Your situation appears to be a common occurrence nowadays, no idea of what you want to do to earn a crust. In day’s of old, lorry drivers were either born into it, or had a desire to drive a lorry from childhood, or they got a class one from the army, now people are doing it for a job, with no interest in the lorry itself and no desire to go further (longer journeys)
That’s never going to have a happy ending, the hours are long, the money’s not great for the hours you put in and you often get treated like something smelly on the bottom of a shoe.
Get out while you can sammym, if you’ve got the intelligence to go for a PhD, you can apply that to something else.
newmercman:
Your situation appears to be a common occurrence nowadays, no idea of what you want to do to earn a crust. In day’s of old, lorry drivers were either born into it, or had a desire to drive a lorry from childhood, or they got a class one from the army, now people are doing it for a job, with no interest in the lorry itself and no desire to go further (longer journeys)
That’s never going to have a happy ending, the hours are long, the money’s not great for the hours you put in and you often get treated like something smelly on the bottom of a shoe.
Get out while you can sammym, if you’ve got the intelligence to go for a PhD, you can apply that to something else.
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“something on the bottom of a shoe” thats a good point,if you want to get attention if you want it maybe to get help or jump a queue - just lift up your foot to look under it. only yesterday i saw a man lift up each foot to look , but seemed nothing was there. my eyes were immediately drawn to him. Just a tip worth keeping up your sleeve
newmercman:
In day’s of old, lorry drivers were either born into it, or had a desire to drive a lorry from childhood, or they got a class one from the army, now people are doing it for a job, with no interest in the lorry itself and no desire to go further (longer journeys)
That is a very true and accurate point NMM.
In my case my Dad was a driver and I loved going with him as a young kid…infact my first trip in an old Commer I was about 4 yrs old.
I loved it, and later on in my late teens I had mates who I had long week away trips off with, so it was inevitable that I would be a driver, and I could not wait until I was 21, I was keen as ■■■■… …I jacked a trade and a reltively secure future in to do it ffs.
Ok so the job has done me no favours, plus it’s changed 25% on the better side, and 75% for the worst.
The rose coloured Gregorys are long gone and replaced with a huge helping of cynicism and mistrust to anything I am told concerning the job and industry…would I do the same again?
Not a chance in hell !
As you say NMM, many (ok not all) today have a different approach, it’s just another type of job that these guys are trying out until the next one, so instead of ‘‘committed’’ truck drivers of the type you once got, you end up with ‘‘car drivers with truck licences’’ with all the incompetence, ineptitude and ■■■■ poor ability that situation brings.
It aint for everybody, and if young Sammy decides 100% that it aint for him,.and has the opportunity and qualification to get a job with better t.s and c.s, money, hours, and lifestyle (not too difficult in comparison to driving ) he should waste no time getting tf as far as he can from it I would say.
I even told my 2 equally as keen as me at that age lads, not to touch trucking with a disinfected bargepole, thankfully they listened, and both earn more money than I do.
I don’t think all the industry is buggered, there are still some very good jobs about, but they tend to be in more specialised work, not general cartage, so as well as interesting because they require a bit of nous and the possibility of getting mucky thrown in, they tend to not be an attractive job for the wheel attendants, and those same attendants don’t want to do the job well because they have no interest, so things tend to level themselves out up to a point.
My father wasn’t a driver, but from an early age that was all i wanted to do, where me mates bought New Musical Express or Autocar, i bought Commercial Motor.
Living the dream? no not really, i’ve had some crap jobs and hated them and some of the best jobs, luckily currently seeing my last years out on a high note, and if i could be sure of landing this same job again but much sooner if i could turn my body clock back 40 years, then yes i would do the same again.
I don’t like being stuck in one place, have a short fuse with idiots/PC/jobsworths so would rather work on my own, would probably drop dead if forced to work in an office or factory, and lorrying has provided a decent income all my working life, things could have been much worse so no regrets.
So Sammy, have you got back in the seat yet?
Don’t be a fool and give up at your first knock. As every one else has said, we’ve all had knocks, at the start, middle and end of our careers, with some being pretty nasty!
I got a final written warning for writing off a car, and sacked on Monday for clipping a car with the back end. Tuesday I was offered another job, after explaining why I was sacked! It happens. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and in this industry, incidents are an occupational hazard. It won’t be your last, but as long as you have learnt from your something from your error, then don’t worry about it, go get yourself another driving job, and crack on!
Even those superior beings that never have crashes and knocks, have them! Their heads are too big not to have had one (and if they haven’t, will do soon enough!)
Juddian:
I don’t think all the industry is buggered, there are still some very good jobs about, but they tend to be in more specialised work, not general cartage, so as well as interesting because they require a bit of nous and the possibility of getting mucky thrown in, they tend to not be an attractive job for the wheel attendants, and those same attendants don’t want to do the job well because they have no interest, so things tend to level themselves out up to a point.
My father wasn’t a driver, but from an early age that was all i wanted to do, where me mates bought New Musical Express or Autocar, i bought Commercial Motor.
Living the dream? no not really, i’ve had some crap jobs and hated them and some of the best jobs, luckily currently seeing my last years out on a high note, and if i could be sure of landing this same job again but much sooner if i could turn my body clock back 40 years, then yes i would do the same again.
I don’t like being stuck in one place, have a short fuse with idiots/PC/jobsworths so would rather work on my own, would probably drop dead if forced to work in an office or factory, and lorrying has provided a decent income all my working life, things could have been much worse so no regrets.
Everybody sees stuff differently Juddian, and unlike you if I could turn clock back, I’d do things a lot different.
Like I said before, I’m fine with the actual ‘‘job’’ I do, I could do it with eyes shut (although not a good idea )it’s all the b/s, agitation from co to driver, ridiculous hours you’re allowed to do by law, and the relatively crap money for doing it, and my life long contempt and low tolerance towards knobheads, (of which there are many in this job both management and driver ) does not help.
I’ve lost a business and a house in the past mostly due to how transport is (was) ran, so I suppose that kind of influences my negative opinions on it and my cynical attitude towards it all.
But I’ve got a cunning plan to bale out…guess 6 correct numbers.
I’ve had the six number plan since the lottery started, first of all using the same ‘lucky’ numbers each week, unfortunately they weren’t as lucky as I hoped. Since then I use the randomly picked by the machine method, which has proved to be just as unsuccessful.
I did a lot of studying on lottery wins and number sequences and from this I deduced that the odds of me winning are exactly the same if I buy a ticket or not.
Looks like I wont be hanging up the keys anytime in the foreseeable future.
jakethesnake:
Thanks snowman, at least you have the courage to explain what you do! As any decent driver knows you need to keep learning but some seem stuck in a rut believing their methods are correct because they have been doing the same thing for years.
Yes Juddian, as I said the other day I believed it was in the HC although someone said it was not but I can’t be bothered to check. It is certainly in other driving manuals.
Does it really matter if it is there are not? Most ignore a lot of whats in it anyway and do it their own way.
As I said no wonder the roads are such a shambles when some won’t change because they do not agree believing their way is better. Maybe yourself included.
Sad state of affairs.
Well as you’ve included me as one of the wrong uns, here’s my method for you to take issue with.
We’ll assume for this that all roundabouts have 4 exits, we’ll also assume the roundabout is wide enough to allow cars and vans at least to be alongside you whenever possible on said island, we all know there are some islands where it’s not advisable to have cars alongside during the negotiation, but for the purposes of this discussion we’ll assume a decent sized road not requiring the lorry driver to take part of the other lane out in order to stop people from putting themselves in harms way, i’m not even considering the bone heads in parcel type artics who think their vehicles take as much road space up as the berlingo van which was the largest vehicle they drove till 5 minutes ago.
1.Two lanes approaching r’bout, i’m turning right onto a single carriageway road, the major road goes straight ahead, i indicate right and get in the RH lane when possible, indicating right until the correct obvious moment.
Two lanes approach, i’m turning right onto a dual carriagway which is the continuation of the major route i am approaching on, in most cases its accepted by everyone that both lanes can be used for this, so to allow faster vehicle to make normal progress i approach in the LH lane indicating right and stay in that lane all the way around, only cancelling indicator as i go past the straight ahead exit exiting into the left hand lane.
Two lane approach, i’m going straight ahead exiting into single lane, left hand lane all the way the only indication used is LH indicator as i pass the left turn.
Two lane approach, two lane exit, more care needed here due to drivers of Audis in particular being unable to keep within their lane, presumably the car too big for them to cope with, so left lane all the way through, again indicating only left only after passing the left exit.
Nit pick that, a system which almost every British commercial driver practices in Britain, and tell us what we should be doing instead.
Exactly how roundabouts should be negotiated Juddian.
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On a nice big roudabout, with clear markings that Juddian first hypothesized, yes, stick to the marked lanes.
On lesser roundabouts where idiots want to overtake, keep them in sight.
Let them overtake, if they must, but ensure they do it where you see them . Not in the blind spot behind the headboard as you turn.
Even in Juddian’s example, as we go past the first exits, and we are near the centre of the roundabout, idiots can slip on and run beside the trailer. We will only see them as we straighten out and bear left to exit.
Yes, they are at fault, not us, but the potential for accidents is there.
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Some of the marked out roundabouts with lane indications also leave a lot to be desired - I am interested to see how others would approach this roundabout at the A10 South wanting to join M25 A/C…
So, follow lane markings - Used outside lane as straddling made no difference when I tried it as there’s room to try and squeeze one down either side (watch for o/s/f hitting high kerb as you come to the junction - but don’t cut the corner as you’ll hit the car in the middle lane).
We entered the roundabout at 12 o’clock. As we head down to 6 o’clock the lane marking indicates that we should now be moving into the middle lane. Unfortunately, many roundabouts like this choose the moment when you cab/trailer is at an angle as the one when you should be moving over. Much of the faster traffic wishing to carry on down the A10 is too impatient to wait until the 3rd A10 lane to open again properly so tries to push into your lane (A10/M25 Watford) and I’ve had a couple of close ones here.
Is it just me or is this one out of hundreds of crappy roundabouts/junctions I can think of which makes me think most of them are a complete bodge job?
2 lane roads that have a sign showing 3 lanes - sometimes lane 1 splits into 2, sometimes lane 2 splits into 2 - there literally is no common system to most of these junctions.
Don’t get me started on those full width lanes approaching the roundabout that become narrower to fit the shape of the roundabout?!
KarlM, couldn’t agree more, that A10/M25 roundabout is a swine, but then it’s london/hell on earth so the signs would mean bugger all to those who live in the area anyway, almost all junctions anywhere within 50 miles of the crap hole you might as well do away with the signage completely and allow a free for all as that’s what it amounts to anyway.
City area drivers bully and force their way in hoping presumably someone else will make way for them, with tactics varying between making their idiot urban 4x4 chelsea tractors look like russian mafia transport…laughable when some baseball hatted twerp plus standard issue de-rigueur croydon facelifted company alights from one…to the once white van that hasn’t got a straight panel on it and was last insured sometime in 2014, and don’t get me started on the tipper/skip wagon crew, those cyclists best fiends.
It certainly does work better in countries like Vietnam. Have visited countries like these and although there are very few road markings or rules the traffic flows a lot better.
All down to attitude in my opinion. There is no them and us hatred in these countries. There is no aggression or bullying.
They toot their horns and smile at each other and make progress in a happy way.
On the other hand the UK is filled with mostly aggressive arrogant selfish and incompetent drivers who all think they are the best drivers ever.
feel theres more suicides now. i dunno whether thats down to job stress but it surely cant help. i cant remember the last time i heard of a stress free career path. and suicides rarely make the papers now unless its in the public eye . A week or so ago a guy on the Orwell bridge was taken away so he didnt jump but then on Facebook someone commented someone else had jumped in the erly hours just the day before
A fortnite before that someone parked their car at top of bridge and jumped ,later a truck ran into the stationary car ,i happened to see the aftermath the wrecked truck but yet again nothing in the local paper ,i guess theyve been told keep schtum case more get the idea ?
It certainly does work better in countries like Vietnam. Have visited countries like these and although there are very few road markings or rules the traffic flows a lot better.
All down to attitude in my opinion. There is no them and us hatred in these countries. There is no aggression or bullying.
They toot their horns and smile at each other and make progress in a happy way.
On the other hand the UK is filled with mostly aggressive arrogant selfish and incompetent drivers who all think they are the best drivers ever.
Might be worth noting Vietnam has about 8 or 10 times the road fatality rate of the UK.
Seeing it flow for a while may not be the whole story?
There are certainly some “entitled” drivers in the UK. If you`re “cut up” in some other places the attitude is to just carry on. Here too many take it as personal insult that someone has overtaken, or “taken my road” or whatever. Too much ego associated with vehicles.
Quite right Franglais however the population is far greater and the health and safety is non exsistent.
My point was the people in these countries seem to have a far better attitude to life in general and seem far happier and their driving skills ain’t bad either.
Always enjoyed driving in France. No lane hoggers there although that was a few years ago now!
They would overtake and immediately return to inside. Tres bon.
jakethesnake:
Quite right Franglais however the population is far greater and the health and safety is non exsistant.
My point was the people in these countries seem to have a far better attitude to life in general and seem far happier and their driving skills ain’t bad either.
on the surface perhaps. i once employed an Equadorian bloke, all smiles,go go go driving style meant ran engine ragged + turned out to be a terrible thief and he saw kindness as a weakness to be exploited. Once he got his class1 he was off ,but the firm he joined folded within the year. was it down to him who knows. Back on taxis for a year or so caning a Renault you knew it was him coming [no doubt fiddling anybody he could] .i heard recently hes back driving class 1 ,out of Felixstowe docks, who for lord knows but hes as crafty / destructive as they come.
Heaton30:
So Sammy, have you got back in the seat yet?
Don’t be a fool and give up at your first knock. As every one else has said, we’ve all had knocks, at the start, middle and end of our careers, with some being pretty nasty!
I got a final written warning for writing off a car, and sacked on Monday for clipping a car with the back end. Tuesday I was offered another job, after explaining why I was sacked! It happens. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and in this industry, incidents are an occupational hazard. It won’t be your last, but as long as you have learnt from your something from your error, then don’t worry about it, go get yourself another driving job, and crack on!
Even those superior beings that never have crashes and knocks, have them! Their heads are too big not to have had one (and if they haven’t, will do soon enough!)
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Learnt from his mistakes o sorry error
How many do you have to hit to learn
jakethesnake:
Quite right Franglais however the population is far greater and the health and safety is non exsistant.
My point was the people in these countries seem to have a far better attitude to life in general and seem far happier and their driving skills ain’t bad either.
on the surface perhaps. i once employed an Equadorian bloke, all smiles,go go go driving style meant ran engine ragged + turned out to be a terrible thief and he saw kindness as a weakness to be exploited. Once he got his class1 he was off ,but the firm he joined folded within the year. was it down to him who knows. Back on taxis for a year or so caning a Renault you knew it was him coming [no doubt fiddling anybody he could] .i heard recently hes back driving class 1 ,out of Felixstowe docks, who for lord knows but hes as crafty / destructive as they come.
Completely different part of the world corij however as I am sure you aware there are good and bad everywhere.Sounds like you got a bad one.
Asians on the other hand tend to be far more relaxed when it comes to driving, certainly compared to us Brits!