left school and srtarted working at the local smiddy (blacksmiths) after i passed me car test i got a partime job with the local fruit and veg man, as soon as i was 18 he offered me a full time job on 7.5 tonners been driving vans and 7.5 tonners since then apart from the odd stint here and thjere doing otherthing
Quinny:
Fascinating stories.For me,it all started when I was 11.
I used to to go to my late Grandmas house on a Friday night,and stay the weekend,which for an 11 year old,a trip from Gateshead to Birtley on the bus,was a long journey,even though it is only about 4 miles,and my late uncle,had a Saturday job at the local bakery on the vans. (He was 16.)
I begged him to ask if any of the drivers needed an extra hand,and went in one Saturday morning,and was ‘teamed up’ with a guy who said,that providing I could lift a tray of bread,I could go out on his run with him,as his sidekick.
Much struggling later,we set off,and that was my first foray into the road transport business.I was then going on different runs,with different drivers,some of who will now no longer be with us,and the vehicles that were used,were Leyland 550FG’s,the one with the engine in the cab,and the 4 speed box.
That was it,I was hooked,although the ‘pay’ of between 50p and £1 per shift,made me feel like a millionaire.
When that bakery closed,the nearby bakery of Mothers Pride in Gateshead beckoned,as my Dad used to drink with one of the drivers supervisors there,and he was aware that I ‘worked’ at Birtley,so a ‘transfer’ later,and I was back in my by now,familiar surroundings,and still loving it.Gateshead had the same vehicles,so at least I knew what to expect insofar as the noise and smell. ( I defy ANYONE,to say they hate the smell of fresh bread.)
I stayed there until after I left shool with very few qualifications,and subsequently the move by them to bring in newer vehicles,like the Leyland Terrier,which were like Rolls Royces compared to the 550FG,but as soon as I left school,I went to work at the fruit and veg market on the Team Valley,and stuck that for about 3 months,as I hated it,but was in my element,as I used to see the artics bringing in the supplies.
I think it was about this time,that Convoy was on at the pictures,and I knew then what I wanted to do,so a stint back at the bakery,and the move over the river to Westerhope once Gateshead closed,and I stayed there until I got my licence to drive cars,and as was then,7.5 tonners,and I was taken on full time by the bakery.I was like a dog with 2 whatsits.
I stayed there until I got sacked a while later,for a discrepancy on a batch of returns,which I still protested until I finally closed that period of my life.
Not long after that,I moved to Yorkshire,and married my long suffering wife,Tracey,and got my class 2 in 1991,and started work for Clarkes in Ossett,(NOT the brewery.) and in 1996,passed my class 1,and was immediately give an F10,reg no.F462 BOP.It was only a 320,with a 4 over 4,but I thought I was the dogs danglies,and what was also nice,is that I was given the North East run,once I had passed my test,so I was able to see my parents on a daily basis.The run was going for about 4 weeks,until I got my licence,and the gaffer promised me I could have it,once I was successful,a promise which he kept.
Not long after that,I got a proper truck,An ERF EC 14 6x2,L925 RDT,with twin split,which fellow TN member Stuart who is now at Stobbies,used to have.Although it was limited to 53mph,I didn’t care,because I had a motor with a real engine and box in it.Unfortunately,I totalled it in February 2000,and was in intensive care,luckily on Tyneside,and had 8 weeks off,but it didn’t deter me.
Over the years,I have had a couple of spells off the road,at the fruit market,working for Woolworths in Newcastle city centre, (Working with nice laydeeees.
) and spells in traffic offices,but I still seem to come back driving,and despite it’s problems,as a lot of jobs have,I wouldn’t do anything else at the moment.
So there we are,At 43,I’ve been involved with trucks since 11,some 32 years,and despite the infighting we sometimes have within the industry,I still think it’s the best job in the world,and if we could only deal with the lack of facilities,the RDC’s,TM’s that think they can do better,then we would be given the respect that we deserve.
Ken.
I’m not gonna tell the whole story, but I was driving tractors at 8, and cars at 11 (off road mind) I could load 8 course of hay, either stacking or loading at about 14, and rope and sheet 10t of fert or feed. (we didn’t use the sheets much like) The official driver used to stop as soon as we got off the public highway and tell me to get on with it, so I was probably better at going backwards than forward by the time I was 21.
Oh and the reason for the reply, at 17 I was bought an ex council 550 fg, dropsided tipper. I used to go all over in it, we still have the back end now, with a different axle in, as a light farm trailer. My main memories of it apart from the noise, were the backward opening doors, and the crash box, and the fact that every now and then we would borrow my uncles Bedford TK, and I thought all my Birthdays had come together.
That’s my life history uptill about 18, I’ll post a bit more on the next ‘how did you get into driving’ thread
Oh! and…
Convoy didn’t help 
probably caught the bug when i joined up with driver hire when i was 18 being a drivers mate, always wanted to get my licences. got my class 2 at 21 and my class 1 in august,
drove vans from 19 up till i was 22, mostly for parcel companies, dhl, home dleivery network, amtrak etc but my best one was with johnstones paints,
brilliant wee job, some days id have 3 deliveries to do, though it averaged about 10 drops some days int he centre of edinburgh.
one day they really put me to the test though, they have 2 shops in edinburgh probably about a mile and a half from each other and the borders driver does the borders runs from both shops, well i got those plus all the edinburgh runs from both shops. they seemed shocked that i had managed to do edinburgh and the borders and be back in the shop for 2 oclock from 9am lol (normal driver on just the borders run was back about 3 most days) but they forgot i was used to high volume deliveries before i went to them.
had a laugh though there and learnt how to mix paint and drive a forklift, we had a forklift race in the carpark one morning, we somehow had 3 forklifts at one point, one was broken but it was probably the oldest thing in the shop.
I got hauled into the TM’s office and he told me the EU were handing out grants for LGV training, and would i like to drive the trucks. I went out riding shotgun at weekends before you see.
2 months after that meeting I could drive class 2 and was very happy, and so was my new boss (was in diff department before) as it hadnt cost him a dime…2 years down the line and still working for same company and still out driving and thoroughly enjoy it, compared to being in the office - best decision i ever made.
So the EU do do somethings right… 
My test was on a friday, and when i came back into the yard i looked on the rota and saw i was down for a run to nottingham on sunday,
This rota went up before my test had taken place so he must of assumed me passing was a 100% guarantee - thankgod i did or he would of had a big headache while eating his fish and chips friday night.
James
I go with my uncle in the holidays as im only 15 i started going around 10 but im hoping to be a driver in the near future aswel
Some good stories in this topic aswel
Josh
how did i get to be a lorrydriver
well you need to take the first step
REMOVE BRAIN 
I was working for an Audi dealership in Hull and delivered a car to a potato farmer near Goole.
This farmer also ran artics on general haulage out of Goole docks and on his own potatoes.
When I delivered his car we got talking about a job,he said “ring me if you fancy doing it and Ill put you through your tests”. A couple of weeks went past I took him up on his offer and passed them both first time.
Started straight away on a FH12 doing steel and timber.
FJL Chantrys of Goole,I owe it all to them!!!
I grew up beside the A11, and my bedroom window overlooked the road. Many was the warm summer night I went to sleep to the sounds of the night trunkers whooshing past.
I started out working in IT, worked at that for a few years, got my car licence when I was 26 because the insurance was cheaper. We got a van, a very nice VW transporter T5 TDi with 90bhp. Six months later, we wound it up after PC world opened up down the road, and I could get a complete machine from them for less than the price of the parts from the wholesaler.
So, there we were, with a nice big powerful van, and nowt to do to pay for it… so… upped the insurance and went courier driving. Got hooked up with a local company, and went all over England and Wales, a trip into Scotland (not far enough in tho 
) and 2 trips each to Germany and Ireland. I was hooked. I was also driving their 7.5tonners.
A few years later, I relocated to WSM and signed up with badgerline to drive busses. Kinda messed that up, but I’d ticked the C learners box on the form when I’d been given it by them… think ahead
I took my C, passed second time, and went off to work for BT, then a spell tramping in an 18 tonner with a low roof cab
Five years down the line, and I took my class 1, and now I live in a big cab DAF tramping round Europe. Who’d have thunk it?
PS: Convoy didn’t help me either
I wanted to be a serial killer but there were no vacancies so i had to settle for driving
Airfreight:
I was working for an Audi dealership in Hull and delivered a car to a potato farmer near Goole.
This farmer also ran artics on general haulage out of Goole docks and on his own potatoes.
When I delivered his car we got talking about a job,he said “ring me if you fancy doing it and Ill put you through your tests”. A couple of weeks went past I took him up on his offer and passed them both first time.
Started straight away on a FH12 doing steel and timber.
FJL Chantrys of Goole,I owe it all to them!!!
Was Dave Walker there with you?
Were you a proper Goolie or just visiting? 
When me & me bruv were nippers,my uncle used to drive an scammel 8 legger flatbed for A E Athersmiths in barrow,so the bug bit there & then,we used to get in the cab at their yard & ride the mile or two to the end of our road then have to be dragged out kicking & screeming cos we wanted to go with him!!! A few years later and me dad ended up driving class 1 for TJ Robbins in london colney( this was 1977) and he drove a scania 80,so come the weekend we would go with him to a sand place at woburn sands( i think its still going) where he would usually collect 21 1 ton bags of sand,me & me bruv helping roll out or roll up the sheets or winding down the trailer legs if needed,come the summer hols & we went as often as we wanted.As an aside my school mates dad drove a volvo F88 for chevron out of buncefield,got to ride in that once as well.Never had much interest in trucks after that till this year,having spent the last 26 years as a mechanic,culminating in setting up my own BMW garage i was looking for a truck to replace my old 7.5t recovery truck,went to look at a brand new MAN TGL 180 & the rest they say is history!!!
left school on the Monday started work on the Tuesday as a second man for 2 years. then moved up to driving 7.5t for 2 years then got told all 7.5t were go so took my class 1 at the age of 21 passed. the next day sent out in 17t with 25 drops then after a 12 months sent out with the big boys and i haven’t look back .
Because like all teenagers I thought I knew best, instead of listening to my parents when they told me to stick in at school…What a ■■■■!!!
Rubbish Larry.
Your parents had nowt to do with it.
You chose to throw yourself out of too many planes wearing a cissy red hat and landed on your head that many times that you lost all sense.
The rest, they say is history.
You may have a point there Maoster, but then again what was I talking about again■■?
i started on a YTS course back in 1985. i was one of the lucky ones which got placed with a firm that wanted you there. in my second week there, went out with a driver and he jack-knifed the wagon (atki-borderer) on a slip road, i didnt come to any harm, the truck was a write off and the driver got potted. didnt put me off.
the course/scheme was with a firm called Ribble Valley training, from Preston ,no doubt some of you will remember it. i spent some time there in the classroom but most of the time i was at Naylors of Leyland learning the job. ropes and sheets where the norm and tautliners a new idea. past my class 3 when i was 18, passed on friday, in london monday. 10ton leyland boxer, no power steering and no sleeper. then got my class 1 at 21, and that was the end of my 5yr apprenticeship. my first artic was a mark two leyland marathon with a 290 ■■■■■■■ in it, thought i was in heaven.
always remember other drivers asking how i got a job at naylors as at the time it was a case of dead mans shoes getting a job there. how things have changed.
left for pastures new when i was about 28 to go working for a builders firm driving a rigid wth a hiab on.
ive spent the last 6yrs on an flt working 4on 4 off in a brewery, always kept my hand in driving doing the odd bit of overtime. and it wasnt that hard of a decision to move over to the transport department when push came to shove.
now work nights trunking, drive a new man 440 pulling tautiners that dont even have buckles HECK! there aint even a gearstick in the cab,
back where i belong doing what i do best
big thanks to Brain Naylor for giving me that start. Ribble Valley training for training me, but a huge thanks to Norman Brown (the foreman) for teaching me so much.
ofton wonder if the young drivers scheme is still going. it was a good way for young lads to be taught proper.
I started at barclaycard out of school loved it but they moved my department 40miles away to coventry and at the time I wasn’t prepared to do the commute with no extra money which is what they put to us. Then went into car sales for 2 years until march of this year, when I realised I’d had enough of it all(thank god I’m not in car sales at this point of the economic crisis!) Thought well I’ve done the whole office based thing, done sales it was good, money was good if you plugged away like a f***er but it wasn’t what I want to do indefinetly. Saw an ad for drivers mate thought , I think I wanna be a truck driver I’ll try being a mate for a bit and see if I like life on the road. I did and within 3 days of mating(so to speak) I’d booked up on a course with Sterling(yes learnt my lesson now!) passed my test first time round with one minor (really suprised at passing and with so few faults!) and am still mating as no one will take me on Panasonic who I work at won’t take me on as main drivers are run by Wincanton and they are happy with who they have and to work there via agency you have to be min 23 with 2 years exp. I’m 22 with 0 months let alone years exp! not good! Just biding my time, applying for relevant jobs and waiting for my break…and waiting…and waiting…
I started my driving career at 18 delivering parcels for United Carriers at Gildersome. They had rigids and artics and just fancied giving it a go, so saved up and did my class one exactly one month after my 21st birthday…July 28 1989! Cost me £450 and been doing it ever since.
Thinking about it, I cudda murdered the examiner and been out by now
my dad is a a driver thats what sarted me of the sound of his 142 scania i started going with my dad at about 2 years old been truck mad ever since 
As most young lads went with my dad through school holidays, then started of in transit done some 71/2 tonne work but not much old employer said he would put me through my class 1 i jumped at the chance i failed ridget first time round passed on second go then had weeks crash course on artic passed on jan 9 /1999 not looked back since done fridge work for a while and now on walkin floor work. Different work every day of week now.