There is a lot of talk on here about whats good & whats bad about driving, but I think the really telling question would be whether you would recommend the job to somebody outside the game.
For instance your mate says “I’m fed up with my office job, I fancy a change, i’m thinking of joining your lot on the road”, or “I don’t know what to do with myself, how about driving?”, would you encourage them or try and steer them away?
I was thinking about this before and honestly, I don’t think I would unless I had a great job & knew I could get them in from the get go. Too much crap for drivers to put up with across the industry & I wouldn’t want to feel responsible for another mans misery.
No.
Got a young lad in my local ASDA store asked me about going driving so I told him before he starts spending money get on the store home delivery van 1st as he could keep his store job and do the odd day out in the van getting experience in something bigger than a car
Also it’ll give him an insight as what numptys he’ll meet.
He was saying a cab driver told him he could make good money I told him that’s why a lot of PT drivers do cab work too
my 20 y.o. son has asked me for info about getting an lgv license.he’s in sales at the moment but doesn’t want to do it for ever.i’ve suggested he tries for a van job first,before he shells out his hard earned…
i think the amount of hours they expect these days is just too much…15 hours poss. instead of the 12 1/2 max. when i started.
To my mate on 15k a year in a office job I said he should give class 2 a go, £1200 to do but would pay that back quick enough at our local food service job where I was getting 2k a month after tax. If you don’t get on with it after 6mths go back to the office nothing lost.
My kids have all came with me in the past, 2 girls 2 boys.
My eldest lad wanted to drive, despite me trying to talk him out of it.
He failed his Class 3 about 5 yrs ago (or whatever tf they call it now) I can’t say I was dissapointed. He could not afford to carry on. Me being cruel to be kind would not loan him the cash for it. I don’t usually stand in their way, but I had his best interests in mind.
He concentrated instead on his mechanic/fitter training, he is now Head tech at a Ford dealership at 27, earning a hell of a lot more than he would driving a ■■■■ truck…and than me now, …and a lot less hours for it.
My other 3 did not pursue a driving career I’m glad to say, and all are doing well in their jobs.
switchlogic:
Yes, absolutely. It’s all about the right attitude, that’s all. It’s a great job if you approach it from the right angle
Agree up to a point Luke, I loved it as a young lad, I was a free agent and what I earned was all mine.
Had a lot of downers later on including bankruptcy which left a nasty taste, for a long time after, as I kept associating it with the job. Maybe on reflection that has a lot to do with my own personal (part) negative attitude to it today.
On the other hand there has been a lot of good times, and still are today (if you can learn to deal with or ignore all the b/s)
I’ve met a lot of good friends here and abroad in the job, and I have got to the stage now where I would find it hard to do something else.
I just thought that there are better career paths for my kids, and still stand by it.
switchlogic:
Yes, absolutely. It’s all about the right attitude, that’s all. It’s a great job if you approach it from the right angle
If I was to recommend someone to be a driver, I’d say go all out a bit like yourself and tramp. I think if your willing to embrace tramping you have a far better chance of a long enjoyable career driving. If you go down the days route especially and you have family at home, unless your happy to settle for a fairly modest wage it’s very hard going trying to find that normal work/life balance most people want.
Yes I would recommend it, primarily to the bell ends on here who’ve blatantly never been behind the wheel of a truck in their miserable lives.
Secondly to those who stopped driving years ago but somehow still seem to be current on all the things that have changed, five years out of this game and you will see massive diferences, let alone any longer than that.
To any new people thinking of doing it yes, why not? When you find a job that suits it’s a great job.
The question is too blunt. The answer would always be “It depends.”
Depends on who is asking: Are they happy on their own for hours on end; are they good at solving problems; are they good at dealing with idiots?
Depends on what they are expecting: Do they expect to jump into a new artic and set off cruising round the country or do they realise that they will probably start off working for a supermarket delivering to the same old shops or trunking between the same old depots day after day or night after night. Do they realise that as well as driving they will be expected to do a fair amount (depending on the job) of actual work.
Depends on their home situation: If they are single and have no ties, that’ might work. If they are married, and especially if they have children at school, it will be very hard to work around long hours and nights away.
It all depends on the individual, yes for own account work with all the benefits, no for anything run for profit.
Transport has now become boring and mindless with little skill required and the pay reflects this, the big rate cutters and the endless pool of EE drivers have put paid to most of it, there are some good gigs depending on where you live but these are becoming few and far between, I like my job, I can’t stand drivers who moan and whinge and do nothing about it i wouldn’t be able to stay in a job i didn’t like.
robroy:
My kids have all came with me in the past, 2 girls 2 boys.
My eldest lad wanted to drive, despite me trying to talk him out of it.
He failed his Class 3 about 5 yrs ago (or whatever tf they call it now) I can’t say I was dissapointed. He could not afford to carry on. Me being cruel to be kind would not loan him the cash for it. I don’t usually stand in their way, but I had his best interests in mind.
He concentrated instead on his mechanic/fitter training, he is now Head tech at a Ford dealership at 27, earning a hell of a lot more than he would driving a [zb] truck…and than me now, …and a lot less hours for it.
My other 3 did not pursue a driving career I’m glad to say, and all are doing well in their jobs.
In general if someone is really cut out for the job they’ll know they want to do it very early on and won’t need any encouragement from anyone else and do whatever it takes to get there.Including defying their disapproving parents.
Personally having been there I found it sad that just because my Dad had turned his back on his Dad’s transport background he then tried to do everything he could to put me off of the job too. Although to be fair he did show some grudging encouragement and pride when he saw that I wasn’t prepared to listen to his wishes for me to follow him into the engineering trade.
Santa:
The question is too blunt. The answer would always be “It depends.”
Depends on who is asking: Are they happy on their own for hours on end; are they good at solving problems; are they good at dealing with idiots?
Depends on what they are expecting: Do they expect to jump into a new artic and set off cruising round the country or do they realise that they will probably start off working for a supermarket delivering to the same old shops or trunking between the same old depots day after day or night after night.
The issues of lack of opportunity and pecking orders in the job aren’t the same thing as the enthusiasm to over come all that.I certainly consider myself to have been stitched up by the former two to a degree.But I would certainly consider ‘trunking between the same old depots’ day or night to be one of the better types of job and if anyone finds that a problem then they’ve chosen the wrong career as a driver.
No i wouldn’t, those who want to be lorry drivers know what they want from an early age, they don’t need recommendations and nor does our industry need more people bringing the wrong attitude to the job.
I told him that’s why a lot of PT drivers do cab work too 
Although to be fair he did show some grudging encouragement and pride when he saw that I wasn’t prepared to listen to his wishes for me to follow him into the engineering trade.