Question for all you long time drivers ?
If you could turn the clock back would you still take your HGV test ?
Yes I would
no
Yes, though given the time again there’s lots of other parts of my life i’d make different choices.
Difficult question for me to be honest.
An instant answer would be yes because I enjoy my job (as far as work goes). I have qualifications that are still valid for different career options but I still prefer this one. Main reason is that I get to see places and am not stuck in a stale air environment or smelly works. Ok I’m in a cab all day but it is MY personal space and within reason I can do what I want. Take a break whenever, or legally required.
It’s expensive now for newbies so they really must be interested in the job in the first place - I would hope! I personally have had enough of work altogether and am looking forward to retirement in about 6/7/8 years I’ve always worked but I’m getting a bit tired now.
The good old days weren’t really that good compared to today 
As they didn’t cost me a penny, of course!
I have had a lot of great times, good times, bad times and absolute ■■■■ times in this job over the years.
The job was a lot different from today’s Class1 driver job when I was attracted to it, so if I was a young lad today looking at how it has evolved, and how it is now,… seriously I probably wouldn’t.
Also a large part of the attraction was ambition, I wanted to own my own truck, and achieved that. Again today I would not even consider owning my own.
So if I had been 21 today instead of then my life would be totally different I reckon.
Without any doubt a massive YES.
I don’t know if 11 years makes me a long time driver or not, but thirty years of working in factories, nineteen looking at the same breeze block wall, starting and stopping on the buzzer, what I do now is seventh heaven.
I turned sixty five this year and I now work part time, one week on and one week off, so I have plenty of time to do what I want and still get to play with the big toys. Suits me fine sir.
Yes…
As with most jobs, after a while it can stagnate. And then as one saying goes “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”
As I get older I seem to stay with jobs longer… I am trained in various, from engineering to electronics… and only took my ticket to MOT motors!! all were good at the time but after a while the rot seems to set in…
The deciding point to start driving full time was when, as a plant fitter i was earning less than the operators !!
At the moment I am virtually my own boss, choosing whatever route, breaks, start and finish times etc as long as the job gets done… it has good days and bad … The pays not the best, but I am happy which goes a long way…
As we all know tho, there are serious shortages in all careers descending on our once beloved blighty… so who knows where the future may take us 
yes.at school i was doing well,but got sidetracked big-time 
and didn’t get any qualifications.after sorting myself out and doing a few mundane jobs,my grandad paid for me to take my Class 1 in '79 and been driving since.if i didn’t have my licence i would be doing those same mundane jobs.
Bugger, as usual Robroy’s caught us out going off at a bloody sliding tangent again.
I was talking about turning the clock back to 1976 again when i took my class 1, he awkward cuss that he is 
shifted the goal posts to being 21 again but now, there’s always one… 
Would i do it all again starting now at 21, truthfully i don’t know, if i could guarantee getting into the cars fairly quickly then yes i would, that’s THE job IMO that’s as future proof as you can find, it can’t be dumbed down despite many trying over the years and the shortage of young grafters would put someone competent in that age group on a high salary road for a long time.
Would i take it again if it meant going on general, agency, or any one of the dozens of interchangeable logistics oufits now doing the bulk of the country’s transport indefinately, NO.
Ive never understood the fascination with “what if” scenarios, maybe I’m just wired up different. My stock answer is, you can’t go back so it’s pointless thinking about it. All I know is that I currently enjoy the job, when that stops I’ll move on.
No , I had the chance of working in a garage when I left school but chose to work in a warehouse then went on the road when I was 17 
BillyHunt:
Ive never understood the fascination with “what if” scenarios, maybe I’m just wired up different. My stock answer is, you can’t go back so it’s pointless thinking about it. All I know is that I currently enjoy the job, when that stops I’ll move on.
Don’t want to get too deep on this but it is a fascinating
subject.
Every move you make in life goes on to another series of events, a bit like a maze where there are hundreds of potential directions and outcomes, with different potential decisions at every turn leading to numerous other scenarios.
With me so far?
For instance I looked into joining up at 20, went for the interview and passed the medical.
Backed out at signing on and went driving. I met my wife and had kids and eventually Grandkids.
If I had joined up I would not have been at that specific time and place where I met my wife, and would go on to have a complete and different future…and family, I would be a complete different person!
That is only one instance of thousands.
Scary not to mention pholosophical. 
A bit heavy and serious, but this is the type of crap I think about on long journeys trucking. 
When I sat my class one my interest was to drive trucks and at the time that was all I wanted to do but as I grew a bit older I realised it was not enough for me. The novelty began to wear off and I was getting bored. Luckily I was earning decent money so I stuck at it until a better opportunity arose.
Knowing what I know now I would have studied harder at school and given myself more chance of a better job but saying that I had some great times on the road and when training.
If I had my time again it would be a big NO. Just glad to be retired now though.
Like others on here, I have other professional vocational qualifications, as well as a HGV (and PSV) licenses.
No good talking about how things have changed in the haulage game, other than to say it is different to what it once was and seldom for the better. I use my HGV to infill when things are quiet in my other skill sets, rather than having a desire to drive constantly, but have really enjoyed being out and about again this year. I have had many of my breaks overlooking open countryside, or parks rather than getting black looks because I generally prefer to lunch in my car rather than share a ‘canteen’ with colleagues…
Yes. Timing wise when I left uni 7yrs ago during recession time I couldn’t get a boring office job and ended up loading lorries at a small depot. Got trained to be the yard shunter and from then went off down the road. Compared to others my age I’m on a good wage and enjoy my job. Had to do some crap jobs first to end up where I am now, I’m happy with my choice and there is nothing stopping me change jobs in the future.
Yes. When I lost my job having an HGV licence was all I had left to earn half reasonable money immediately. It was the best £800 (then) I spent in hindsight.
Yes I probably would, not that I had a lot of choice the first time around as I was posted to a tank transporter regiment when I was aged 18.
However, if I could turn the clock back to them days I’d do what a mate of mine did, whilst I was ■■■■■■■ every penny against the wall and attempting to screw every woman in West Germany he was putting every penny he earned into buying property. He retired when aged 40 and now lives in a massive villa in Spain after selling his 40 odd houses in London. Hindsight eh?
No ■■■■■■■ chance
Yes I spose. Dad paid for my class 1 in 92.
Didn’t use it all that much back then, at the time I was an HGV fitter.
Due to a big re-org and general re-manning (seniority and grade BS) in my present job that was a ganger, I found myself back in the seat of a truck. If it wasn’t for my license, I’d be doing 32 weeks of nights a year and heavy manual graft in the ■■■■■■■ rain with the rest of my work mates. Not fun at 49! I also kept all my t&c’s.