Easy Question... Hard Answer

[robert1952]

formertrucker:
I was driving small pickups and graduated to Class 1 and had a great twenty-five years on artics before having to leave the profession when both hips needed replacing at the same time. If I knew then what I know now would I do it again? You bet, but with one difference. After driving the sealed roads of Australia for many weeks at a time in a campervan I would have emigrated in my early twenties when it was very easy to do so and would have spent my life driving road trains over there. I’ve had long conversations with many road train drivers in Australia and never came across one who regretted what he was doing. In fact, when asking one driver what his wife thought about his being away from home for many weeks a a time, he said ‘I’ll do this job until she gets fed up with it, then she’ll have to go’! If you can’t say that it’s diesel and not blood that runs through your veins, then it wasn’t really the job for you!

Great post! Robert

[juddian]

I wanted to be a lorry driver from a young age, where my schoolmates bought New Musical Express or Autocar i bought Commercial Motor or Headlight.
Been on artics 40 years now and still full time, and yes i’d do it all again (though hopefully make better decisions) but in the same timeframe, i wouldn’t start out now for another 40 years simply because there is so little lorry driver satisfaction to be had any more and this will only get worse.

[carryfast]

robert1952:

formertrucker:
I was driving small pickups and graduated to Class 1 and had a great twenty-five years on artics before having to leave the profession when both hips needed replacing at the same time. If I knew then what I know now would I do it again? You bet, but with one difference. After driving the sealed roads of Australia for many weeks at a time in a campervan I would have emigrated in my early twenties when it was very easy to do so and would have spent my life driving road trains over there. I’ve had long conversations with many road train drivers in Australia and never came across one who regretted what he was doing. In fact, when asking one driver what his wife thought about his being away from home for many weeks a a time, he said ‘I’ll do this job until she gets fed up with it, then she’ll have to go’! If you can’t say that it’s diesel and not blood that runs through your veins, then it wasn’t really the job for you!

Great post! Robert

+1

Unfortunately free movement of labour between here and the colonies had long ended when I started out and that was even with not too distant family already established there.

[trucky_mc_truckface]

Bit of a jack the lad when i was younger. Done the Borstal 6 weeks one day malarkey etc etc. Drove my first truck when i was 16 (Urgent load to Birmingham) been there done that type. Took over an ailing Business made it good-sold it. Did that 3 times. Now Transport Manager for a Decent largish haulier and loving it. 5 years till i retire though i could now no Mortgage etc but do i love the industry ?. Would i change a thing ?. Hell yes i would never look at a truck if i could be took back in time i think i would be something like a Builder or Plumber.