switchlogic:
Hungary is a great country, it’s a great spin down there. Plus they also have Tesco
Do they still have the great big fish tank and the guy with the waders dispatching carp with a ballpein hammer?
IronEddie:
Chunkzilla:
Roymondo:
But typical lorry driver’s mindset that thinks he’s on a cushy day worthy of mention despite the fact that he’s been “at work” for over eight hours …Very dark attitude that, long before I was driving for a living I worked in retail and I cannot remember one shift where I finished in less than 12 hours. It’s not just as drivers that we work long hours. It’s in masses of industries.
My point was merely that, given the outlook of many drivers, is that the job doesn’t have to be soul crushing. I just wish that people could see that the job isn’t necessarily the worst of all the options.I work in catering. Only an 8 hour day is a godsend haha. Can’t wait to be in the driving seat of a lorry instead.
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
I worked in an Italian restaurant in a ■■■■■■■■ tourist town.
In for 8.30 to do lunch prep and a breakfast in the joined on hotel.
12 to 2, lunch service and evening prep.
2 to 5 “leisure time” to wash whites, pay pool, have a few pints etc.
5 to 10 evening service (always busy).
11 till finish, tidy up and drink the remaining wine from the “house bottles”.
12ish to whenever, drink more, shag waitresses/ cleaners/tourists/ locals/ sheep.
Whenever to 7.50 sleep shower dress.
6 days a week.
Day off was generally the same but without the cooking.
happysack:
IronEddie:
Chunkzilla:
Roymondo:
But typical lorry driver’s mindset that thinks he’s on a cushy day worthy of mention despite the fact that he’s been “at work” for over eight hours …Very dark attitude that, long before I was driving for a living I worked in retail and I cannot remember one shift where I finished in less than 12 hours. It’s not just as drivers that we work long hours. It’s in masses of industries.
My point was merely that, given the outlook of many drivers, is that the job doesn’t have to be soul crushing. I just wish that people could see that the job isn’t necessarily the worst of all the options.I work in catering. Only an 8 hour day is a godsend haha. Can’t wait to be in the driving seat of a lorry instead.
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
I worked in an Italian restaurant in a ■■■■■■■■ tourist town.
In for 8.30 to do lunch prep and a breakfast in the joined on hotel.
12 to 2, lunch service and evening prep.
2 to 5 “leisure time” to wash whites, pay pool, have a few pints etc.
5 to 10 evening service (always busy).
11 till finish, tidy up and drink the remaining wine from the “house bottles”.
12ish to whenever, drink more, shag waitresses/ cleaners/tourists/ locals/ sheep.
Whenever to 7.50 sleep shower dress.6 days a week.
Day off was generally the same but without the cooking.
With the booze and the ■■■ you don’t make it sound so bad!
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
IronEddie:
happysack:
I worked in an Italian restaurant in a ■■■■■■■■ tourist town.
In for 8.30 to do lunch prep and a breakfast in the joined on hotel.
12 to 2, lunch service and evening prep.
2 to 5 “leisure time” to wash whites, pay pool, have a few pints etc.
5 to 10 evening service (always busy).
11 till finish, tidy up and drink the remaining wine from the “house bottles”.
12ish to whenever, drink more, shag waitresses/ cleaners/tourists/ locals/ sheep.
Whenever to 7.50 sleep shower dress.6 days a week.
Day off was generally the same but without the cooking.
With the booze and the ■■■ you don’t make it sound so bad!
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
Exactly. Sounds like a Roman ■■■■
For a person who is tramping and thinks his work is finished after 8 and a half hours is really living in dream land free security living in a box for 20 quid away from his family ■■■■■■■ in a bottle if he needs to during the night
There really is a lot of deluded people in this game
nightline:
For a person who is tramping and thinks his work is finished after 8 and a half hours is really living in dream land free security living in a box for 20 quid away from his family ■■■■■■■ in a bottle if he needs to during the night
There really is a lot of deluded people in this game
I ■■■■ down drains or into flowers, I’m not some sort of savage.
A.
muckles:
Roymondo:
Working 8 hours and having to endure a Toby Carvery meal without my nearest & dearest to share the “experience” (and kipping alone in a lorry afterwards) still sounds like drudgery to me TBH.different jobs suit different people, tried tramping, day work and agency mixed bag over the years, but if I had to do General Haulage again I’d much prefer tramping to day work.
I’m a teacher, I drive agency in the holidays a bit, but every August I start seriously thinking about going full time driving, lol.
I’ve had plenty of offers, but what has stopped me so far is that the time off is great, with me still having young children, but once they’re old enough, I’m making the jump. The money’s roughly the same, (I’m on 32k as a teacher) but the stress is SO much less. Plus I occasionally actually get praised by agency clients, which is a totally alien concept to me in education! On my very first class one job, I actually got a tip from the delivery site, and I’ve had various backhanders, etc since. I love it.
Nursing… Rubbish hours rubbish pay, mentally exhausting. Only good thing everyone agrees. Saying that we all had the same choices at the careers office. But its really got bad these past few years.
Adonis.:
nightline:
For a person who is tramping and thinks his work is finished after 8 and a half hours is really living in dream land free security living in a box for 20 quid away from his family ■■■■■■■ in a bottle if he needs to during the night
There really is a lot of deluded people in this gameI ■■■■ down drains or into flowers, I’m not some sort of savage.
A.
I ■■■■ in a prostitutes mouth. It’s expensive but hygienic.
switchlogic:
yorkshire terrier:
I only do occasional nights out now due to not wanting to be out all week.
But in my experience the ones that moaned about tramping were not doing it right,ie not setting their cabs up to be comfortable.
One bloke I worked with used to hate tramping and moan like hell,nut then he used a sleeping bag all week,never carried food etc and used to moan about been stuck in a lay by with no facilities etc,
If I do a night out I know that I have all the facilities I need in my cab,proper bedding on my bunk,stove,food,water,kettle,toiletries etc.
If you do it right it can be OKThis, a hundred times this.
I miss tramping, don’t get me wrong I love my wife and kids but I love peace and quiet and time to myself even more, I never once perceived tramping as a chore, the only chore about my job was having to sit in waiting rooms with other drivers.
switchlogic:
I ■■■■ in a prostitutes mouth. It’s expensive but hygienic.
I ■■■■ into bottles to chuck at whinging day drivers, I find prostitutes too heavy to throw well and it gives the receiving driver the wrong idea, they are not my ideal candidate for the final third of a spit roast!
Tramping has it’s upsides and downsides, like others have said, the upsides for me outweigh the downsides.
I make sure the cab is set up nice and cosy, I carry food for the week - even when I stop in services for the night, I often still cook for myself and most importantly I keep my cab up to a high standard so it’s a nice space to live and work in.
I’ve been doing M-F and only having the weekend at home, and a big commute (1.5hrs) was starting to be a strain. We’ve moved house now though, and I’m 20mins from the yard and have changed shift pattern to 5-on 3-off, which I think will suit me/us better.
UKtramp:
Been tramping most all of my working life, cant say I get excited over it much. However I never complain as in some respects its a great way of life if you have the right attitude. Secret to my longevity at the job is my wife, I have her to thank as I can’t stand her around me for long so the been away all week is better than been around her for too long. a week at home and I am leaping into my cab. Glad some one else thinks its a good life too. I do the lottery each week just so that if I win I can give the money to her to [zb] off.
you’re doing that lotto wrong! 
when you win, give her her two pound back. 
then tell her to do one. 
Very good points made re food and setting cab up to be comfortable. You need to make it somewhere you are happy to spend time in. I’d hate tramping if I had to live in some of the skip like cabs I see. If I can make a truck cosy despite swapping trucks every week or so anyone can
Well I like tramping, but by Friday I want to be home.
8 hours? Pubs? Not for me.
I max out every week, minimum rests to the second, sit on the limiter all day, and am continually pushed on the phone by my boss all day, love it
I have even had to resort to running bent to achieve my workload which keeps increasing every week.
However I love my job as I drive a V8 Topliner with all the extras which my boss allows me to buy myself, he even lets me trade my holidays for extras, and pays me 7 quid an hour for the first 60 hours, so he aint all bad.
I usually park in lay bys as I like to be shook about all night just to experience the feel of real tramping, plus I can get away faster in the morning.
I prefer to eat a meal in my cab, usually a Ginsters pie and a can of Coke, never miss them as I try and look after myself.(although I’ve been getting some chest pains lately for some reason)
Living the dream in fact I’ve applied for a couple of Euro tramping jobs at a couple of firms DeRooy in Holland and Nolans in Eire, anybody know what they’re like to work for?
I mean, come on, dozy’s gone now. 
Radar19:
Well I like tramping, but by Friday I want to be home.
Yeah, I concur with this ^^
I sometimes think, usually a Monday and occasionally a Tuesday, that I’ll offer up for a Saturday job, then Thursday arrives when weekend work is being offered around, and Eddie Snax is all of a sudden very shy to raise his hand and accept, oh well !!
Years ago I did weekends galore and weekending too, but those days have faded away 
Radar19:
Well I like tramping, but by Friday I want to be home.
Agree, like Eddie Snax I think I might do Saturday but then try my best to get out of it. I have had to change that rule now though as I will be at work for the next 14 days but I do get 6 days total off during that. I have Wednesday to Sunday next week in Hungary as time off
I could live with that
mrginge:
Radar19:
Well I like tramping, but by Friday I want to be home.Agree, like Eddie Snax I think I might do Saturday but then try my best to get out of it. I have had to change that rule now though as I will be at work for the next 14 days but I do get 6 days total off during that. I have Wednesday to Sunday next week in Hungary as time off
Plenty time for sight seeing and beer, do it in that order, because beer and sight seeing, tends to up as beer and beer
Good luck with your new job matey
For all my fans out there, I made it to the Hungaroring.
Got to the outskirts of Budapest Saturday morning and stayed in the Steiner Autohof till we could enter the track this morning.
All in all a nice jolly down here and I only got lost once about 5km from the circuit when I missed the last junction of the motorway to turn off so went off a slip road later and figured out how to get back just winging it.