It’s mainly the old “elf and safety/compensation culture” to blame and it’s a shame. A lot of us “old uns” learnt the job sitting next to dad (in my case also next to big brother or my next door neighbour, I could be on the road seven days a week if I wanted!) By time I was old enough to drive myself, I already knew how to drive, load, rope and sheet and use the spanners to keep her running. Better for me than sitting in front of a computer or games console! Mind you, it wasn’t always strictly allowed, I can remember having to get down out of sight on the floor when passing the guvnor’s house, when meeting certain other people on the road, and at some depots having to get out of the motor and hang around outside 'til I got picked up again. In the old days most motor insurance didn’t cover passengers, it has been a legal requirement for a number of years now though.
Bernard
My dad worked on the railway and from about the age of 5 I would be on the trains with him, I can remember being on Immingham docks and going up the ladder on the side of a ship to have a look round. Don’t know how I am still alive has there was no high vis vests or hard hats you just knew that if you stood in front of a train you would die.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
I could honestly say I wouldn’t know if they would grass me up.
They probably would, that’s the problem in this country, British people are grasses in general & it really gets on my ■■■■…
I’m really lucky in that I work for a small family firm, and the boss has no problem at all with me taking passengers with me - my kids have been with me several times (the youngest came with me last night when I went to drop a trailer down at Parkeston), even my mother-in-law came along on one trip as she fancied a day out away from the F-i-L!
Eldest son has no interest in lorries - he’s at Grammar School, and off to university next year, but the other two come out whenever they can, and unless I know I’m going somewhere where they won’t be allowed in, I’m more than happy for the company.
Gary
I’ve seen blokes with a baby in a proper seat next to them, no probs, they just sleep most of the time anyway.
The kids can just jump on the top bunk when on site anyway.
What happens when said child wants a wee halfway through a 3 hour stint at DIdcot? 
I don’t think anyone should countenence getting their kid daughters to fill one of those bottles one sees lying around on the M42 hard shoulder later on… 
Im 17 and with my dad all the time in the holidays, im ok because we very rarely go to places where no children or passengers are allowed on site, and generally there not bothered anyway, but pretty much all the work dad does is self tip on wholesale markets so theres never an issue with me being with him and his boss is fine with drivers having passengers! Id of loved to have gone with him for something like work experience!
Oops double post!
Surely if your vehicle has two seats then both must be insured?
mr lordi:
Surely if your vehicle has two seats then both must be insured?
yes you are right, some firms will tell the drivers owt to get their own way!
Insurance isn’t “on” or “off” because the gaffer or anyone under them says so. They’re not tic-tac men at the racetrack FFS.
scaniason:
I’m really lucky in that I work for a small family firm, and the boss has no problem at all with me taking passengers with me - my kids have been with me several times (the youngest came with me last night when I went to drop a trailer down at Parkeston), even my mother-in-law came along on one trip as she fancied a day out away from the F-i-L!Eldest son has no interest in lorries - he’s at Grammar School, and off to university next year, but the other two come out whenever they can, and unless I know I’m going somewhere where they won’t be allowed in, I’m more than happy for the company.
Gary
That’s nice my boss lets my mrs come out on a weekend if she fancys it it happened alot when we met but not alot now mind but I think it’s a perk off working for a small family firm it’s one off the reasons I’m happy to work at mine my eldest niece is only 18 months old got pictures of her sat on the steering wheel since she was 6 months old a other year or so and she’ll be coming with me I can’t wait to have my own so they can come.
When my dad used to work for the railways as a train crew roster clerk, he would sometimes take me to work at Willesden engine depot during school holidays when I was nine or ten. As long as I stayed near the offices and didn’t walk on the tracks I was ok. Lots of times, I was lifted onto locos by various crews and given cab rides down to London Euston and back with empty coaching stock. The crews usually returning a favour my dad had done with their roster.
When my dad moved to Freightliners container depot at York Way, Kings Cross, again he would take me to work where I would be given rides in the AEC Mandators and Scammells in the yard as they collected boxes off the trains. I was even taken way up the ladder into the crane cab and allowed to operate the crane, though not lift any boxes of course.
All this was done with permission of the local managers of British Rail or Freightliners (though they didn’t know about train cab rides or operating the crane). No hi vis, and totally unthinkable these days. Good old days of the seventies.
it’s not possible, cos my company do not allow this. My former boss did not care, so I used to take my son with me often. I think, there’s nothing wrong with it, when i was a little boy, I went with my dad to the railways and I really enjoyed that. But in the Uk, there’s a big ■■■■■■■■, called "Health and Safety. It means, plenty of useless, workshy c…nts walking around all day long, just to make troubles for you… 
Took my mrs over to Europe on a few trips and my teenage son’s been out with me too ( although he’d hide on the bunk when I’d be tipping at some places …) It’s nice having them with you the odd time I always thought, but I agree and hope my son would never want a life on the road…