HGV Drivers Report In!

Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2007
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Sheffield
Following on from Scania's thread showing off his new motor I was surprised to see how many others are in the industry on here, and the amount of interest from those who aren't.

So who does what and drives what? I'll go first, currently doing day work on a mixture of pallet network and general haulage, although it'll be just permanent general haulage after the new year with some nights out also.

My whip, not the prettiest but she gets the job done and it's a nice place to be inside (Hoping for a new motor before long though)

uKLnvY.jpg
 
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Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2012
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11,259
I've actually just applied for my cat c provisional. It would be a career change and whether I'll actually ever use it or not is another matter but I wanted another skillset under my belt. If I get the provisional I would do the mod 3 sometime in February or so.

Nice 6 axel 44 tonne artic there btw.
 
Caporegime
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On the road....
I was going to reply but I think you know my horse :D

Working for a small family run business in Stoke doing U.K. Distribution work for a few contracts, Jiffy Packaging, Belle Engineering, Twyford Bathrooms amongst others.

I do day shifts now (got fed up with sleeping in lay-bys and fighting off Gypo’s trying to steal my diesel) so my horse varies, currently got the new Scania but often drive the older models and we’ve got some MAN’s 5 new ones and the rest - soon to be retired - 60,61 & 16 plates)


After 10+ years at Eddie Stobart I much prefer this and won’t be going back despite keep getting asked to! :)
 
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Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2012
Posts
11,259
I was going to reply but I think you know my horse :D

Working for a small family run business in Stoke doing U.K. Distribution work for a few contracts, Jiffy Packaging, Belle Engineering, Twyford Bathrooms amongst others.

I do day shifts now (got fed up with sleeping in lay-bys and fighting off Gypo’s trying to steal my diesel) so my horse varies, currently got the new Scania but often drive the older models and we’ve got some MAN’s 5 new ones and the rest - soon to be retired - 60,61 & 16 plates)


After 10+ years at Eddie Stobart I much prefer this and won’t be going back despite keep getting asked to! :)

So people are trying to Syphon your fuel?

Any other stories/tips?
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
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Sheffield
So people are trying to Syphon your fuel?

Any other stories/tips?

It's a common occurrence and if they aren't nicking your fuel then it's your load. Sadly there's a severe lack of safe parking spaces for HGV's in the UK and no authorities are acting on the issue. If someone's nicking your load or fuel then just leave them to it and call the police, it's all insured and generally the thieves won't bother the driver unless they intervene.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
21 Feb 2006
Posts
29,300
This thread is useless to me unless we start getting pictures of the best fry ups found whilst out on the road and the establishment details of where you found them!

Get to work truckers, we want bacons, sausages, black pudding, fried bread, more bacon, more sausage and no beans anywhere near the meat!!
 
Caporegime
Joined
25 Nov 2004
Posts
25,812
Location
On the road....
This thread is useless to me unless we start getting pictures of the best fry ups found whilst out on the road and the establishment details of where you found them!

Get to work truckers, we want bacons, sausages, black pudding, fried bread, more bacon, more sausage and no beans anywhere near the meat!!
I refer you to the line at 0:36 about cafe food.... ;)

:D
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Jan 2008
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Location
Peterboro, Distro:Ubuntu
I've been doing this malarkey since 1985.
I now night trunk for the UK side of (probably) the largest haulier in Europe Nagel

As you can see from the time of this post I'm "Job & Finish". I've had a nice easy run to Redditch & back. 4 hours & home ! (7 week rota - Other nights I go to Taunton (& back) or Liverpool or (last night) swap trailers with a sweaty sock at Lymm services. Night before was Dover.

Wagons we use are Merc & Scanias. Nothing fancy as they are Lease Hire jobs. In fact the Scanias are LOCKED into Eco mode only <-- Very boring

[Edit]

Me in 1986 (I think)

q1i2VpE.jpg

& Me last summer...
DODFb3H.jpg
 
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Caporegime
Joined
25 Nov 2004
Posts
25,812
Location
On the road....
So people are trying to Syphon your fuel?

Any other stories/tips?
Fuel theft is common, if you’ve got a single tank you either park in such a way so the tank is up against something to make access difficult or you make sure you park with the tank facing the road, thieves don’t like to be seen doing their deed.

Tips? Plenty most likely, anything in particular?

Stories, heck where do I start?

I could tell you all about the time I took some thieves on a little refrigerated ride from Doncaster to Market Drayton or the time I got slashed with a razor after I disturbed someone cutting my trailer curtain, I could (should) write a book!
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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10,632
Location
Notts
What's realistically the highest wage you'd earn driving for a big carrier? My mate (who's absolutely full of it) reckons he makes £60k driving for NFT (and £1700 in a week).

Like anything there's lots of variables involved, but I'd have said £35k max (Glassdoor salary reports are mostly in the £25-£33k range).
 
Soldato
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Peterboro, Distro:Ubuntu
Complete utter BullCrap.

ADR & Tanker drivers are probably on the highest wage and they are on about £50k-ish

I do every other friday night (tonight) on an overtime rota but no Bank Holidays etc and I'm on £35k

I've paid my mortgage off so don't need or want to "Power Earn" anymore. I've rather have Family time !
 
Caporegime
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25,812
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On the road....
My mate (who's absolutely full of it) reckons he makes £60k driving for NFT (and £1700 in a week).
You said it - full of it! :p

I’m on ballpark £32k, but average 60+ hours per week for it, the money is there but you do long hours to get it.

As Outcast says, tanker drivers can earn more but not everyone is within realistic travelling time of a fuel depot - I think the nearest for me would be Manchester, given the hours are long already there’s no way I’m going to add an hour + commute each way to what can already be a 15hour day.

Many drivers will tell you there earning £800 - £1k per week, it’s what ideally we’d like to be picking up especially given the long and usually unsocial hours - never mind the responsibility and governance by law where you get fined if you mess up your tachograph hours - but unfortunately your only a professional in the eyes of the law when you screw up, to the industry - and Joe public - truck drivers are an inconvenience.

It’s a highly skilled job imo where you never stop learning (any driver who knows it all is a fool) but it’s one of the few jobs I can think of that requires training and multiple classes of license and periodic training on top where somebody with say 20+ years experience is on exactly the same wage as a kid who passed yesterday...

It’s a joke yet the industry wonders why there’s an ever increasing HGV driver shortage!
 
Soldato
OP
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Sheffield
I think the big earnings on tankers has passed now from what I've heard from people in that game and jobs I've seen advertised, there was big money to be earned but not so much anymore and those firms that are paying good money on it aren't recruiting, very much dead mans boots positions. I can't think of any positions where earnings are high across the board at the moment, I know trampers up north running up to 150t specialist work taking home little more than RDC drivers on curtains (Day men).

The next 5-10 years are going to be extremely interesting I feel as UK drivers retire without much young blood coming into it, also the effects of Brexit will be interesting at the same time.
 
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