stu675:
beefy4605:
. 27 ton loads of precast concrete to a farm down a single track road on an island off the coast of Scotland might not be everyones cup of tea but if you all promise not to tell the boss I have to say I [zb] love it . lolLove it!
But I bet you a pound the island was still in Scotland
Isle of Bute - make up your own mind lol
mrginge:
I enjoy the getting out and about still. I know some will say all the good stuff has gone but in the last 4-6 weeks I have been to Greece, North Macedonia, Croatia and surrounding countries in a truck. Currently on a weekend off in a hotel in Poland. Find the niche that you find enjoyable.Edit: Started at 21, currently 34 and not planning on changing careers.
Sounds like one of the very few ādream jobsā left mateā¦ as long as they donāt push the arse off you that is.
Most on here associate the job and judge it on mind numbingly gut wrenching pure boredom, like 150 mile radius trunks to supermarket deliveries and the like.
Chalk and cheese, Iād reccomend your type of job to anybody,.dabbled a lot myself in the pastā¦, but never did the Greece,.Italy type thing regrettably.
Good on ya.
keepthefaith:
adam277:
I guess the title speaks for itself. Would you recommend someone straight out of school/college to get into HGV driving.Me, personally I would not.
Absolutely no. The one good thing i have achieved in life is guiding my lads into careers, far away from the transport industry
Spot on Iāve done exactly the same, broke the cycle
beefy4605:
stu675:
beefy4605:
. 27 ton loads of precast concrete to a farm down a single track road on an island off the coast of Scotland might not be everyones cup of tea but if you all promise not to tell the boss I have to say I [zb] love it . lolLove it!
But I bet you a pound the island was still in Scotland
Isle of Bute - make up your own mind lol
my mum was from Isle of Buteā¦ Rothesay ā¦we still have family there thoā iāve not been up for many years.
I like the job. I payed for my own training and test at age 21 and had some awesome (and some not awesome) experiences as a driver for the following 13 years. I then worked for HM Government in a role I wonāt talk about on here and took early retirement in 2018. Since then, Iāve dusted off the class 1 and been back ont road for the last 4 years. In that time, Iāve had a few truck driving jobs, most of em not to my liking but now Iām on a low-loader for a plant hire company Iām loving it again! Even doing some nights out and earning the best money Iāve ever had.
In answer to your question āwould I recommend HGV driving as a career?āā¦ on the whole, yes but you need to be realistic and choose your sector carefully. If the only thing available was RDC work in fleet trucks then Iād not be a driver.
robroy:
Sounds like one of the very few ādream jobsā left mateā¦ as long as they donāt push the arse off you that is.
Most on here associate the job and judge it on mind numbingly gut wrenching pure boredom, like 150 mile radius trunks to supermarket deliveries and the like.
Chalk and cheese, Iād reccomend your type of job to anybody,.dabbled a lot myself in the pastā¦, but never did the Greece,.Italy type thing regrettably.
Good on ya.
It has its moments either to do with ferry times or holiday bans that can mean a ā ā ā ā ā ā shift every now and then. When I went from Ancona to Greece there were 3 guys from Grampian on there but thatās it, then saw no Brits for a week until I went into Hungary and saw a Mathews truck. Overall a good crack though when you only got one delivery or collection a week sometimes ha.
Surely it depends on many factors, who you work for, your job, pay etc etc.
mrginge:
I enjoy the getting out and about still. I know some will say all the good stuff has gone but in the last 4-6 weeks I have been to Greece, North Macedonia, Croatia and surrounding countries in a truck. Currently on a weekend off in a hotel in Poland. Find the niche that you find enjoyable.Edit: Started at 21, currently 34 and not planning on changing careers.
I used to do all that sort of thing in my 30ās, loved it. All over the place, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Georgia etc etc etc. More of a lifestyle than a job.
I still tell my (now grown-up) children how good it all was until they came along and ruined my life. 
Now at 62 I just canāt be bothered with it any more. Start as late as possible, finish as early as possible and do as little as possible in between, thatās my motto. 
No I do not think so. True to say as a young 21 year old driving 110 Scania with a sleeper cab in 1977 pretty cool but by the time I was 24 I was married. The next 8 years was good both working hard to buy our 1st house and then moved to a bigger house, all great until children came along. I remember my eldest son asking my wife whoās that man was who came just at weekends. Whilst I only did 2/3 max nights out a week they never saw me mornings at 5am or evening after 8.pm. So if you are single great go for it , if you want a family life work between 8am and 6pm local.
I for one have had a belly full of it nowadays. I am on bulk tippers now and I thought it would be a doddle of a job. How wrong I was, shunting on the docks was not that great either and I thought both of these would be better. Unfortunately the job has really taken the downward slope, only thing going for it at the moment is the money. But that isnt really enticing enough in itself as you can be miserable on a grand a week. I would take a good Ā£500 per week 40 hour job over any driving any day of the week. It is not a career and is certainly not a 9 to 5 gig either. Anyone investing in their future should certainly look elsewhere and put their money into other types of training. Sorry to say but it is a dead end job for dead end people. People who are desperate for work and money can get an easy fix with driving but it isnt a long term fix.
To counter some of the above half empty glasses, some of us always wanted to be lorry drivers from when we were kids, yes things have changed but find the right job where old fashioned values are, yes, valued, and the changes that have happened if you dislike them can be kept to a minimum, prove yourself capable and trustworthy and our industry is worth working in.
This isnāt just another job, itās something where you can still be an individual and if you find the niche or sector you are happy in can take a pride in your work and where youāre left alone to get on with the job, it can still be rewarding and yes i still enjoy my work after 4 1/2 decades.
Search out one of the remaining jobs where youāre respected and treated well (no doubt some supermarkets still try to do this if they have a real transport manager in charge), often paid better than the supermarkets but expected and happy to provide value for money care and professionalism for your pay (which tends to keep the company trading healthily too), working together as part a team allowed nay encouraged to take a pride in your work and left alone to get on with it without some logistics clerk poring over bloody micro managing telematics (spyware) trying to hide a growing trouser tent upon finding some misdemeanor to highlight.
Where lorry driving differs from most blue collar jobs is that the older and more experienced and competent you get the more you are in demand, plus you are (if you find the right job) still your own boss and on your own once out of the gate.
There are sectors i wouldnāt work in which others are happy, each to their own, find your own niche.
Juddian:
To counter some of the above half empty glasses, some of us always wanted to be lorry drivers from when we were kids,
Of course my description of the job has been very generalised and isnāt the same for everyone. Just to clarify, I took my licence back in 1979 and have driven lorries for a fair amount of my life. Most of that I will say has been enjoyable. However my answer to the OP question of whether or not I would recommend the job to anyone now is as my answer posted above. I am in the position of being trustworthy and experienced enough to go anywhere for work now, never have a problem finding a driving position. But this isnt the same for anyone just entering the industry. I have driven everything there is to drive and up to a few years ago enjoyed most of my driving. Never done Euro work but know plenty that have and still do. I now find myself although easy to find work, finding a good job is far and few between. Most have opted for the micro management style and expect maxing out of hours as the norm. I agree that you can still take pride in the job, and to some extent I still hold my old fashioned values and still do the best I can in the job that I am in. If this question was asked 6 or 7 years ago my answer would have been different to my opinion now. My opinion now is that we are reaping the rewards of decent pay because of the lack of good drivers but we are only clawing back what we should have had years ago. But this wonāt and canāt last so if you already hold the licence then yes it is worthwhile. Would I pay 4k for a licence now? Not on your Nelly.
Where lorry driving differs from most blue collar jobs is that the older and more experienced and competent you get the more you are in demand
While that may very well be true in some cases Iām afraid itās not always the case. As with any age group we have the good conscientious types and we have the ones
that donāt give a ā ā ā ā about anyone but themselves. Iām sure you know this Juddian and Iām sure you know the types I am talking about. Ignore all the rules to suit their
own agenda, usually impolite when they are challenged and give all the good ones a bad reputation.
Been back in the UK recently and drove from south coast to north coast and a quick trip to the Emerald Isle. Dear me nothing has got any better in the last few years.
I reckon some drivers see it day in day out and perceive it to be normal but in fact a lot of situations are just accidents waiting to happen.
Just to clarify the only reason I can be sure about older experienced drivers being far from up to scratch was during a period when the training company I worked for took
on driver assessments for drivers already in employment because of the poor accident rate. I think we covered three major transport companies if my memory serves me well.
An awful lot of drivers anyway. Of course there were many who were up to scratch and very aware on the road.
Unfortunately I only see it getting worse with as you say dumbed down vehicles that we have had for quite a few years now. I often wonder if the standard of driver has got worse
in latter years or have we always had so many poor drivers.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said about people wanting to drive lorries from a young age. They were and probably are the ones who take pride in their work and everything else. Where as now more so people are just taking the job either because they canāt get anything else or they think itās an easy number which it definitely is compared to when you and I first started. Although it would not be good to go back I enjoyed my early days driving and they were certainly far more challenging as a lorry driver than they are now but thank goodness I am well out of it for quite a few years now. I could still enjoy driving trucks but I couldnāt put up with the dreadful driving from others. I struggled with it back in the day but doubtful if I could now.
Oh, nearly forgot, NO I wouldnāt recomend it to anyone because probably too hard to get the right job.
I would not recommend truck driving as a carrier to any one ,
Boses who just assume youāll work a Sunday because youāve had a couple of days off in the week
Poor parking faculties , RDCās with OTT H&S Bull manure
Other drivers who couldnāt even drive a nail in let alone a car or truck
I shouldnāt go on or Iāll break the blood pressure machine
Juddian:
To counter some of the above half empty glasses, some of us always wanted to be lorry drivers from when we were kids, yes things have changed but find the right job where old fashioned values are, yes, valued, and the changes that have happened if you dislike them can be kept to a minimum, prove yourself capable and trustworthy and our industry is worth working in.This isnāt just another job, itās something where you can still be an individual and if you find the niche or sector you are happy in can take a pride in your work and where youāre left alone to get on with the job, it can still be rewarding and yes i still enjoy my work after 4 1/2 decades.
Search out one of the remaining jobs where youāre respected and treated well (no doubt some supermarkets still try to do this if they have a real transport manager in charge), often paid better than the supermarkets but expected and happy to provide value for money care and professionalism for your pay (which tends to keep the company trading healthily too), working together as part a team allowed nay encouraged to take a pride in your work and left alone to get on with it without some logistics clerk poring over bloody micro managing telematics (spyware) trying to hide a growing trouser tent upon finding some misdemeanor to highlight.
Where lorry driving differs from most blue collar jobs is that the older and more experienced and competent you get the more you are in demand, plus you are (if you find the right job) still your own boss and on your own once out of the gate.
There are sectors i wouldnāt work in which others are happy, each to their own, find your own niche.
Well said.
As one of the ācareer change in your 40s (just)ā cohort, I think the question to ask is not would you recommend truck driving but to whom would you recommend it. Itās clearly not a good fit for everyone and Iām sure there are new entrants to the industry who are not suited to it and are doing it for the wrong or mis-guided reasons.
Itās like anything. If it is a good fit for you, you will enjoy it and find your way (and also be an asset to your employer and have a positive impact on your colleagues). When I was thinking about how I could escape from my former role which I hated, my values, personality, skills and abilities matched me to driving. Iāve not been doing it long but like many second career bods on here, it is working out for me and I also love it. I feel like Iām on holiday every day and canāt believe Iām getting paid for it. Back in the day I took myself off to university believing it to be the done thing - it was a waste of tax payers money in that I never directly used my degree. How I wish that a kindly soul who was well matched to their job, like the ones now populating the old timers threads or the likes of Juddian had nudged me towards driving back then. Iād probably have laughed initially but if theyād then taken the time to explain to me how it was a good fit for me I might well have gone for it. Maybe it wouldnāt have been available to me back then, who knows. Iām just happy to have finally worked out what I want to do and with a lot of help from TNUK I am enjoying making it happen. So, yes I would recommend it but only to certain people.
driveress:
it is working out for me and I also love it. I feel like Iām on holiday every day and canāt believe Iām getting paid for it.
Jesus mate, your obviously in your honeymoon period. I certainly do not feel like I am on holiday every day, however I am an optimist and will pack a rubber ring and a deck chair in my bag next week and give it a go. Who knows I may lose that feeling of cant wait for my holidays to I am on it every day.
Yorkshire Tramper:
driveress:
it is working out for me and I also love it. I feel like Iām on holiday every day and canāt believe Iām getting paid for it.Jesus mate, your obviously in your honeymoon period. I certainly do not feel like I am on holiday every day, however I am an optimist and will pack a rubber ring and a deck chair in my bag next week and give it a go. Who knows I may lose that feeling of cant wait for my holidays to I am on it every day.
Maybe Driveress has landed in a decent number and got out of something that was getting them down, got cake and eaten it.
Quite honestly i too love going to work and iām way past any honeymoon periods, well paid and respected but with some decent banter and mutual ā ā ā ā taking thrown in, allowed to get on with my work without any of the micromanaging ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā .
driveress:
Back in the day I took myself off to university believing it to be the done thing - it was a waste of tax payers money in that I never directly used my degree.
One of those āCinderellaā degrees we hear of?
If only you`d got summat useful, like a 2nd in Ancient Fairy Tales? You could have been living above the office in a posh council house today.
Up until a few years ago, my job suited me very wellā¦I took a small pay cut to get into the exact company I wanted.
I did consider a move out when I was given a doggy auto DAF, horrible thing, but the job itself was still good, so I stayed on.
The job would have better with the correct tool, but I got on with it.
With the latest changes (that which cannot be spoken of here, because it upsets too many delicate, wee snowflakes) I am getting out of full time work, but may do a bit herenthere.
It is a job that can be a good fit for some, but never has been a good job for everyone.
Juddian:
Yorkshire Tramper:
driveress:
it is working out for me and I also love it. I feel like Iām on holiday every day and canāt believe Iām getting paid for it.Jesus mate, your obviously in your honeymoon period. I certainly do not feel like I am on holiday every day, however I am an optimist and will pack a rubber ring and a deck chair in my bag next week and give it a go. Who knows I may lose that feeling of cant wait for my holidays to I am on it every day.
Maybe Driveress has landed in a decent number and got out of something that was getting them down, got cake and eaten it.
Quite honestly i too love going to work and iām way past any honeymoon periods, well paid and respected but with some decent banter and mutual ā ā ā ā taking thrown in, allowed to get on with my work without any of the micromanaging ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā .
I am all for it if he has found that niche already and enjoys it. I suspect that the honeymoon period will end once he gets into it more, however as said I like to see and work with a happy crowd. As for the banter well I work at a job that isnt so great but the lads I work with compensate for that, when we all get to meet up it is a good laugh, I tramp so it is normally reserved for before I set off and when i return, but a few of us remain in touch via texts etc. I donāt want to come accross as completely a miserable get as I am far from that, just disilusioned with the industry after a long time in it, I stll like it or i wouldnāt do it but it is one of those jobs where when a bad day just seems to get worse. Some days I rekindle my love for it, doing farm work animal feeds etc I like the challenge of finding the bloody places half the time.
adam277:
I guess the title speaks for itself. Would you recommend someone straight out of school/college to get into HGV driving.Me, personally I would not.
I think the system is set up to penalize the driver. I think a lot of us are quite lucky we did not have as much health and safety and cameras on the road when we started out.Then there is the slow thud of automation that will likely be here within the next 30 years.
Yes absolutely