Hi,
Just wondering how the training/induction for a tramping job works?
Do you just do a week of days with a trainer or do you get put in a hotel or do you have to share a double bunk cab for a week?
There are several tramping jobs im interested in, but the thought of 5 days training being stuck with someone 24 hours is my idea of hell
It’s mostly likely that the company will have their own member of staff that inducts and trains new drivers to the company.
I would say he or she will accompany you on short distance day runs to monitor and record how you drive, the trick is to pretend they are not there sat in the passenger seat writing down notes for a report to give to the transport manager.
When I was inducted I just pretended I was taking the driving test.
I can’t see the in-house trainer accompanying you on nights out on long distance runs and no hotels being utilised.
They’ll just assess your ability to drive with probably a short local trip.
They don’t need to assess your ability to sleep or choice of cute onesie so that won’t even enter into the equation.
Does ‘tramping’ have a different meaning today than it had when I worra lad?
The only training I had was my mate George telling me to buy a copy of Headlight and a bag to put all the pennies in for the phonebox. 
I would say so. When I worked at GXO I always said that we weren’t trampers, we were just day men who had nights out but always returned to depot to set off again on the next day or two.
I’d class proper tramping as no fixed routes and roaming throughout the country or continent picking up and dropping loads off for a week or multiples of as said loads became available.
I spent couple years doing local work..when got first job tramping about 10 years ago was for a smallish company .
Was basically given set keys Monday morning deliver this to Southampton then ring for next job. Was like never been that far in a truck never had nights out where do park etc. was basically told your be fine.konda dropped in deep end but I soon worked it out and enjoyed it.
As you say doubt I’d cope nighting out with someone else .
But guessing these days it’s all tick box exercises health safety etc.
Think I’d rather have it way I was told just get on with it sort it out yourself
A long time ago there were husband and wife driving teams, unfortunately this relationship didn’t last too long due to getting cabin fever in the cab to cause multiple arguments to have the marriage end in a divorce.
I know mate,I was well miffed when I went for the assesment for tramping all those years ago.
I’d packed my slinky 'babydoll nightie and everything.
What you haven’t told us is that you’d also packed the contents of the babydoll nightie…
I am surprised that CF hasn’t offered up il Bestione as a pointer to what to expect when sent out with a old hand.
Sir Geoffrey Carryfast, the new Traffic Commissioner and Minister of Transport.Gov.UK.
Avoid the temptation to take too much kit, it can quickly change from packing the essential items needed for a week away in the cab to packing non essential items then the car is full up with stuff to take to the yard and fill up the cab with it all.
The traffic planner rings up to say the lorry is booked in to the garage for repairs or maintenance and they will need to tilt over the cab, when this happens, any personal possessions can go through the windscreen if they are not secured or strapped down inside the cab.
Televisions is the normal item to get broken.
Any big plastic boxes are ideal for a fast transfer of cab kit from the car to the cab, shops like Proper Job sell them or Homebase and B&Q.
Some drivers completely empty the cab if an agency driver will be using the lorry when you are on holiday, some drivers won’t empty the cab and don’t like others riffling through their personal possessions and sometimes things get broken or go missing.
We became like that (without the divorce) when we eloped to Italy, with the courtesy of Micky White and had a wonderful 6 month partnership in the cab before we ‘settled down’ in a tiny flat in Folkestone to generate more income. She never had an HGV licence but drove my 88 back from Italy to Zeebrugge when I fell ill and several times after that. She drove as if born to it but I never actually taught her how to go backwards. Until she died last year we had 40 happy years on and off the road. 
My Mrs started taking lessons when we had the trucks, and she was doing ok…
But she knocked it on the head when she got pregnant with our youngest.
I often wish she’d carried on…I could be sat at home now, and she could be away tramping.
That might suit her, too. 
Oooh !
You 8itch !!
Sorry to hear about your partner, it was a double man team on the runs to Gibraltar to tip at Safeway supermarket which then became Morrisons.
A fair while ago they were advertising for drivers to double man that run-my mate rang me and said did I fancy it, we could take it in turns to have a week off
Yep same here,…Just a year ago you say?
I missed that bit when I replied.
40 years together is a bloody long time…
Personally I’d be a wreck without my beautiful Mrs.
You will probably remember the company that did the Gibraltar round trips called Continental Express, the trick was to have a double man team with someone you got on with, as you can imagine sharing a cab with body odour, ■■■■■■■ and snoring is enough to drive anyone mad.