the social life…hmmmm may i suggest weekending with me down at fraggle rock… 
I for me just do that Work to finance my Private Life
We were once asked to be in a program about people moving on tv a few years ago , and all went well untill the woman filming asked my brother to big the job up as a hard job , my brother declined saying it would make him look a prat as he had allready been in the removal trade 30 years and if another removal man was watching they would say hes a prat , the lady was not amused and refused to speak to him again .
In my experience tv companies are not to be trusted. Especially the B…Company…They screwed me over big time doing a program about alcoholism and the effects, long story short they made me out to be like i was saying my parents are unfit parents and uncapable of looking after me and my brother. When actually I said the exact opposite.
I wouldn’t mind doing something being involved in this, but don’t expect me to trust it. Because i’ve been there and done that. And if you get interviewed, they take what they want you to say and leave out what you wanted them to put in. Isn’t allegations it is truth because i’ve been there and done it and got the t-shirt.
Cheers
Jonny 
The biggest story might be the recent implementation of the working time directive which basically applies to every industry in the country and regulates the number of hours people work to an average of 48 per week apart from road haulage where a loop hole was inroduced called period of availability which basically rendered the whole directive pointless to road haulage, one of the only industry’s where this directive is circumvented.
Also the recent introduction of the driver’s CPC card which although is a good idea for people newly taking the HGV test, for the majority it is an expensive waste of time training people to do a job who are already doing it.
DarlowSmithson:
CALLING ALL TRUCKERS!Channel 4 is interested in m
aking 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
not as much fun as it used to be.
Do you have funny stories to tell?
No but if you call going down the A75 in a scanny 143 and fuse … pulled with no tachograph in then yes.
Do you meet interesting characters on your travels?
Quite a few like a well know drivers in green uniforms saying they take home £600 a week.
What’s the social life of a lorry driver like?
Well saying as i go out of dublin on a tuesday morning and back saturday evening its not all that fun.
But i do like talking to a few of the drivers that i am friends with.What part of lorry driving would you like to see televised? What fascinates you about the industry?
I would like to see you doing smithfield market in london and some of the rather luxurious RDCs that i go to
And by the way the RDC bit was a jokeWe 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!).
Hope to hear from you all soon.
would be nice to highlight the 90 hrs a week we have to do which is a true fact and not the 48 or 60 hrs brussels would have the general public believe…as a cross reference look at this:
A driver gets up at 0500…leaves for work 0600 and arrives for work at 0700
he finishes work at 10.00 after a 15 hr day, and drives the 1hr home again, and goes to bed 1 hr later.
he has been awake for 19hrs, and brussels via his boss has told him he can have 9 hrs rest.
He can work 3 x 15 hr days a week…no wonder a driver is so bloody tired…to top that off, if hes on supermarket work, delivering to their depots, he is not allowed to rest in the cab, and grab a bit of shut eye, instead has to sit in drivers rest areaswhich sometimes consist of 4 chairs in the cold storage room at +3 temperature..the odd one has heat, and a tv, some have wooden benches. To top that off again employers tell drivers to put the mode switch on the tacho ontobreakin order to gain more from the working day, whereas a driver should in fact put it onto other work as he is still on duty..i would like to see a clock in system installed in all transport companies, and that way we may achieve the wtd of 48 hrs. Drivers are always on the bottom of the ladder, so everyone else in the company are restricted to 48 hrs, and have a reasonable social life, but drivers have to work long hrs to make ends meet, plus they are encouraged by the eurocrats to do so, which is why they extended the 48hrs to 60hrs. just look at the facts with the 15 hr day..you can work 3 of these that equals 45hrs, plus 2x 13hr days and that equals 71hrs over a 5 day week, so when a driver works a saturday at 13 hrs will give him a total week of 84hrs, and only one day off..and thats with putting the tacho onbreak` for the breaks do not count as part of your working day. i have just retired after 48 yrs in this industry, and thank god, for it can only get worse, and no wonder there are very few youngsters joining a once thriving industry.
I agree with Truckyboy!! Until this practice of planning 15 hour shifts is dealt with in Law then no Driver is gonna have a Social life!! 48 hours is reasonable over 4 or 5 days and home!! More shifts for more drivers!! Overtime optional for those who want to work more!! Properly trained planners and decent pay!! And loads of young people will do the job! For me it’s all about RESPECT!!!
Well said Silver surfer,most of what I could contibute could not go on air.
Looks like this chn4 documentary should be interesting to say the least,i wonder how many drivers will stand up and say on tele,who has made are Lay-bys a litter zone with bags of human waste,empty beer cans and bottles full of urine,come to think about it thats why most lorry parks have been closed over the years,who going to say why the remaining truckstops have been vandalised…ie…showers ripped off the wall,showerheads stolen,toilets bloked and toilet seats broke,yep it wont take joe public long to work out just why we are treated as second class people and reason lies within are own industry.Lorry drivers have always been there own worst enemy and will carry on being so,sat in a cafe not so long ago and looking around there sat 8 drivers all sat at 8 differant tables and would you believe it the first one walked out and before he got in his truck,pee"d up his wheel,a class act to say the least,yep lets tell everyone just what goe"s on in are beloved trucking industry.
There are some very valid points being made, but the way i read it this guy just wants the more light hearted aspects of our industry. Difficult i know when all you do is RDC work.
My boss won’t touch RDC’s for the fact that they’re soul destroying money sapping hell holes, and for that i thank him. So our work is a bit more varied, although still fairly mundane. Last week for instance i did 6 drops around France. Sounds exotic when i say i went to Bordeaux, and i did, but it was to an industrial estate at the arse end of Bordeaux. Didn’t see the town, didn’t stop there.
Interesting more than exciting.
If you want excitement just try the Lille ringroad at rush hour with ‘Race with the Devil’ by Girlschool blasting out the speakers.
Interesting characters? We got a bloke who could give you a guided tour of almost every knocking shop in Europe. He’s got a few stories, although you may need an actor to protect his identity from his missus.
You could also add the fact that before the recession started agency drivers were guaranteed a minimum of 8 hours pay if they went in to the likes of Tesco/ Sainsbury’s, don’t know if the other big 4 now do it but when the recession hit, the aforementioned company’s dropped this minimum to 6 hours pay to become parasites on driver’s desperation to work. So these company’s can now get a delivery done by a skilled driver who has shelled out 2 grand for a HGV licence for £60 odd.
I just hope when the economy picks up, agency driver’s will remember this abhorent tactic and chose to work for other companies.
andi_cardiff:
You should follow a newbie trucker on their travels as they start out tramping, should be an experience!
You said it 
If they want to film the cowboy side of the industry.
count me in.
yeeharrr.
Good post Truckboy.
Im sorry lads but a no holds barred documentary showing how RDC’s treat the drivers isnt going to happen,If any of our bosses got wind of it they would be worried incase the supermarkets cancelled their contracts or even worse banned them, the supermarkets today hold alot of power today
MO(Topgun):
Looks like this chn4 documentary should be interesting to say the least,i wonder how many drivers will stand up and say on tele,who has made are Lay-bys a litter zone with bags of human waste,empty beer cans and bottles full of urine,come to think about it thats why most lorry parks have been closed over the years,who going to say why the remaining truckstops have been vandalised…ie…showers ripped off the wall,showerheads stolen,toilets bloked and toilet seats broke,yep it wont take joe public long to work out just why we are treated as second class people and reason lies within are own industry.Lorry drivers have always been there own worst enemy and will carry on being so,sat in a cafe not so long ago and looking around there sat 8 drivers all sat at 8 differant tables and would you believe it the first one walked out and before he got in his truck,pee"d up his wheel,a class act to say the least,yep lets tell everyone just what goe"s on in are beloved trucking industry.
This ^
/discussion
/thread
truckyboy:
would be nice to highlight the 90 hrs a week we have to do which is a true fact and not the 48 or 60 hrs brussels would have the general public believe…as a cross reference look at this:
A driver gets up at 0500…leaves for work 0600 and arrives for work at 0700
he finishes work at 10.00 after a 15 hr day, and drives the 1hr home again, and goes to bed 1 hr later.
he has been awake for 19hrs, and brussels via his boss has told him he can have 9 hrs rest.
He can work 3 x 15 hr days a week…no wonder a driver is so bloody tired…to top that off, if hes on supermarket work, delivering to their depots, he is not allowed to rest in the cab, and grab a bit of shut eye, instead has to sit indrivers rest areaswhich sometimes consist of 4 chairs in the cold storage room at +3 temperature..the odd one has heat, and a tv, some have wooden benches. To top that off again employers tell drivers to put the mode switch on the tacho ontobreakin order to gain more from the working day, whereas a driver should in fact put it onto other work as he is still on duty..i would like to see a clock in system installed in all transport companies, and that way we may achieve the wtd of 48 hrs. Drivers are always on the bottom of the ladder, so everyone else in the company are restricted to 48 hrs, and have a reasonable social life, but drivers have to work long hrs to make ends meet, plus they are encouraged by the eurocrats to do so, which is why they extended the 48hrs to 60hrs. just look at the facts with the 15 hr day..you can work 3 of these that equals 45hrs, plus 2x 13hr days and that equals 71hrs over a 5 day week, so when a driver works a saturday at 13 hrs will give him a total week of 84hrs, and only one day off..and thats with putting the tacho onbreak` for the breaks do not count as part of your working day. i have just retired after 48 yrs in this industry, and thank god, for it can only get worse, and no wonder there are very few youngsters joining a once thriving industry.
i hope they dont ever film these 80 hrs WORK as the cat will well and truely be out the bag,we might well be being paid 80 hrs,at work for 80 hrs,but working for 80 hrs a week,half that at least 
Silver_Surfer:
You could also add the fact that before the recession started agency drivers were guaranteed a minimum of 8 hours pay if they went in to the likes of Tesco/ Sainsbury’s, don’t know if the other big 4 now do it but when the recession hit, the aforementioned company’s dropped this minimum to 6 hours pay to become parasites on driver’s desperation to work. So these company’s can now get a delivery done by a skilled driver who has shelled out 2 grand for a HGV licence for £60 odd.I just hope when the economy picks up, agency driver’s will remember this abhorent tactic and chose to work for other companies.
why do you just mention agency drivers 
,if i do 6 hrs work i get paid 6 hrs,7 hrs i get 7 hrs,i guess theres plenty of employed drivers who get the same, and who this has applied to for years.
DarlowSmithson:
CALLING ALL TRUCKERS!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!).
Hope to hear from you all soon.
life on the road,fridge driver so its a doddle to be honest, money for old rope to be honest.
intresting stories-ever heard the one about rdc+pink chalk
social life-im at work 70/80 hrs p.w,but 50% + of that is asleep,so im well rested when i get home from work,so out and about with family,mates,just have to be a bit carefull how much cider you tip down these days.
what would i like to see-i love listening to the old timers,seemed so much more intresting in the old days,so id like to see a program on the old days,with old hands