I know there is a mix of veterans and newbies on here and I’m interested to know how you ended up behind the wheel. What do you enjoy about it and what do you dislike?
I’m stuck in the office mon-fri working as a team leader for one of the big banks in an operations office. While the working week is short and I’m home at the same time every night, I really don’t think I can do it for another 30+ years. Some might say I’m lucky to work these hours and, with promotion, can make ok money. However, to get to that point I’ve got to push myself more than the others around me in caring about things I really have no interest in. Although I’m capable of doing this it’s hard work to do it day in day out; I feel as though I’m not being true to myself.
Couple that with the fact I have to work with boring, moaning and back-stabbing people I wouldn’t ordinarily have anything to do with. I really feel I 'd be happier on the road working longer hours by myself where if I put the hours in I can earn a semi decent wage. I come from a working class family - I’m the only one to get trapped in the office - I did a fair bit of graft growing up and I’m not afraid to get stuck in.
In fact the hours don’t bother me at all - I’d work as many as I have to. I’d hope to work mon-fri with the occasional weekend thrown in. From what I’ve read it takes time to find the good jobs but I’m prepared to do that.
Have you always been a driver? Did you make the change from a white collar job? Would any of you rather be in the office sitting in meetings about nothing and having to make conversation with boring people?
Any insight from you knowledgeable lot would be appreciated.
I’m a newbie and there are far more experienced truck drivers on here than me but here’s my story! Well I have always loved driving and was inspired by my OH, he was a drivers mate doing brewery work and he decided to get his Class 2 licence (C), he passed and now drives roll ons and earns at least another 10k a year and I thought to myself I could earn better money driving for a living. I’m a working single Mum of two I work in a school office full time term time only, the money is atrocious, the work is boring and we keep being threatened with redundancies so I did my 35 hours, got my CPC card, digicard and registered with a couple of agencies for 7.5 ton work. I have ongoing work with a parcel company working most weekends and school holidays. I am enjoying it, the experience is good especially with some of the places I have to deliver to - tiny cul-de-sacs and so on But it can be heavy! especially when there is a catalogue phase added, But I am fairly lucky with the work I’m doing I don’t have to do any loading as it is loaded when I get there and I hand-ball it to the Couriers who usually come to the back of the lorry to take it all. I do intend to do C soon and C+E in the future though and go full time. Now that I have had a taste of the road I really want to get out of the office. Only thing that I have to consider being female is heavy lifting, I’m not built for it. I would say go for it if you aren’t happy with what you are doing. I’m still apprehensive about making the jump but I am sure that once I have that licence in my hand the school won’t see me for dust Good luck with it!
Did A levels and uni so i didn’t have to get a job. Did agency work for a bit at a company loading lorries, soon figured it’s easier being the driver, been at it now for 6yrs.
I can do office work in the future if I want but still enjoying myself on the road.
Used to go out tramping with the old man in school holidays and loved it.
Did a (very) short stint in the Merchant Navy.
Did a bit of canteen work in Scotland then moved back down to liverpool where I got married and did 4 years in security. 3 of them years was spent Monday - Friday 07:30-15:30. Started feeling like a caged rat.
Did my class 2 went to the agencies. Did P&H. Bored the ■■■■ off me. Got my class 1. Landed at the job I’m at now. Put through my Moffett training. It’s defo interesting. Some drops I think “how the frig do I do this now” but then when I do get the stuff dropped and I’m driving away I feel like I’ve accomplished something.
You wanna get into driving, crack on mate. Office work is a sure fire way to end up insane.
dad was a truck driver, rip, so it was in my blood from the start.
I left school and worked as an engineer, turned 21 and promptly left to get my class 1. ■■■■■■ it up royally, so I took a job on 7.5t when my driving lessons money dried up.
few years later I passed class 2 and left the 7.5t job to work agency on class 2. was enjoying it and they kept me busy till the work went through a dry spell and I ended up driving a bus.
then I lost my license for 11 years and had to go on the sick. my medication got changed and hey presto, they reinstated my license.
the job market is very different from how it was, I signed on agency and was working for dhl night trunking for a while until the job grew and they needed a class 1 driver. they had promised to upgrade me, but I guess a bird in the hand is better than a bird in the bush
so the agency found me another job welding, which was only ever long term temp. thankfully that is coming to an end soon and the company are paying us all a bonus for staying until the end, which I am going to spend on my cpc, and then who knows, but I will be back driving again, I’ve spent a year watching the green fairy, that’s more than enough for me
I sense that driving for a living gives some of you a feeling of satisfaction that some jobs never will, such as working in an office.
That’s what I’m looking for, I don’t want to wake up every day knowing it’s gonna be the same as it was the day before and again for the next 5 or 10 years - that’s no life. I need variety and I believe a life behind the wheel will give me that. At the very least I will feel like I’m getting a job done and it’s not sucking the life out of me in the process!
Thanks again for your words. Still hope to hear from others…
well i suppose i’m a veteran driver though i don’t feel like one! my dad was a driver for many years for Redland Aggs on the tippers,and before that Midland Storage/Ma Walker.as kids we used to go with him in the school hols in his old Atki.to cut a long story short,i soon got fed up of digging holes in the road and warehouse work and took up driving.passed my Class 1 late '79 and been driving since! had a few crap jobs,but worked for some good companies…Carryfast (now UPS) 6 years,Redland Aggs,Wesmores for about 16 years on tippers,Argos on the agy,loved that work,now been with DHL 5 years.apart from 2 years night trunking for Carryfast,always worked M-F days,with quite a few saturdays thrown in as overtime,and only 4 nights out in the 36 years you have good days and bad days just like any career,but there are some good jobs out there.
I started Despatch Riding in around 1980, (that’s where I got the traveling bug) already had driving/packing/ warehousing in my veins from my Dad who owned a small Export Packing & General haulage company in Leighton Buzzard, I worked for him from 12 years old, driving fork trucks, stuffing containers, making packing crates/cases & generally messing about with wagons.
Started driving 7.5 tonners, around 1983ish, progressed onto 16 tonners/class 2.
Worked for an engineering company/Jervis B Webb, Milton Keynes, throughout the 90’s, sorting out all their transport & attained my class 1 licence early 1990’s, had a great teacher in my brother in law Tony/owner driver on European Fridge Work.
Worked a lot of weekends for Tony & gained a few contacts who I ended up working for on a casual basis, then I got made redundant from Webbs late 90’s & started driving full time, driving pushouts for a waste company, then 8 wheel roll-ons for a few years & now I’m driving a Class 1 for a general haulage all over the country with a couple of nights out a week. No pressure, no one counting how long it takes me to have a ■■■■, all done by the book, I couldn’t be happier (at the moment)
Even been told that I’m getting a new motor in the next couple of weeks/I won’t hold my breath, lol)
I find it fairly easy, don’t think I could work in an office with all the Smelly Smokers, taking 10
minutes out of every hour to have another Cancer Stick & leaving the phone to ring until it switches off. (My Pet Hate !) (while I’m trying to ring in ! Grrrrrr )
been working a dead end job now for 4 1/2 years with a false hope of getting a decent wage, wage is now down to £150 a week and really struggling. applied for many jobs and the ones i do get an interview for another crappy dead end job but with full time hours minimum wage ‘oh your one of 50 mate’ and usually land the letter ‘dispite your obvious qualities were not interested’.
dont mind grafting and love driving so why not, got my test booked in 2 weeks. has done my head in though today i had an interview as a class 2 driver/removals porter and he basically id only be a porter and sitting beside one of the experienced drivers for the first 6 months ‘as noones going to let me loose with a 70 grand truck from day 1’. not quite sure passing my test then not driving for 6 months will make me a better driver but hey! lol. oh and also after paying for class 2 training ill be earning minimum wage for another 6 months lol
This is a darn good thread im a newbie but will get there currently in a factory and bored out of my mind done medical and got theory and hp on the 16th of april loved trucks since i was 7 so its in the blood .
I got on a ferry to France and knocked on some doors looking for driving jobs, one firm suggested a company in Southampton that cover Europe.
Go to see them, I was asked how many lorries I had, for them to use as a subcontractor.
I said I had none, but within a short time, bought my truck and shipped out to Lisbon and Porto on my first trip abroad.
I would say get out of that office job, I can go all week and not talk to anyone properly, except when you load/reload , to staff.
After many and varied jobs I stumbled into insurance sales in my late 20s. By my late 30s I wanted a total change and started in property repair (manual labour). After a back injury and developing spondylitis (dodgy spine syndrome) I had to look for something less manual (and less painful standing up) I went for a couple of days up the road with a truck driver neighbour to see if my back would be ok with it, it was. I went for HGV and 16 years on I still love it. I get bored if I’m on the same job every day so could never do trunking and prefer fridge work and euro trips these days as there’s less manual work involved. If you enjoy driving and your own company then there can’t be a better job.
I know there is a mix of veterans and newbies on here and I’m interested to know how you ended up behind the wheel. What do you enjoy about it and what do you dislike?
I’m stuck in the office mon-fri working as a team leader for one of the big banks in an operations office. While the working week is short and I’m home at the same time every night, I really don’t think I can do it for another 30+ years. Some might say I’m lucky to work these hours and, with promotion, can make ok money. However, to get to that point I’ve got to push myself more than the others around me in caring about things I really have no interest in. Although I’m capable of doing this it’s hard work to do it day in day out; I feel as though I’m not being true to myself.
Couple that with the fact I have to work with boring, moaning and back-stabbing people I wouldn’t ordinarily have anything to do with. I really feel I 'd be happier on the road working longer hours by myself where if I put the hours in I can earn a semi decent wage. I come from a working class family - I’m the only one to get trapped in the office - I did a fair bit of graft growing up and I’m not afraid to get stuck in.
In fact the hours don’t bother me at all - I’d work as many as I have to. I’d hope to work mon-fri with the occasional weekend thrown in. From what I’ve read it takes time to find the good jobs but I’m prepared to do that.
Have you always been a driver? Did you make the change from a white collar job? Would any of you rather be in the office sitting in meetings about nothing and having to make conversation with boring people?
Any insight from you knowledgeable lot would be appreciated.
Cheers
bazzy mate, did you nick my life when I had my back turned!?!
I’m in Ops too, and loathe it. I wanted to be a truck driver since I was tiny - whenever we went on holiday (usually a long drive to Germany) I’d be glued to the window watching the trucks. My parents, bless them, used to give me a couple of disposable cameras to use on the trip and got used to them containing nothing but lorries! I’ve always loved driving, and travelling in general - I’m happiest when on the move, but never been bitten by the speed bug. A few months ago, I had to do a long drive for work, London-Southern Spain, and I enjoyed the drive more than the week there! I kind of ‘fell into’ uni and then on to this job now. It’s past time to pull myself out of it. I’ve sent off for my D2 form and will be doing my medical some time next month.
I’m sick of doing nothing of use to anybody, I’m sick of being in an office and I’m sick that my commute is the best part of my day!
Like many have done,I used to go out with my Dad in his Scammell tanker on school holidays,loved it listening to him and his mates having the craic in the smokey transport cafe’s of old.
Just progressed from loading/unloading wagons to driving them.I’ve done loads of other different jobs over the years but always come back to driving,must be in my blood.
Bazzyf & General IZD you both sound just like me years ago, office base job since leaving secondary education, worked with bunch of back stabbers who did what they want not what they where told, oh but when they wanted a favour or help out with something they’d soon come running trying to act as your best mate…the day in and day out mental & emotional abuse/ blackmail…Then theres never enough people to do a specific task and every was a simple case of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole…
Did both my class 2 & 1 whilst still working for this company, made it perfectly clear I was off when I’d found a job… nothing like stirring it up but best laid plans and ideas had to be put on hold, Simple fact was the recession had started and no one was taking newbies on
Still got out on the odd occasion here and there for friends but nothing substantial, so I stayed put in that boring mind numbing job and played it safe until the time was right… Now Im free from all that BS and getting back into the saddle after being off work for a while with an injury…
Advice to give you… If you got the money spare, go for it, both classes if you can,p there are pros and cons with both licences…just don’t get into debt for it… and if you can’t find work don’t lose heart in it, get some driving work say as a van slag or drive a pretend truck 7.5t…falling that stick at you know…never know whats around the corner and when you might need it
Similiar story here… I was stuck in an office, being abused daily by people who weren’t covered by their insurance when they thought they were.
Got fed up of being abused by customers, disorganised management who didn’t care, colleagues who would stab you in the back at the first opportunity and being caged in an office with a view of another office building.
I called it a day before I went cuckoo!
I have my cat C test next week and hope to driving, whether agency or permanent job, as soon as possible!
I spent some time in dead end jobs that were zero hour contracts and a poor hourly rate. Really wanted to get into driving as it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I’ve been a youngster. Sadly though due to the rubbish money I was getting it was a bit on the expensive side.
Ended up going for my Cat D with First Bus and pay the licence fee back weekly. Been there for just under a year now and going to start getting the ball rolling for my Cat C. Phoned DVLA today and they said that I won’t need another medical as I got one less than a year ago, so just need to send my licence away with the D2 form and that will be the provisional out the way.
Love the driving side of the busses but hate the crap you get from passengers that refuse to pay the correct fair or complain when you are 3 minutes late. The upside though is that it has given me experience of driving large vehicles on tight timescales.
Worked as a waitress for many years hated it at the end but as a single mam I could work it round school & kids activities then kind of fell into transport by accident ( another story ) started off on small vans working way up through now driving CE all over this country have touched europe but just
Done a variety of driving jobs in the many years have been involved
Dont worry there are still back stabbers in this business as well as being heavily governed with rules by EU
But it can be heavy! especially when there is a catalogue phase added, But I am fairly lucky with the work I’m doing I don’t have to do any loading as it is loaded when I get there and I hand-ball it to the Couriers who usually come to the back of the lorry to take it all. I do intend to do C soon and C+E in the future though and go full time. Now that I have had a taste of the road I really want to get out of the office. Only thing that I have to consider being female is heavy lifting, I’m not built for it. I would say go for it if you aren’t happy with what you are doing. I’m still apprehensive about making the jump but I am sure that once I have that licence in my hand the school won’t see me for dust 
Good luck with it!
you have good days and bad days just like any career,but there are some good jobs out there.