Just thinking back 11 years ago when i was set for my first night out on only my second outing in a class 1.
I was so excited in my FL10. Anyway done my drops and pulled into Wolverhampton services at 2200. The strange thing was they had no parking spaces left… id never thought they would be full 
So i parks just by the entrance, still all excited gets my stuff set out.
The next 5 hours were the longest of my life, couldnt sleep, bored and fed up. So i ended up er adjusting my clock 
and making my way home.
Only done about 10 nights out in 11 years since.
What was your first night out like?
Takes me back… It was outside the Texas DIY store in Ashford, Kent. I was driving an A reg 2528 Mercedes (280bhp), pulling a curtainsider loaded with tiles, grossing just under 38 tonnes. The Merc had a really large steering wheel that was about 3ft in diameter. The bed was only a half-bunk and I’m 6ft 1in and built like the proverbial brick outhouse!
I remember I’d had a really bad day that day… But that’s another story…!
Bob
ah my first night out, i was working for an agency in leeds called 5 star recruitment back in 1989, i was full time contract driver at waddingtons distribution services, ( basically the monopoly people), my first night out was at jct 23 m1 ( shepshed) in a 7.5 tonne day cab, duvet, gear stick out of the way, fully clothed, engine on, heating on, cardboard for curtains, happy as larry, ahhhh happy times, i would go back there and do that again tomorrow if i could, obviously if i was still 19, what a laugh
Aaah my 1st night out was when i used to go with my grandad in the 70s in a leyland marathon, both sleeping across the seats on the old dock road in liverpool… Happy days… 
My 1st on us todd was in a B-reg M.A.N 321 dover docks doin a change over with a regular euro driver. Experianced my 1st delights of the legendary wheelhouse aswell. Done the change over for about 8.30pm then in the wheelhouse til about 1am… What was i letting myself in for… 
Arrived to the site in Birmingham, but it was closed. The security guy told me that I can park on the site, so I did so.
I could use all facilities in canteen, so I bought myself some microvavable meal and eat it, then washed myself and then spent my first-ever-night in MAN 18tonner (old shape cab).
In the morning they woken me up to drive over and become unloading, which i did. The problem was that site was already working and someone dumped a tipper of gravel next to me, so I damaged a bumper, as I did not jumped out to check
1989 - Wales- Cardboard factory - muddy carpark - ■■■■■■■ rain - no food - screaming factory plant - learnt alot
Working for Sam Longson my first ever night out was in an old e series ERF 8 legger with a rest cab which involved a fold out bunk.Spent many a night out in that old shed, it was 13 yrs old when I started driving her.
Mine was back in 1984 across the seats in a dodge ridged in Barry. Thought i was the mutts nuts
Can’t remember where my first night out was, I was double manning with my brother in 1992 to get some experience of truck driving. He had a battered old F12, it only had a single bunk so I slept across the the seats, I also remember it being winter, no night heater and holes letting even more cold air into the cab. 
As for the location all I can remember it was on an industrial estate and we parked outside the customers premises for a tip in the morning, coat hangers I think. 
As for my first night out on my own, it was in a DAF 1700 with a load pallets for a distribution centre near Bridgewater. Parked outside tipped off card and then went back outside to finish my rest period off. Oh despite being a tidy truck from a good local company, still no night heater.
My first night out was also in Wales, had just got the motor I have now and the boss rings up and asks me if I would like to go to Bridgend. As I always carried night out gear I said sure but there’s a problem with the batteries (think I needed a jumpstart that morning). So he tells me to load up at Celcon then go over to Scantrucks at Purfleet for them to check the batteries.
I get loaded and go to scantrucks, wait for over an hour for a fitter to come out and say he can’t check the batteries because I’ve run the engine and they’re charged now 
great so now I’ve lost nearly two hours. While I’m there the boss arrives and hands me the the £16.30 I think it was for the toll.
I set off not really knowing where I’m going exactly, like the signs in Wales the delivery address is half English half welsh, I have no map and on the sat nav says it’s in the middle of a housing estate, doesn’t look good.
So off I go, start to get all excited as I pass the Bristol turn off as that’s the furthest I had been til then. Couple of hours later I’m nearing my destination, still not sure it’s the right address but as I get near there’s the yellow signs guideing me in. Pull outside the office next to some pallets at about half five, the site agent is still there but won’t let me tip as he dosent know where the forklift driver wants em (despite the pallets clearly laid out in front if him) and he’s about to go home, I’ll have to tip in the morning.
I ask him if there’s a takeaway nearby, he directs me to a little shopping area down the road, it’s a about ten mins walk down a winding path through the estate, there’s a Tesco express, couple of takeaways and a Harvester. I go into Tescos to get milk and bread and some sandwich stuff for tomorrow, it’s weird walking round the aisles where people are either talking in welsh or English in a funny accent (Well I am an Essex boy lol).
Go to the checkout, guy behind the counter asks me something in welsh, “sorry mate?” I ask in my common Essex Tongue. He looks at me funny for a second, like in those films where an out of towner walks in, then goes “er have you got a clubcard?”
Next its into the chippie next door, there’s que and everyone is chatting in welsh, it comes to my turn and the lady behind the counter says somethng to me in welsh, wasn’t really payng attention so I just go “eh?” She’s abit put out by this but goes “oh what would you like?”. “Meat and chips please” in my finest out of town accent, by now its gone deadly quiet as the foreigner makes his order I get my order and leave the locals in peace, head back to my truck to have my dinner and fall asleep listening to the radio.
Next mornng about half seven there’s a tap on the door, it’s the forklift driver. “Where do you want them mate” I ask " just over there on them pallets" he replies “I left them out for you last night” Told him about the site agent and get the usual yeh he’s useless etc. So I go to fire up the motor, batteries are flat as a pancake, ■■■■ you Scantrucks!!! I now have to wait for a fitter to come out and get me going, meanwhile I have a wash and a shave in the site toilets.
Fitter arrives about an hour later, checks batteries, they are duff, call the boss and after alot of cursing about Scantrucks gets me booked in at purfleet after I reload at Cardiff docks for Thurrock. So the fitter gives me a jump start and tells me not to turn the engine off, I tip the load and go on my way.
After that it was plain sailing down to Cardiff for a load of bricks to a merchant in Thurrock, tipped about 3pm, and dropped the truck off for repair, getting home just after 5pm. What an experience, I’ve never looked back since
My 1st night out was in a Bedford TK near The Lizard on a house removals.But it was a luxury night because the luton had been converted it had a built in cooker sink and 2 single matresses in.the next one was in a ex Pickford Volvo FL with a fixed cab it wash like sleeping in a crash helmet spent the next 6 years in that truck(i wasnt stuck in it lol)
1st night out, was in a ford d series 10 t across the seats, engine running no sleeping bag, in a layby just outside hull. now i don’t do nights out i have a bunk, night heater. still always enjoyed myself, oh to be young again…
Mine happend by mistake. After leaving the house at 1am on a mon morn I drove from Armagh to cork for a 8 am delivery then 2nd delivery in Tralee. I came up the road to adare and pulled in on the limerick side of the town to ring the boss to find out where I was reloading he said lie up for an hour and I will get u sorted so boots off curtains not closed I jumped into the bed at 3pm mon and didn’t wake until 8am the nxt morn when the boss rang lol
my first night out was about 3 1/2 yrs ago in a 4 series scania with a small cab. i’d been up to a water treatment plant near largs in scotland to deliver some pipes and i made it back as far as penrith truckstop. i wasn’t feeling great for most of the day and drove all the way up with my lunch box on my lap in case i was sick! by the time i parked up i was ready to drop. i had a wash and forced myself to have a meal then climbed onto the bunk and zonked out for the night!
My first night out was in Gloucester. No sleeper cabs then and I was doing a week as second man to learn the job. My driver took us to a digs somewhere near the old bridge where they charged (from memory) seven and sixpence (35p) for dinner B&B.
What a doss house: About eight of us sharing a room — snoring and ■■■■■■■ all night. Nearly put me off the idea but my mate was known as a bit of a tightwad. Our night out allowance was ten bob (50p) so he reckoned to make a good profit.
When I started on my own I soon found some great places — and still made a “profit” sometimes. The only other place I ever stayed that was as bad, was in Perth.
My 1st night out in a rigid was in Chesterfield truck stop, all I remember is the noise and all the people walking about and the trucks starting up, must have got an hours kip that night.
My 1st night out in an artic was in a magnum down south somewhere, it wasn’t my unit, and i parked up and tried to go to sleep, it must have taken me 30 mins to get up to the bunk, then I fell out, so i decided I was safer in the passenger seat, it wasn’t until i got back to the yard and one of the more experienced drivers asked me why i looked so tired and I explained he showed me that you pull the seat over where the table is and you have a bottom bunk!!!
the big un:
ex Pickford Volvo FL with a fixed cab it wash like sleeping in a crash helmet spent the next 6 years in that truck(i wasnt stuck in it lol)
My first night out was in one of these:
'Orrible things. Was on the way down to taunton with another guy in the same sort of truck, stopped in weston super mare, in a carpark that becomes a truckpark at night (apparently this used to be very common, shame it isn’t still) £6 a night, easy access and about 150yds from a decent chippy - not much more you could ask for really, except for the nearby toilets to be left open.
Wasn’t a bad night really, turned into 4 nights down there which I really enjoyed apart from all the handball, cant say I’m keen on sleeping on the equivelent of a prison bed 6feet above a rather painful looking gear stick though. I’ve since got my own little habits and ways of doing things for nights out, I don’t tend to sleep all that well but always look forward to a night or two away.
First night out July 1968 Portsmouth had my little red book with all the digs in phoned them early morning to beat the rush bed breakfast and evening meal 7/6 in real money 35p nowdays cant get a cup of tea for that plus parked the motor outside the house great digs.
Mine was in a Volvo FL6 at Tamworth MSA on a very hot night in the middle of summer and I hardly got any sleep at all. It didn’t help that I was woken up by some tart in a TNT MAN in the early hours of the morning. That said, I’m now married that that tart so it’s maybe not all bad…
Paul
Hessle truck stop in Hull. I went for a shower and pushed open the door to find a bloke in all his soapy glory! - I’m not sure who screamed loudest! He should have locked the door though! I got back to the cab, threw my double, feather-filled duvet onto the bunk and slept like a log in a giant marshmallow