Harry Monk:
I can just imagine what it would be like if truckers held a protest march through central London…“What do we want?”
“Longer hours and less money!”
“When do we want it?”
“NOW!”
Harry Monk:
I can just imagine what it would be like if truckers held a protest march through central London…“What do we want?”
“Longer hours and less money!”
“When do we want it?”
“NOW!”
We already got that years ago without even asking for it when speed limiters came in and we were on job and finish.
Wheel Nut:
animal:
Was talking not so long ago to a driver who was only 23 but had done this that & other had been in catering but didnt like the long unsociable hours so become a driverhe had 2 young daughters so wanted to be home every night to see them as he said " he wasnt missing them growing up " so wanted to wok mon - fri 9-5
I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man in catering
Lee G passed his test about 2 years ago, isn’t it a welcome contrast between a recent poster with similar experience
Yep but think Lee is a bit older than other poster ( but not as old as me ) & been round the block once or twice more ( not as many as me though )
Harry Monk:
I can just imagine what it would be like if truckers held a protest march through central London…“What do we want?”
“Longer hours and less money!”
“When do we want it?”
“NOW!”
I work ■■■■ near maximum hours every week, so I reserve the right to moan about it. 
I don’t subject other drivers to it in the waiting rooms, as they cannot escape it, but I may complain online from time to time, as people can turn it off if they wish.
I think I work too many hours, and would rather not work at all. So those two statements are going to cause friction somewhere. Though there are several thousand more difficult unskilled jobs, physically as well as mentally.
I think I sometimes forget that.
Harry Monk:
I can just imagine what it would be like if truckers held a protest march through central London…“What do we want?”
“Longer hours and less money!”
“When do we want it?”
“NOW!”
It’s quite funny all these comments about the long hours and the low pay!
If I read some of the other treads, people who are driver, have most times chosen because their father, Uncle, Granddad, in laws, good friends father in laws granddads brothers friend neighbours relative did it, etc.
So it was not like a step in the dark, more a well informed choice.
Rest only one conclusion, must be Masochist to still do it.
Why else would you wanted to be slapped everyday and go the next day back for more.
Why do we put up with the hours, moaning offices, aggressive road users, security pricks (cardboard cut-out wannabe policemen) at gatehouses, dirty showers, pishy parking’s, rotten food on services, smelly dirty trucks etc. etc.?
There must be a reason out there why we still want to do it…we love it!!!
Don’t say you do it only for the money, nobody would put a life time up with such a crap for any money in the world, no way.
Listen if you be somewhere where no other Trucker or Steering-wheel attendants are, the conversation is always way more positive.
For the simple reason that like a dog, don’t pish in your own nest!
But besides that the thing what always get mentioned is the freedom…which Freedom?
And if the public around plays a bit with it and there is respect to take these Ships of the Motorway safely to their destination in all kind of circumstances, the stories grow with the minute.
Why do we moan, ■■■■■ and shout at each other ……? for the simple reason it’s such a good release to kick at everything, moan about everything and give the whole world a run for his money, and call each other what you want, great anti stress instrument, these Blog websites are.
double post 
If this job was so [zb] there would be hundreds ot trucks parked up and there would be loads of drivers not driving but working in factories etc, when all said and done we all came into this profession knowing we would be working the best part of 70 hours a week and not earning the biggest wages but we still came into the job, why, because we chose too.
Could always bring back National Service
If at uni they can defer till finished
If doing an apprenticeship can also defer till finished
In may have to change its format from when it was here before but as most other countries have this dont see why we cant
I’ve come back to driving in the last couple of years, after a long spell working in Logistics Management.
The money’s crap. The hours are long. The work can be hard, cold and dirty, at times. I expect to start early. I expect to finish late. I expect to face snowy, icy roads, and I use the shovel and grit I carry when necessary. I expect to be knackered most of the time. I expect to cope with surly warehouse staff, ignorant drivers , unreliable vehicles, unrealistic management and inaccurate paperwork. i expect people to treat me as ‘just an ignorant driver’ when they don’t know me at all.
But 99% of the time I’m left alone, to my own thoughts, to manage my own time, and compared to any other job I’ve done, when I’m driving, I feel no stress. 
It’s a great job.
People say ho my firm is hard up we have to do this and that to help out, but hang on how do they pay for all this WTD ,the driver cpc. fuel rise ,and the waste of money when they have to plaster hi- VIZ Tape at £300 A shot round the truck.They have paid for digi tacho,s and all the back, ablue and all the back up,and in the case of tipper trucks in construction they have to blow £100 on hi viz signe for the back.I think it is time for the drivers to have their cut…less hours,and a wage rise to compensate…this is WTF is going on
merc0447:
pete i wish i never went out in the snow as i was the only one, now im the RobK of my depot…hated!
That reminds me; What’s happened to him?
animal:
Could always bring back National Service
If at uni they can defer till finished
If doing an apprenticeship can also defer till finishedIn may have to change its format from when it was here before but as most other countries have this dont see why we cant
No thanks; Sent abroad to fight for someone in a desert for low wages? No disrespect to forces personnel (I do a bit in RAF Brize Norton and feel sorry for the guys and girls waiting to fly out to wherever) I just believe they should be risking their necks for this country and not babysitting everyone else with a rag around their head…
This job can be the worst and best…
One day you can be moaned at for something you havent done, get ■■■■ wet through unloading while a forkie sits in a nice enclosed truck, be held up in traffic for hours and be late for every drop, get abuse from every other road user just for being there, breakdown in the most awkward place possible, not get back when youve promised the wife youd be home by 5, have to keep stopping at every services for 4 hours after a dodgy sausage bap from “Freds Salmonella Van”, and have to listen to Jeremy Whine telling us weve never had it so good !
BUT
The following day the sun is shining, youre on the A9 in beatiful scenery and little or no traffic, youve just been overtaken by a blonde in a short skirt, youve got your favourite Jive Bunny CD on and alls right with the world.
This is the best job in the world BUT only if you make it so
Dont bother winging just get on and do it
Bad days dont last forever.
no job is perfect,if it was we would all be doing it with smiles as wide as the channel.
my day today:
out of bed at 5am,cricket on get ready for work,due in at 7.30
get a call at 06.30 from the boss(cab firm owner)
need u in at 7 please
ok will go and defrost igloo outside
06.50 phone goes can you head to brock from n.m about seven miles on untreated,snow covered roads.me i love the stuff,plenty of numptys about who cant handle the stuff.
spend the next 4hrs doing much the same,all local trips,then short half hr break,then the afternoon gets even worse as the stuff is now like glass and the oap’s decide its playtime to try and get to tesco’s getting stuck on every bit of slope/hill.
after 3pm is now freezing again so roads get more shiny, with only a small drop in car numbers.
get finished at 17.30pm having done 120 miles all day and clearing £193 for the day. some days are worse,some you can double that.some days you wont get one moan,some days when its wet/snowing everyone complains because your late then see the roads,and say i wont take my car out in this,but expect us to do it.
p.s home every night,choose my start time/finish/hrs/days, but NOT who we carry,the joys of being a s/e cabbie.
I often wonder if there is a forum where people who use to make televisions moan that all there jobs have gone to china ?.
A lot of the younger drivers have also been to " molly cottoned " by society as they expect everything ( bit like when they were at home & just had to say I want & got ) they have never really had to work hard for much as has been given to them to easy on a plate ( so to speak ) not like when I was young you had to work for it or you didnt get it but then maybe I am from a different era & yes I have tried to bring up my kids like that then some people are too materialistic with things ( Im not ) but the more they got the more they want
I’m glad to say I don’t go by this, I’m 26 and not been doing this long. Doing 75 plus hours a week and loving it. I knew what to expect I don’t know how anyone could complain about it. Currently stuck in 9 inches of snow in Cherwell Valley services if I can’t get out Sunday I’ll be leaving the card out and re-starting on Monday for another week. Gonna bloody stink by then by hey ho.
PaulWeller:
A lot of the younger drivers have also been to " molly cottoned " by society as they expect everything ( bit like when they were at home & just had to say I want & got ) they have never really had to work hard for much as has been given to them to easy on a plate ( so to speak ) not like when I was young you had to work for it or you didnt get it but then maybe I am from a different era & yes I have tried to bring up my kids like that then some people are too materialistic with things ( Im not ) but the more they got the more they want
I’m glad to say I don’t go by this, I’m 26 and not been doing this long. Doing 75 plus hours a week and loving it. I knew what to expect I don’t know how anyone could complain about it. Currently stuck in 9 inches of snow in Cherwell Valley services if I can’t get out Sunday I’ll be leaving the card out and re-starting on Monday for another week. Gonna bloody stink by then by hey ho.
Shame the services aren’t still burning 
PaulWeller:
A lot of the younger drivers have also been to " molly cottoned " by society as they expect everything ( bit like when they were at home & just had to say I want & got ) they have never really had to work hard for much as has been given to them to easy on a plate ( so to speak ) not like when I was young you had to work for it or you didnt get it but then maybe I am from a different era & yes I have tried to bring up my kids like that then some people are too materialistic with things ( Im not ) but the more they got the more they want
I’m glad to say I don’t go by this, I’m 26 and not been doing this long. Doing 75 plus hours a week and loving it. I knew what to expect I don’t know how anyone could complain about it. Currently stuck in 9 inches of snow in Cherwell Valley services if I can’t get out Sunday I’ll be leaving the card out and re-starting on Monday for another week. Gonna bloody stink by then by hey ho.
Glad i got out of there at 8am this morning then…hope you get out ok mate
Lee G:
it just boils my ■■■■ that some folk are just looking for an excuse to do [zb] all all day but expect decent wages for it! some need to try being in the forces. while we were down the gulf in 2003 we were working defence watches for 6 weeks at a time with 3 days alongside (to restock and maintain equipment so it wasnt 3 days off either) between each stint of them, in defence watches you work 5’s and 7’s rotational or 8’s (5 hours on watch, 5 hours off, 7 hours on watch, 7 hours off - or 8 hours on 8 off straight through) but in your off watch they might have fire exercises or real incidents and you cant just say youyre not doing it!
Ah yes, the good old defence watches.
Wouldnt get the kids doing em nowadays, got to be something about H & S that they can get the forces on. Oh no, in the forces you dont get WTD or overtime.
88 hours one week, 96 hours the next ( thats on 8 on 8 off). Exactly the same money as if I were on 2 months leave.
Nowadays? Oh but I might not get home to see my neighbours dog or have a beer down the pub.
Some people need to get a life.
And breathe.
PS Lee, you a stoker or Comms?