Well where can i start,has driving standards dropped or are we under more pressure to get the job done? Two sets of rules to stick too,sat in some pokey rest room because you can’t be trusted in your own cab,health and safety gone mad,it just seems the good laugh we used to have has gone.
Am i the only one that thinks this,im sure im not!
Kevin.F:
Well where can i start,has driving standards dropped or are we under more pressure to get the job done? Two sets of rules to stick too,sat in some pokey rest room because you can’t be trusted in your own cab,health and safety gone mad,it just seems the good laugh we used to have has gone.
Am i the only one that thinks this,im sure im not!
I am sure Kevin if you were to ask any driver thathas been on the road for ten or more years they will say that one thing or the other has gone downhill .For me it has just been the comradery that i knew when i first started lorries have improved but driving standards have slipped vosa ,timed dels,h &s.nowhere to park curtain cutters and all the rest have all helped to make the job more stressfull i am close to retirement and i will miss it but not enough to make me carry on i think drivers of my age had the best times but younger drivers will no doubt say their times were better the lorries are and no handball plus you stay cleaner .
phil the book:
no handball plus you stay cleaner .
When I worked for Switch I was sent out on a run which had on the delivery notes clearly marked “tail lift required”, but the truck they gave me didnt have a tail lift 
Handball was the order of the day, second drop was handball 3 pallets of cleaning materials which took a few hours to do, then the third was handball another 3 pallets of paint 
Needless to say, a few deliveries couldnt be done because of the time handballing 
couldnt agree more its full of h&s rules jobsworths and some drivers are selfish and in competant,
i pulled in to hilton park today for a break was quite busy and a wagon was taking up a bay and a quarter, i stuggled to sqeeze in only managed it cos the next bay had a rigid in that was parked well back i got out and said to the driver it a bit tight that mate,he just shrugged, i said your takeing up some of the next bay, he pointed and said if you look im on the line 
you should be beetween them mate and your well over look i said he was possitive he was parked ok 
,should of taken a photo really,but this is the standards we are getting now
also i see a complete different attitude to the job its self and out on the road beetween people who drive for general transport firms and people who drive for the big retail companys
yorkshire terrier:
couldnt agree more its full of h&s rules jobsworths and some drivers are selfish and in competant,
i pulled in to hilton park today for a break was quite busy and a wagon was taking up a bay and a quarter, i stuggled to sqeeze in only managed it cos the next bay had a rigid in that was parked well back i got out and said to the driver it a bit tight that mate,he just shrugged, i said your takeing up some of the next bay, he pointed and said if you look im on the line
also i see a complete different attitude to the job its self and out on the road beetween people who drive for general transport firms and people who drive for the big retail companys
Couldn’t agree more. When I was a kid riding with Dad (for the same firm we both work for now) if you stopped at a strange time every truck on that company that passed you would stop and make sure you were ok. Now, they just steam past hoping to nick a load of yours to bump their bonus up… 
seems to me trucking industry hasent changed one bit theres still loads of drivers who like a good depressing moan
DAF95XF:
phil the book:
no handball plus you stay cleaner .When I worked for Switch I was sent out on a run which had on the delivery notes clearly marked “tail lift required”, but the truck they gave me didnt have a tail lift
Handball was the order of the day, second drop was handball 3 pallets of cleaning materials which took a few hours to do, then the third was handball another 3 pallets of paint
Needless to say, a few deliveries couldnt be done because of the time handballing
That’s a one off, back in the real old days everything was handball, that’s why I’m glad I’m only 25yrs into this game, by then handball wasn’t so common, good job too or I’d be a Transit driver, handballing 2ton is a lot better than 20ton 
yorkshire terrier:
couldnt agree more its full of h&s rules jobsworths and some drivers are selfish and in competant,
i pulled in to hilton park today for a break was quite busy and a wagon was taking up a bay and a quarter, i stuggled to sqeeze in only managed it cos the next bay had a rigid in that was parked well back i got out and said to the driver it a bit tight that mate,he just shrugged, i said your takeing up some of the next bay, he pointed and said if you look im on the line
also i see a complete different attitude to the job its self and out on the road beetween people who drive for general transport firms and people who drive for the big retail companys
The way I see it (and it might seem a bit contraversial) is that there are two types of drivers… There are those blokes who have wanted to be a lorry driver from an early age and, as soon as they are old enough, have acquired their LGV licence. The other type are those who have come into the industry from another job such as engineering, mining and so on (the exception being ex-Army, RCT or RLC). Blokes who have always wanted to be a LGV Driver appear to be more motivated than the latter type who see the job as a job, a means to an end!
Just an opinion…
Bob
lumpygreenpoo:
The way I see it (and it might seem a bit contraversial) is that there are two types of drivers… There are those blokes who have wanted to be a lorry driver from an early age and, as soon as they are old enough, have acquired their LGV licence. The other type are those who have come into the industry from another job such as engineering, mining and so on (the exception being ex-Army, RCT or RLC). Blokes who have always wanted to be a LGV Driver appear to be more motivated than the latter type who see the job as a job, a means to an end!Just an opinion…
Bob
It is the way I see it too Bob, but you are the one who is brave enough to write it. I don’t have the same faith in ex forces either as in my experience they are only any good if you bully & shout loudly at them 
Ex-forces usually have a blatant disregard for vehicles when they first make the transition from the military to a civilian job. I think many underestimate the difference between driving in the military to driving commercially. However, most become cracking drivers!
I was recently having a conversation with some blokes on a contract in Kuwait. An ex-special forces engineer asked me why I had spent over 20 years as a lorry driver. I’ve heard other drivers in the past say that it becomes a way of life (which I tend to agree) and gave this reason. Another bloke who had come from another industry, who had held his C+E licence for only 18 months, fiercely disagreed with me; it was simply a job that pays a slightly better wage at the end of the week. Nothing more, nothing less! A lorry driver is nothing more than a glorified machine operator, his words not mine. This is the mentality of some of the people coming into the industry.
Kevin.F:
Well where can i start,has driving standards dropped or are we under more pressure to get the job done? Two sets of rules to stick too,sat in some pokey rest room because you can’t be trusted in your own cab,health and safety gone mad,it just seems the good laugh we used to have has gone.
Am i the only one that thinks this,im sure im not!
I started in 89 and the changes have been huge, no more ropes and sheets (big joy) much better trucks and easy to use equipment, but you are quite right when you say the fun has gone, you can get suspended for swearing at lots of places now and the health and safety nonsense is unreal, what difference does it make if you stay in your cab? utter nonsense! once every day was an adventure no Iso Trak, no Fleetboard, no micro management of everything, still enjoy it though 
Guess i would say i am a mixture of both, i do have a passion for driving have done since i was young, wanted to drive everything espec trucks. Always loved driving started out as a motorbike courier, vans and upwards.
But on the other hand it is just a job to me to be honest, i go to work to make money, if the kits really nice and the runs interesting its a bonus its what i try and go for, but when it comes down to it i’ll drive a low spec piece of crap and do boring local runs spending half my day reading a book in RDC’s if the moneys good. Mortgage, supporting my family comes first, i wouldnt go work for a flash nae cash outfit just to drive a nice truck.
I don’t know what my future holds but at the moment i don’t see it in haulage when i need my CPC, unless something changes. Money wise i think its becoming pityfull the wages, made same money seven - eight years ago, in some class 1 jobs people are working for a lot less. Think to myself made similar money back then but petrol a lot less, council tax a lot less, everything a lot less. Every other low paid proffesion is catching up with us pay wise some proffesions we made more money than back then now overtaken us. Maybe the CPC will sort that out, will lead to much greater demand and hike in wages never know but not holding my breath, just think will be a way of companies holding on to drivers and agencies as well.
Thats not to mention working practises and H&S, in 2020 can’t even imagine how extreme H&S will be, plus a privatised VOSA type organisation if that comes will be fun and games be out to just make money, will make current VOSA seem like ■■■■■ cats.
Well from my point of view is just crap, I grow up with out father as he died, most of my time I spend around my uncle who is still truck driver now I’m 26 and started trucking about just over 1 year ago, I always wanted to drive big trucks and still do the bigger the load the better, I started on Class 2 and after few months got bored with all the hastle you get now days, milion drops ect. so went out and spend more money on my class 1 and I thing is the best investment that I did, never mind about all that, lets say about 11 years ago I went out with my uncle and was funn metting other driver having good jokes ect, all on CB radios talking where cops ware parked up good days it was fun, now the only fun you have is when boss phone you and ask you how you doing never mind you got tracker fitted and he can still see where your are, I always said that I’m doing this job to have some kind of freedom if you know what I mean, I don’t let peaople get to me and just do my thing, there is stilll good companys out there who offer good pay and resonable working hours but due to hard time here and most employer’s still using the same old word “recession” is getting harder and harder, I left my full time job due to my child been very ill and whent back to agancy as my boss would not give me the time to spend some time with her, I did found out that there is lot more job out there now then last year maybe due to CPC ect. not sure but they still cut corners saying one thing on phone and another thing when you get there, you can’t take your wife ect. to show them the how it is any more, freedom on raod that you anjoy, boss rings you and if you don’t want to, you don’t pick up, noon of that supervisor thing standing in front of you in warehouse and telling you what to do is all down to H & S rules and they just going over the top, and the reason why is? because company like “NO WIN NO FEE”, 2 years ago I had my car scrached by motorbike and they phoned me 3 days ago to ask me if I had any injury or did I had to brace my self ( WTF ) is not just in this industry is everywhere you get people trying to make some kind of money out of nothing, I wasn’t drivning 20 years ago to put the right compents but I did spend few week away with my uncle and it all changed, bosses under pressure from comapnys like Eddie Stobart, Wincanton, DHL and europe companies, unless anything will change lot of driver will leave not just the “old” guys but “young” too when they see the bigger picture. Sorry guys/girls for long post but I had to write it
well i have only been driving a short while and well i find handball breaks up the day i know its class 2 and different enviroment but im only 22 and looking to do my class 1 soon, but im working delivering to shops all over uk so i kind of know most ppl in the shops and dont do rdc apart from collections.
Isee by the posts there are a few disgruntled drivers out there,im not getting at any drivers because the majority of us do a blinding job week in week out and sometimes as you are all aware that some weeks really drag on,im just starting to see a few things ie trucks over taking trucks on count down markers and the other day on the M66 i had a fright a truck overtake on the slip road where two lanes go right no prob but this chap went left,a tad scary!I know it doesnt happen very often but as we all well know more and truck drivers are getting the blame in an accident situation,just dont think we are doing ourselves any favours.
newmercman:
DAF95XF:
phil the book:
no handball plus you stay cleaner .When I worked for Switch I was sent out on a run which had on the delivery notes clearly marked “tail lift required”, but the truck they gave me didnt have a tail lift
Handball was the order of the day, second drop was handball 3 pallets of cleaning materials which took a few hours to do, then the third was handball another 3 pallets of paint
Needless to say, a few deliveries couldnt be done because of the time handballingThat’s a one off, back in the real old days everything was handball, that’s why I’m glad I’m only 25yrs into this game, by then handball wasn’t so common, good job too or I’d be a Transit driver, handballing 2ton is a lot better than 20ton
In my time it all went the other way round started off with most stuff either winched on/off,craned on/off,driven on/off,and pallets forklifted on/off but then they my lot decided it would all be better loose loaded handballed instead Which as far as I know has always been the American way where they can avoid using pallets and forklifts.
Of course, in my day, we had it tough!
We used to get up for work at 1am, half an hour after we went to bed,
We would ride our bikes 25 miles to work in 6 feet of snow, then have to lick the truck clean with our tongue.
we had to load 26 pallets of bricks alone by hand,
Then we would have to drive for 500 miles and make 140 drops before breakfast.
We would get 5 minutes rest every 12 hours,
make 5421 drops a day, drive twice round the UK
all for 4 pence ha’penny a week,
and when we got back to the yard, the boss would thrash us within an inch of our lives,
If we were LUCKY! … 
truckerjon:
Of course, in my day, we had it tough!
We used to get up for work at 1am, half an hour after we went to bed,
We would ride our bikes 25 miles to work in 6 feet of snow, then have to lick the truck clean with our tongue.
we had to load 26 pallets of bricks alone by hand,
Then we would have to drive for 500 miles and make 140 drops before breakfast.
We would get 5 minutes rest every 12 hours,
make 5421 drops a day, drive twice round the UK
all for 4 pence ha’penny a week,
and when we got back to the yard, the boss would thrash us within an inch of our lives,
If we were LUCKY! …
LUXURY!! 
You were lucky!! We did all that and more, but we still had to pay the boss for the privilege of working for him.
And my parrot died
dieseldave:
truckerjon:
Of course, in my day, we had it tough!
We used to get up for work at 1am, half an hour after we went to bed,
We would ride our bikes 25 miles to work in 6 feet of snow, then have to lick the truck clean with our tongue.
we had to load 26 pallets of bricks alone by hand,
Then we would have to drive for 500 miles and make 140 drops before breakfast.
We would get 5 minutes rest every 12 hours,
make 5421 drops a day, drive twice round the UK
all for 4 pence ha’penny a week,
and when we got back to the yard, the boss would thrash us within an inch of our lives,
If we were LUCKY! …LUXURY!!
You were lucky!! We did all that and more, but we still had to pay the boss for the privilege of working for him.
And my parrot died
But harder times are on the way according to the LibDemCons.
You try telling that to the young folks nowadays and they wont believe you.They were hard but happy days.