r/uktrucking

I've been driving trucks for about 10 years now. Doing supermarket work for the past 6.

This week I start my new contract. I've cut down from 50 hours a week (contracted 50h over 5 days)

To 40 hours a week over 4 days.

I'm only 36 but I don't want to spend 50 hours a week driving trucks anymore.

By going from 5 days a week to 4 I've dropped from 50k to 40k a year, but it's worth it for work life balance imo.

So to answer my own questions. Where do I see myself in 5 years.

Hopefully in a training role or possibly in the office and driving occasional but I don't want driving to be my main role.

So, where do you see yourself in the year 2031

Still fairly new to the HGV world (8 months). How would a Sunday evening shift going into Monday be treated when you've used your two extended drives that week. Would you be Limited to a 9 hour drive or not? Can't seem to find a definitive answer anywhere on the subject. Cheers for any help

Hello everyone, I'll be handling pharmaceutical cold storage transportation. How does this job compare to side curtains, and how does one sleep in a reefer? I have earplugs, but I can't detach the trailer. Another option is to play some background noise music.

Is there any disadvantage to the job when compared to side curtains?

Advice?

So, I’ve just sent off my D2 pack and completed the medical, but honestly, I’m starting to lose motivation.

I’ve been driving buses for almost two years now, and I got so fed up with dealing with terrible road users and difficult passengers that I ended up quitting during my break.

After that, I started looking into becoming a police constable or getting into lorry driving. At first, I thought lorry driving might be the one for me, especially tramping, because it sounds like there’s more money to be made and a lot more independence compared to other driving jobs.

But after looking at some job adverts, it turns out that most companies won’t touch anyone with zero HGV experience. The few that do seem willing to take on new drivers are offering such poor pay that I’d have been better off staying on the buses and putting up with the stress.

I’m not really interested in taking a pay cut either. I got used to bringing home around £1,000 a week after tax, so dropping below that would be hard to justify. Granted, I was only making that kind of money because I was doing loads of extra mileage and taking on as much work as possible. I’d rather be at work than sitting at home doing nothing.

But when you factor in having to pay for your own licence, the lack of jobs for newly qualified drivers, and the lower pay on offer, the whole industry starts to sound a bit rubbish.

On top of that, there seem to be loads of experienced drivers saying they wouldn’t recommend lorry driving to anyone and that the pay isn’t what people think it is. Hearing that from people who’ve been in the industry for years doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

What do i do?

Good morning all,

Very new to driving/tacho use. The tacho in my truck is set up so that it always defaults to rest after driving - as soon as you switch the engine off it goes to rest, and will stay on rest even if you switch the ignition on/start engine, it will only change once you start moving.

Of course, a 45 hour rest can't be taken in the cab, unless in a proper truck stop with facilities, which mine were. However, my question is this: if the card is left in during the 45 hour break, and the ignition is switched on, will it register the ignition cycle, proving that I was in the cab, and lead to me possibly being accused of not taking a proper rest (I can't prove I had access to facilities), or will it not matter as the mode never changed from rest?

Sorry if a stupid question, but I am overthinking a lot of the tacho stuff

Many thanks

I currently work in property as an Estate Agent. The pay is crap and the industry is stressful.

I've been toying with the idea for a while of becoming an HGV driver. My friend does it and loves it.

I have no kids and no real commitments at home, so would be interested in tramping as I understand that's where the best money is.

What's the easiest route into this kind of work? I've registered interest for the free skills bootcamps the government offers but haven't heard back yet.

I'm 28, F. Currently not able to fund my licence privately so looking for grants etc if any are available 😅

Hello all, I need some help with the above fault showing intermittently on my truck. It mostly only hapoens when I'm loaded, at a set of traffic lights or at a roundabout. I kick the accelerator, this fault comes on, the truck doesn't move, or it does move but doesn't change gears and I'm left looking like a impatient tit.

I've reported to our in house garage, the mechanic plugged in a special device to test the gears and they all engaged fine, se he declared no problem.

Unfortunately when I've come back to the yard loaded, I haven't been able to replicate the fault, somehow it only happens when I'm on the road on my own, and I find it quite dangerous, especially if I go for a gap on a dual carriage or a T junction and I'm not able to complete my maneuver, I could end up killing someone.

I 100% know it's not the clutch, as the truck will climb steep hills eventually when the gear has engaged, but the 3-5 seconds of disengagement could prove lethal.

I just don't know how to get it sorted, as the warning comes on, and it clears on its own when it goes in gear.

I'm honestly at my wits end as I look like a fool when I go to report it and there is no fault to be scanned.

The truck drives fine above 30 mph and all the gears engage ok after the 7th gear.

I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who was driven volvos before and had a similar issue.

Hello guys/girls, Im a new pass c+e driver and have got my first job doing class 2 tipper work starting Monday, any tips/advice or anything you recommend I take with me?, this will also be my first time driving a rigid as all my training was in an artic.

Many thanks

Hi everyone. Has anyone experienced the following?

This morning coming down the M25 after Jct 16 on the gantry there was a 40 mph sign. I am 100% sure before I have passed the gantry I was doing 40 mph but after I have passed the camera has flashed two times, which confuses me as why has it done it?

I am used to the cameras flash once for calibrating themselves but not twice.

Also would like to add that there was no other car near to me and on the other lanes there where Red X-es.

I am confident I was doing 40 mph.

Thanks for any answers

I’ve downloaded a few revision apps some questions on some of the apps are very complex, was just wondering what is the best app for revising case study’s as I’ve seen some people saying a lot of the revision app questions are way harder than the actual test any advice? Thank you

ive done 21 hours so far.. got another 7 booked for tomorrow and gotta do the final one pretty soon.. I did 3 last month and god it sucked.

Has anyone managed to do all 5 in 1 week.. to be honest that was the plan but I just couldnt hack it.. It was so boring and sitting at my desk staring at the computer was like triggering anxiety as i had to somewhat pay attention.
7 hours of nothing to do.. I can see why people lose their minds when they are stuck in cells with nothing to do.. kinda feels like that.

Rant over. have a good weekend!

I have a prescription that means I will piss hot.
I have all the paperwork and doctor notes required to prove I am able to drive safely

I have my first assessment in 6 days and have been told I will have a drug test on the day.

If I were to not take my medication for 72 hours I will pass a mouth swab, but I won’t pass a urine test for a month or so.

In your experience are the drug tests done at assessments mouth swabs or urine tests?

Thanks

Edited to add - I’m only asking because technically my medication should not prevent me getting the job, but having worked for many companies over the years I’m worried they would just not give me the job and if I ever raised a complaint they would just say I failed due to some other aspect of the assessment

Class 1 heavy with the tisms but not the super hero genius type. Unfortunately i got the world is too loud and live in ear defenders type😭 the sound issue is like a low frequency sound thing where to normal folks what is considered background noise and no mind paid to it for me is like really loud and excruciatingly painful. So i always have my headphones and that solves that issue. The touch issue was never a problem until last night. My lovely old girl, a 21 plate Renault t480 was taken away and replaced with a newer 25 plate version. Some might say oh kool an upgrade but for me its like my world has come crashing down. All because of a seat🤦🏻‍♂️ the bloody drivers seat does this weird thing. It feels loose and not bolted down properly. If you wiggle your bum you can feel it clicking side to side and if you slightly move back n forth it does the same weird clicky, crunchy loose feeling. My old seat was solid! Only up n down with the air and was lovely but this new seat absolutely destroyed me last night. Only way i can describe the feeling is like imagine being scared of spiders or snakes or something similar and being made to drive with them crawling all over your face.

Every turn, bump or acceleration results in this clicky crunch that i can literally feel all through out my body and is hindering my ability to drive safe as makes me spas out😔

People with half my diagnosed conditions are at home on the sick and me being a hgv driver is the only time i genuinely feel free from all of it.

I can not work with people because im just not able to put up with or tolerate the nonsense that comes with team work. I can't do office stuff because of how noisy offices and the humans in them are. I was a chef for many years originally and apparently a very good one but again the people and the range of personalities destroyed me. I always wanted to be a hgv driver from when i was a kid and have been doing it for a good few years now with no issues. Just me and the road at night time doing the same shit every night. Boring but easy and stress free.

Honestly i don't even no why i am posting on reddit of all places. Might give some a good giggle and thats cool 😂 👌🏻

Not really sure how to go about fixing this situation but i wont be able to drive that truck again that's for sure 😵‍💫

I guess i want to know if there are any other weirdos like me and what do you do in situations like this, what safe systems do you have for yourselves if that makes sense.

Cheers all

Hi everyone, I'm 25 and currently work in financial services for the past 3 years in the north east. I don't think I'm cut out to be in an office long term looking at a computer and doing the same thing over and over again. I'm seriously considering becoming a Class 1 driver but want to hear the reality of the job before I commit.

I'm not sure if I'm too late now to do this, or if he should feel like this at 25, I kind of thought It would've had my career path figured out at this age.

Would anyone be willing to chat about the lifestyle, pay, hours and whether they'd recommend it? Also how would one go about getting more qualifications and experience on things such as ADR, tanker etc...Thanks.