8 months on since I started this career.

[chilistrucker]

i'm with a few of the others, the scanias are ok, decent looking truck but not as good as the old 3 series toplines.
i'd rather keep my daf than swap it for a scania these days. personal preference i guess.

[GC8]

Point 5 Nick: no camera? My experience is all specialised and Ive never driven a 'normal' vehicle on the road since my training, but I would imagine that driving without a camera puts you at a massive disadvantage.

Left on all the time its like a rear view mirror and it allows you to see all of the clowns who would otherwise be hidden from view.

[ruff'n'smov]

GEARJAMMER said:

Test driver said:

I think lorries should be lane 1 only. Minimum speed for cars 65mph (conditions permitting).

3pts for infringements.

Well you go away and keep thinking..... and keep ya daft ideas to yourself.

This. Although some truckers are utter Bellends......but not as many as car drivers.....Van man is King.

[bigfatnick]

mp3manager said:

bigfatnick said:

So i've had my licence and have been driving artics since early november now

14, the wage doesnt have to be as bad as people say. my brother is a train driver, they earn 46k+ a year for 35hr weeks, and they all complain, people will always complain, i earn nearly as much

Who are you working for that pays a newcomer, "nearly as much as 46k a year"?

i know this is pistonheads, so shouldn't even reply to this sort of question as a joyless misery fetishist with a degree in pedantry will be along to analyze every post i've ever made and rip me to peices, but i earn 9quid an hour, working for a small company with only 5 lorries (i understand big companies such as longs of leeds and stobarts may not even make 7 quid/hr), and with the various bonus type bits, night out money, and the fact i basically work up to legal limit of what i can earn with do lots of waiting at factorys and still average a full 43/45ish hrs a week driving, wheras he does 35hrs a week, sometimes less. The full monthly amount deposited in my bank is very similar to his 4 weekly wage. that said, since youve got me thinking, he might currently be on a few k less as hes not been doing it 6 months which is when i think it goes up to full mental money spec. still plenty though. the issue i have is that im making good money (at least for my part of the country, skillset etc). but there is no point buying a house or similar as i would only be able to enjoy it for 2 days a week, if not less and seeing as im single and without kids, nobody else would. this is my biggest problem with the job.

Edited by bigfatnick on Sunday 8th June 21:02

[bigfatnick]

GC8 said:

Point 5 Nick: no camera? My experience is all specialised and Ive never driven a 'normal' vehicle on the road since my training, but I would imagine that driving without a camera puts you at a massive disadvantage.

Left on all the time its like a rear view mirror and it allows you to see all of the clowns who would otherwise be hidden from view.

id love one, but neither us or the company we share work/trailers with has them, shame!

[bigfatnick]

chilistrucker said:

i'm with a few of the others, the scanias are ok, decent looking truck but not as good as the old 3 series toplines.
i'd rather keep my daf than swap it for a scania these days. personal preference i guess.

im sure a lot of the newer trucks would be better in almost every way than mine, but the way i see it is that mine is one of the last trucks i will ever be able to use (in the uk at least) with a loud exhaust and manual gearbox, and its big inside and doesnt look too old. ive got the rest of forever to drive adblued up auto boxes peices of engineering brilliance, but are possibly just a bit "white goods". the first truck i ever drove was a roatrain spec kenworth on a farm in australia when i was backpacking. it had a almost unsilenced 15litre 550bhp cummins with an unbelievably loud jake brake and a 4 over 4 constant mesh eaton road ranger. the time for driving stuff like that (at least in europe) has already passed, and i find that a massive shame. id love to go back and master that truck now i have half an idea of what im doing.

[bigfatnick]

GEARJAMMER said:

I had to laugh at number 8, lol.

I used to enjoy the job, still do, but not as much as I did, so we'll see how you feel after a few years.

Oh and welcome to my 'I drive a Scania for work and a Monaro for play' club..... now consisting of 2 members, lol.

im sure i wont enjoy this job forever, but once i dont, i'll stop. and will still have the licences, which will always be useful.

everybody needs 2 loud v8's! i was back in my old volvo for a few days last week and it has a slight blow on the exhaust, sounds cool from the outside but so droney and boring inside, no turbo noises, no v8 lope. was great fun having the decent engine/compression brake though, i love playing the "i'm gonna see how long i can go without touching the brake pedal" game.

[chilistrucker]

avoid the adblue as long as poss
p i t a trying to get it at times in some of the countries we do.

[leggly]

I'm sorry but doing two weeks work in one isn't a way to judge how well paid a job is. Do a basic 40 or 35 hour week and work out your rate from there.

[Snapper7]

Interesting read as I am just thinking doing my Hgv licences...

Not afraid of hard work or long hours... Good to hear your I joying it as I am reading a lot of negativity

[GC8]

mp3manager said:

Who are you working for that pays a newcomer, "nearly as much as 46k a year"?

If youre on a percentage then it doesn't matter when you started...

[chilistrucker]

leggly said:

I'm sorry but doing two weeks work in one isn't a way to judge how well paid a job is. Do a basic 40 or 35 hour week and work out your rate from there.

your right, but, anyone who wanted to be and is a lorry driver sussed out early on that in this game, its just the way it is. when i did general haulage and spoke to friends about my wage,(that they thought was good) i explained it was virtually 2 weeks wages in 1 week, but on the whole thats just how it is.
if you can't get your head round it in this game, your best off doing something else.

at the opposite end of the scale, the firm i work for now pay us 7 days a week when we are on a tour, as your constantly away from home, but if you get the right tour, you may work 4 days in a week, but get payed for 7 and i earn double now what i'd get in the uk.

[leggly]

chilistrucker said:

leggly said:

I'm sorry but doing two weeks work in one isn't a way to judge how well paid a job is. Do a basic 40 or 35 hour week and work out your rate from there.

your right, but, anyone who wanted to be and is a lorry driver sussed out early on that in this game, its just the way it is. when i did general haulage and spoke to friends about my wage,(that they thought was good) i explained it was virtually 2 weeks wages in 1 week, but on the whole thats just how it is.
if you can't get your head round it in this game, your best off doing something else.

at the opposite end of the scale, the firm i work for now pay us 7 days a week when we are on a tour, as your constantly away from home, but if you get the right tour, you may work 4 days in a week, but get payed for 7 and i earn double now what i'd get in the uk.

I know what you mean, I work for one of the best paying outfits in the UK, AND they don't use the con that is POA. We're only allowed to work 48 hours per week max with no nights out. POA made the WTD a complete joke and that is also why there is no driver shortage.

[chilistrucker]

it never ceases to amaze me how many companies out there, (take the piss) sorry expect there drivers to use poa and even break, when perhaps they should be on, 'other work.'

i suppose alot of the drivers on hourly pay will do it to bump there money up each week.
i did containers in the past, and on that work it just seems the norm, so that big and small firms can get the most out of your hours per day/week.

[Humper]

Yeah, 46k as a train driver, but Thomas the Tank only does 35 hrs a week....
When you look at the responsibility and hassle driving a wagon is poorly paid. I get just over £11 an hour, most drivers would reckon I'm lying cos wages are so poor in tgis sector.

[anonymous-user]

Test driver said:

I think lorries should be lane 1 only. Minimum speed for cars 65mph (conditions permitting).

3pts for infringements.

Not a bad idea but not going to get support from those who can't see how dumb it is to block two lanes for mile after mile, just to avoid losing 1 mph...........

[GC8]

Not bad: terrible. People who subscribe to this need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror.

[bigfatnick]

REALIST123 said:

Test driver said:

I think lorries should be lane 1 only. Minimum speed for cars 65mph (conditions permitting).

3pts for infringements.

Not a bad idea but not going to get support from those who can't see how dumb it is to block two lanes for mile after mile, just to avoid losing 1 mph...........

try 6mph between me and the supermarket lorries. more in the case of the cars i overtake. plus the heavy haulage people limited to even slower. 6mph lost over a weeks driving hours is 270miles lost. granted, nobody spends 45hrs a week at 56mph. but i probably spend 35hrs at that speed. so that would be 150miles a week lost if i had to follow the sainsburys/asda lorries at 50mph.

[bigfatnick]

leggly said:

I'm sorry but doing two weeks work in one isn't a way to judge how well paid a job is. Do a basic 40 or 35 hour week and work out your rate from there.

i didnt want to get involved in the money side of it and wish id never made the money point. but one thing to note. people getting into this job (which the point was kind of aimed at) arent already truck drivers, they have not seen the decline of the industry (that im always told about). if they had a st hot job, they wouldnt be considering getting into lorry driving. they are mostly minimum wage jockeys like i was, having done lots of st jobs. in which case for me it sees a good rise in your hourly wage, plus plenty more hours, plus night out money, plus bonuses and since im single and without kids, keeping me locked in a box all week means i dont spend any more. i know the job isnt what it used to be, but no job is any more. its an easy, relatively stress free job which allows you to sit on your arse all week and gives you a decent payslip at the end.

but i guess if you did this job years ago, i can see why people thinks its gone to the dogs

[StuntmanMike]

Nick, in some ways it is getting worse, the money is definitely getting worse, but the kit is better and you are less exploited.
For example, I drive in Europe, I think I earned around 150 to 200 pounds a week more for doing that in the 90's than now.
But the job I have now is a lot better, now I feel going over the water is a lifestyle choice rather than chasing big bucks.