when I started fitting I 1976 you was lucky to see a driver with a tv,now a days you see,lap tops, large tvs,dvds.i phones,wot did you have in them days,a few beers an a women.yep I would have gone for that 
keith
keith 2:
when I started fitting I 1976 you was lucky to see a driver with a tv,now a days you see,lap tops, large tvs,dvds.i phones,wot did you have in them days,a few beers an a women.yep I would have gone for that
No, what used to happen was that drivers got out of their cabs and socialised - talked to each other; had a beer or two together. If there was no company you took delight in cooking something elaborate with a bottle of decent wine. In your cab you carried a number of good books to read and you exchanged these with other drivers. If you were âweekendedâ you explored the local town or village be it some god-forsaken French village, Istanbul or Carlisle.
I remember the period of the change-over of this culture. Drivers who used to stand around in Tangiers port with a can of beer or a vodka & Coke in their hands chatting with other drivers started pulling the curtains and watching episodes of Coronation Street pre-recorded by the wives, on their little tellies. This was early 2000s: the rot was beginning to set in. I would park up in UK and find myself surrounded by encapsuled drivers enjoying âme timeâ and engaging with no one.
It reminded me of the difference between French Routier truck stops where everyone was expected to sit with each other and the other European countries where everyone sat at separate tables and engaged with nobody (Spain). Those French Les Routiers stops were brilliant because after a couple of mouthfuls of food and a swig of table wine you always made immediate friends with other French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, German, Swiss⌠whatever⌠drivers and often ended up at the bar together afterwards to finish the conversations. Those days have evaporated - possibly for ever! Alas. Robert 
thatâs the the stories were after,thats mint, 
keith
keith 2:
thatâs the the stories were after,thats mint,
Happy to oblige! Enjoy the weekend! Robert
recon you hit the nail on the head there RobertâŚhell I couldnât wait to get out o the cab at night for a beer and for a conversation/walk around. mind though a lot o the time I was so tired (25hr days) that It was lucky if i folded the bunk down and would fall asleep over the wheel and wake up with a real dead arm âŚlol drove a spare motor with the horn in the middle o the steering wheel that worked ,only myself and the laundry will know how much o a fright I got when sleeping over the wheel(parked up) and I blew the horn 
Iâve woke up with Scania printed on my forehead many a time Jimmy [emoji38]
I only drove in the UK . I remember when there were lorry parks in towns . I spent a few good nights all over the place . Hertford / Northampton /Stevenage /Slough /Hastings /Leith just to name a few , Theyâve all gone now so it ended up at the services so I think the rot started then . If you do try and start a conversation you find yourself talking to a Pole / Rumanian driving an English reg truck. Nuff said.
I never nighted out, didnât need to as I had a perfectly good tv and bed at home, but it made me chuckle when in Scotland two weeks ago a Dutch driver was busily fastening a satellite dish to his mirror arm in a lay by on the A75!
Pete.
I remember well the reported incidents of drivers being breathalysed the next morning when leaving a Lorry or Cafe Parking area, this done a lot to halt the evenings entertainment along with reducing good parking places and rising prices in pubs and parking, many drivers could no longer afford to continue the after work social activities they used to previously, especially when the wage wasnât keeping up with the cost of living, one or two nights in the cab with a 12volt Black & White portable telly turned into every night and the socializing was kept for the weekend when not working. These days the incab entertainment means a driver doesnât have to get out the cab once the shift is over, all very sad and who is to blame. There is no doubt the way this country has supported its transport industry which has been abysmal since the end of WWII has a lot to do with drivers becoming insulated and introvert preferring their own company over the years, facilities have been appalling. Some company managers didnât help in this respect either, I worked for one well known Northeast haulier still around today where the gaffer would send drivers off on jobs without telling them they were bound for the same destination just so they wouldnât meet up. When I realised I was turning into a cab Hermit I got out and looked elsewhere, a lot had changed and it wasnât going to return. Franky.
Encapsulation is what has killed the pub trade as well these days.Sad. 
well said robert iwas one of the guys in tangiers going in/out as u know we would all get the tables /chairs out and have good few vinos and chat especially if howard/margeret were in port even get a meal thrown in with those guys lovely couple miss them days
forgot to say microwaves and a few tins in the locker ,all the money goes home
Hi all,years ago when I started tramping we always stopped in Ross on Wye all the Welsh boys would be there ,shower then taxi to town not one driver stayed in their cab that was great nights out drinking and having a laugh now that donât happen ,this industry has gone 
keith 2:
wot did you have in them days,
A radio (nearly said âwirelessâ showing my age or what) and⌠that was it. Iâd take books, get the paper for the crossword, lie in bed listening to John Peel or stick a cassette tape in for a bit. If I was in a good spot Iâd slope off for a fish supper and a slow pint at the local pub. I had my favourite spots as Iâm sure the rest of you did - as Jeff Ellener mentioned there used to be lots of towns where you could haul up for the night in the car park and town was a couple of minutes stumble away. I doubt you could do that now - even if you wanted to - because everythingâs 3T limits and restrictions and barriers and signs saying âNoâ and âAbsolutely Notâ and âGet Lostâ, so itâs no wonder drivers nowadays have all sorts of electrickery and web-this and bluetooth that. Of course it means less socialising between drivers, but then here we all are sat at a computer screen not socialising.