what's it like to drive a lorry?
- Thread starter han
- Start date
HeroineSheep
Where was I again?
Han, I think you'd be a great truck driver. Get over this side of the world: the road trains are feckin enormous 
hiccup
King of the Vagabonds
han said:
Loving the music on that website
Paulie Tandoori
shut it you egg!
han said:We should organise an urban trip sometime....when yer sprog's old enough to appreciate diggers.
Zenie - I don't know what the bird out of Shameless is like, but....I hope she's not too horrific!
I'd get loads of tattoos and make my beer belly even more enormous, and keep loads of porn in the glove compartment. And wolf-whistle at blonde babes who were walking down the street. And wear a lumberjack shirt. And eat big fried brekkies. And belch all the time.
But no - there are some very slight little laydees who I've seen commandeering huge trucks recently and it's mighty impressive. Guess it's the power steering.
It must be great being that high up. Paulie - is it scary driving a truck in London? I mean - trying to squeeze down all the streets with parking on both sides?It's bad enough going down Brixton Hill at the best of times, the road has got 4 lanes but definitely isn't big enough for 4 lines of traffic.....
I like the sound of your new 'trucker' look, han
Power steering is definitely good fun. Driving in London was fine, once you get used the dimensions. And if you meet a car on a street that you can't squeeze by each other, you simply sit there and wait for them to reverse, cos, like zenie says, size matters 
Worst bit was probably parking, reversing back into spaces that are only just begin enough was a bit heart in throat. And hoping you don't get ticketed when you're running off to deliver 6 rolls of lino up 3 flights of stairs - compared to that, the driving was easy.
magneze
🎧
Iemanja speaking...
me too!
Funny thing was I thought I was the only woman who dreamed of driving a big truck, until I joined urban75
I'll come to diggerworld, whatever that is, it sounds like fun
trashpony said:I used to have a fantasy about driving one of these kind of things
and then getting out of the cab at the truck stop and people being amazed at me being female.
I don't think I've ever grown out of it. Most of my friends are appalled I want to go to diggerworld - they think I'm really sad
me too!
Funny thing was I thought I was the only woman who dreamed of driving a big truck, until I joined urban75
I'll come to diggerworld, whatever that is, it sounds like fun
han
love is the answer
Iemanja said:Funny thing was I thought I was the only woman who dreamed of driving a big truck, until I joined urban75
It looks like there's a few of us doesn't it
Rah!Bikergrrl - I really know what you mean - offices suck, don't they?
So why do the pro lorry drivers on this thead hate it as a job? Mr. Moose? Longdog?
It sounds like there's a big shortage of truckers in Oz, NZ and Canada....there are tons of adverts in the papers asking for people to emigrate to Canada as truck drivers....
Interesting article about a woman who used to be a lecturer at Goldsmiths who became a trucker!
I'm not necessarily thinking of it as a job, but would certainly like to have a go at driving an LGV....whereever it may lead....
moose
like some cat from Japan
It used to be the hours - mr moose used to do 70+ a week. Now it's the pay - the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations now limits you to 48 hours driving a week, and if you get paid hourly, that's bad news. The only way to make decent money is to be away 4 nights+ a week. There is generally no sick pay, even if you are injured at workhan said:
and the lifestyle is notoriously unhealthy. A large part of the day is spent sitting in traffic, or if you deliver to somewhere big like Boots or Argos HQ, you can wait 4-5 hours just to be unloaded.On the plus side, there's no boss looking over your shoulder, and if you have no ties to home, the world is your oyster. There are currently loads of initiatives to recruit more drivers, including women, as the Working Time Regulations mean most haulage companies now need more drivers to make up the shortfall in working hours.
han
love is the answer
moose said:It used to be the hours - mr moose used to do 70+ a week. Now it's the pay - the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations now limits you to 48 hours driving a week, and if you get paid hourly, that's bad news. The only way to make decent money is to be away 4 nights+ a week. There is generally no sick pay, even if you are injured at work
That sounds a bit grim...
moose said:
It must better for people in the long run though? 70+ hours is a ridiculous amount of time to be working!
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
I often drive 7.5t trucks for work and I hate the bloody things, mainly becuase it's often in central London and everyone there drives and rides like they want to kill themselves 
moose
like some cat from Japan
That is before tax, and generally you have to cough up for your own insurance policy for if you get long-term injured, and contribute towards safety gear too. If you want to go to the dentist or an appointment during the working day, you often have to take the day off with no pay, and at a few places I know of, if your vehicle is being serviced you have an enforced day off with no pay.
Biddlybee
making knots with sticks
me tootrashpony said:I used to have a fantasy about driving one of these kind of things
and then getting out of the cab at the truck stop and people being amazed at me being female.
I don't think I've ever grown out of it. Most of my friends are appalled I want to go to diggerworld - they think I'm really sad
Do you get to drive a tractor at diggerworld? I want to drive a tractor... only a short distance, just once
pembrokestephen
New Member
I've driven loads of stuff up to 7.5tonne (plus reversed a 32 tonne artic out of a loading bay oncehan said:Anyone driven one? What's it like?
It's probably a bit mad, me being a militant cyclist and all (and us being natural enemies with LGVs), but I'd really like to have a go at it.
I'd like to go on one of those 'experience days' and drive a ten ton juggernaut round an assault course or something.
It sounds like lots of fun.
Oh and that reminds me - anyone fancy an Urban trip to Diggerland sometime?
Oh, to drive a biodiesel-powered Unimog around the world....*sigh*
), but I have to say that, for sheer driving pleasure, there's not much to beat driving a reasonably powered car (I haven't got a bike licence, so I can't comment on that, but I'd imagine that's loadsa fun too).What you notice more than anything with big stuff is the limited all-round visibility - driving a car, at least, offers you the ability to know what's going on all around you and drive accordingly.
