I personally dont smoke, I packed in 4years ago, but I think the non smoking in trucks rule is the most stupid law ever made by the knowalls in whitehall.especially in a traffic jam when a ciggy will help relieve frustration for some of those that do smoke. I remember the first day the law started in Scotland. There was a truck about500 yards in front of me when I crossed the border at Gretna, A plod car pulled out and stopped him on the hard shoulder. I pulled on to cairn lodge for a brew and the other truck pulled on about 10 mins after, The driver had been smoking as he crossed the border and was done £30 on the spot fine.
What annoyed the driver more than anything was, whilst the copper was lecturing him on smoking cars were flying past at over 100MPH.
As you are aware, we live in a nanny state and now abide by the rules for fear of loosing our jobs.
I have been driving h.g.v.s for thirty four years now,and a smoker for the last fourty od.
My lorries were kept immaculate and my ash trays were never full,as well as smoking in my cab i would have the radio on
no seat belt and be talking to fellow truckers on my cb.My old holborn tin on the bonnet and make my ciggy whilst driving.
I now find myself struggling to last for more than four hours without a ■■■,but dont smoke in lorry any more.What does
annoy me more so is the fact that when pulling into a truck stop,i still have to stand out in the cold and rain if i want to smoke.
Also trying to find an empty lay by after five for a quick drag.Im quite shure many of you out there will say well pack up then.
Hi Nigehunt.No I dont say pack up. If you enjoy a smoke its up to you ,no one should be able to tell you what to do. If the government dont want you to smoke they shouldnt let them be sold.It gets up my nose the double standards in this country
I totaly agree with you and whats more is the fact that lorry drivers are treated as the scum of the earth by this government.
We risk prossicution every day of our working lives and its getting worse.Just think how many transport caffies have gone,
the didgy tacho,sattalite tracking,speed cameras,now we have to do a cpc to stay employed.Gone are the days when lorry
driving was a pleasure.I think tonight im going to overload my waggon,leave my taco our,light a ■■■,use my cb ,and drive
like f…
Hi Nigelhunt,
I agree with everything you say and don’t lets forget that other bit of totally useless law, The speed limiter. What is that all about?
I’m just wondering how they’ve decided that a lorry cab is a work place. All the work places I know, have got to have, washing, cooking and toilet facilities. None of the lorries I ever drove had any of these, and how come, when you are parked up for the night, it’s still classed as a work place?
Ray
None of the lorries I ever drove had any of these, and how come, when you are parked up for the night, it’s still classed as a work place?
Actually you are wrong there. I once had a big fight with the H&S exec cos I had a boss who simply wouldn’t get my nightheater fixed. I was told it was not their responsibility because and I quote…
“Once you have parked up for the night, it is no longer your place of work, rather your accomodation”
Useless gits.
I agree on the smoking thing too and I’m also a non smoker.
I’m an employee, but I am allowed to smoke in my cab, and what’s more I have a letter from my local Council’s Environmental Health Officer confirming that I am allowed to smoke in my cab.
What annoys me most about this no smoking in trucks ■■■■■■■■ is you’re on your own there’s no one else there, so there is no problem. 
If you were with someone else for some reason then its different.
if you want to smoke in the truck, work at night, harder to spot somebody doing it unless ur right next to them lol.plus no council workers are out then to catch you.
Didnt the M4 in Wales have a camera fixed at lorry drivers that were smoking,got letter in the post for not being in control.
toby1234abc:
Didnt the M4 in Wales have a camera fixed at lorry drivers that were smoking,got letter in the post for not being in control.
Not to my knowledge. You may be confusing this with a decorator in Cardigan who was pulled over by a “council official” and given a ticket; it was his own van! This did make the national papers, but I have to say I’m up and down the M4 at least three days a week, and yes I do smoke in my cab; never had so much as a glare from a bobby so far.
Thankfully our boss is enlightened, and makes sure that if we do have to share lorries the non-smokers have their own specific vehicles. It’s about a 50/50 split with us and there’s actually only two drivers who would object to someone smoking in their cab. Boss is female and a non-smoker BTW.
To keep the thread towards the “old lorries” angle; my pet hate about TK Bedfords was that there was nowhere to rest a pipe! At least the older lorries had quarter-light windows so’s you could flick your ash out without getting wet if it was raining.
As there seems to be some confusion over this, I shall reproduce the ■■■■■■■■■■■ I had with Swale Borough Council when they the nerve to write to my esteemed employer about me. This clarifies the situation for those who are in the same position as me, trampers with dedicated vehicles.
Dear Mr Michael Moss,
I am writing with regard to a letter received by my employer, Fleetwood
Transport about the Health Act 2006, following a complaint from a witness
that I was smoking in the vehicle GN54CYO, an articulated lorry tractor
unit. Your reference is ENF-SMF-08-0054My employer has passed on the letter for me to deal with.
I am the driver of the vehicle. This is not a pool vehicle which returns to
base every night, it is an allocated vehicle and is to all intents and
purposes my home, having beds, refrigerator, cooker, TV etc. I generally
live in it for five to six days a week. Last week, for example, I went to Spain in it.Nobody else ever drives this vehicle, or ever has driven this vehicle. I am
the only person who ever uses it. We are obliged by law to retain for 12
months tachograph charts recording the activities of the vehicle and any
driver and you are welcome to inspect these by mutual arrangement to confirm this.
Additionally, no passenger ever travels in the vehicle.This vehicle is therefore exempt from the Health Act 2006, as it is not used
by more than one person and I would be grateful if you would point this out
to your complainant and any future complainant.Should you have any questions, please don’t hestitate to ask, preferably by
email although I have supplied my contact details below.Yours Sincerely,
Harry Monk,
The Park Bench,
Turnham Green,
Peckham.
Dear Mr Harry Monk,
I would like to begin by thanking you for your response to my letter dated 2nd October 2008, regarding a complaint about smoking within a potential smoke-free vehicle. From the information that you have provided, I agree with you, that the vehicle that you drive is exempt under the Health Act 2006 and that the letter can be disregarded.
I apologise for any inconvenience that my letter may have caused,
I am afraid that it is a standard letter and is used in all cases, even when further information is required. I have kept your comments on file, so that should a similar complaint be received, the complaint can be properly notified and no further action shall be taken against the company.Thank you once again for your cooperation.
With regardsMichael Moss (Enforcement Officer
Harry Monk:
I shall reproduce the ■■■■■■■■■■■ I had with Swale Borough Council when they the nerve to write to my esteemed employer about me.
Good turn of phrase; in other words you screwed them! 
Yes, this…
I would be grateful if you would point this out
to your complainant and any future complainant.
was my own personal way of saying “■■■■ off and don’t write to us again”. And it seems to have worked. 
This just seems to be another of the thousand things a driver can be done for while carrying out his job apart from the normal, light off, load security, overloading etc legal type probems a driver might face, now he can’t even have a ■■■ when he’s hacked off. Although not a cigarette smoker I smoked a pipe when driving for a few years until I packed it in (the pipe not the driving) but I looked forward to a bowl or two when the going got tough or just to relax and plod on in peace. I tell you the more I hear about todays driving the more I’m glad I’ve jacked it in (the driving not the smoking). Ahhh Condor! Franky.
if on your own just smoke the french do lol we take too much notice over here and i dont smoke but why stop just because they say so lol what they going to do chase ye up the motorway lol bl~~~dy nanny state what next