Channel 4 is interested in making an exciting new programme about British truckers. We want to talk to as many people as possible about the UK trucking scene.
What is life really like on the road? Do you have funny stories to tell? Do you meet interesting characters on your travels? What’s the social life of a lorry driver like?
What part of lorry driving would you like to see televised? What fascinates you about the industry?
We would love to hear from you! E-mail richard.evans@darlowsmithson.com or phone us on 02074829663 (we’ll even call you back to save your bill!).
DarlowSmithson: What is life really like on the road? Do you have funny stories to tell? Do you meet interesting characters on your travels? What’s the social life of a lorry driver like?
1,traffic jams, car drivers cutting you up.
2, stobart drivers talking b/s in waiting rooms (do a search)
3, see above
4, no social life at all apart from a one day a week at most
I think you should show the conditions and stress drivers deal with, and look into some of the poor RDC waiting rooms etc, to show the public what drivers have to put up with and behavior of staff and so on. Also, by showing poor RDC’s and giving the companies a bad reputation, they might realise how bad they really are and decide to make them better.
Show the reality of the haulage business,the poor rates for hauliers and wages for drivers,also the importance of lorries to every item sold in this Country.The well known saying "if you bought it,a truck brought it ".
Programmes like the Stobarts one recently don’t show the true picture of the industry, merely how one company operate, albeit the largest one. If you going to make such a programme, you need to look at more than one company when you do it, that way you’ll get a proper picture of the day to day struggle from those lower down the ladder. If you fully intend to carry on, do yourself a huge favour, and show the TRUE picture, not just the bits that might make good tv.
The truth is there are more negative sides within the industry than positives, but the problem is the public would watch something that was full of negatives and think that we are a right moaning bunch of ■■■■■■■■■ The thing is, this industry is shagged, and joe public don’t give a stuff how we are treated, as long as their bread and milk is in the supermarkets for them to buy, and they don’t care how it gets there.
DarlowSmithson: What is life really like on the road? Do you have funny stories to tell? Do you meet interesting characters on your travels? What’s the social life of a lorry driver like?
Alright, some good days some bad days, but no 2 days are ever the same in my job.
A few
Work with a few, “Bottle of Bulmers for breakfast etc” and the amount of ■■■■■■■■■ we meet
In my job its very sociable, 30% work 70% sociable, we have guys who dont count the number of drops but the number of pints they can have (must add these blokes dont drive)
Some of these moan that driving is mega hours n ■■■ money, my job aint mega hours, well under the 48 hour average and thats with overtime, the wage aint bad, could be better (as everywhere) but gets me away twice a year, pays my bills and treats me to a couple o gallon of ale at the weekend.
There is more to driving than charging up and down the motorway to RDC’s
Programmes like the Stobarts one recently don’t show the true picture of the industry, merely how one company operate, albeit the largest one. If you going to make such a programme, you need to look at more than one company when you do it, that way you’ll get a proper picture of the day to day struggle from those lower down the ladder. If you fully intend to carry on, do yourself a huge favour, and show the TRUE picture, not just the bits that might make good tv.
The truth is there are more negative sides within the industry than positives, but the problem is the public would watch something that was full of negatives and think that we are a right moaning bunch of [zb]. The thing is, this industry is shagged, and joe public don’t give a stuff how we are treated, as long as their bread and milk is in the supermarkets for them to buy, and they don’t care how it gets there.
Good luck, you’re going to need it.
Ken.
Dont put yourself down Quinny not working for Stobarts does not put a driver lower down the ladder we are all the same what the large companies have done is take away a drivers ability to think on his feet and do things for himself now days who expects a driver to fix things broken wire ,light bulbs ,air lines , they just get on the phone and call base or stand there till someone comes along to sort it out.We the drivers have let it get in the state its in by giving up to people who know nothing straight from school never got behind the wheel of a lorry and yet think they know it all.Channel 4 do your show but not some big outfit try the whole thing ODs to say a company with 10 to 20 motors and see how you get on then .
9 / 10pm when the trashy TV starts and people arn’t bothered 'til bed time??
No use at peak time against the soaps on the other channels.
It needs to be at a time so people can/will flick over after the ‘competition’ and be hooked! Don’t go all political, peeps will just switch back, they’re sick of that ATM.
Stobbarts was all WEEEEE LOOK AT MEEEEE, and all my money B*LLOCKS!!! I didn’t watch that, because of that! Some people here on here are broke/unemployed/stuggling to make ends meet etc.
It was no where near what it’s REALLY like.
As said before… It should be no holds barred, blood, sweat and tears. And turn the swear beeper OFF, 9pm watershed?? Pahh!
You want a documantary?? Then don’t ■■■■ around and dance around the subject and show it how it is (or how people think it is), not how some do it (me and my big shiny green truck NOT for me thanks)!!!
People can shoot me down after this, er, rant. But if C4 want to do a documentary, it’ll need to be a series of… quite a few, not just a single hour one-off.
C4’s research team has nearly all the info they need for their programme on here for where to start their doc’
Channel 4 is interested in making an exciting new programme about British truckers. We want to talk to as many people as possible about the UK trucking scene.
What is life really like on the road? A constant struggle to avoid breaking the law in one way or another along with trying to make sure some of the idiots on the road don’t ruin my day. Do you have funny stories to tell? Doesn’t everyone have some? Do you meet interesting characters on your travels? Yes, sometimes. Not very often and the last one made my skin crawl. What’s the social life of a lorry driver like?
I had to look that up in the dictionary. I don’t have one. The hours that many drivers work is not helpful although a sizeable number of drivers I would say have an antisocial streak anyway.
What part of lorry driving would you like to see televised? What fascinates you about the industry?
Ice Road Truckers and the Stobart film stars give a false impression of the industry. The vast majority of truck driving work is mundane and for us old hands it’s getting worse as we’ve witnessed many changes that might help the shareholders fill their accounts whilst giving us an ever smaller slice of the cake. The thing that fascinates me is the number of big, rough, tough blokes who can’t find the backbone to stand up for themselves in this game.
We would love to hear from you! E-mail richard.evans@darlowsmithson.com or phone us on 02074829663 (we’ll even call you back to save your bill!).
There is no way RDC’s will let a Film Producer onto one of their sites without prior permission to film. If one does you can bet your life its at one of their better sites. Take for instance, I’m sat on a bay at Bookers Haydock. Nice friendly staff in the office, flat screen TV, clean waiting area with SEATS, for ALL drivers, good facilities, toilets that you can ACTUALLY use that are clean etc etc. Flip to Bookers, Iceland Livingston, ■■■■ hole, rude staff (majority, not all) sometimes three/four chairs for 15/17 bays. Toilets that are most of the time out of use, a waiting room I wouldnt wish to keep my dog in. etc etc. Obvious which site the company would choose if filming was to take place.
What needs to be done is to send drivers into these places and film surreptitiously to highlight the crap we have to put up with, not always but in the good majority of RDC’s we go to. Otherwise the fake smiles and clean facilities will suddendly appear to show the viewers what great places the drivers go to that supply their Supermarket of choice.
basically what has been said in here needs to done, no light footing around to make good tv, a dispatches type programme would do
Get an agency driver whos struggling just to earn a wage,
get a fridge guy who spends half his day at an rdc just to get one pallet off (and not from a green truck)
get an owner driver whos struggling because of the rising fuel prices
gogzy:
basically what has been said in here needs to done, no light footing around to make good tv, a dispatches type programme would do
Get an agency driver whos struggling just to earn a wage,
get a fridge guy who spends half his day at an rdc just to get one pallet off (and not from a green truck)
get an owner driver whos struggling because of the rising fuel prices
I wouldnt think there would be too many o/ds open to that idea with the work situation at the min
What about the social side of trucking? Do you guys regularly cross paths? Are there set places to meet? Do you have a few beers at truck stops?
What about when you drive abroad? How far do you go? What are the facilities or services like? Do you ever double man on these journeys?
I’m interested in talking to people with a story to tell, what’s your life like? Do you drive for a reason (aside from the money!)?
Do you know any interesting companies or family businesses with interesting characters?
What about loads, do you usually carry similar items or can they vary from peas to a Picasso?
As I said in the previous post, I’m quite happy to chat through any of this on the phone, If your free and want to give me a call my number is 0207 482 9663. Otherwise you can e-mail or PM me with yours and I’ll call you back at a convenient time.
Thanks,
Richard
Development Researcher - Darlow Smithson Productions
