Janos:
Technology has played it part, but for me, the rise and fall and rise of the likes of Stobart, Maritime etc with their economies of scale and race to the bottom mantra killed all the fine old companies, and with them went all the camaraderie and romance that made that era a little bit special.
Also before some plantpot Stobart apologist says drivers are smarter and trucks are better etc, there were smart drivers then, and some exceptional fleets, and the rites of passage were not 35hrs in a classroom, but tangible feats of graft and skill, like sheeting up loads, and actually driving the vehicle, rather than the other way round.
I agree with your first paragraph but not your second. Technology will always improve and make our working life easier, but it will also cut down on man hour’s. Today’s world is only going to get worse. I’ts all me, me, me, now and [zb] everyone else. Yesterday and every day that is yesterday is the good old day’s.
The way I view it is the old adage “you don’t get something for nothing”. Technology is fantastic - on one side of the paper. I get all excited every time I hear about another medical advance. I was quite taken in the first time I got an iPad, being able to Skype my girl when in Alaska.
Now I’m seeing the downside. The disconnection, the app this, app that generation when I get home. How I find my friends all exist on some page on some blue app rather than the telephone which lays silent. How I am myself sucked into this like a crack addict. The incessant use of cameras within the UK - film someone, provide evidence to big brother. It’s all so disconnected, and. Well. Too easy. Relationships, toil and our place on earth weren’t meant to be this easy. We’ve created this world but we can’t keep up instinct wise. In our boots, we all know it’s wrong. It’s not stopping anytime soon. We’ll pay the price. That is for sure. You don’t get something for nothing.
The likes of mobile phones and ipads think make our job easier in terms of keeping in contact with friends and family. Its nice when your away from home to see what friends and family are doing on FB, easy to make free calls which otherwise would have cost a small fortune years ago. Plus met up with loads of old friends from years ago and keep a lot more in contact with some family members who live far away where as before was a xmas card once a year, brought us closer together.
Think its like everything though some get obsessed with it, it is said when you see younger generation especially a bunch of them sitting in a pub no one talking everyone staring at a phone screen. I like my phone etc… but at weekends tend to hardly touch them.
The old days haven’t ended for some of us, and won’t while we draw breath, we can still do our jobs within certain limits how we see fit and despite it becoming increasingly unfashionable we can take a pride in doing it old school if we want (and it annoys many if you do which is a massive bonus), so long as we nod and wag our tails in the office yes sirring and no sirring when we leave the yard we are in charge, not the planner who thinks 55mph is an average speed everywhere on his 3ft x 4ft map of the country, nor the pretent tough guy who hassles the driver on the phone every 20 minutes trying to gee them along, just so long as you do the yes sir no sir three bags etc then restart the lorry and resume your progress soon as the hassle call ends there’s bugger all they can do about it.
Anyway.
Real transport managers, time served that knew their business what a lorry was for and could recognise a lorry driver when they saw one, vanished from the scene…their box ticking replacements are not anywhere near the same league.
When a lorry could be driven by anyone no matter how weak or stupid, and increasingly by itself.
These are the old days to the present young generation of drivers, they’ll remember fondly these days when they were responsible for the steering and braking of their vehicle, calculated their own route or got some electronic toy to do it for them and followed that and actually started their own fossil fuel engines.
I do wonder what I’ll be saying to my friends kids (don’t say “i never wanted kids when I was your age”, I’ve heard it enough). “When I was 20, you actually controlled the car yourself. The driver was always in charge, not just when the grid drops out. You picked your own gears too, sometimes.”
I think the good old days end when it becomes just a way of paying the bills. When I first started driving hgvs about 2 years ago after 7 years of bus driving, I loved it! driving up to Inverness and Aberdeen and down to Liverpool ect, having a radio to listen to, being able to stop for a p1ss when ever I want, empty motorways and best off all… a comfy bed to sleep in on my breaks!!!
I’m new to the industry, still relatively enjoy driving trucks and learning about the industry and look forward to learning new things… Containers, Hi-ab, Nights out, New places, New Trucks… not yet driven a Volvo!!!
These are my “Good old days” 20 years from now “Remember when we used to go out and sit in the trucks and drive them, instead of sitting in this office driving them via wi-fi!!!”
G6Bob:
I think the good old days end when it becomes just a way of paying the bills. When I first started driving hgvs about 2 years ago after 7 years of bus driving, I loved it! driving up to Inverness and Aberdeen and down to Liverpool ect, having a radio to listen to, being able to stop for a p1ss when ever I want, empty motorways and best off all… a comfy bed to sleep in on my breaks!!!
I’m new to the industry, still relatively enjoy driving trucks and learning about the industry and look forward to learning new things… Containers, Hi-ab, Nights out, New places, New Trucks… not yet driven a Volvo!!!
These are my “Good old days” 20 years from now “Remember when we used to go out and sit in the trucks and drive them, instead of sitting in this office driving them via wi-fi!!!”
you still got the rose tinted glasses on bob lol, give it another 8 years and you be saying i wish i was still a bus driver lol
G6Bob:
I think the good old days end when it becomes just a way of paying the bills. When I first started driving hgvs about 2 years ago after 7 years of bus driving, I loved it! driving up to Inverness and Aberdeen and down to Liverpool ect, having a radio to listen to, being able to stop for a p1ss when ever I want, empty motorways and best off all… a comfy bed to sleep in on my breaks!!!
I’m new to the industry, still relatively enjoy driving trucks and learning about the industry and look forward to learning new things… Containers, Hi-ab, Nights out, New places, New Trucks… not yet driven a Volvo!!!
These are my “Good old days” 20 years from now “Remember when we used to go out and sit in the trucks and drive them, instead of sitting in this office driving them via wi-fi!!!”
you still got the rose tinted glasses on bob lol, give it another 8 years and you be saying i wish i was still a bus driver lol
You’re right about the rose tinted glasses… couldn’t be more wrong about wanting to drive a bus again lol
The “old days” ended for me with the demise of town centre lorry parks and being able to meet up with your mates from other firms, going to the nearby cafe together then out forra few drinks in a lively pub. Preferably with an exotic dancer or two.
spot on there axletramp,i remember a large hgv park in leeds this was used a lot by the furniture van drivers (remember them)mom/tues/wed up to 50 of them g.plan guest the Scottish carries with there coach built Leyland vans and many more all in the marquise of granby for a pint or 3 then to the Chinese for supper,sort out the loads with your mates,i will take your hull/brid / scarbrough you take my York Harrogate and ripon.those were the good old days.
regards
smi
Seems to be every time the job gets easier… ■■■■ modern fuel… how i miss a good burn up under the fuel tank and holding a burning rag at the air intake. The list is endless…
Generally speaking when the large family firms were taken over by logistics companies.
To me personally, when trackers were fitted, EPIC cards were required, the wearing of hi viz from head to foot, requirement to wear safety glasses to walk to a weighbridge, not being allowed to climb on your tipper or trailer, and fellow drivers just dying to grass you up for not sheeting etc.
Hi
In the “good old days” most of the time you were your own boss,as long as the days work was done and the “proper” paper work
was handed in.
If a break went over a bit cos you were chatting or having another 40 winks, if you stopped to help a mate ( remember when that used to happen? ). If these things , and many more , happened without stretching the day to much, so what , it was part and parcel of the job, the things that made the job for most in the old days, enjoyable.
There is as many reasons why in the “good old days” why we did it as there is for why we were daft to do it.
Then along comes technology, spy in the cab, trackers, computers in traffic offices not men that knew the job and you become another number on a profit and loss sheet, an “asset” (maybe) but mostly a cursor on a computer screen.
I know which days I preferred.
LASHHGV:
Tongue in cheek some respected drivers on here plus some pure idiots mention the old days.
Did end end with introduction of:
the tachograph
Dcpc
beds in trucks
For me it was when fuel hit such a price, that the companies had to get so obsessed by holding onto that little bit of profit. Up until then they were happy with an adequate amount of work, and we regularly used to park up on 12 or 13 hours, 5 or 6 of us would walk into a town and have a sit down meal, the boss would know where you all were and would say I’ll see you all at 7 in the morning. Now you’re planned for 15 hours work, they want the lorry back to the yard, and all because they work for eff all rates. That said, my firm have still got one foot in the old school camp, so it’s not all bad
LASHHGV:
Tongue in cheek some respected drivers on here plus some pure idiots mention the old days.
Did end end with introduction of:
the tachograph
Dcpc
beds in trucks
Anyone any other ideas
When phone boxes stopped stinking of ■■■■
Wots a phone box ?
For me the real driving jobs ended when the likes of Stobbies got their foot in the door, downhill ever since
LASHHGV:
Tongue in cheek some respected drivers on here plus some pure idiots mention the old days.
Did end end with introduction of:
the tachograph
Dcpc
beds in trucks
Anyone any other ideas
When drivers began grassing on their fellow colleagues, just to please the gaffer!
