They say that life begins at 40.
A friend of mine, who is approaching that age, has decided to have a change of occupation and is preparing to become an HGV driver.
Apart from suggesting that:
(1) He keeps away from the M25 :D)
(2) He should watch the film 'Convoy'
(3) He should compile a list of good roadside places to eat such as the Salt Box Cafe just off the A50 near Uttoxeter and another one at South Mimms (the name of which escapes me)
what advice and tips would you give him from your experience?
TIA
|
(1) The Highways Agency has a free printed ?Truckstop Guide? for England. It lists around 100 non-motorway truckstops (many near motorway junctions) and their facilities. Has good location maps (OS 1:50,000 extracts). Available via:
tinyurl.com/rxqkx
(2) Beware of having an all-day breakfast for every meal. Real truck drivers do eat salads... Watch your weight and try to avoid comfort eating (see 4 and 5 below).
(3) Find some exercises to strengthen the back/abdominal muscles and keep them relaxed during the day. It?s worth consulting a physiotherapist for individual advice.
(4) Be prepared to feel isolated at work.
(5) Be prepared for disrupted sleep patterns.
(6) Be prepared for astonishing inconsideration from car drivers, day in, day out. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.
(7) The pressure to drive illegally can be enormous.
(8) You are not King of the Road, but the safety of many people certainly lies in your stewardship.
(9) If you get to drive tankers, remember that liquids are hard to rope down.
Zebra
|
Suggest he joins a gym/takes plenty of exercise. Eight plus hours sitting in one position will play havoc with this fitness and back.
Which class of LGV is he taking, and what type of work does he fancy? Even Class 1s can get a bit more variety if they are delivering for Tesco etc.
|
I gather that he has to gain experience with shoe boxes before learning how to jack-knife artics!
Sorry....that should have read ' how *not* to'.
As regards 'type of work'....it is early days yet but no doubt he is open to offers.
|
|
And watch out for smoky bears, good buddy.
|
|
|
|
|
I hope he is prepared to take a pay cut, and start from the bottom - getting work when you have just passed your HGV is becoming very difficult, most places want 2 yrs expierence, those that will give you a go normally pay low wages. He also needs to be aware that HGV driving is one of the most antisocial jobs going (unless you get on a very good job somewhere), you can end up sleping in a tin box all week (not fun in the current weather conditions) or getting home 3 hours after you were supposed to go out with swmbo - 5am is a perfectly accaptable time to start the day and an early start can mean 3am or a late start being 10pm. People like to have their goods delivered when they are at work, so bearing in mind you may have 4.5 hr drive to get to your delivery point for an 8 am tip you will start early. Then be prepared to be treated like the lowest of the low wherever you go, and don't forget to wear his cloak of invisibility (hi viz vest), these are guarnteed to make you see through when waiting at a goods in desk!!! Having said all that, it is still an excellent job if you have the right attitude and enjoy your own company.
|
Thank-you all for the most helpful replies. Do keep them coming!
Ten-Four on that, Lud!......especially the ones in the air!.
Ten-Ten.
|
Thats
Ten ten for sure good buddy
and ten ten till we meet again.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
|
What kind of pay rates has he heard of?. When I was looking into it a couple years ago, a few temp agencies wanted me to look pleased when they proudly quoted £5.75 to £6.50 per hour, and thats for driving class 1 artics!!. I suppose if you love the job and can live off those wages then its a good thing, but considering the cost of getting the license in the first place I thought it absolutely pathetic.
|
In some area's it might well be impossible for a new driver to get a decent living wage without working the longest legal hours.
I know of one local haulage company, well known for their Victorian pay and working practices who employ four or five Polish drivers. According to the management the Poles are cheap and work hard. They are actively seeking more Polish drivers. On the other hand I have seen one local Advert for HGV drivers specifying 'English Licence Holders Only' so maybe it's swings and roundabouts. (Nothing racist or derogatory intended by me in this post).
Anyway, there's quite a bit more to HGV driving than navigating a truck around. The load is the most important thing, and the time it takes to deliver it the next most important thing. As far as most employers are concerned driving time is wasted time. The driver is expected to know about roping and sheeting, safe loading, fork lift driving and a multitude of other minor skills. Nothing insurmountable, but this is why most employers want a driver with at least a couple of years experience.
Many new drivers start their career with employment agencies. Low pay, long hours, driving the worst trucks on the worst runs. Multidrop work is agency fodder, and for a new bloke, horrendous. But - a couple of years of agency work means a lot of mistakes made and learning achieved without a permanent blot on the copybook.
Your friend might be lucky, and find a nice well paid job with a permanent employer, but most new drivers don't have this sort of luck.
|
|
|
|
Eyeball, eyeball.
|
They say 'I joined the Navy to see the world and all I saw was the sea'.
Equally, 'I became a lorry driver ro see the land but all I saw was the road'.
In other words, driving a lorry might seem interesting but day in, day out, it's not.
When I was a driver, you were the jam in the sandwich between the boss and the customer.
Having said that .I'm wondering about going back to driving myself, since driving a drawing board is even worse!
|
Thanks to all who contributed answers on this subject.
ZEBRA.......Thanks especially for that tip about the 'Truckstop Guide'. I treated myself to a copy. Very useful info' and excellent value :D).
|
|
|
|
|
|
