Thought I'd add my two cents here. I'm one of the UK's youngest lorry drivers having just turned 19, I passed shortly after my 18th.I drive Class 1 CE (artics) While I might be seen as new to the industry by some, I was under no illusion how hard it would be for me to get a job.
My Father and Uncle are lorry drivers and have run their own lorries, so again I knew what I was getting into and I knew what the industry was like.
I've been quite fortunate, my first job was £9.00ph and my second £10 and that's over an 11 hour day, it works out about £550 pw and more if I do tramping which as mentioned here is sleeping in the lorry over night.
The general public have no clue what so ever about how much room or space you need to maneuver, even for the one's who have some clue there's always double that who don't know that you have a different speed limit on roads from cars.
40 on a Single Carriageway, 50 on a dual and 60 LIMIT on a motorway, most lorries are limited electronically to about 56, although the odd one that will do 58 isn't too rare. Unrestricted we would beat the chavs car off the line at the bottom of the street and would be good for about 90mph.
As I said from my hours, 12 hours is a normal day and the max could be up to 15 hours per day, not one will bat an eyelid that you've worked for so long. It isn't a heroic undertaking.
I had to laugh at a comment or two on here saying that it isn't hard graft, but it's very hard for you to judge when you don't know about the job.
Those back doors on the trailer? They are very heavy! Winding the trailer legs up and down if you need to drop or pick up a trailer? Very stiff! That curtain on the side on the trailer? Also very heavy and if the wind catches it it will send you flying.
Also, sitting on your arse for 12 hours per day steering something sounds very easy but if you do your job the way it should be done and concentrate properly, it becomes VERY mentally tiring and exhausting and until you've experienced that you won't know that it's like.
You need to think for everyone else, something as simple as entering a roundabout, you need to make sure no one has come up your inside because they are about to be possibly crushed to death by your trailer or your cab if you miss them. Believe it or not on the average shift this happens about 7 or 8 times per day. Something else other's don't realise is just how limited your view is down the side of the lorry, for all that there's 6 mirrors on your wagon because of the height and width you have massive blindspots, the mirrors themself cause blindspots because they're so big. When your reversing you have what you call a blindside because of the way the trailer curves.
All in all it can be a very stressful job if you let it get to you but I'm proud I got through my tests at such a young age and can represent the Haulage Industry and hopefully be an inspiration to younger drivers and show that (okay not all) but some young guys my age are actually very sensible and capable of driving such long and heavy vehicles.
PS, not sure if this is allowed but feel free to remove it, although you can see a small insight to what I do and a great perspective headcam at
www.youtube.com/user/TruckingDiaries
awesome.
