My Dad had his own hgv repair workshop so have been around trucks all my life left school did a mechanic course in collage then went to a transport company to work in the workshop. Left there as soon as my apprenteship was finished and did 4 years working in holland as a mechanic. come back to work at my first job again and one day one transport manager came in and said im desperate can you take this lorry to so and so turn trailers and come back
after a couple years of this got my dream job drivin all over europe ( well thought it was at the time)
I came into this trade at 40, the company i worked for closed its depot down, so i took the money and did my class 1/2. now work for Warburtons, best move ever.
Tricked into it by the agency . They said you’ve got a psv licence you can drive 7.5 ton. Said i would give it a go. Then they said you can drive 7.5ton you can drive class 2 and the rest is history. Kept me working though.
Sum person at Elan (remember them) threw me a set of 7.5 keys when the largest thing i had driven was a Ford ■■■■■■ and i thought it was fun, think it was a Leyland Boxer?
Many a year later i spent a few quid and got to drive bigger thing’s, but that was in between life, kids and other things that got in the way .
But i will never forget that huge thing of a 7.5 when i was a lad
something i have always wanted to do since i left school, started in a warehouse, sent out as second man , that was it hooked, and i still enjoy it after 30 yrs …
beattun:
Used to go with my dad all the time when I was a kid, on the continent, or round ireland, then acting as a helper with other drivers when i was a teenager, got in on my dad’s then business after leaving school, didnt work out, went to securicor, drove the vans for about 3 years, jacked that in and emigrated to australia…
couldnt get a bloody job, tried being a carpet steam cleaner, lasted a week and said to hell with this and went and got me rigid licence, then a year later got the artic, and here i am driving the bloody things around melbourne.
funny thing is, my dad was a driver, his brother and their dad were drivers, so it must be in the blood, and despite many years ago my old man telling me it was a mugs game, have to say he was proud as a punch when i got my licences…
and you know he was a good friend of mine brian and nuggy and their dad george snr your grandfather]
i came from a similar background.
my father had his own truck.
when i passed my test at 18[in those days]1970
he got a second.i took over and built it to 4 trucks.
a medium sized irish co in those days.#then nevr got paid and the lot fell flat.
im still driving them although i wouldnt buy again/
atleast/
i think iwouldnt buy again.#any one got a long sleevless white coat to lend me.
i love driving though, i just dont love transport managers, not one bit.
I always wanted to drive lorries but never actually took and passed my car test 'till the age of 21, having been content with motor bikes 'till then.
Once done I went straight out and got my first driving job the same day, a Commer Bantam on a Co-op pop round.
Having had fun with that for a year or so I took myself off to sea in the MN to see the world before returning and dropping straight into driving a tipper for Wimpey building the M1 near Nottingham.
Then I signed on for my first distance job driving a 4 wheeler Albion which after a time was replaced by a Dodge artic. The company training scheme involved taking the wagon home after Saturday washing down and shunting it back and forth on the waste ground where I used to park up.
By Monday morning I had passed ( ) and was off to Liverpool docks with my first load.
I had an accident in 2005 that left me with a shattered left leg and claiming incapacity benefit after 10months in plaster, was in west wales and put in put in touch with a company called broker cymru who offered to pay for my class 2 so i took it and been driving since, i suppose i was always going to end up driving something, my father was a coach driver(still is) i always used to go with him on trips whenever i could,watching the road and checking the map, i loved being out there and meeting people and seeing all the different places, i think i went just about everywhere in the uk as a young lad at the weekends. didnt really fancy having 50 passengers sat behind me though, when this oppurtunity came up i took it, i started delivering fresh fruit and veg across west and mid wales, then heading on to hereford three times a week to collect a load then back across the brecon beacons. The route from aberystwhyth to hereford and back to carmarthen is a pretty quick way to learn how to drive an hgv for the in experienced diver! Im now living in london,i went on to moving plant and machine equipment which i really enjoyed, sadly i was recently made redundant and struggling to find a decent job even with a hiab. most agencies are a let down, if anybody knows of anything in the south london area (streatham, croydon way) drop me a line.
truckyboy:
I got arrested when i was 17, and the judge gave me 5 years inside or become a trucker…
That is not as daft as it sounds, because of my early upbringing in lorries. I was tempted to miss a few steps and straighten a few corners. After numerous visits from the local Constabulary, they suggested ; “watch your step m,lad”
One day my favourite policeman came round with yet another summons and some sound advice designed to keep me out of prison.
He had a mate who was the depot manager of a local parcels company. The friendly copper had arranged me an interview the next afternoon Wheels within wheels etc.
Like many on here it’s in the blood, I can remember going with my Dad when I was very young, he used to drive a Dennis with a Jag petrol engine!
And then I used to go with my uncle Donald “Don” Brooke (imho best class 1 driver in Huddersfield), he used to drive an AEC Mandator reg no CCX10K hauling pallets of pop and sometimes an AEC Mercury (which was a flying machine 70mph+). Many happy memories including cruising up Windy Hill at +60mph when empty, completely different story fully loaded (22 tons load on a 32 tonner)
Used to gaze in wonder at the Volvo F86/88s, Scanis 80/110s, Magirus Deutz 232 V8s and 310 V10s, Ford Transcontinentals etc compared with the British trucks.
Then I started driving myself started with a Morris Marina van, then VW Van, Ford Transit and the “legendary” Bedford TK, Ford D series etc then I left transport to sell “pop to shops” for 25 years. Although I always kept an interest in trucks, reading my Dad’s Commercial Motor mag (better read then, than now ) and “Truck” magazine (very good imho) and the odd drive.
Returned to the fold a couple of years ago, tramping across the U.K. , now in Ireland, (still looking for my dream driving job and I’ve got at least 20 years to find it!) ,my only regret is that I should have come back years earlier.
howatsi:
Like many on here it’s in the blood, I can remember going with my Dad when I was very young, he used to drive a Dennis with a Jag petrol engine!
And then I used to go with my uncle Donald “Don” Brooke (imho best class 1 driver in Huddersfield), he used to drive an AEC Mandator reg no CCX10K hauling pallets of pop and sometimes an AEC Mercury (which was a flying machine 70mph+).
Then I started driving myself started with a Morris Marina van, then VW Van, Ford Transit and the “legendary” Bedford TK, Ford D series etc then I left transport to sell “pop to shops” for 25 years.
Was that the place? I remember we use to get a delivery from Ben Shaws and I would be the first to get to the dandelion and burdock. It helped that my dad owned the pub
We use to get the Corona man as well as Hagues
Humprey Bolton I thank you
6 days old in carrycot in Guy big Jay then every holiday, day off in the lorry with my dad. Then lived in the truck with my dad for 5 months in Spain and Gib every week and abit of night time driving on N1.
Started Shunting @ Avialink for 3years then @ Reed Boardall for 2years then met the girlfriend had kids so was stuck in a warehouse and doing transit dels but they put me through my class 2 and adr did 2.5 years and had 2 quit to look after my son but hopefully should have funding for class 1 soon so cant wait.
Ever since i was a child i have been fascinated with trucks.
We used to travel to Northern Ireland to visit my grandparents on holidays and i would head head off with my uncle in the lorry on heavy haulage work
I worked in a truck breakers yard as a teenager and was always shunting around the yard
At 19 i moved to Cork and got a job shunting for a tank company.
I gained great experience on handling tanks and got a few frights
I got my licence at 20 and worked for a friend on groupage to Dublin
Since then i have done fridge work,bulk tippers and low loaders.
I have returned to the tank firm i started with when i was 19 and i love every minute of it
Like a lot of people its in the family… Grandads always been a lorry driver, and dad along with my uncles.
Going through school was alright, average results etc… went to college and was persuaded to go to uni, did a degree in transport managment. Worked part time at DHL messing about with the trucks/tankers and in the office, problem wa sno full time available when i finished
So as i didnt want to go in to the office “blind” i wanted some experiance of the real world you know… plus no one would take me on a grad training scheme as “no managment experiance” erm… isnt that the point of training me?
So went about doing my truck licences, got on the firm old man works for and loving every minute!
I too was ‘volunteered’ to take my class 2 whilst in Army
Then when the army paid me back my shilling (made redundant) - they also paid for me to do my class one as my resettlement course… - I thought that if nothing else came up, at least i could get a job…!!
The joined Notts Cops as a civvy 999 operator - lasted 13 years before they ‘overmanaged’ the job
Became driving instructor - good fun - but never got within a sniff of 30k !!
life change (single again) - needed a job, dusted off licence, had medical, signed up with agency - not looked back
Cannot believe the variety of work i have done since November - just debating whether to give tramping a go, see if i like that, but not had any chance yet
Enjoying it, even if this week i am covered in cement dust
. They said you’ve got a psv licence you can drive 7.5 ton. Said i would give it a go. Then they said you can drive 7.5ton you can drive class 2 and the rest is history. Kept me working though.
) and was off to Liverpool docks with my first load. 
) and “Truck” magazine (very good imho) and the odd drive.
- I thought that if nothing else came up, at least i could get a job…!!