I am new here and it seems to me there is an obsession about driving artics…?Why dont drivers look at the bigger picture…I have been on Grab lorries for years and it is a very good paying job,okay i work local and dont do a lot of miles,i drive a 08 Daf 8 wheeler nothing fancy no sleeper cab, no TV,fridge etc,and i do graft a bit …It is a job i would recommend any new driver to consider…
expanding your options tbh, plus i prefer driving an artic to a rigid. i also prefer left hand drive to right hand drive.
i really enjoy the artics and the trucks are usually better.
also doing long distance european tour work in a rigid is very rare. i also enjoy doing 5/600 miles a day
I was going to chuck it if driving artics was the same as a rigid.
Fair enough if I had waited longer I might have wandered into something decent but I never came across it.
It was loads of farms or handballing or flat pack to peoples houses three up or fifteen drops a day.
Basically I earn more and do less physical work as theres more often than not a fork lift at my drop as opposed to some old women wanting her suite in the loft.
It’s not an obsession. It’s just that many of us took our test in the days when you went straight to Class 1 from having a car licence. So that’s what we drive.
It’s always better to be qualified to drive as much as possible, it gives you more options.
for one simple reason.i am paid a bonus per car,so the more i can get on,the more i get paid.
gogzy:
expanding your options tbh, plus i prefer driving an artic to a rigid. i also prefer left hand drive to right hand drive.i really enjoy the artics and the trucks are usually better.
also doing long distance european tour work in a rigid is very rare. i also enjoy doing 5/600 miles a day
anybody would think you worked for transam…oh wait you do 
To be honest I prefer to drive Wagon and drags but we dont have them in our depot any more 
what a shame
gogzy:
expanding your options tbh, plus i prefer driving an artic to a rigid. i also prefer left hand drive to right hand drive.i really enjoy the artics and the trucks are usually better.
also doing long distance european tour work in a rigid is very rare. i also enjoy doing 5/600 miles a day
anyone would think you edited it and put more points on that, oh wait you did 
I saw my bonny lad 
I’m happy to stick on the rigids, artic work is all ■■■■■■■■
Tin 'at on.
Harry Monk:
It’s not an obsession. It’s just that many of us took our test in the days when you went straight to Class 1 from having a car licence. So that’s what we drive.It’s always better to be qualified to drive as much as possible, it gives you more options.
Fair comment Harry…i am also from that time and to be fair i have been lucky and experienced a lot, Europe,tramping,agency etc…I never thought i would end up doing what i do now, i just fell into it by chance and i still enjoy going to work everyday…In my opinion Trucking was a much better job 15/20 years ago than it is now …That is only MY opinion though and fair play to all the guys out there now doing a great job…
surely the question to the original poster is why do you drive a rigid when you could drive a van on your car licence?
I drive an artic because i want to expand my driving experience as much as possible hopefully one day i’ll do european or even leave england for good. Just driving vans or rigids seriously limits my options.
nick2008:
To be honest I prefer to drive Wagon and drags but we dont have them in our depot any more
You come to my place mate.Weve got 10 57 plate and 12 58 plate,no one likes them at all and they are all demount bodies aswell.And from my point of view they are also a pain in the arse because of shunting round the yard with them.
Tonyb
I went for my class 1 because i thought it would expand my work options. i was driving a rigid and was looking to change jobs and at the time it seemed that all the jobs on offer were class 1. the extra cash on offer was a factor as well but, to be honest, that hasn’t really appeared! i’m glad i did it though, much more fun
The artics represent the top or pinnacle of this profession.Most C+E work commands a premium rate and as its only a generalisation the job is often easier as it often means going from loading dock to another loading dock. class 2 work could be a coal mans job no thanks.
The artics represent the top or pinnacle of this profession.Most C+E work commands a premium rate and as its only a generalisation the job is often easier as it often means going from loading dock to another loading dock. class 2 work could be a coal mans job no thanks.
I supoose when many of us started it was the attraction of driving a big truck to far flung places, even if the first far flung places I got was the Cantly with sugar beet.
Maybe in the future I’ll not want to be away from home, I’ve seen others in my job leave and go and drive milk tankers or domestic fuel tankers, then plodding down the country roads in Norfolk might seem quite attractive.
Am new here too and for me it wasnt an obsession but a chance to better myself and get a greater variety of jobs to go for.
When i got got my class 2 i thought i would just stick with that, the work i had was good for a while but got a little tedious doing local journeys, plus class 2 work was getting swamped with new drivers jumping on the bandwagon so i took the next step up
Seymie:
In my opinion Trucking was a much better job 15/20 years ago than it is now …
Oh Mate, everything was better 15 or 20 years ago.
But we just have to get over it!
gogzy:
expanding your options tbh, plus i prefer driving an artic to a rigid. i also prefer left hand drive to right hand drive.i really enjoy the artics and the trucks are usually better.
also doing long distance european tour work in a rigid is very rare. i also enjoy doing 5/600 miles a day
I could have been impressed by this post Gogzy, but for the fact that most of the members of this forum have done more miles in reverse than you’ve done forwards.
DieselDemon:
I could have been impressed by this post Gogzy, but for the fact that most of the members of this forum have done more miles in reverse than you’ve done forwards.
Reminds me of a chap who came to one company after just passing his test. No one knew this and for a week he was full of ■■■■■■■■ about what he hadnt done. You know the sort.
The TM overheard him one day and hapened to mention he’d had his class 2 about a fortnight,
Next time he started off on one, one of the other drivers told him what we knew and then added, “I’ve skidded more miles than you’ve driven!” Classic moment for me.
I drive rigids and to be honest, dont think I could handle an artic. It’s just one of those mental things that suggests that you have a days work sorting everything out before you even start. Silly cos I know it is just as quick and any other truck.
Saying that, if I could afford to take my C+E test, I would,