i can remember buying truck and driver when i was eleven with the "brand new"ford cargo on the front,cos i liked the look of it.got me hooked on trucks which is strange,cos all the blokes on my dads side for generations were seafarers(but im frightened of ships).managed to get an apprenticeship with ryder,and worked there for 12 years,before applying to all the car transporter firms and constantly hassling them,till a guy at richard lawsons gave me a break in 1999,and ive never looked back.yes i do love my job,the hassles,the stress,the pressure,and the people i meet,friends i have made,places i have seen.i wouldnt go back in a factory for all the tea in china. 
My first drive on the road in a lorry was at the age of 16 
we used to hang out at a farm/haulage and scrapyard,one evening
boss man decides to send me to chinese takeaway but only vehicle
around was a D series 7.5 tonner loaded with jersey spuds,so he tells
me to take it down to village and get grub,when i get back he asked if I hit
anything,when i replied no he says thats good then you can eat your grub
and run upto covent garden with them spuds,so started a career in haulage.
past my test in that d series,then at 21 past class 3 in a 15ton d series, 28yrs
on still driving,alltho not a d series.
dbcooper:
My first drive on the road in a lorry was at the age of 16
we used to hang out at a farm/haulage and scrapyard,one evening
boss man decides to send me to chinese takeaway but only vehicle
around was a D series 7.5 tonner loaded with jersey spuds,so he tells
me to take it down to village and get grub,when i get back he asked if I hit
anything,when i replied no he says thats good then you can eat your grub
and run upto covent garden with them spuds,so started a career in haulage.
past my test in that d series,then at 21 past class 3 in a 15ton d series, 28yrs
on still driving,alltho not a d series.
Sounds good i bet alot has changed in them whole 28 years ago since going in the 7.5 tonner
did a 25 year+ stretch in a factory, about 2001 ended up working Fri-Sun inclusive, so therefore had 4 days every week to fill in with some thing else. Enter the part time agency work idea. So started with van/7.5t work and in no time at all was looking forward to Monday crawling round. A little later the factory job went back to Mon-Fri so the agency work mostly went with it. A local recovery/breakdown firm advertised for a part-time driver, so I went for that, and then in 2004 took my class2 followed in2005 by my class1 and a huge learning curve and variety of work (part-time on agency). Then last year at this time, I got my present job driving wagon and drag on nighttime paper/cardboard recycling collections(another huge learning curve), I’m now just stating to relax a little and enjoy the job, but it sure beats 7 colours of s@@t out of any factory job
ever since i can remember i have wanted to be a truck driver (its all my brother dieselcowboy’s fault!!), all through school getting the truck mags etc, truckspotting on the school bus etc, i left school and was desperate to get on the young drivers scheme, but that was out of reach sadly, however, a family friend owns haven logistics in felixstowe which is a trailer operator, i worked in the office there, getting to know hauliers and drivers etc, when i passed my car test i was doing dock runs, eventually managed to get a job with a local removal company, that didnt work out, luckily i had got to know n c cammack and sons in my time at haven, i spoke to them, and they took me on in a mercedes 310 tautliner van, i was king of the road!! when i was 18, they put me through my 7.5 tonner test, and off i went, doing my ventures into europe in it at 18 (more about that elsewhere on this site), i left for a year doing tyre fitting, then had a class 2 and 1 dangled in front of my nose, how could i refuse!! i was there a couple more years, then i thought it was going downhill a bit, and also the oppertunity of a job with a tied house was too good to turn down, so i went on the bulk. personal circumstances made that job very arkward, and i managed to get a job with transam (i had been trying for a couple of years), and managed to get on well and keep working, so here i am, and, unless it changes for the worse, im not going anywhere!!
Needed a job with a half decent wage so got my class 2. Wanted more money, got my class 1!
a few years ago i had a quick spin in my mates 7.5 tonner round the block (off road of course) and thought there and then about driving trucks problem was i didnt even have a car licence. a few years later i got the car licence then went straight into my lgv training eventually passed in september and had one days work since. great. im still glad ive done it though and i will persivere 
my dad was a lorry driver, he drove for bicc, something to do with cables back in late 50,s / 60,s i used to go with him in school hols, then i got into steam engines at mirfield sheds , they had a small 3 wheel thing with a lister diesel engine and a 15 foot trailer, it took me about 3 weeks to master that , i think i was about twelve, then i used to go and stand outside the gates at brs and rw edwards in dewsbury, in school hols used to jump in with drivers and help out in yard, at thirteen i could load bales of wool and knew how to rope and sheet, although i didnt have strenght to pull ropes tight enough, then i had my big break, my dad new the manager at brs , i used to go there on sundays and wash the lorrys, they had bristols and leylands, guys and aec,s proper lorry,s,lots of stories , too many to tell,did some fitting ,then some driving, then this and that, but always loved the road, at the moment i drive for walton transport out of kilkenny ,ireland u.k. , holland, all legal, home every other weekend, got an 07 plate megaspace actross its the dogs b ollocks, keep on trucking
As most of you say, its in the blood. There is no other way to describe it, it is a way of life. Ever since i was knee high to a grasshopper, i always went with my dad in his trucks. They ranged from AEC mandators, [which was the truck all new drivers drove, firstly to see if you could hack the job and spend nights out sleeping in the back of the box trailer.] The company was called, Freight line of Bristol, you then got a new Scania 111, my childhood was a dream… Other trucks he drove before the cream [scania] was a Guy big jt4, with a Gardiner 180 [imagine that now, eh?] Me, i passed my test at 21, got my first job driving a series 2 ERF, 250 bhp ■■■■■■■ non turbo… That involved roping and sheeting, [which my father taught me]. I then took my CPC Nat and int and bought my first truck, I got out of that after a spate of bad luck, and went on my first int job… To say it was daunting, is a slight understatement to say the least… I have pretty much stayed on European work ever since, i am 41 now and i do not see a career change coming soon.
I`m the same as most of you guys!
My dad used to drive for Stewart Taylor Caravans and I loved going with him at the weekends.I started driving 7.5 tonners the started driving buses for First Bus. Hated having to deal with drunks and neds so I saved up and put my self through my class 1 and still love my job!!
Past my HGV test
Like a few of you guys I used to travel with my dad in the fifties and sixties but finally made the transition from HGV fitter to driver when our quarry needed someone urgently. They had put me through my class 2 at Slaters Transport at Pickering, then part of the Tilling Group the same as Tilcon, my employers. Passed first time in March 1976 on a S24 cabbed eight wheeler, F reg,12 speed box, 150 Gardner. Went driving full time in 1982 on a V reg Sed Ak 400 which I had for two years and then back on the Fodens again until redundancy dropped in.
Pete.
hiya ,
wonder if any of the guys on here knows where i can get a motorised caravan mover the type i’m looking for is the powered jockey wheel type the old van isn’t worth putting the remote controlled road wheel drive type , had a dollop of stomach surgery a while back and find it difficult moving the old girl about a problem , old age is another factor but would like to keep going a bit longer , iv’e tried ebay but always they go beyond my means and i get outbid , thanks in anticipaition .
thanks harry long retired .
hiya ,
oops sorry about the above thought i creating a new post and don’t know how to move it HELP .
thanks harry long retired .
WELL IM THE SAME AS MOST OF YOU,STARTED RIDING SHOTGUN WITH MY DAD,GOT MY CAR TEST DONE, AND STARTED 7.5T MULTI DROP…BUT I ALWAYS WANTED TO DRIVE BIGGER STUFF, SO I PAST MY PSV AT 18 AND STARTED ON COACHES,USING THE 50 MILE RADIUS RULE, BEFORE SOMEONE POSTS, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE 21,LOL,STUCK AT THAT FOR 10 YEARS, BUT ID ALWAYS GOT TRUCKS ON MY MIND,SO I SAVED UP AND GAVE BUGCOS A RING, AND DID THE CLASS 2, AND TWO OR THREE WEEKS AFTER DID THE CLASS 1,JOB DONE 
I became a truck driver when i ‘won’ a licence in the grabber machine on skeggy sea front only cost me £5.
its in my genes!
My Grandfather got his licence through grandfather rights and drove for the BRS out of alloa, before starting up a garage, then my father joined him
My Uncle George drove for united distillers out of blackgrange
My Uncle Mat Drove a cargo grab for his fathers company
My Uncle Mark drove for snowies of stirling first on a skip lorry before passing his class one and driving a few artics for them, then he moved to canada, started up as an owner driver and how is currently running a brand new unit out there
My father drove evenings delivering pallets for a local company and after nipping his head i finally got to go along, most evenings as well! in an old H reg FL10 6x2 unit. by the time i was 9 i could drop the trailer & open the curtains.
At the age of 10 i went to help my father at his garage anychance i got! mainly helping with John fyfes mixers and A & R Burnetts trucks for prepairing the the trucks for painting.
The company got given the maintance contract for Carlsberg(Uk) covering almost all the trucks in scotland (kilmores & edinburgh were sub contracters), i used to go out to the breakdowns early in the mornings and simply gaze at all the trucks that would come in & go out, i used to go with the MOTs to the testing station as well on the holidays, and when my fathers company bought a couple of trucks we went to england to pick them up, but couldn’t go cause we brought them up on tradeplates. i did get to come up the road in radius’ new stretched scania 6x2 rigid.
When i turned 16 i left school and was considering joining the royal navy till my father offered me a chance to do my apprentiship as a mechanic on the commercails. i left school on the 6th of june 2006 and was working with my father that afternoon. i worked with him for 2 years before the contract was given up due to closure of business when my grandfather retired.
im now on my second year doing basic plant fitting & workshop trainee with a local hire center. last year i found out they were lowering the age to 18 this year and looked it up on the net then i found this site. this site opened my eyes to the trucking world alot more! I spoke to Willie_mac who got me interested in the middle east running & the tour guys (Euromat, Kindle530 & jacko22) who got me interested in that work as well.
Well all i can say now, is roll on september!
I started through agancy work driving transit vans & the like - I’ll never forget my first “truck” - a merc 814D with a box on the back 
I progressed eventually to my Class 2 and spent a few years working for “Route One Distribution” in Stoke on Trent, the artic drivers seemed to get better work…
I then started to work for a timber company who ultimately put me through my Class 1.
Loving artic work, been driving for SCA, DHL, Culina and now James Irlam Logistics, soon to be Stobart!
Love the job but can;t help thinking the moneys crap for whats expected of you.
Its not a job for relationships either as I know only too well. 
Dad had his own Bedford agency/ recovery / workshop, used to go straight there after school and watch and learn! Used to go out in the old ex-army Scammell wrecker when i could and obviously got in everyones way during school holidays. Funny really because all the farmers lads at school smelled of silage etc, and a few of us smelled of engine oil and diesel!