A good friend of mine is a salesman, he is on at least £60k a year, 70+ hours a week at the beck and call of customers (as he doesn’t want to loose them) up and down the country like a blue arsed fly.
he has had a nervous breakdown and is totally stressed all the time.
he even took time out a couple of years ago to do shop work 9 to 5 to ease off.
sod that thank you very much I’m happy on my shift pattern 3 nights out 4 days work.
I might only be on half he is but I get to spend it “with” my family not just “on” my family.
and live long enough to see my family 
switchlogic:
nightline:
Lets look at the facts
A salesman on the road spending night’s away from home or for that matter anyone other than a truck driver
Leaves his house Monday morning stops for lunch at 13.00 = lunch is paid for
Finnishs at 17.00 at hotel for night and has dinner at 19.30 = Paid For
Has a good night’s sleep in nice bed = Paid For
Gets up next morning and has a shower Paid For
Goes down for a full breakfast = Paid For
NOW TELL ME YOUR 26 QUID IS WORTH IT
You would be lucky to wipe your arse with it never mind getting a decent meal for it, and on top of that you are the cream, top dog, because you must be on the top of the top rate for night out money.
Do you not get lunch money or is it all part of your 26 quid
It’s a sad world when people spend 24 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week away for 26 quid for a 24 hour shift
I rest my caseI’ve a feeling you don’t know many/any non lorry drivers who travel for work do you? You’ve a very rose tinted view of how it works for them that’s for sure. Trust me some would love a law saying they need 9 off (let alone 11) as they trapse through yet another airport in the middle of the night traveling to the next meeting.
And you might find they don’t get their meals paid for, and that smart suited salesman in his rep mobile might not even get paid as much as you think.
I’ve also done a bit of non-truck driving that involved loads of time away, silly flight times, silly meal times, expected to do a full days work when you get to the venue, or drive home when you get back (no tacho hours regs to work on) different hotels each week, different room to get used to bed too soft, bed too hard, rooms too hot, too cold, too noisy, I rarely get a decent nights sleep on the first night, I know some people who take their pillow with them so they have some consistency.
blue estate:
Monday to Friday tramping
Alocated van so don’t share it with any hurberts
Week end and bank holidays are all mineSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
fixed for you. 
50% of all amateur ■■■■ is made in travelodges/premier inns.FACT.
I’ll take my truck any day
muckles:
And you might find they don’t get their meals paid for, and that smart suited salesman in his rep mobile might not even get paid as much as you think.I’ve also done a bit of non-truck driving that involved loads of time away, silly flight times, silly meal times, expected to do a full days work when you get to the venue, or drive home when you get back (no tacho hours regs to work on) different hotels each week, different room to get used to bed too soft, bed too hard, rooms too hot, too cold, too noisy, I rarely get a decent nights sleep on the first night, I know some people who take their pillow with them so they have some consistency.
I work long hours like many of us but my best friend who travels a lot for work makes me whince when he tells me his travel arrangements. Rarely in same place two days running so often time when you or I as lorry drivers are relaxing he’s struggling to get to his next destination. Getting to hotels at midnight, snatched sandwiches on the way then up a 5/6am to get to a meeting are common where there will be coffee if lucky but certainly no breakfast spread!
Lorry drivers are far from the only workers hard done by
nightline:
the maoster:
nightline:
Looks like it’s all about the 20 quid for a days work that they are all interested in trampers
I suppose a 100 quid a week can make a huge difference to someone’s lifestyle I just don’t get it how someone could let themselves be treated like dirt for 20 quid and at the same time mind all the gear for that.
It must have been a hard life with whatever they were doing before thatYou just luuuurve posts like this don’t you?
FYI I get £26 per night, I don’t use 2 gallons of petrol commuting, I’m in truth doing more hours than I’d be happy doing on day runs therefore increasing my earnings and my holiday pay average (for some bizarre reason) includes my expenses. So £20 per day? I think not.
Lets look at the facts
A salesman on the road spending night’s away from home or for that matter anyone other than a truck driver
Leaves his house Monday morning stops for lunch at 13.00 = lunch is paid for
Finnishs at 17.00 at hotel for night and has dinner at 19.30 = Paid For
Has a good night’s sleep in nice bed = Paid For
Gets up next morning and has a shower Paid For
Goes down for a full breakfast = Paid For
NOW TELL ME YOUR 26 QUID IS WORTH IT
You would be lucky to wipe your arse with it never mind getting a decent meal for it, and on top of that you are the cream, top dog, because you must be on the top of the top rate for night out money.
Do you not get lunch money or is it all part of your 26 quid
It’s a sad world when people spend 24 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week away for 26 quid for a 24 hour shift
I rest my case
In the job I do (not driving) I’m away. Non of our meals are pre paid for away from home (very occasionally breakfast is free). The hotel is paid for. You get subsistence allowance, it’s an hourly rate about £80 a day. Some places extremely expensive so you don’t profit after food, some not so. Depends on location and if there’s alternatives.
I personally think night out money on haulage is on the light side going off figures I read. Could be more like £35. You can cover all your meals eating out on £26 without stressing too much but its pretty down to the bone. Great if you want to cook in the truck but to compare you’d have to take it as eating out money, especially if the firm doesn’t want you stoving it on the lorries. If there’s no paid parking on top/shower money I think it’s def too little. They should offer to pay for parking and the odd access to a shower in this day and age.
switchlogic:
nightline:
Lets look at the facts
A salesman on the road spending night’s away from home or for that matter anyone other than a truck driver
Leaves his house Monday morning stops for lunch at 13.00 = lunch is paid for
Finnishs at 17.00 at hotel for night and has dinner at 19.30 = Paid For
Has a good night’s sleep in nice bed = Paid For
Gets up next morning and has a shower Paid For
Goes down for a full breakfast = Paid For
NOW TELL ME YOUR 26 QUID IS WORTH IT
You would be lucky to wipe your arse with it never mind getting a decent meal for it, and on top of that you are the cream, top dog, because you must be on the top of the top rate for night out money.
Do you not get lunch money or is it all part of your 26 quid
It’s a sad world when people spend 24 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week away for 26 quid for a 24 hour shift
I rest my caseI’ve a feeling you don’t know many/any non lorry drivers who travel for work do you? You’ve a very rose tinted view of how it works for them that’s for sure. Trust me some would love a law saying they need 9 off (let alone 11) as they trapse through yet another airport in the middle of the night traveling to the next meeting.
So when facts are put to most people they reply just like you did
I am a little older and wiser than yourself and I would have a lot more experience than you would driving all over Europe. Now what I don’t have much experience is cooking in a confined spaces that speaks volumes about a person who don’t mix very well with other people but I’m only going on the good times before on the continent
It just proves my point, you thinking sometimes your above some people here and you think 26 quid is ok for 24 hours
UKtramp:
switchlogic:
I’ve a feeling you don’t know many/any non lorry drivers who travel for work do you? You’ve a very rose tinted view of how it works for them that’s for sure. Trust me some would love a law saying they need 9 off (let alone 11) as they trapse through yet another airport in the middle of the night traveling to the next meeting.I for one would second this and speaking from great experience!!
We only have your word on that dozy 2 great experience can cover a lot of fields and youself has covered everything as Walter mitty, and you could also be doctor doodle as well
switchlogic:
muckles:
And you might find they don’t get their meals paid for, and that smart suited salesman in his rep mobile might not even get paid as much as you think.I’ve also done a bit of non-truck driving that involved loads of time away, silly flight times, silly meal times, expected to do a full days work when you get to the venue, or drive home when you get back (no tacho hours regs to work on) different hotels each week, different room to get used to bed too soft, bed too hard, rooms too hot, too cold, too noisy, I rarely get a decent nights sleep on the first night, I know some people who take their pillow with them so they have some consistency.
I work long hours like many of us but my best friend who travels a lot for work makes me whince when he tells me his travel arrangements. Rarely in same place two days running so often time when you or I as lorry drivers are relaxing he’s struggling to get to his next destination. Getting to hotels at midnight, snatched sandwiches on the way then up a 5/6am to get to a meeting are common where there will be coffee if lucky but certainly no breakfast spread!
Lorry drivers are far from the only workers hard done by
I would say that’s the biggest made up spoof I ever heard
Not a chance that’s true
I used to tramp UK…
Then over the water.
Did 10 years on nights.
Now on days til I give it up.
They all had their good and bad points but, with the lack of parking, good facilities and the rip-off prices in the UK, days is the best now.
I understand when you work in a job and you read somewhere that you are being shafted it’s common sense to defend your position because you don’t want to look like a ■■■ even do you do feel like a ■■■
You will always get people who no matter how much you explain to them that they are being shafted they will come back with some defence that don’t make sense
It is coming very soon that most will be earning below national minimum wage for hours worked even though some already are with there 20 quid for night out money.
It’s mostly because our job employs monkeys who can’t make a decision for themselves and are lead by the nose
slowlane:
eagerbeaver:
Some interesting replies so far…I am basically bone idle and struggle to get my arse out of bed. 6am starts at my new job with an occasional 5am start which nearly shuts my body down
Money (obviously [emoji38] ) seems to be a key player so far in this thread, but location is popping up too. Seems like night work is far more popular than I thought
Who knew?
Nights makes sense regarding money & traffic. You lads who are doing 5/3 then 5/2 or 4/4 shifts etc, did most of you choose this pattern or was that how the job came? Also, do your other halves accommodate their jobs around yours, or do you end up with 3 days in the middle of the week on your own, and what do you go and do (fishing/doing the house up etc) ?
I had the choice of M-F, 4/4 or 5/2-5/3 and chose the latter to get more time off as well as fancying working some weekends without spending longer at work. I started out on M-F and found that I felt like I was always working, 4/4 doesn’t appeal because of the sharing aspect and whilst my truck goes out without me on this shift, I’ve settled on an oppo who doesn’t smoke, doesn’t leave the drivers seat and always leaves her tank and strap lockers full. I’d prefer the truck to be mine, but I feel like I’ve got a good compromise situation.
Not having kids makes that side of things easy, and my partner and I seem to figure out how to make the odd schedule work for us. I quite like being home in the week to cook for her when she gets home, and since she does 38hrs a week for a decent chunk more than I earn, she gets home early anyway!
I’m so bone idle, my spirit animal surely is a cat, so most of my time off is spent fairly horizontal!
The biggest downside of this shift pattern is that I occasionally miss get togethers with friends, but for big ones I’ll take time off.
Once I’ve built up more experience, I’m going to turn my hand to Euro work - as that’s really what I got into driving to do. I also need to have a crack at Canada and USA before I hang up the keys. Between the two of us, we will figure out how to make our life together work with it - she’s got her own dreams and must dos too. It could well turn out that I end up driving in the States for 18 months while she backpacks around the world, or something completely different!
Wife can go on USA harvest with you for 8/10months.
Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk
nightline:
So when facts are put to most people they reply just like you did
I am a little older and wiser than yourself and I would have a lot more experience than you would driving all over Europe. Now what I don’t have much experience is cooking in a confined spaces that speaks volumes about a person who don’t mix very well with other people but I’m only going on the good times before on the continent
It just proves my point, you thinking sometimes your above some people here and you think 26 quid is ok for 24 hours
Interesting how you took a fairly straightforward sensible reply without any abuse in it completely the wrong way and reply with completely irrelevant comments complete with dismissive comments about me. That says a lot more about your character than cooking in a truck does mine. Older probably, wiser? Hmmmm, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and not judge you too harshly on your whiney badly spelt posts on here. Have a lovely evening
switchlogic:
I work long hours like many of us but my best friend who travels a lot for work makes me whince when he tells me his travel arrangements. Rarely in same place two days running so often time when you or I as lorry drivers are relaxing he’s struggling to get to his next destination. Getting to hotels at midnight, snatched sandwiches on the way then up a 5/6am to get to a meeting are common where there will be coffee if lucky but certainly no breakfast spread!Lorry drivers are far from the only workers hard done by
Moany old fool:
I would say that’s the biggest made up spoof I ever heard
Not a chance that’s true
Older and wiser you say? You’ve a very very very narrow life experience if you think any of that is unrealistic. You should get out more, socialize with people. It’s actually quite enjoyable sometimes. Widen your very narrow horizons, you’d be amazed at what you see and learn
It’s difficult to broaden your horizons when you’re consumed with rage and feelings of inadequacy over the hand that life has dealt you. It’s always someone else’s fault.
nightline:
We only have your word on that dozy 2 great experience can cover a lot of fields and youself has covered everything as Walter mitty, and you could also be doctor doodle as well
I do believe it is yourself who is looking more the walter mitty than I do. I care not what you think as I am only stating a fact that Luke had said and which through experience I know to be true. Insult away old man, it goes in my left ear and straight out of my right one. You are living in cuckoo land my friend.
switchlogic:
nightline:
So when facts are put to most people they reply just like you did
I am a little older and wiser than yourself and I would have a lot more experience than you would driving all over Europe. Now what I don’t have much experience is cooking in a confined spaces that speaks volumes about a person who don’t mix very well with other people but I’m only going on the good times before on the continent
It just proves my point, you thinking sometimes your above some people here and you think 26 quid is ok for 24 hoursInteresting how you took a fairly straightforward sensible reply without any abuse in it completely the wrong way and reply with completely irrelevant comments complete with dismissive comments about me. That says a lot more about your character than cooking in a truck does mine. Older probably, wiser? Hmmmm, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and not judge you too harshly on your whiney badly spelt posts on here. Have a lovely evening
So what’s it like going from Ireland or uk to where ever your going not mixing or socialising because you live in cab 24/7 cooking
Some people have a life in work or at home, people who cook in the cab don’t, the memory’s come from mixing and wanting to meet new people it’s life
nightline:
the maoster:
nightline:
Looks like it’s all about the 20 quid for a days work that they are all interested in trampers
I suppose a 100 quid a week can make a huge difference to someone’s lifestyle I just don’t get it how someone could let themselves be treated like dirt for 20 quid and at the same time mind all the gear for that.
It must have been a hard life with whatever they were doing before thatYou just luuuurve posts like this don’t you?
FYI I get £26 per night, I don’t use 2 gallons of petrol commuting, I’m in truth doing more hours than I’d be happy doing on day runs therefore increasing my earnings and my holiday pay average (for some bizarre reason) includes my expenses. So £20 per day? I think not.
Lets look at the facts
A salesman on the road spending night’s away from home or for that matter anyone other than a truck driver
Leaves his house Monday morning stops for lunch at 13.00 = lunch is paid for
Finnishs at 17.00 at hotel for night and has dinner at 19.30 = Paid For
Has a good night’s sleep in nice bed = Paid For
Gets up next morning and has a shower Paid For
Goes down for a full breakfast = Paid For
NOW TELL ME YOUR 26 QUID IS WORTH IT
You would be lucky to wipe your arse with it never mind getting a decent meal for it, and on top of that you are the cream, top dog, because you must be on the top of the top rate for night out money.
Do you not get lunch money or is it all part of your 26 quid
It’s a sad world when people spend 24 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week away for 26 quid for a 24 hour shift
I rest my case
If I was away from home all week every week, I would much rather have my own sleeper cab to make home rather than traipsing in & out of crap travel taverns all the time. You can bet your bottom dollar that gaffers would have you room sharing as well.
No thanks!
switchlogic:
… This week I start early Saturday morning to be in Italy for Monday morning
About time you sorted out another LDD video diary then Switch. the last one was yonks ago.
nightline:
Some people have a life in work or at home, people who cook in the cab don’t, the memory’s come from mixing and wanting to meet new people it’s life
You sound like a real sociable guy who enjoys meeting new people and making friends I must admit. You must have some great memories from those roadside cafe’s. I am sure everyone is envious of your lifestyle. Just curious but do you take selfies with all these people you meet?