Wages falling even more? If your boss changed your wagon to a crapper one (for the full timers)? More forced legislation (DCPC, ‘H&S’ enforcement being pushed in by larger companies, etc…)? Driver facing cams? The general standard of driving by people in general getting even worse? Increasing automation of your lorry as technology ‘advances’…?
Just a thought… What would be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ so to speak?
Kind of left the game (sideways)
What make me leave for a lot less money, was the quality of life.
No more starting times all over the shop affecting my health.
No more arguments about when enough is enough.
Having not to listen to drivers relentless moaning, constant about nothing and about everything.
Not to listen to drivers who are going to leave, because it is the worst job ever, but are years later still with the company.
Not to listen to willy waving, how much money they make.
I left to work for a third of the money, but work now 35 hours a week, I had to adjust my spending pattern, but are a much healthier, happier person.
What’s not to like?
However I do miss the old days, the camaraderie, the old real life gaffers (plenty bosses around, not many gaffers left)
The time you had to do a journey, the friendship, but that is long gone.
A big lottery win. That would do it. But I’d offer to work my notice.
Only losing my licence.
It’s what i do, its my living, its what i still take a pride in doing as well as i can despite attempts to dumb the job down to lowest common denominator in all sorts of ways.
Its one of the last jobs where unless they put a full time gaffer in the seat beside you, you are still responsible for what happens in your working day, plus you’re on your own the majority of time which suits me.
If you do your job well and don’t come up on the company radar being a pillock, even with all the spying/monitoring stuff now used, they tend to leave you alone…if anything that spy obsession seems to be regulating itself now as companies finally realise that good reliable drivers who don’t wreck stuff or spend half their time on the sick have no trouble at all finding other jobs.
Im struggling to answer this one to be honest. I earn an easy £28-30k for no stress whatsoever & im home every night mon-fri, plus I enjoy it to boot. A few too many hours, but if I carry on being reliable and not wrecking stuff, I’m in a good chance of the dream job coming along eventually.
Losing my license would obviously force me to but company would give me something else to do, otherwise a big lotto win or the Mother in law passing on. I’m lucky as I have a cushy number so I enjoy my job.
If I could earn the same money doing something that had limited interaction with others same as this I’d do that.
If I could earn the same money stacking shelves in aldi, I might consider leaving.[FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
When I first passed my test I got a job tanker driving it was the best job I have ever had, on a Friday you got all your work for the next week and was left to get on with it. Did it for 8 years until the wife got fed up with me being away all week, I then went doing agency only ever worked for 3 firms so knew what I was doing but it got that because of the roads I was starting earlier each week to get anywhere then turning up and waiting to unload so jut got fed up with it. When cpc came in I applied for a railway job got it and have never missed the driving, I now no my start and finish times a year in advance only work a 35 hour week get 33 days holiday, pension, sick pay and all training paid seems a no brainer to me.
What would make me leave? If I was given a fire extinguisher I think. A man has limits.
damoq:
If I could earn the same money stacking shelves in aldi, I might consider leaving.[FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Funny you should say that drive…next June I am claiming my private pension early. Already told company I’m with now that I want to drop to 3 or 4 days per week. But if they can’t accommodate me then I’ll go and operate a checkout in a local supermarket. Decent hours, home every night, and sat down for most of the day, whilst being abused by the general public.
Sounds familiar that last bit!
I left driving 2 years ago after a grand total of 2 runs in an artic 
I had driven class 2/vans since I passed my test though 5 years ago.
mixture of reasons why I left really, Hours and pay being the main ones and they’re never going to change so you could argue I knew that before I got my licences. 
I work for JLR now doing the same thing 330 times a shift and hope I never have to leave (I’m 23), good pay, 36 hour week, decent holidays and good union.
I went sideways…
I hung up the keys in April 2015 to look after a parent who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year before I stopped driving. Now I get by on Carers allowance of £62.50 p/week for a minimum of 30hrs/week input, but it’s more like 70hrs+ that I do, so some of you will have figured out that I get just £1-£2 p/hr. Which direction I’ll go (and wether I’ll return to driving) later on is unknow ATM but I aim to maintain my cards, but I’ve not done any extra DCPC hrs since the 1st round, so I have until sept 2019 before my vocational licence is invalid
Bloody hell Peirre, you’ve gone up another score of rungs in my estimation.
Well done mate, all the best to your ailing but lucky (in you) parent and your good self.
Chapeau.
James the cat:
What would make me leave? If I was given a fire extinguisher I think. A man has limits.
Juddian:
Bloody hell Peirre, you’ve gone up another score of rungs in my estimation.Well done mate, all the best to your ailing but lucky (in you) parent and your good self.
Chapeau.
Thanks,
Taking a step back and reassessing life’s priorities isn’t easy to do. Going from handballing loads off trucks to helping someone in/out of bed, cleaning up bodily fluids instead of cleaning dirty cabs is about as extreme as you can get in life. Though I do get to practice my cooking skills in the kitchen rather than the cab, 
and I do get to go to the gym 5+ Days a week before my shift starts so I’m fitter/slimmer than ever.
The loss of the C+E entitlement, my depot is new (2010) with land set aside for expansion so I expect it to see me out more or less.
I’m not interested in fancy trucks or silly hours or tramping, done all that stuff, the area where I work are crying out for drivers so no problems in that respect.
Being monitored constantly is not an issue, the management know who the plant pots are, I am left alone my work is never questioned and I enjoy a good package of pay and benefits.
Transport is the last bastion for dumb white guys to earn a decent living with minimal effort, I get paid more than many of the so called professions for doing little more than sitting on my ■■■ listening to my Ipod and drinking tea, however I would consider leaving should it mean a return to the for profit circus.
Money.
People…They are making me leave the country, 12-18 months time is the plan.
I see it in their driving, the interactions in every day situations, they are mostly inconsiderate, selfish and greedy.
All they want is everything yesterday and the next best bit of flashy, gadget laden tech whilst they miss out on actually living meaningful lives…British people.
Having travelled extensively throughout my life, I am no longer able to put up with it.
Couple that with a ruling elite who just want all of our money, the decline in service of every aspect of life and top it off with everyone being obsessed with phones, that has just about done it for me.
Simple life in the mountains it is for me, this place has been consumed by consumerism, it ain`t no fun anymore.
having to go and work for someone other than myself