Becoming a trucker

[MrDuke]

Bus companies round here are always advertising for drivers - I'm sorely tempted at times (it would beat office work any day, and I KNOW for a FACT I'm a better/safer driver than half the twats they currently employ) but I don't think I could cope with all the associated chav/alcoholic/deviant/tramp problems. I mean, I could deal with them, but not in a strictly 'legal' fashion.

[Lord Sterling]

Bus companies round here are always advertising for drivers - I'm sorely tempted at times (it would beat office work any day, and I KNOW for a FACT I'm a better/safer driver than half the twats they currently employ) but I don't think I could cope with all the associated chav/alcoholic/deviant/tramp problems. I mean, I could deal with them, but not in a strictly 'legal' fashion.

I know where your coming from. Some of my mates and neighbours are bus drivers and they keep telling me to become a bus driver (Strangely enough my current situation isnt dissimilar to Stan Butler) for the same reasons as above puts me off, as well as all the training.

 

I'm pretty sure they employ drug-crazed paranoid loons as bus drivers here in Birmingham. I remember one driver flying through Brum in the bus I was travelling in, shouting all sorts of abuse at other drivers and generally being a menace. It was fun!

[Station]

Doing the same route everyday with the added bonus of constant inner city traffic with the only distraction pressing a button and giving change!

[warren t claim]

I have a fact that will shock you....

 

Large bus operators like Arriva not only train but EXAMINE their own drivers. So if they are short of a few steering wheel attendants the can just pass a few that would normally fail a DSA driving test!

[Tayne]

.e.

[Station]

My ma was waiting for the bus and one shot past today without stopping - it was late. A bus company near me was fined £20,000 for unpromptness/bypassing picking up passengers and went out of business about ten years ago.

I saw one do this to my dad years ago so I gave him a lift to the next couple of stops and he gave the driver a proper bollocking!

[Cavcraft]

Ashamedly I had pretty much the same experience Station. Waiting for a bus late one night, as I ran up to the bus he shut the doors and fucked off despite me waving like a loon and despite the fact I was running up to the front of the bus.

Anyhow he drove off with a smug grin on his face so I got a taxi home. Imagine my glee when I saw said driver turning round at the top of the road to run back into town.

Hid in the bus stop, put my hand out as he rolled up and the daft twat stopped.

Apparantly he 'didn't see me in town' and was 'sorry'. He certainly fucking was sorry a few seconds later, the wanker.

 

I think for reasons others have mentioned it must be a pretty shit life being a bus driver as dealing with members of the public is never much fun. On a union course I attended recently one or two were bus drivers and they told us things that would make Mother Theresa swear.

[barrett]

Apparantly he 'didn't see me in town' and was 'sorry'. He certainly fucking was sorry a few seconds later, the wanker.

 

I think for reasons others have mentioned it must be a pretty shit life being a bus driver as dealing with members of the public is never much fun.

 

Anyone else thinks that that smacks of irony??

 

My favourite is when they try the old 'we don't accept £20s mate..' routine

[scooters]

bugger me - that lorry crash is terrifying!

 

Doing a milaege like I do in the car I reckon I come across at least one fatal accident a week in my travels.

 

Far better than spending money on gatsos would be to show this sort of footage on ads - can you imagine coming up behind this at 80mph - you wouldn't stand a chance.

 

Speeding in itself isn't an issue it's the inappropriate use of speed and the lack of imagination usually by the Audi tdi type right up your arse in a packed 3 lane motorway who shows the distinct lack of imagination.

 

Our motorways are packed these days and unless you get a clear run - ie M74 in the evening IMHO there is little point in blitzing around at top speed.

 

Really dangerous bits like the M6 between 12 and 18 driving defensively is a must - too much traffic and all it takes is one mistake like in that fierball.

 

I am especially wary driving at the weekends when many on the motorway are occasional drivers. During the week although busier actions tend to be more predictable probably because there are more professional drivers on the road or very experienced ones who clock huge motorway mileages.

 

IMHO the vast majority of drivers are responsible and especially the HGV drivers - the ones to watch are the rouges and some of the foriegn lorries who simply don't have the mirrors (an often the brakes) to be on our roads. I think you have to clock every vehicle around you and check out their behaviour - are they holding course, are the driving up arses, are they treating an HGV like a go cart etc. and react accordingly.

 

I think safest type of vehicle to drive on the motorway is a powerful and well set up car - having the ability to very quickly accelerate between 70 and 80 has saved my bacon in the past. If you don't have juice under the bonnet (like in the Daf) then reading the road ahead and behind is even more critical.

 

With the 1000 odd miles I cover a week (usually in old tin) I am buggered if I am going to orphan my young family dying in a RTA or injuring myself so these days I drive defensively (most of the time). Those times I have a scare (I did last week) it is usually because I have got frustrated and started driving like a cock - such video of crashes brings you back down with a clunk - thanks for posting it.

 

Thanks also to the majority of safe HGV drivers who do a very difficult job in very dangerous circumstances - we forget that without them our economy would grind to a halt - a fact so often forgotten by those who cdrank up the price of fuel. Yes I know there are a few prostitute murdering lunatics out there but there are always about 5% cocks in any group and yes - it can be frustrating in heavy traffic but if it is a choice between 50mph and becoming a 400 yard stain on the outside lane with a pair of specs at the hairy end - I know what I would rather have.

 

I keep my fast driving for the A roads at 4.00am in the summer in the uninhabited bits - like the A68 from Jedburgh to Chollerford

[HillmanImp]

it must be a pretty shit life being a bus driver as dealing with members of the public is never much fun.

I did some life assurance and pensions work for some regions of first buses a few years ago before they centralised it and we were amazed by the amount of suicides.

 

Having worked in Stagecoach bus depots I can sort of see why. There were generally 2 types of people. Those who wanted to drive buses and were happy doing it and then there were those who had done it as it was the only job going and were very angry about it.

 

Anyhow, getting off topic here. I used to drive the buses on my normal licence as long as there were no paying passengers on it, for instance if it had broken down on the road and did not need towing. As far as i know it was legal. I was never told otherwise but then again i never asked.

 

Sounds like a lot of money to spend unless you are on about getting a truck.

 

I am writing to complain about the way that your magazine insinuates that all lorry drivers are murderers.

 

This is simply not true. Some of us are rapists too.

[Father Ted]

Of course its not all dull and dreary being a truck driver - your days are filled with fun.... And Clio drivers.

[warren t claim]

A couple of nights ago I was following an Sainsburys artic (reg no YT10***) up the northbound M6 that was all over the road. At times he was drifting across all three lanes and the hard shoulder! To be honest I was terrified and was not only having to drive my truck but keep a look out and keep my hand on the horn in case I had to beep him to alert him of a broken down car etc. Alas there is almost no chance of him being stopped because of the cutbacks in Police patrols and the Highways Agency wombles and VOSA can't prosecute you for due care and attention. In fact if a VOSA officer probably wouldn't of bothered stopping him at all because Sainsburys are a "green light" haulier with new vehicles and don't make their drivers run bent.

[trigger]

I can honestly say dealing with lorry drivers everyday at work that the video above is typical of your average UK truck driver!, The number of crashes and near misses i have seen at work that involve these loons is unbelievable, and 90% of the time they are foreign (Mostly Eastern European..)

 

It scares me how some of them even got a licence in the first place, and these are the guys driving 40 ton trucks up and down our motorways everyday.

 

You have to drive under the crane i drive straight and in-line which isn't hard yet many still manage to jack knife them or be butted up against the cranes wheels, and if you need one to reverse up then all hell breaks loose!

[scooters]

A couple of nights ago I was following an Sainsburys artic (reg no YT10***) up the northbound M6 that was all over the road. At times he was drifting across all three lanes and the hard shoulder! To be honest I was terrified and was not only having to drive my truck but keep a look out and keep my hand on the horn in case I had to beep him to alert him of a broken down car etc. Alas there is almost no chance of him being stopped because of the cutbacks in Police patrols and the Highways Agency wombles and VOSA can't prosecute you for due care and attention. In fact if a VOSA officer probably wouldn't of bothered stopping him at all because Sainsburys are a "green light" haulier with new vehicles and don't make their drivers run bent.

fellah - you should report him to Sainsbury's - seriously give the time and location and as much of the reg you can remember. A couple of years back an idiot in a mobile cat scanning HGV undertook me at J16 on the M6 using the Hard shoulder - I was in a transit van - the guy pulled in sharply hitting the van - if it hadn't been for the presence of mind of the drivers in the middle lane it would have been curtains for me - why did he do it? well I overtook him and he lost his rag.

 

We run about 6000 vehicles for at work with Hovis written on the side and the last thing we want is a van with our name on it killing somone- we encourage the public to repost dodgey driving - the union supports this stance as reponsible HGV drivers have no wish for to have their name dragged down by the loonies

[warren t claim]

I do understand what you're saying. I don't want anyone getting killed but I also don't want to ruin anyone's career.

[dollywobbler]

I do understand what you're saying. I don't want anyone getting killed but I also don't want to ruin anyone's career.

Yeah, but dangerous driving is dangerous driving. Was of a mind to report a truck the other day. Driver was clearly very pissed off that the artic in front was doing 40mph in a 60 zone (despite the fact that 40 is the truck limit). Was making desperate bids to get past, and had to keep pulling back in again. Bad enough when people drive like twats in cars but when you're acting all stupid with 40 tons of truck, it's rather worse. Sadly I couldn't see what company the truck was from but rather alarmingly, ended up with a huge truck right behind me acting all hasty as well! Decided to get off that road rather sharpish...

[Cavcraft]

Apparantly he 'didn't see me in town' and was 'sorry'. He certainly fucking was sorry a few seconds later, the wanker.

 

I think for reasons others have mentioned it must be a pretty shit life being a bus driver as dealing with members of the public is never much fun.

 

Anyone else thinks that that smacks of irony??

 

My favourite is when they try the old 'we don't accept £20s mate..' routine

I agree which is why I said 'ashamedly' at the start, though in this case it'd be hard for me to say he didn't deserve at least some shit over it.

[Gompo]

I will be getting a 15 year old Scania 92d flatbed to use as a tat hauler.

To move things back onto a more lighter note, we might have one of these at work - a K-reg flatbed Scania, 17t or there-abouts..

[dollywobbler]

Forgot to say, wife is fed up of me moaning about wanting a truck, so she's making my birthday treat a truck-driving experience! Ace.

 

However, I might still see if I can get my PCV...

[meggersdog]

I passed my class 2 test in January '97.Medical,theory,four days driver training and the test came to around 900 sheets.Drove around Peterboghorror for four days then took my test in Cambridge.Got marked down (twice) for being over cautious towards cyclists well they were everybloodywhere.Took my test in a six speed with no splitter 'box and never heard of a CPC.Mind you after two months on agency work (or lack of) I went to work on narrowboats for the next eight years.

[Station]

I'll just put this here ...

 

 

[chaseracer]

Thanks for sharing that...