hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.
It all depends on who you are working for, the nature of the job and where you/they are based.
Go get a ball of string find an end run with it for a minute and measure then repeat again 
To be considering driving you must have some opinion of the job, what I that opinion what do you think the job is like?
Depend what you want from the job,some brave souls on general haulage get sent here there and everywhere at a moments notice,some prefer out all week tramping,or do shops as I do,knowing where your going every day (mostly lol).
Also if you want early starts or afternoons.
But suns out crumpets about and traffics ok and moving driving class 1 has to be the best job about (tin hat on lol) and tbh wouldn’t do anything else.
mac12:
To be considering driving you must have some opinion of the job, what I that opinion what do you think the job is like?
To be honest I have a notion that it’s easy clean work that pays pretty decent. I enjoy my own company and enjoy driving so I think ( hope ) it could be a good new career
Like any job its what you make of it.
Right attitude, learn to walk before you expect to run, take the rough with the smooth and earn yourself a good reputation (which is a very necessary part of securing the better jobs, some never get the better jobs and their attitude speaks volumes why) and it can be a rewarding job.
The first couple of years might be not so good, but use that couple of years to learn all you can, perfect your maneuvering and learn the country, so you don’t have to be told by some infernal toy on the dash where to go, and when you are confident to take a lorry anywhere the job is one of the easiest earners out there.
Don’t get too complacent about being clean and easy work, sometimes the harder and/or mucky work can be very lucrative with shorter hours to boot.
Been doing it 4 decades now, it suits me, i can’t work in a closed environment with other people because quite frankly other people get on me ■■■■ with their pettiness and backstabbing and office style politics, so buggered if i know what i’d have done otherwise, probably time.
As above, well paid for totty spotting, what could be better… 
Also days can go ■■■■ up at a drop of a hat,things planned to do after work can sometimes go pear shaped,traffic useless goods in,lack of planning etc,not trying to put a downer on it but there’s good and bad with anything,
Juddian:
Like any job its what you make of it.Right attitude, learn to walk before you expect to run, take the rough with the smooth and earn yourself a good reputation (which is a very necessary part of securing the better jobs, some never get the better jobs and their attitude speaks volumes why) and it can be a rewarding job.
The first couple of years might be not so good, but use that couple of years to learn all you can, perfect your maneuvering and learn the country, so you don’t have to be told by some infernal toy on the dash where to go, and when you are confident to take a lorry anywhere the job is one of the easiest earners out there.
Don’t get too complacent about being clean and easy work, sometimes the harder and/or mucky work can be very lucrative with shorter hours to boot.Been doing it 4 decades now, it suits me, i can’t work in a closed environment with other people because quite frankly other people get on me ■■■■ with their pettiness and backstabbing and office style politics, so buggered if i know what i’d have done otherwise, probably time.
As above, well paid for totty spotting, what could be better…
Excellent reply, very informative. I’m the same I find it difficult to work in a environment full of back stabbers etc. being on your own on the road really appeals to me. On average what should I expect to take home per week for a weeks work staying out?
Average earnings is the how long is a bit of string question.
If you max hours out and stop out 4 nights a week, then you would probably take home £400 to £500 in wages (some earn more, but as a new starter you will be very lucky to get on the cream jobs) and then roughly £100 night out pay on top, but much depends on where you are in the country, it could be less than that.
You are coming from a proper job with decent overtime rates, the world you are considering entering has moved on from proper OT rates, and some companies now pay a flat rate right through, some pay a basic for the first 50 hours (yes thats not a typo) and about a pound or two extra over that 50 (OT calc accumulated weekly not daily, you can see where that can lead), some on salary based on 48 hours which turns out to be 64.
Quite honestly in your shoes i’d be trying to get on the artics within the post office, proper job that.
From the start do not fall into the trap of so many who think their night out pay is part of wages, it isn’t and is used by so many, bosses and drivers alike. to make a mediocre wage sound good.
Its too easy to live like a bloody hermit like many do, work until the very last second then stop in a ■■■■ stinking layby at the side of the worlds busiest roads, pull the curtains round, open a tin of stew or other crap, then hit the sack for the bare minimum of time probably 9 hours for their own personal endurance test and then gone again…that is no life.
The supermarkets are decent payers for reasonable if somewhat unsocial hours, home after every shift, you could do worse.
There are some very good jobs out there still that pay well for shortish hours, they are never advertised and people who are lucky enough to have them protect them if they have an ounce of common sense, these jobs often get filled by recommendation and only good people are going to get a leg up or the good job isn’t going to be good for long, it will probably take a new driver several years at least to get that sort of network going, i had my first lucky break after about 11 or 13 years of various general jobs…you can get these jobs by cold calling, i got in where i am now by doing so, but unbeknown to me someone i worked with many year previously in specialist work was already there and he was asked about me, thats what a i meant about gaining that reputation, it pays when you don’t expect it.
Honestly the job is as easy or as hard as your attitude to life and others makes it really…
Was going to give you an answer but Juddian has covered most things remember the working week is 144 hours so if you like going out one night a week forget it. want to see a doctor and your stuck 200 miles away
Tucker9037:
hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.
For 10.50p/h walking the streets listening to the music on my phone, or dealing with idoits that
Don’t know how to merge onto a motorway
Don’t know how to travel at a safe speed on a motorway
Don’t know how to stay of the phone whilst driving
Don’t know how to drive, period
I’ll trade you a job that is 10p/h (class 2 days)
Tucker9037:
hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.
To be honest mate I would not advise anybody to come into this, but if somebody had said that to me before I started I would maybe not have listened.
Too long hours for too little money, hated by the majotity of other road users, poor parking facilities, and looked upon as third class citizens by many that you come across in the job.
My advice would be try to get a job on long distance delivery on a non hgv van to get an insight and taste of the job as I did.
If you find you like it just ignore me and others with same opinion, and go for it,…again as I did.
Tucker9037:
hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.
Why not do some 7.5 ton/van work for the post office? If they like how you perform, they may train you up. The post office is fairly good on terms and conditions I hear, so you already may have a toe in the door?
papermonkey:
Tucker9037:
hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.Why not do some 7.5 ton/van work for the post office? If they like how you perform, they may train you up. The post office is fairly good on terms and conditions I hear, so you already may have a toe in the door?
But if you decide to stay as a postie at least it’s better than walking the streets 
Everyone can only speak for themselves, and you’ll find a lot of people have some very negative opinions about their own job! 
Is it enjoyable? I would say so, but you have your good days, and bad days, just like any other job. A good day in my book would be couple of good runs in a day, and then back to a decent truck stop for the night, following by a nice cooked meal and a film. A bad day would be where there’s delay after delay, the people you deliver to are t****, and you end-up rushing around like a lunatic trying to find somewhere to park. That’s when it gets stressful, and I hate it. I find in general, you have mediocre days, and good days. I get a really bad day maybe once every fortnight.
Is the money good? I get around £680 gross, that’s being out on the road for five days and four nights. Hours worked can be between 50 and 55, so a 10-hour day is the norm for me. Luckily, I’m on a day rate, and thank god, my firm never plans you for long days, and taking a reduced rest is a rarity. I hate to use the phrase “it’s just the way it is”, but you pretty much need to accept the long hours if you get into driving. I think the thing with tramping is, that you need to live and breathe the job to get by, it becomes a life, not a job, that’s what the extra £100 per week recompense is for.
What’s the lifestyle like? On a normal morning after a night-out, I tend to wake-up, make a bit of breakfast and fill my flask up, do my checks, and get on my way. It might be an 8-hour run across the country, or more numerous, shorter runs. Waiting to be loaded or tipped normally involves just playing on my iPad, reading a magazine, or doing some puzzles if I fancy it. If you’re lucky, you get to sit in your cab, if not, you’re sat in a waiting room. In the evening, when I get my orders for the next day, I’ll find a reasonable place to park, get or cook something to eat, and then have a shower. Then it’s to bed, where I may browse my iPad, call home, or watch a film, before I fall asleep, to repeat in the morning. As for cooking, I have a portable gas stove, and tend to cook most of my meals, such as soup, stew, etc, or make some nice sandwiches. For entertainment, my iPad with 4G is a godsend, so is my DAB radio, and I always have a backpack full of magazines and puzzle books. I always find that the week goes so quickly when I’m on the road, much faster than when I was on days, and seriously faster than when I worked in an office. Honestly, a day in the office feels like a week on the road!
Juddian:
Like any job its what you make of it.Right attitude, learn to walk before you expect to run, take the rough with the smooth and earn yourself a good reputation (which is a very necessary part of securing the better jobs, some never get the better jobs and their attitude speaks volumes why) and it can be a rewarding job.
The first couple of years might be not so good, but use that couple of years to learn all you can, perfect your maneuvering and learn the country, so you don’t have to be told by some infernal toy on the dash where to go, and when you are confident to take a lorry anywhere the job is one of the easiest earners out there.
Don’t get too complacent about being clean and easy work, sometimes the harder and/or mucky work can be very lucrative with shorter hours to boot.Been doing it 4 decades now, it suits me, i can’t work in a closed environment with other people because quite frankly other people get on me ■■■■ with their pettiness and backstabbing and office style politics, so buggered if i know what i’d have done otherwise, probably time.
As above, well paid for totty spotting, what could be better…
Pretty decent assessment right there to be fair. There is a huge variety of types of work/hours/shifts/pay etc out there its about finding whatever suits you and your family best frankly. Might not be for you at all, but only one way in finding out I suppose.
tommymanc:
Tucker9037:
hi folks. Ok as I’m really considering finishing my job as a postie and moving into the world of class 1 driving, can I ask, what’s it really like? Is it enjoyable? Is the money good? What’s the lifestyle like etc.For 10.50p/h walking the streets listening to the music on my phone, or dealing with idoits that
Don’t know how to merge onto a motorway
Don’t know how to travel at a safe speed on a motorway
Don’t know how to stay of the phone whilst driving
Don’t know how to drive, periodI’ll trade you a job that is 10p/h (class 2 days)
I have been trying to get away from C2 days for years now. I put up with it in the 90’s, because I was younger and still learning then.
I don’t want to have to be an old dog learning new tricks now though. Night time artic driving is what I’m most experienced at, good at, and actually find rewarding doing.
“Getting upset with everyone else around you” is too stressful for me to ever consider taking a “Day job” again, but with C2 work - you’re expected to be in urban areas all the time, having to avoid daft members of the public as well - which just pumps up the stress even more. Some find “Motorway Driving at Night” boring or “not for them”. It’s all about one’s personal comfort zone. Find out what works for you - by trying on as many hats as you can find to GIVE that try - and work your way into that niche that suits you best.
“Quality of Life” at work is more important than "earning a few pence per hour more for this job than that job. 
A mate of mine is a postie who fancied changing careers, he already had his Class one via the TA, so was half way there [he said]
He came out with me for ONE day, and completely changed his mind, he could not get his head around the “go go go” mentality of the job, he thought it was ; do a bit, have a coffee, do a bit, have a kip ect ect ect 
He admitted that he had been at the RM far too long, and was just not up to the job of being a proper driver [his words] 
He is nearly 60 now, and still talks about giving it a go, but didn’t last two mins on the agency on his two week break some years ago, as it was a “■■■■ take” [his words] 