So I'm a hgv driver, by accident not choice.
In my distant past I part owned a wholesale bakery with my parents, Dad retired I didn't want to carry on.
The lorrys that made the deliveries of ingredients, artics and rigid, as being a twenty something I was mad for anything on wheels, so I used to drive the artic about the yard area, couldn't reverse it for toffee.
One holiday I booked a weeks hgv course so I could learn to go backwards and surprise our regular delivery guys, which I did, passing my test too.
A few years later I decided to try Electric Engineering, bakery business sold, off to College, small qualification, started installing Burglar Alarms, didn't enjoy it, wife then suggested driving trucks, so did that.
Loved it.
I've been lucky that I've always earned really good money, In the West Yorkshire area.
26 ish years ago earned £34k Tramping, did that for 2 years, missed the family so left.
3 years ago I was grossing £52k working permanent nights 13 hour shifts, did that for years.
2 years ago I went to days earned around £40k 12 hour shifts.
Last year came to Cornwall pay here is way behind so on £33k for day work 9 to 10 hour shifts.
Lorry driving has a high turnover of drivers for various reasons, it also has probably the most varied of duties under the one job title of "HGV Driver".
My first job was "Tramping", UK wide deliveries, sleeping in the cab 4 to 5 nights, start at whatever o'clock.
Next job "Night Trunk", A to B then back to A. Same start and finish times, easy as pie, but boring. Had a mental breakdown in the end, mix of sleep deprivation and wanting an actual life, so walked away.
Next "Multi Drop" fridge work, delivering refrigerated goods to about 10 stores a day, started at 5am which was perfect, loved that job, really enjoyed meeting people in the stores, a very relaxed working environment, exactly what I needed after 20 odd years of nights, this job taught me how to drive a lorry, no more motorway only driving, Artic's with various sized trailers into Town and City centres and more importantly "Blind side reversing" a real learning curve.
Current job is superb, a right challenge at times to make the delivery so mentally stimulating, I do "Multi Drop" pallet deliveries, only in Cornwall too, fabulous.
Scenery is superb, my regulars are great to get on with, the shifts for a driving job are relatively short, but the money is about £5k behind were it would be up North for similar, but I'm enjoying life so sticking with it, but I could walk away from driving tomorrow.
As a driver their are lots of pitfalls, low pay for a lot of drivers is still an issue, long hours, irregular shifts, accidents, fines and some prison!
The cost of a licence is silly expensive, and you now need two thanks to the EU.
I'd hand my keys in tomorrow if I could, but at my age only minimum wage jobs would employ me, so I plod on, I'm thinking of working part time once we are in the long over due house, Wifey earns more than me, so maybe a house husband, nice ring to that, with a couple of days behind the wheel I'm thinking is my future option.
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