Ok, before I start, it’s a genuine question and no offence is mean’t to anyone.
My wife drives past a large industrial estate and DC to and from her work. As the roads are quite congested in rush hour, she has to spend some time sitting in traffic and watching various trucks go past.
She wants to know why 95% of drivers in UK registered trucks that she sees look rougher than a badgers a**e. Unshaven, hair (if they have any that is) that hasn’t seen a comb, grimy hi vi’s, wooley hats, roll ups hanging out of the window, and front teeth missing as they leer down at her from their cabs.
She wants to know why they don’t look like Mark Dixon off that Trucks &Trailers, or like the blonde, blue eyed, twenty something hunk that stepped down from his Dutch registered truck (Heuvel Trans) while she was filling up with petrol. She said the expert way he handled his large nozzle as he fuelled up was a sight to behold, and she said even the female cashiers were drooling when he came in to pay, and spoke politely in faultless english with a ■■■■ dutch accent.
So chaps, bearing in mind that image is how the general public perceive you as a professional driver,do you yourself prefer a well groomed image and try to keep yourself looking as good as your truck? Or do you prefer the Compo - Last of the Summer Wine look, and like to wear a wooley hat and that well worn out tee shirt under your hi vi, and are of the opinion that the world takes you for what you are and f**k what they think of your appearance?
What are your views? I’d particularly like to hear from Switchlogic as he always seems to appear tidy in his videos, with his shirts always neatly hung up in his cab. What’s your view Luke?
Always been a bit of a bugbear of mine the welded on grubby hi viz syndrome, if driver sporting hi viz whilst at the wheel i try to avoid them and expect lazy or incompetent driving standards, seldom disappointed, keep a look out and see this in action
I wonder how many of the scruffy blighters can’t find or keep decent jobs.
shiny black track suit and high viz (must be worn when driving incase cab heater pack up) oh and the driver mustnt be english and on approx £6.50 an hour . drives a brand new super space or globetrotter xl thats got every panel smashed up on it, with a black waterproof bunk
thats the typical spalding lorry driver
citycat:
the blonde, blue eyed, twenty something hunk that stepped down from his Dutch registered truck (Heuvel Trans) while she was filling up with petrol. She said the expert way he handled his large nozzle as he fuelled up was a sight to behold, and she said even the female cashiers were drooling when he came in to pay, and spoke politely in faultless english with a ■■■■ dutch accent.
Always been a bit of a bugbear of mine the welded on grubby hi viz syndrome, if driver sporting hi viz whilst at the wheel i try to avoid them and expect lazy or incompetent driving standards, seldom disappointed, keep a look out and see this in action
I wonder how many of the scruffy blighters can’t find or keep decent jobs.
Totally agree with this get a new set of headlights if you feel the only way your lorry can be seen is if you are wearing a hi-viz vest. If seen by VOSA should be a GV9 offence until you can produce a clean one and show that you can drive without wearing it. Also if my Mrs rated mark dixon as the ultimate male she would get a lesson in suitcase packing pronto!!
It sounds like your missus is a bit ■■■■■, But you’re not giving her enough.
I like to dress smart, I don’t wear hi vis vests if i can help it, So i wouldn’t be seen wearing a dirty one. It is difficult to keep all the women happy though. Some like rough and ready. It’s a hard balance to achieve.
As for Mark Dixon, He isn’t a truck driver, He’s a steering wheel attendant. She has to learn to accept that there is a difference.
In some ways I agree with the original OP, there is no excuse for bad personal hygiene in this job.
If you are a tramper and away from base all week, most MSA’s offer free showers, ok so they’re not the best but surely a 3rd class shower is better than a 1st class baby wipe? We all have to take breaks from driving and again there is no excuse for not timing your break to stop for a shower! With the work my company do 90% of our delivery points all have good clean hot showers which if drivers ask politely they’re allowed to use!
Day/night drivers have no excuse at all as they have access to bath/shower at the end of every shift.
And as for the wearing of the hi viz whilst driving! What’s that all about? Saw an agency driver last week driving a green n white truck with a supermarket trailer behind him wearing a hi viz coat, bent over the steering wheel with roll up hanging out of his mouth and phone glued to his ear!
No wonder the good guys amongst us (and there is a lot of us don’t get me wrong) get tarred with the same brush!
It’s part of my contract that I keep myself clean shaven and look respectable at all times.
I’ve always been the same though so it’s no different to me,I can’t bear being dirty,soap and water is cheap enough,showers are dotted about most places.
Don’t think it’s just a British thing though for being scruffy and smelly though,get on any ferry or train and sure enough the smell of the great unwashed and the whiff of garlic won’t be far away!
I always present myself and my truck as clean and respectable as I can,image goes a long way in this business.
A little of topic but I was in Woodall services sb last week , one of the two shower booths door was open , looked clean and fit for purpose .
Then again I don’t have to use them , any comments ?
Just lazy if you ask me, no excuse for not keeping yourself looking clean and presentable,but i am a tad OCD with cleaning and image … cant stand the scruffy holed jeans hanging off the arse look with a dirty grubby Hi Vis covering a filthy Weird Fish sweater, as a saw an agency driver working for Arla wearing last week , and he was on shop deliveries , I’d be embarrassed…
I sometimes never wash from going away till getting home. I find sleeping in my clothes saves using the night heater and I,m ready to go in two minutes. Any slight aroma given off by my personal aura ensures a good space to myself at most rdc,s. During the winter months I have been known to save on laundry and keep the same clothes for upto a month by adopting the same policy at home and sleeping in the spare bedroom with the window open and the heating off. I tend not to wear a hi viz as I can be detected by the smell from a considerable distance
