how can you miss the junction mike your following two other drivers 
robroy:
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 dreamI mean, come on, dozy’s gone now.
Too funny lol
tattooed:
how can you miss the junction mike your following two other drivers
I was in the middle and couldn’t see the front truck till he was going round the corner on the slip road so instead of doing anything drastic I just talked to Rob who was behind me and said I was going to be going on a 5mins detour. 
Can help trampers if needed
Hmmmm lemme think. Err no, I’m fine thanks.
the maoster:
Hmmmm lemme think. Err no, I’m fine thanks.
Ha, at least you had a think X
chloelovesfur:
Can help trampers if needed
Where are you?
Chunkzilla:
muckles:
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 …done plenty of non-driving jobs where an 8 hour day was more tiring and dragged more than a normal shift as a truck driver. And if Chunkzilla had been doing a normal job with normal hours, he’d still have to spend time getting to and from work to add on top of the 8.5 hour day.
Great point Muckles!
Say I commuted 30 minutes each way, that makes the aforementioned 8 hour shift a 9 hour shift in reality. Thus my day was 30 minutes shorter
End of the day, you are in a tin box not at home … can’t freely have a shower, or chill on the bed … I did 12 hour days 4 on 4 off and 24 hours off after 2 days … always home etc … doing half the work twice the money, … when you miss out on the kids growing up only yourself to blame goes for all trampers … can’t pop out with the mates after work etc.
Never saw much of my old man(midweek)when he worked 3 shifts down the pit.
Mother worked 3 days a week in a shop aswell.
I survived
Chunkzilla:
0830 start - 1700 finish and Toby carvery and a pint of doom bar to wash it down.
It’s not all doom and gloom y’know!
Tramping-- your doing it right.
Real drivers sleep in their truck, screwdrivers never will. 
discoman:
Chunkzilla:
muckles:
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 …done plenty of non-driving jobs where an 8 hour day was more tiring and dragged more than a normal shift as a truck driver. And if Chunkzilla had been doing a normal job with normal hours, he’d still have to spend time getting to and from work to add on top of the 8.5 hour day.
Great point Muckles!
Say I commuted 30 minutes each way, that makes the aforementioned 8 hour shift a 9 hour shift in reality. Thus my day was 30 minutes shorterEnd of the day, you are in a tin box not at home … can’t freely have a shower, or chill on the bed … I did 12 hour days 4 on 4 off and 24 hours off after 2 days … always home etc … doing half the work twice the money, … when you miss out on the kids growing up only yourself to blame goes for all trampers … can’t pop out with the mates after work etc.
Like I said many times before, you tried it for a few days, it didn’t suit you, that’s fine, we’re all different and you found a job that suited you, that’s great, but those shift wouldn’t work for everybody, mate of mine had a shift like that, good money, but his wife was on a similar work pattern and they hardly saw each other.
I don’t have kids, so no problem missing them grow up, I like being away, I like being on the move, going to new places, day work limits that so it doesn’t suit me, when I was tramping and even with the work I do these days, I worked with and still work with some good mates and get nights out all over Europe with them and most trampers get home at weekends, I’m quite chilled lying on my bunk when I am in a truck, and also never had problems getting showers and most people don’t shower at work so they can’t have a shower when they want.
And there are many jobs where people don’t see much their children grow up, I remember talking to the wife of a friend of mine, he was a Traffic Cop and coming up to retirement, she was saying she was looking forward to it, she told me he’d missed so much of their children growing up, because of the shifts he’d worked in the Police, because he’d be involved in something and couldn’t knock off when he was supposed to.
And then there are builders who work away for long periods, spent loads of time lodging in a Pub in East Sussex that was used by loads of Builders who used to come from all over the Country to work on jobs in the South East. Then there are loads of people who get home everyday, but leave before the children are up and get home after they’ve gone to bed, the probably see as much of their children as Trampers do.
Loving the predictable old… ‘‘Sleeping in the Tin box’’ references from the day men.
Personally if I was not prepared to stop away from home in the job, or not see it as something that just naturally goes with the job of being a truck driver, I wouldn’t have bothered getting a licence to drive a truck in the first place, but hey!..everyones different.
As for missing a lot of time away from my wife and kids that a couple mentioned…
Yeh a few regrets, but I knew what I was getting into, and tbh me and my Mrs get on great, but we’ve never been a couple for being attached to each other like some kind of Siamese twins scenario, and we both feel secure enough about our marriage to be away from each other for lengths of time, and it’s worked for us for a long time now. 
robroy:
Loving the predictable old… ‘‘Sleeping in the Tin box’’ references from the day men.
Personally if I was not prepared to stop away from home in the job, or not see it as something that just naturally goes with the job of being a truck driver, I wouldn’t have bothered getting a licence to drive a truck in the first place, but hey!..everyones different.
As for missing a lot of time away from my wife and kids that a couple mentioned…
Yeh a few regrets, but I knew what I was getting into, and tbh me and my Mrs get on great, but we’ve never been a couple for being attached to each other like some kind of Siamese twins scenario, and we both feel secure enough about our marriage to be away from each other for lengths of time, and it’s worked for us for a long time now.
Yeah, but does she know about Beaver?
the nodding donkey:
robroy:
Loving the predictable old… ‘‘Sleeping in the Tin box’’ references from the day men.
Personally if I was not prepared to stop away from home in the job, or not see it as something that just naturally goes with the job of being a truck driver, I wouldn’t have bothered getting a licence to drive a truck in the first place, but hey!..everyones different.
As for missing a lot of time away from my wife and kids that a couple mentioned…
Yeh a few regrets, but I knew what I was getting into, and tbh me and my Mrs get on great, but we’ve never been a couple for being attached to each other like some kind of Siamese twins scenario, and we both feel secure enough about our marriage to be away from each other for lengths of time, and it’s worked for us for a long time now.Yeah, but does she know about Beaver?
Yeh they get on well, he’s doing marriage guidance as a sideline for us is Beav, and I’m paying him.
He said it works better doing individual contact, he’s seen my wife 10 times now while I’m away,… but he always seems to cancel appointments with me at last minute for some reason. 
Actually there’s a guy who often rings us as a wrong number sounds just like Beav funnily enough.
I think he must be from HM Coastguard, everytime I pick it up, before I speak, he always says ‘‘Is the coast clear’’
discoman:
Chunkzilla:
muckles:
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 …done plenty of non-driving jobs where an 8 hour day was more tiring and dragged more than a normal shift as a truck driver. And if Chunkzilla had been doing a normal job with normal hours, he’d still have to spend time getting to and from work to add on top of the 8.5 hour day.
Great point Muckles!
Say I commuted 30 minutes each way, that makes the aforementioned 8 hour shift a 9 hour shift in reality. Thus my day was 30 minutes shorterEnd of the day, you are in a tin box not at home … can’t freely have a shower, or chill on the bed … I did 12 hour days 4 on 4 off and 24 hours off after 2 days … always home etc … doing half the work twice the money, … when you miss out on the kids growing up only yourself to blame goes for all trampers … can’t pop out with the mates after work etc.
Will never understand this having to be at home every night lark 
As for sleeping in a tin box, mines home from home and dont want for anything. Showers are freely available and the social life when parked up amongst all nationalities is second to none.
The missus did a couple of weeks for me and no complaints at all being out for the four nights per week.
Short distance maybe it is feasable to be home but long distance theres no chance but personally dont see the downside to it at all…
ive parked all over but I can’t think of one that commes anywhere near parking on my drive and spending the night in my house , I think it’s really sad that drivers would rather stop in a truck than spend time with the Mrs / kids , I do it but hate it , my only thoughts are friday and going to my family / house
Though I’m not suprised , the amount of our drivers that are doing a extra shift for £50/£75 
, sad , you’re family should be more important than a few quid .
dozy:
ive parked all over but I can’t think of one that commes anywhere near parking on my drive and spending the night in my house , I think it’s really sad that drivers would rather stop in a truck than spend time with the Mrs / kids , I do it but hate it , my only thoughts are friday and going to my family / house
Though I’m not suprised , the amount of our drivers that are doing a extra shift for £50/£75
But you still have your family Dozy whether youre home or away. Ive been with the current Mrs G for 19 years now and the trust is there 100%, we dont need to live in each others pockets.
Nights out come with the territory that is truck driving. International work and nights out cannot be avoided.
The ones that are actually home every night must do very mundane same old runs day in day out and most likely panic when they get held up somewhere worrying whether their teas in the microwave or in the dog…or god forbid are forced to night out somewhere… 
At the end of the day…if your boss asks you to take a load to Cornwall etc…you can’t go?
What sort of lorry driver are you?
Answer…your not
commonrail:
At the end of the day…if your boss asks you to take a load to Cornwall etc…you can’t go?
What sort of lorry driver are you?Answer…your not
Or nowadays …one that hasn’t got a sat nav.