Forty odd years ago I was fired from my job as a bar/cellar-man and, on my way to another interview, I saw a sign in a factory window “Driver wanted for 3 ton truck”. I started work the following Monday.
Since then I have been a TM, Warehouse Manager and Fleet Manager and then Driver again. Now, although officially retired, I am still driving. I enjoyed all my jobs but driving a truck still has an appeal that goes far beyond the money, although I went back to driving because it was the only reasonably rewarding job I could find where older men are preferred.
There have been threads on this before and it is clear that there is no blueprint for the character that makes a driver. There are some common features though:
- Drivers enjoy problem solving. They moan all the time about the difficulties they face but, when push comes to shove, they get the job done.
- They don’t like close supervision. They would hate to work in a factory or office with a boss breathing down their necks but prefer to be given an objective and left to get on with it.
- They have a relaxed attitude to adversity. A driver who gets too wound up by traffic jams, warehouse clerks, wheeltappers etc. etc. will not last long.
- They are essentially loners. They have to be, to be able to spend so much time with only themselves for company.
I sometimes think that the actual “driving” skills we all use every day are not the most important part of our job. What we really like is the scenery, the challenge, the freedom and the pride we take in getting the job done.
