To read the headlines and the traffic reports, you’d want to be mad to do our job. Or would you? After all, we have (some) freedom and the open road (sometimes) every day of the week.
To give some personal background, I’m married, have a child and a normal life.
I love tramping.
To me, a 15 hour day, with a two-hour commute sounds awful. We have friends who regularly work away all week, but that (in the eyes of society) is fine.
What’s so different about being a driver?
Used to be a night manager in a supermarket. Lots of hours, weekends, bank holidays and phone calls and emails on my days off.
Now tramp as living in south lincs money is poor so travel to rugby. Its easy work and no hassle. If I have a problem I ring the office and make it their problem.
I enjoy my job and then when I book off I don’t have to think about it until I start again. I do Monday to Friday so more time with my partner. Far better money than I earned before and one of the few options I had to earn good money with no skills or qualifications when I was made redundant.
I used to love the job back in the day, driving to Istanbul or Moscow or wherever, now it is just a means to an end, I work between September and March and save as much as I can, then go narrowboating in the Summer until the money runs out. No prizes for guessing which six months I prefer.
Don’t do nights out any more, haven’t done one for over two years now. I work for an agency, and I know that’s not everybody’s cup of tea but it suits me as I while away the next 6-7 years until my old age pension kicks in (unless they put it back yet again 
)
I passed my HGV test in 1986, I was 27. If I was 27 now there’s no way I would consider driving a truck for a living.
I couldn’t earn the money doing anything else.
And I like driving.
used to a mad for tar hooligan.few trips to saudi,years of europe and now do a few trips with the right companies to suit me when the mood for some devilment takes me. 
commonrail:
I couldn’t earn the money doing anything else.
Really?
If you work enough hours in any job you could earn the money, especially working the same ridiculous hours as in this job.
I used to love it, but it was chalk and cheese to what it is today.
Got a decent little number at present that suits me, not hassled or pushed as I don’t allow it.
However I was on more money 10 yrs ago.
If 21 would I do it today?
Restrictions, bullcrap, dcpc, cameras, over complicated rules, ridiculous legal hours, crap wage structures, little parking facilities…not a chance in hell. 
Was a labourer and got tired of working in all weather’s getting covered in muck all day, never loved driving but never hated it so I enjoy getting paid to do it.
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getting 30k a year, for 5 hours work a night and 5 hours napping. as little work as much coin as possiable for me ■■■■■■■ dhl 
It’s nice to see the country side and not a inside of a factory all the time
robroy:
commonrail:
I couldn’t earn the money doing anything else.Really?
If you work enough hours in any job you could earn the money, especially working the same ridiculous hours as in this job.
I’ve never earnt the money I do now.
Either the hours wer’nt there…or the work was too physically demanding or depressingly boring.
kcrussell25:
Used to be a night manager in a supermarket. Lots of hours, weekends, bank holidays and phone calls and emails on my days off.Now tramp as living in south lincs money is poor so travel to rugby. Its easy work and no hassle. If I have a problem I ring the office and make it their problem.
I enjoy my job and then when I book off I don’t have to think about it until I start again. I do Monday to Friday so more time with my partner. Far better money than I earned before and one of the few options I had to earn good money with no skills or qualifications when I was made redundant.
Were you with Sainsbury’s like me?
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Decent money for short hours type jobs,went with the pits around here.
The main roads are getting busier all the time now. I have my pension but still do a bit of driving. I still like driving even after a lot of years at it. The job has changed so much though. Pity the pay hasn’t.
Would love to go back into management but nothing paying close to what I earn now…
With a recent pay rise, will be earning £34k plus for easy work, driving decent kit, with no pressure.
45 grand thats what
stuwozere1:
kcrussell25:
Used to be a night manager in a supermarket. Lots of hours, weekends, bank holidays and phone calls and emails on my days off.Now tramp as living in south lincs money is poor so travel to rugby. Its easy work and no hassle. If I have a problem I ring the office and make it their problem.
I enjoy my job and then when I book off I don’t have to think about it until I start again. I do Monday to Friday so more time with my partner. Far better money than I earned before and one of the few options I had to earn good money with no skills or qualifications when I was made redundant.
Were you with Sainsbury’s like me?
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Yes. Redundant under project Everest last year. Pleased with the way it has worked out in the end
kcrussell25:
stuwozere1:
kcrussell25:
Used to be a night manager in a supermarket. Lots of hours, weekends, bank holidays and phone calls and emails on my days off.Now tramp as living in south lincs money is poor so travel to rugby. Its easy work and no hassle. If I have a problem I ring the office and make it their problem.
I enjoy my job and then when I book off I don’t have to think about it until I start again. I do Monday to Friday so more time with my partner. Far better money than I earned before and one of the few options I had to earn good money with no skills or qualifications when I was made redundant.
Were you with Sainsbury’s like me?
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Yes. Redundant under project Everest last year. Pleased with the way it has worked out in the end
Aye, redundant this Easter under their restructuring. I did my HGV as we thought we were losing nights. Ironically I now deliver for Sainsburys [emoji23]
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The money…
I work a few months a year and then wander off where ever I can find a cheap business class flight to. I’ve cashed in the private pension and fully intend to enjoy some of it whilst I can still get around and put up with airports and all the malarkey that goes with long distance travel. I passed in 1983 but I’d been a drivers mate since bunking off school and riding around quite literally ‘learning the ropes’. I enjoyed it back then but now it’s just a ratrace where everyone tries to blame you for everything. I intend to get out altogether becasue my heart just isn’t in it any more. There are easier ways to make a living now that don’t involve risking your neck in the winter ice, running out of time because some dork in a warehouse forgot you were on bay 21 and working the incredibly long hours that this industry seems to think is quite normal.
I earn about the same as I did in a middle management job although I do twice the hours now. I can live with that if it means no emails, no phone calls, no budgets and no targets. Other than the hours it’s pretty steady, never get any mither from the office, paid breaks etc.
And just occasionally you find yourself on a nice stretch of road, just as the suns coming up and before all the knobheads come out to play.
City67:
I earn about the same as I did in a middle management job although I do twice the hours now. I can live with that if it means no emails, no phone calls, no budgets and no targets. Other than the hours it’s pretty steady, never get any mither from the office, paid breaks etc.
And just occasionally you find yourself on a nice stretch of road, just as the suns coming up and before all the knobheads come out to play.
Definitely agree to this.