What are the realities and stereotypes of trucking?
long hours for no appreciation 
Sweaty, greasy ,roughians. I have to wear my shirt, chinos and toms on a weekend to feel normal again.
Never done this trucking lark, leave that to the cousins… 
Realities of lorry driving?, its OK if the job suits you, you need to be self sufficient have a good dose of common sense and be prepared to learn to walk before you can run.
Its given me a lifetime of hard work with the scars and bruises and aches and pains to show, however because i specialised and worked hard and was reliable and trustworthy i made a good living and most importantly didn’t ■■■■ my good fortune up the wall, i have no complaints and i haven’t had to spend my working life with plonkers or kissing the right arse for the next promotion.
If you think the world owes you a living, spend all day worrying what the other blokes are doing and terrified that they have a better run/load/trip money/bonus/lorry than you then you can be one of the growing number of wingeing useless sods who infest our industry and who will never be a bloody lorry driver as long as they have a hole in their arse.
Job’s what you make it, it can be good and you can make a good life/living by doing your best, or it can be just another place to be an incompetent depressive and you’ll be treated accordingly.
spot on that man !!
Juddian:
Job’s what you make it, it can be good and you can make a good life/living by doing your best, or it can be just another place to be an incompetent depressive and you’ll be treated accordingly.
This. I love driving, and I know others like me … I also know people who’d sooner whine aboout their jobs than eat their dinners. It is, like the man says, what you make it and if you’ve got the right temprament and attitude, you’ll enjoy it. The most depressing thing about the job, for me, is that everyone thinks you’re a thick bigot who drives lorries because he can’t do anything better. This is not at all true (as we know), but it’s surprising how many people think it.
Rhythm Thief:
The most depressing thing about the job, for me, is that everyone thinks you’re a thick bigot who drives lorries because he can’t do anything better. This is not at all true (as we know), but it’s surprising how many people think it.
Spot on 
I have done manufacturing, Army, Buses and various office jobs, more happy as I get older doing this job now 
Though the flippin tacho rule hurt my noggin 
Your spot on there rhythm thief. Infact I’d say the main thing I dislike about being a lorry driver is people’s pre conceived perception that I’m a simpleton at times. I only ever wanted to be a school teacher but then again I only ever wanted to make money at the same time. I finished college with 2 a’s and a b in my a levels and thought I’d take this up for a year or 2 before Uni to raise some cash.
I caught the “bug” it you like. I don’t drive a v8 top line but I love the lorry I have. I love the job 99% off the time and I’m happy as larry sat behind the wheel. I like to separate myself from those who don’t give a toss and in my line there are many, I take pride in my work, i look after my motor like its my own and have always liked to think I treat people’s possessions or property as I would my own. Yet i can try my hardest to be as good a driver as I can be but the reality is if some one asked me what I did for a living and I replied “I’m a school teacher” I would get a positive reaction back and an “oh how lovely that’s great” blah blah blah. Now reality check " what do you do for a living"?, “I’m a lorry driver”…" “Oh well never mind” and the use off simple words then become apparent during the rest off the conversation lol. Makes me laugh at times but I’d like to get a bit more credit for the effort I put in even if I am just a “lorry driver”.
In fairness, I mix with a lot of people who aren’t lorry drivers and by far the most common reaction when I tell people at (shudder) dinner parties what I do is “really?? Cool! Do you drive those really massive ones?” Which always makes me smile.
Yep I love it 99% of the time but being small and slim I get jokes from others like’ " you never do , do you ave to put blocks on yer feet lol " or " you don’t look like one"
xxicelandicxx:
Yep I love it 99% of the time but being small and slim I get jokes from others like’ " you never do , do you ave to put blocks on yer feet lol " or " you don’t look like one"
Lol I had that from the mrs when we first met. Your to short to drive a lorry my dad drives trucks and he’s bigger, do you have to have the seat right down can you see over the steering wheel I’m 5"9 short yeah but not a bloody hobbit. I had to send her a pic off me in mine because she wouldn’t have it lol.
I can understand some of this! I am a trombone player, I went to the Royal Academy of Music and became a freelance musician. I taught brass instruments for 25 years. I worked as a professional musician and teacher and was treated with respect. Now I’m a thick, uncultured, ignorant truck driver I love it!!
Karl86:
…if some one asked me what I did for a living and I replied “I’m a school teacher” I would get a positive reaction back and an “oh how lovely that’s great” blah blah blah. Now reality check " what do you do for a living"?, “I’m a lorry driver”…" “Oh well never mind” and the use off simple words then become apparent during the rest off the conversation lol. Makes me laugh at times but I’d like to get a bit more credit for the effort I put in even if I am just a “lorry driver”.
Tell them you’re a conveyance specialist then.
It’s a great life when you are young, free and single. When you want to live in a truck most of the time. When you get married or meet that person you want to spend your life with it’s crap, it will destroy your relationships unless you get a supermarket or local daily run where you are home every night.
I lost two previous wives because of the job and almost lost the one I have now because I was away for weeks on end, I now have a job where I am away 4 nights a week and it gets to my wife, she say’s she feels like a weekend wife. If it wasn’t for the fact that it pay’s really high wages I would quit tomorrow.
Office work frightens me. I can’t handle clearing up other people’s messed-up paperwork, when I can barely understand it myself. 
I find pulling trailers a lot easier than pushing a pen.
There do seem to be plenty of truck or lorry drivers who fit the stereotypical image that many of the public have of us. That loud, fat, abusive, unclean, and a bully when he’s driving his truck.
I normally try and steer well clear of them because I don’t want to hear how VOSA, or his boss, planner or somebody in some RDC are a bunch of [zb]s and how he told them this and that etc etc.
But in my time doing this job I’ve meet plenty of who are professional, friendly, interesting (I even met one bloke who was in the SAS, missed that boat and the tunnel fire ) and they enjoy the job. And not all of them are driving arctics, I worked with a bloke driving a 7.5 tonnes delivering white goods and he was more professional as a driver than many I’ve met driving bigger trucks.
SCANIA730:
What are the realities and stereotypes of trucking?
Realities,run ragged for a pittance if I’m honest.
Juddian:
If you think the world owes you a living, spend all day worrying what the other blokes are doing and terrified that they have a better run/load/trip money/bonus/lorry than you then you can be one of the growing number of wingeing useless sods who infest our industry and who will never be a bloody lorry driver as long as they have a hole in their arse.
But will put you in good company with most of the posters on trucknet.