Why is it when anyone asks about info on a certain company as regards employment they will always get answers about the vehicles and runs etc 
Surely the most important answer that person is looking for is THE PAY
The type of truck they may drive is way down the list.
Some years ago I was driving up the A1 near Doncaster, listening to two east coast drivers discussing pay, one asked the other what his pay rise was that year, the other answered “I didn’t get one, I was offered a raise or this new Volvo, I took this Volvo” meanwhile back home his family can’t afford the nice extras in life, What a pillock 
The kit I’m expected to live in is an important factor for me Pat. If it’s some junker then the pay had best be top notch or it won’t be happening. Better kit vs pay is a balancing act for many drivers. You want enough to maintain your standard of living, but also want to have a truck that is comfortable and runs that you can cope with. How that falls is an individual choice I guess.
Then again, I’m out here getting $9 an hour and driving junkers for a pittance by local standards. It’s the extras that got me to do this job.
If I was looking for a permenant job here, I’d be after a far better pay rate, and a truck no older than 2000 with a big condo on the back. But, of course, I’d take a few years in a junker if it was a choice of that or things not happening at all… Got to add it all up and see how it all comes together I suppose.
The truck is important, but to compare the hassle of shifting your stuff into a new truck vs staying put in one you know well and getting more $$$? I’d take the money 
pat your spot on,money is the only reason why i go to work.i could not care if they gave me the oldest truck in the company as long as i get paid.if the truck breaks down their problem not mine as i’m getting paid to sit there.some guys like the top vehicles to run around in with all the extra trimmings on it.but i think that drivers on here like to try and give as much info about the company as possible,what the pay and conditions are like,the units and trailers that they have,if the boss is ok or he/she is a pratt etc.this way the person going for any job will have a balanced view on what they are going for and that they can make up their minds on the info that drivers on here give to them.its like if you ask 6 drivers for directions to some where,9 out of 10 times you will get 6 different answers but all lead to the same place,so you make the decision on what route suits you best depending on what direction you are coming from.so based on the info you get about a company you can make a decision on weather to take the job or not.but pat your right the bottom line about any job is the money. 
the pay is important but so are all the other factors too.
what about the pension scheme, if the company pay into a pension scheme as well as the driver then this is also a pay inducement, if they offer 10% of the salary as long as the driver put’s in the same then that is a 10% pay rise above the basic pay.
the trucks you drive are also important, this is what leads to long term employment, happy drivers tend to stay put, if they run old tackle that is poorly maintained and every time you get in a truck you have to go to the garage to get it fixed you are not going to be too happy about it and will probably leave pretty ■■■■ quick, regretting ever setting foot inside the place.
the next thing is the office, are they on the phone all the time pushing you because they are bad planners or want every pound of sweat out of you they can get?
do they even have phones for the trucks or is it some other satellite based technology where they can spy on you but they still want to call you up on your own phone to jolly you along a bit, do they want you to use your own phone for their business etc.
when people ask about companies they want as much info as possible, anyone can find out about the pay structure before the interview, just ask the company what the pay is.
it’s the hidden things that tip the scales of balance and help people decide which way to go.
dunno about the rest but i look at the trucks before i enter the office for the interview…if the yard and the tackle look ok i will carry on…the pay would be the final straw of whether i take the job or not…in the past i have had many interviews for jobs and when the discussion turns to money they shy away why is that ? and they often quote you a drivers top earnings…on one occasion after all the formalities i asked about pay…well you can earn this and that but our johnny took home £800 last week…turns out johnny had worked 7 days and was going on holiday his wage included the holiday pay…on another occasion i went for an interview (mate of mine worked there) took the driving assesment and went into the office for the normal chat…they asked what experience i had (the job was all international work) told them i had done it all been there got the t shirt sand in me boots etc…never heard a thing…when i asked my mate he said that i had too much experience…thats why they turned me down…what a load of codswallop…
have a nice day
Some quite variable answers so far 
thank you
I can give you a for instance in my life. In 87 I left Swifts to work for Transfleet and got the very first Daf 95 to go into service in the UK, this was followed within a few weeks by 5 more at my depot, after 8 months I quit to work for Fed Ex and got a 5 year old Merc with a small (half) sleeper. One day driving up the M6 I passed an old Swift workmate in his shinny F10, covered with extras.
“Hey Pat !, what yer doin’ driving that pile of junk ?” he asked.
“Making twice the money you are” was my answer and he never said another word
It is a far different kettle of fish over here where most drivers are paid by the mile and are away for months, not just days, they really do live in the truck so I can see why they want something special, even so I still can’t understand why they want those clumbersome, dinasaur like Peterbuilt’s and KW’s. I could quite easily live in my Volvo if needed, as it happens I am mostly regional and home most nights. If my boss said he would pay me more money to drive an older, less fancy truck I would take the extra money
Personally I do it for the Love of it… So, A nice truck is important to me… Doesn’t have to be the dogs, but summut clean enuf to live in comfortably…
When I was in an office, there was always a battle to get the newest PC, largest screen, or swively chair… They are ‘perks’ of the job… Not ones you can take home, but if they make you feel more wanted or special, then that’s gotta be a good thing… 
So in that sense, trucks are just very expensive swively chairs… 
Luv
Chrisie… 