I don’t blame you Rob. If I wasn’t on nights, I’d quit too. I’ve found that it’s only on nights that the roads are clear enough to actually relax while on the road. Otherwise it’s just plain insane. I don’t fancy going bald from pulling my hair out, or the heart attack from trying not to crush the 40th family today that thinks pulling in front of a loaded wagon is a smart idea…
Good luck Rob, hope it goes well for you mate.
) blood pressure
Spardo:
I’ve heard you’ve got a job all lined up as an Anger Management Consultant.
Sorry to dissappoint you David but I have it on good authority that he has joined the diplomatic service & is going to be our chief negociater with Al Quieda 
Seriously I think you have done the right thing leaving the industry,you never really seemed to settle anywhere you worked & you had enough variety of jobs to know that it’s not down to any particular type of work.
I should think you will notice an improvment in your well being as well, being in an industry you dont like must play hell on your ( 
) blood pressure.
Maybe the next time we see you on here we will see the calm serene Robk 
Truckings loss - Burger Kings gain!
Sorry Rob - couldn’t resist… 
north surrey haulage:
Spardo:
I’ve heard you’ve got a job all lined up as an Anger Management Consultant.Sorry to dissappoint you David but I have it on good authority that he has joined the diplomatic service & is going to be our chief negociater with Al Quieda
Seriously I think you have done the right thing leaving the industry,you never really seemed to settle anywhere you worked & you had enough variety of jobs to know that it’s not down to any particular type of work.
Nowt to do with that really. It doesn’t matter what it is, I don’t like routine. 3 months of doing the same thing annoys the hell out of me and as far as work goes, I think that’s why I’ve spent most of my driving “career” doing agency work as it offers a variety. I like driving trucks; I always have done, but I’ve no patience any longer for the endless realms of 
that comes with the job these days.
I should think you will notice an improvment in your well being as well, being in an industry you dont like must play hell on your (
Maybe the next time we see you on here we will see the calm serene Robk
Over this past week I’ve really enjoyed myself actually. With being home every night at sensible times I’ve been able to get back into a proper eating routine with meals at more-or-less set times through the day and also having the time to make a proper, healthy(ish) meal rather than finding myself having had nothing to eat since a garage sarnie at 10am then ordering a pizza at 10pm as I park up on an Ind Est somewhere 
. Eating like this over the past 4 or 5 years I’ve been doing nights out has caused me to put on some real weight and while 16.5 stone at 6’3 tall might not seem particularly overweight, it is to me who never used to be more than 13 . Trouble was, I never really had the time nor willing to get down the gym and knock some of it off but this week I’ve been down twice already and will be going again this arvo too 
.
What’s been even better is having the time to go out and see people I haven’t seen bloody ages, like family relatives and the lads.
Packing it all in has so far been one of the best things I’ve ever done . When you look back from outside the ball, you wonder to yourself why you put up with it for so long. 60-70hr weeks for £7-8/hr and all the hassle that comes with it 
. I must have been off my head .
NEVER AGAIN.
Good luck to ya Rob…man after me own heart…i have been trying on and off to get out…but always manage to return…over the past 40 years i have been treated like ■■■■■■■■ transport managers…loading/un-loading places…freight forwarders…the whole industry…except by the people that matter most…the drivers…always had that cameraderie…the beer i the pub after work…the quiet chat in the cafe…we earn as much now as we did 20/30 years ago…there isnt much room for manoevre in the wages field…the rates have been cut to the bone…hauliers fighting each other…instead of fighting with each other for better conditions and rates…and the only straw left is to hire cheap foreign labour…and still keep the rates the same…£1 a mile is a joke in this day and age when mini-cab drivers are getting £2 a mile…we have always said for many years…something has to give…but nothing has…we are hated in this industry in the uk…and until a new union is formed…for drivers…run by drivers…then joe public will still feel the same…along with the various organisations that suppose to represent this industry and the people who work in it and are the back bone of road haulage.
Just coming back to this thread for a moment as a number of folks have PM’d me asking why I appear to be back driving again .
You are right, I am back driving! It wasn’t on the agenda in all honesty; I had big plans to go into doing something else but it would appear I hadn’t done my homework as thoroughly as I first thought and it’s nigh-on impossible to get into unless you have a number of letters after your name and also a case of who you know, not what you know, so that was that idea out of the window. I still have money coming in from other sources to keep me afloat but when you get used to the ‘extra’ money from driving, you miss it when it’s not there anymore.
Looking back, in hindsight I don’t think I ever wanted to give up driving. What I did want to put a stop to was the endless grief I was getting from chaos-control aka Archbold’s regarding one thing and another and also the same old [zb] week after week. 60-70hrs per week, 4-5 nights out, same £420ish in the bank etc; it grinds you down and becomes a rut you struggle to see a way out of after a while 
.
Whilst enjoying myself doing absolutely [zb] all work wise, I got a phone call with a tip off about some good paying work on offer if I was interested. I was a bit sceptical as the money seemed too good to be true but I gave it a whirl for just one day and said to the guy that if that day is paid in full and on time then I would seriously consider more regular work. True to his word, it was all kosher and I did 3 night shifts (week nights not weekend nights) for a company the following week, 3x 15hr shifts. I was paid £540 cash in hand for them - incredible. It’s good while the work is there, but it’s a bit hit and miss if I’m honest and I’ve no idea how long it will last.
I’ve been given a few tip-off’s of places to go to earn regular top money too, so tomorrow I shall putting the wheels in motion and ‘making it so’ as Jean-Luc would say, then I shall be ‘working’ for the one with the regular work and the excellent cash-in-hand payer whenever the work is there. Neither pays less than double figures per hour so that suits me just fine.
Life is good at the moment, not just because of the money coming in but also the fact that I’m not tied down to a full-time job. I can work when I want and take time off when I want. Good money, regular work and very flexible working hours = no stress =
