After 10 years away from tramping i’m thinking about going back to it in new year. Reason, is ■■■■■■ off with walking in ■■■■ on local landfill work. Anything new i need to know after 10 years away■■? And don’t say don’t do it please!! 
If you want to have a chat with the trucker parked next to you at night, it might be an idea to learn Lithuanian or Serbo-Croat. 
Buy a laptop (with internet if possible)! The days of parking up and having a pint with a couple of drivers is long gone. It’s the main thing I noticed after being off the road for years…
i’ve just gone back to it after a few years away and i love it , i woke up in the dorset countryside the other morning and i slept like a log , i’m just trying to get my boss to send me away all week every week and i think he’s going to go for it .
i do however keep myself to myself at least until i can get back into it again.
Thats weird, I was considering doing the same.The difference is I have never tramped in the UK. I have done nothing but international. I lived in Europe all my driving life came back to the UK 3 years ago and have been doing store deliverys for the last 3 years. Sick to the teeth of it now and need a change. Most of the drivers I speak to say dont do it.
What’s the rough earnings of a tramper?
Class2ldn:
What’s the rough earnings of a tramper?
Depends where you are based, but in general, a tramper working five days and doing four nights out would expect to take home a total of around £500 including night out money.
Harry Monk:
Class2ldn:
What’s the rough earnings of a tramper?Depends where you are based, but in general, a tramper working five days and doing four nights out would expect to take home a total of around £500 including night out money.
Yep that’s about right - Remember though a lot of firms now expect you to pay for your own parking out of your night out money 
So use the MSA facilities and then park outside 
m4rky:
Yep that’s about right - Remember though a lot of firms now expect you to pay for your own parking out of your night out money
Your having a turkish■■? 
Me pay to park up someone elses truck? Do us a favour.
If xyz owns the truck, then he pays to have it parked up, simples. If he won’t, then tell him to take one, and find another company.
Ken.
I came back to tramping last year after an 8yr break. I don’t think its changed much from when i was doing it previously. As has been mentioned, meeting a couple of colleagues & going for a pint or 2 doesn’t happen (at least not where i am), but i start at silly o’clock most mornings, & the older i get the less inclined i am to indulge during the week.
1 area i’ve noticed a difference in is parking spots, or lack of them. Back 10yrs ago i don’t remember struggling to find somewhere to park when my hours were up, these days it can be a struggle. I even went to Wolverhampton BP truckstop the other week, its not there now Even though my company will cover MSA parking costs, i tend not to use them, curtains getting slashed, reversing bleepers, drivers leaving their units on tick-over, leads to a poor nights sleep. 
tootman318:
After 10 years away from tramping i’m thinking about going back to it in new year. Reason, is ■■■■■■ off with walking in [zb] on local landfill work. Anything new i need to know after 10 years away■■? And don’t say don’t do it please!!
get yourself a lap top. I’ve done about 8 nights out in the last year and they’re the first ones since I was tramping 18 yrs ago and not a great deal has changed, certainly more foreigners about and not so social but its the cost of beer plus you’ve only got to have a little scrape and somebody wants you breathalised. I find meal times ( 4 pm - 7 pm ) can be quite social at truck stops and there’s always a telly on too. But I’ve noticed there seems fewer proper truckstops about nowadays.
Give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention - I’m enjoying it on the whole 
Just learning the pleasures of lay-by parking - it’s definitely getting harder to find a space if you aren’t parking up fairly early in the day,
Thanks for replys guys, bit of thinking to do now me thinks!!
I might be a bit mad, but even after 25 years of it, I wouldn’t want to do any type of work other than tramping. When I go out of the front door on a Monday morning, I have absolutely no wish whatsoever to go through it again until Friday or Saturday morning.
Harry Monk:
I might be a bit mad, but even after 25 years of it, I wouldn’t want to do any type of work other than tramping. When I go out of the front door on a Monday morning, I have absolutely no wish whatsoever to go through it again until Friday or Saturday morning.
thats exactly how i feel harry and until my boss sends me away all week i’m struggling to want to come home .
Harry Monk:
I might be a bit mad, but even after 25 years of it, I wouldn’t want to do any type of work other than tramping. When I go out of the front door on a Monday morning, I have absolutely no wish whatsoever to go through it again until Friday or Saturday morning.
I’ve got to say when I was tramping I was happy to try and get home one night in the week if possible just to break the week up, but if I didn’t it wasn’t no big deal.
I think i would quite like it but Im a train driver at the mo and clear at least 2400 every month so would be mad to give it up. Do Miss my driving though
Class2ldn:
I think i would quite like it but Im a train driver at the mo and clear at least 2400 every month so would be mad to give it up. Do Miss my driving though
Surely train driving is driving?
Believe me its not the same. Its a boring job but with the time we get off and the money its ok. Just being a driver (roads) before, its a big change but still feel like i should be doing something else aswell.
Perhaps you could do some agency work on your days off?
Your TOC’s Terms and Conditions might prohibit it and there could possibly be tachograph issues relating to time spent driving a train, but if you kept schtum, nobody would be the wiser.
Here’s me driving a train- just for fun though!
I’ve got some photos of me driving a steam train somewhere, I keep meaning to dig them out, they are far more interesting to drive!