The place I work has convinced me to give tramping a go. I agreed to a couple of nights out a week to see how I get on. I’ve only been there a couple of months and it’s the first Class 1 job I’ve had. So I have a couple of questions…
Do most companies leave it up to the driver to decide how they want to manage their time and where to stop? Probably seems like an obvious question but, well whatever.
I’m assuming motorway services aren’t free, so how does it get paid for? Do you have to tell the office where you’re staying or what?
How far ahead do people plan where they’re going to stay? I can imagine that once you find somewhere good you mark it on the map, but as a newby, just seems like a minefield.
Honestly the idea of tramping isn’t that appealing right now, they pay £25 a night out, which isn’t much of an incentive to spend the night in a lorry park/lay by, in a truck with a friggin Diesel fridge next to my head all night.
Every employer will have their own way of dealing with parking and you simply need to ask your employer.
Sounds to me like you’re doing a couple of nights out rather than tramping. When I was tramping (nearly 50 years ago), I used to pick up the truck and delivery notes for the first delivery. Having got there, ask politely to use their office phone to call your own traffic office. You would then be given your next assignment. Could start the week in the NE and end up in SW! No way of knowing where you’re going, how long you’ll be or when you’ll get home. Now most of that has changed very much for the better with modern telematics etc. So maybe life as a tramper has become more predictable.
Strongly suggest you give it a go. It’s all experience and you may just love it.
trevorking1964:
You need to direct all the questions you’ve asked at your employer.
Each company is different in how they do things.
Yep. Ask the company, ask other drivers at your company first.
Once you know how it works there, you`ll be able to decide if any advice from us is valid or not.
General point, you won`t have a daily commute, so saving time and expense for you.
Works for some, but not for everyone. Worth a try.
