Was pondering all the hoohaa about Trucker Jays driving and thinking about how I used to drive when young. I used to hare about everywhere with the foot flat to the floor, speed all the time and generally drive like a ■■■. I then contrasted that with how I drive now and wondered when my driving grew up. It wasn’t that long ago, early 30s. In fact one thing that changed my driving more than any other was my first 750. I knew I had to be sensible in that truck as if I did race round in it getting awful fuel consumption they’d probably turn it down. It taught me how to use the available power properly. Funny thing is if I went back to tell myself I was driving like a ■■■ I’d tell me to ■■■■ off. At that age you think you know it all. So did any of you drive like a prat in younger years and if so when did you stop? I’m so pleased with how much laid back I am now. Trucker Jay probably blows his horn or gets into a road rage incident more times in one day than I do in a month! I can’t remember the last time I blew my horn in anger. Over to you…
I think it was when I got my 4th 750! 
You’ve got a 750 Luke ?..must have missed that 
Regards. John.
Back in my younger days I too thought I was indestructible and my driving skills legendary. It wasn’t until the brakes failed in my car without warning that I calmed down.
switchlogic:
Was pondering all the hoohaa about Trucker Jays driving and thinking about how I used to drive when young. I used to hare about everywhere with the foot flat to the floor, speed all the time and generally drive like a ■■■. I then contrasted that with how I drive now and wondered when my driving grew up. It wasn’t that long ago, early 30s. In fact one thing that changed my driving more than any other was my first 750. I knew I had to be sensible in that truck as if I did race round in it getting awful fuel consumption they’d probably turn it down. It taught me how to use the available power properly. Funny thing is if I went back to tell myself I was driving like a ■■■ I’d tell me to ■■■■ off. At that age you think you know it all. So did any of you drive like a prat in younger years and if so when did you stop? I’m so pleased with how much laid back I am now. Trucker Jay probably blows his horn or gets into a road rage incident more times in one day than I do in a month! I can’t remember the last time I blew my horn in anger. Over to you…
Have you got a 750 I didn’t the know 
I can’t help it if Im better than you peasants
a 750 had the opposite effect on me! the first thing I did when I passed my test was sell the 250 and get myself a 750 - jeez that was fast, I just went completely mental on it. I got into wagons after that and sort of grew up a bit.
It was about 5 years ago.
Always been fairly sensible in a wagon, but I used to ride out with a Bunch of Suicide Jockeys on fast bikes, rarely under 100mph. Came back to MK one night along the A422, all the R1s Gixers & Fireblades had shot off, I was doing around 130 (top speed) on my Bandit & I got overtook by a Fazer, felt like I’d stopped, it suddenly dawned on me that about 20 Fast bikes were in front of me & if someone had reported them, Plod might be waiting for the stragglers (me) still doing 100+ & that would be my livelihood gone, just to top it all, everyone has a camera these days, there’s been some horrific videos on the net & don’t want to be one of them [emoji6]
“When I got my first 750”… You’re just being flash now
But on a serious note, most probably when I turned about 32. Bought the Mrs a Mini Cooper, and ended up with her Ka. I’d spent from 18 to 32 never owning anything smaller than an 1800 (except an xr3i) so driving slow was never an option. Now I’ve got a mondeo st, but I rarely go above the speed limit these days. I do enjoy a good hack through the country lanes though
I do on occasion drive like a loon, its not something I’m proud of, sometimes you just get swept up in the moment. Music pumping etc. I’ve toned it down a lot since I passed my HGV, my new Merc has a limiter option so I nearly always use that. Plus, when you have to pay for fuel you find out that driving fast costs you more.
Whilst I was a white van man on parcel deliveries many moons ago my driving was pretty scary and quite often downright dangerous, give a guy an unmarked transit and a timed delivery schedule that would make most people hide in a corner and cry and you have the perfect “flat out, [zb] em all” storm.
I had the attitude that it was a personal affront to my ability as a driver if I couldn’t get that full to the brim van empty by 2pm, when it was then a mad dash till around 5:30pm to fill the bloody thing up again with collections, and anyone in front of me doing less than flat out was just out to personally ■■■■ on my bonfire and was fully deserving of my full unabashed rage and fury.
This was in the Herefordshire postcode area which covered the area from Leominster down to Monmouth and across from Hay-on-Wye to Ledbury and obviously everything in between including Hereford itself. It was all A and B roads with plenty of lanes too and I was pretty much always flat out, that is until I put it in a ditch between Ledbury and Malvern, that was my “ok I might actually be mortal and not completely infallible behind the wheel” moment, so that curbed the racing driver attitude, just not the “attitude” attitude.
The real moment that I actually grew up as you put it came in stages for me I think, my driving outlook and attitude improved greatly once I went from vans onto 7.5 tonners (this was when I was most akin to Phucker Jay I reckon) but then when I passed my Class 2 it changed again, and then with passing my Class 1 it improved even more, but I suppose the biggest attitude change came about once I started carting my “proudest of” cargo about, and that was my Son in his baby seat, it’s amazing how having something as fragile and completely dependant on your actions as your own child can make you reassess your outlooks and attitudes, but having said that, it also amazes me how stupid some people are behind the wheel when they have a child on board, it beggars belief some of the things I’ve seen on the school run for example.
Nowadays driving is all about getting to my destination without injury, damage or incident either to myself or any other idiot that’s on the road to the best of my ability, how long will it take? As long as it [zb]ing takes to do it safely and conscientiously.
Doesn’t make me perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I still “derp out” on occasion, I just know that I’m now a helluva lot better driver than I ever used to be.
And yes I still get annoyed at stupidity on occasion, but now I tend to get more annoyed at myself if I react to that stupidity, I feel like I’ve lost if I lose it.
I was driving like a James Blunt, right up until Friday AM doing Sprinter work in Europe. Finally retired from that now, as it was a last throw of the dice to see if I missed doing it after a break of 7 months… I didn’t! Now gracefully plodding in a class 2 on UK work from tomorrow. Still tramping but comfortably, and steadily. I’m nearly 50 FFS, so about time I reckon eh?
I’ve got an R620. I have to be calm because if I hammered it the boss would probably sack me when he saw the fuel bills lol
Firstly driving trucks at least should enforces a much more responsible attitude anyway and that certainly applied in my case.To the point where I took full advantage of the much more relaxed attitudes to speed in the 1970’s driving a 2.5 PI on the commute to/from work in which every journey was like an episode of the Sweeney with the works Transit just being a slower version. 
.But didn’t take long to turn into a totally different driver when driving even a 7.5 tonner.
While I think the turning point in my attitude to driving in general in that regard was in my early 20’s after getting a proper fast motor in the day BMW 3.0 Si and driving that on regular continental trips.That’s when I learn’t the real difference between fast v safe.I think that was the turning point in realising that high speeds in the wrong places wasn’t as clever as much higher speeds in the right places.
For me it was just after I deliberately hit a car giving it the bigun trying to force their way in from a slip road.
Parked in front and thought to myself thats the same car as the wife, approached the car to see a very scared old lady (wasnt the wife). Its at that point I knew what a ■■■■ I was and how I can be better and should be better or risk losing my priviledge to drive large vehicles.
Oh and congrats on the 750 Luke, .
I only ever drove tippers for 20+ years so ‘growing up’ has never happened. I never was a speed merchant though, even in a car I have never driven above the national speed limit even when young and am quite content at 55/60 mph on the motorway and to let the world go passing steadily by me.
Pete.
My attitude to driving changed in my early 20’s. That was when I started racing motorbikes. I’d go back to work on a Monday and it was actually quite nice to trundle around and take my time. I stopped racing several years ago but still take it fairly steady. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t go so steady as to hold folk up, I make progress when it requires.
Like Luke, I could tell you the last time I used the horn in anger. I give a good Nigel Mansell fist shake every now and then though (before anyone asks, that not a euphamism for anything)
I don’t drive my truck like a loon although also i don’t drive it like i’m on hours 
I’d rather have £750 in the bank not 750 horses although i did put £830 in this week
I kindof went a bit backwards with this as I was rarely a massively quick driver from 21 to about 35 especially as I was paying my own insurance and driving things like a Corsa Diesel (old style - 0-60 in 20 seconds) although had a few accidents and quite a few near misses over the years.
Oddly it was around 35 when I got a Mondeo 2L diesel and met the other half who was a real speed demon, I discovered speed and would regularly be doing 100mph up / down the M6, M1, A46 and such to and from her house. Lasted a couple of years until I changed to a nice C5, then I kindof calmed down again after I managed to slow her down too…but she can still scare me.
As for HGV’s - only been doing that 2 weeks, but am very careful and intend to continue to be so (not that this is entirely helping). Feel like I’ve got a 750 too, as in 750CC engine! 
I Think,for me,it was when they introduced the limiter on trucks and when the companies started saying ‘we don’t pay speeding fines or tacho fines’.
I remember in1972 when i picked up a brand new F89 [there were only half a dozen in England]and got done for speeding just bringing it home after i had a race with a police car. 
Now i get paid by the hour[when i work]and so does my boss,so why hurry.