Needing Good Advice wanting to drive in Europe

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS EURO DRIVING FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello all fellow truckers, I am new to this forum so please be nice.

I need some good advice as I am thinking on tramping work all over Europe. This will be a new experience for me and would like as much information as I can get please. I have had my HGV for 25 years.

1, Would like to know what all the ins and outs of getting paid. ie do I ask for night out money, do I get paid on my day off when I’m in my truck. Any helpful things that I would need to ask my new employer so I know what to look out for and ask for.

2, Anyone know of any good paying European companies to work for and treat there drivers well.

3, What personal equipment would I take that would help me and keep me comfortable. ie like satnav.

Any information that will help a fellow newbie hgv driver wanting to get into the European scene.

Thanks for all your help very much appreciated to everyone that reply’s.

2

beggars belief…troll,or can someone be so gormless…I vote troll…how bout you? :unamused:

3

dieseldog999:
beggars belief…troll,or can someone be so gormless…I vote troll…how bout you? :unamused:

I vote troll also.It is the summer holidays .

4

Schools out for summer

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk

5

Think that’s a bit harsh, I read it before your comments. I didn’t reply because I can’t answer his questions but thought they were well put together and articulate.

6

Or maybe someone who’s had his head in the sand for the past 15 or so years? Having said that the driver shortage is real and therefore the few firms still bothering may well need fresh blood before long so the op should start by knocking on doors.

7

He says he has held his HGV (?) for 25 years and asks what equipment to make him comfortable as a newbie ■■ Within a week he would know let alone 25 years :unamused:

8

Just to say that I passed my test in the Army. Had my Class 1 for 16 years. I have never done any night out work at all. Worked for agency for the last 12 years. Didn’t think trampers got paid enough money to stay in a truck and thought £20 was a joke. During my lifetime I have always thought it best to ask other guys more experienced than myself. I am only asking certain things as I don’t know. I have lived in the jungle weeks on end so in a comfy bed in a warm truck is easy I know. But I am talking about sat navs little tricks of the trade that helps make life easier.

By god man didn’t think I was going to get the replies that I have received. So is there anyone that might help at all with any good advice.

Thanks Steve

9

pm sent

10

AceJock:
Just to say that I passed my test in the Army. Had my Class 1 for 16 years. I have never done any night out work at all. Worked for agency for the last 12 years. Didn’t think trampers got paid enough money to stay in a truck and thought £20 was a joke. During my lifetime I have always thought it best to ask other guys more experienced than myself. I am only asking certain things as I don’t know. I have lived in the jungle weeks on end so in a comfy bed in a warm truck is easy I know. But I am talking about sat navs little tricks of the trade that helps make life easier.

By god man didn’t think I was going to get the replies that I have received. So is there anyone that might help at all with any good advice.

Thanks Steve

I think possibly some posters have jumped to the wrong conclusion… assuming you were asking in good faith, the simple answer is that the work you describe does not exist in meaningful amounts any more for British hauliers/ drivers, and hasn’t done for over a decade now. There are thousands of experienced continental drivers doing domestic work who can’t find the type of work you are hoping to do.

11

unless…your happy running bent which doing 12 years with agencies wouldn’t inspire me with confidence in that respect…however…lift the phone…lie through your teeth…get a start with a irish mob thatl give you a job on trip money.(plenty to choose from) you get brownie points for being over 25,and the rest of the interview will consist of…how long will it take you to get here and lift a truck,what boat can you go out on,and how long will you stay out for before you throw the head up and want home again and how long can you stay awake for…buy a satnav…and wing it…itl cure you or kill you. if you don’t think uk trampers get well enough paid,and that £20 per night out is a joke,then your dreaming as you will make plenty in euroland providing you don’t sleep and can work on your own initiative. though you will be in a definite minority because most of the agency type wallahs on here wont get out of bed for less than 40 grand a year,running legal,and nobody ever,ever has infringments,or breaks any rules whatsoever.so if you fancy that kinda work,then itl be company for me to swap stories with at last. :slight_smile:

12

Ace Jock I’ll take your questions at face value.

Not sure about the money side of it as I don’t do haulage work.

The kit you’d need to make life comfortable won’t be a great deal different to what you’d take in the UK for a weeks tramping.

Knowing how to fill out a CMR’s might be useful, as would knowing about the different toll, vignette system across Europe and the driving different bans, some can be mid week if they have an excuse for it.

As Harry said there isn’t a great deal of UK based general haulage work tramping round Europe these days but a few still hanging in there.
However the best jobs will be filled by the experienced old hands.

As for getting a chance, there does seem to be a shortage of old hands for some jobs, especially temporary ones, we had somebody with very little European experience take a truck to Norway for us a few weeks ago, because none of the people we normally call for odd jobs were available and last week I got a call from a mate of mine looking for somebody with Left Hand drive experience to double a drive a truck on tour work for 2 weeks.

13

dm61:
pm sent

Why?

Just post on the forum, that’s what it’s for.

muckles:
Ace Jock I’ll take your questions at face value.

Not sure about the money side of it as I don’t do haulage work.

The kit you’d need to make life comfortable won’t be a great deal different to what you’d take in the UK for a weeks tramping.

Knowing how to fill out a CMR’s might be useful, as would knowing about the different toll, vignette system across Europe and the driving different bans, some can be mid week if they have an excuse for it.

As Harry said there isn’t a great deal of UK based general haulage work tramping round Europe these days but a few still hanging in there.
However the best jobs will be filled by the experienced old hands.

As for getting a chance, there does seem to be a shortage of old hands for some jobs, especially temporary ones, we had somebody with very little European experience take a truck to Norway for us a few weeks ago, because none of the people we normally call for odd jobs were available and last week I got a call from a mate of mine looking for somebody with Left Hand drive experience to double a drive a truck on tour work for 2 weeks.

The money won’t be much better than you’re on now, if at all. You should get night out money as a matter of course, at least £26 a night.
Some companies pay you for every day you are out, including when you’re parked up for your w/e rest. Some don’t.
Some refund parking charges, some don’t.
Some trucks come with a fridge/sat nav/air con / roof cooler pod built in, some don’t.

Kit. I use a double quilt in a king size cover instead of a sleeping bag. In weather like we’re enjoying in the UK, I can fold my quilt still in its cover, so I’m laying on a double thickness of quilt and have a sheet over me. Cooker, pot n kettle for coffee and heating emergency rations if I get stuck, emergency rations (eating irons, bottle opener, can opener, sharp cutting knife, plate, cup, glasses, spare specs)) fridge for keeping beer, wine, fresh food and milk cold (might be built in, might have to bring your own). Maps at around 1:200,000 scale, european sat nav, mossy repellent , the list of what kit you could carry is endless. The space to carry it isn’t.

14

Well there must be some euro work, otherwise why would we have this forum here which is fairly full of recent posts. Just much less than there was in the 80s and 90s

And I don’t think that euro jobs are dead mans shoes, its not that well paid and not everyone wants to be away for weeks and weeks. So there surely has to be some driver turnover?

15

Out of interest, what can a Euro driver expect to earn nowadays? What is the night out rate? Are they salaried or on trip money? We all know that the EE`s have sliced the job to the bone, but there are still UK companies going over.

The reason I ask is that I have been out of the game for quite a few years now. I did it from 1981 to 1999. Mainly around Western Europe but a bit of UK as well. In the mid 1980`s I was on £20 per European night out although the wages were pretty poor. I remember getting my first mortgage in 1985/86 and declaring that my earnings for that tax period was £12000! :open_mouth:

Anyone prepared to say what the going rate is now? Cheers. :wink:

16

Last year my lads grossed 38-41k. That’s roughly half the year in the UK, half abroad. Night out is £23.00, but half the nights are generally in a hotel + expenses. Paid per hour, guaranteed 12 hours (we don’t always do full hours), incl on ferry if it’s a long crossing. Pay through breaks, virtually never week ended, but if it was to happen, paid 12 hours.

17

Thanks for all the great advice very much appreciated.

The reason I am asking as I am going to be going down that route and as I am getting fed up driving the UK roads and would like to experience what it would be like to wake up in different countries and experiencing new cultures and people. Got to be better than the lovely Scottish summer that we are having just now. I must admit I was that agency driver saying not worth my while living in a truck sorry to say. Plus be able to save some money as well which would be a good bonus. The closest I have been is driving an old army truck in America left hand drive and had to double the clutch and no power steering lol. In need of new adventures as I am 50 and don’t want to think back and say I wish I had done that. Once again thanks all for the advice.

18

albion:
Last year my lads grossed 38-41k. That’s roughly half the year in the UK, half abroad. Night out is £23.00, but half the nights are generally in a hotel + expenses. Paid per hour, guaranteed 12 hours (we don’t always do full hours), incl on ferry if it’s a long crossing. Pay through breaks, virtually never week ended, but if it was to happen, paid 12 hours.

Cheers for that albion. That’s seems a good gross wage. I thought the night out would have gone up a bit more though. As you say though, if half the time they are in a hotel on expenses then that cant be bad. Is it specialist stuff you do or general / fridge work?

19

Specialist. There’s lunch allowance and breakfast allowance as well and we pay the parking , though when loaded we mostly have to park at a secure site, hence the hotels.

20

That sounds like an interesting little number!!
I wonder what the general haulage and fridge lads are earning nowadays? Does anyone still do trip money? I thought it was frowned upon nowadays.