a piece of pi*s to do.Does any driver honestly at the end of shift go home and think they have done a hard days graft.Labouring on a building site is a proper days work, or out on the motorways digging up the road.I would never call myself a professional driver.How can you be a pro, when it only takes a week to pass your class one.A doctor is a professional, a lawyer, civil engineers, pilots…not lorry drivers, hence the reason we are paid accordingly.
For how easy our job is and the amount of time we get when waiting to tip whilst laid on the bunk, i think we get paid quite well.Usually new and clean motors to drive, your own choice of music to listen to, instead of chav fm if you work in a warehouse, no set breaktimes, youre out and about seeing different places.I did many menial jobs in my early twenties and everyone was harder than the lorry driving i do now.
If you ever find yourself prosecuted or up before a judge on a driving charge you are called a “professional driver”.
Its called professional because that is your profession.
I wonder if you are one of these idiots running around on £7
No im not one of these ‘idiots’ on £7 p/h.I am salaried, and going by my earnings since april and my average weekly hours, my rate is £10.50 p/h.
Too many drivers moan about pay and conditions, yet they are still doing the job.Either they are masochists or deep down they know that the job is a doddle compared to a real days graft.
Does anyone seriously refer to themselves as a “professional” driver.That would be so cringeworthy if i heard that term used in conversation.
It’s like any other job … you can adopt a professional approach to it (without necessarily calling yourself a professional driver, although I don’t see what’s wrong with that), or you can do it like you don’t give a ■■■■ and run with lights not working, loads unsecured and all the rest of it. You can still do the job, but it’s the taking a pride in it which makes you professional.
There’s a lot of responsibility. It may only take a week to pass a test, but there’s definitely a benefit to gaining a few years experience. And, like a doctor, people’s lives are in our hands!
dancompression:
There’s a lot of responsibility. It may only take a week to pass a test, but there’s definitely a benefit to gaining a few years experience. And, like a doctor, people’s lives are in our hands!
having just watch a doctor pull my son out of my wife’s stomach, we are not like doctors 
one of the things i felt when the everything was going on, was just how ■■■■ i am!
dancompression:
There’s a lot of responsibility. It may only take a week to pass a test, but there’s definitely a benefit to gaining a few years experience. And, like a doctor, people’s lives are in our hands!
Really you think were on par with doctors,are you for real
nearly there:
dancompression:
There’s a lot of responsibility. It may only take a week to pass a test, but there’s definitely a benefit to gaining a few years experience. And, like a doctor, people’s lives are in our hands!Really you think were on par with doctors,are you for real
One of our drivers really does think that,thinks truckers are the most skilled workers in the world and should be on more than surgeons.
Seriously the guy is unreal.
im like a mid wife ? I deliver things lol … the leeds triangle they used to call it before macfarlanes went bust ,BEDFORDS,LONGS AND MACFARLANE,S the same down beat drivers going around and around from one minimum wage employer to another tm on the phone asking where are you now a thousand times a day … park up with these manic depressives and by the end of the night you want to hang your selfs but see them two years later and they still working for the same firm moaning about how bad the job is and in ten years time he,ll still be there moaning … and on the subject of been a professional I get paid to do the job so im a professional plus I cant do delivering babies but I bet the doctor cant reverse a truck on the blind side in the rain at night into a supermarket loading bay ■■? I get paid to do a professional job and that’s what I do …
stevieboy308:
dancompression:
There’s a lot of responsibility. It may only take a week to pass a test, but there’s definitely a benefit to gaining a few years experience. And, like a doctor, people’s lives are in our hands!having just watch a doctor pull my son out of my wifes stomach, we are not like doctors
one of the things i felt when the everything was going on, was just how [zb] i am!
My son was also born by caesarian as well after complications and boy how useless I felt at the time.
Still to this day feel the doctors quick thinking saved both my partner and my son.
That said other road users may from time to time put their life in our hands with stupid manouvers but this is an occupational hazard, we expect it, we anticipate it and we carry on regardless because we are professional drivers and have seen it 100 times before.
I don’t even bother tooting now just count to 10 and have another cup of tea.
Edit: Oh and congratulations on your new arrival
Really you think were on par with doctors,are you for real
No. I didn’t think that one through!
dancompression:
Stanley Knife:
Depends which agency it’s for. If it’s for Dave you’ll be ok.I don’t know Dave.
Ahh, never mind.
Stan
peak_46:
selby newcomer:
peak_46:
I just enquired about some casual work for a reasonable sized firm in Doncaster and got told Saturday was a day rate of £80 up to 12hours, I left before he told me what it was after 12!! He did tell me they really struggled to cover Saturdays, I wonder whyBJS
McGregor. Think they do SE rates too but don’t know what they are.
I’ve done a few shifts for McGregors - I won’t be doing anymore. 
Stan