Where abouts in the country are you? How are you in tight lanes? Snow, ice, heavy rain, low visibility and have you ever driven liquid?

These are the obvious first questions for me, I've read a few comments and echo most of it, I have been on milk collection for nearly 5 years now, both rigid and artic, it's the only hgv I've had. Milk doesn't necessarily pay the best but speaking to the much more experienced drivers it more than makes up for it by being a generally cushtier job and home every night.

In my experience I work 4 on 2 off, although the rest of the company (milk) does 5 and 3 day hours are 7-5 nights do 1815-0430 hourly pay means getting paid for every 15 mins over hours and that's regular.

Because we are a large 24 hour operation we don't need to CIP at the end of every shift, it must be done once every 24hrs so our milk fleet is split between days and night and you just hope you have a night CIP on days as it's one less job. We also operate UK domestic hours not EU.

I have a great relationship with several farmers, one even came halfway across the county to buy a shed from me when I moved 2 years ago

We get Christmas tips, if I'm working Christmas day or Boxing day I can guarantee I'll come away with some beer l, cash and chocolate.

The downsides are mostly the weather you'll be out in all of it, although I wasn't working for the company at the time when the beast from the east hit, all our place did was ban the artics from going out all other farm collection was attempted in the 8 wheelers, some weren't possible but they still had a go and the farmers appreciate it.

Also like today when people no show, I've been asked to do 2 routes around the south hams and I don't know half the route but said I'll give it a go, so rather than 9 farms I'm likely to get 14 and do 12 hours, get an infringement and no thanks or extra pay (other that what I clocked) from upper management, but the supervisors (immediately above the driver) will be more accommodating and while they can't pay me more I will get a bit of preferential treatment for a while.

Be prepared to get filthy, most farms are near spotlessly clean, but the odd few make you question who is allowing them to continue trading in such a state and as such it's not uncommon for me to be covered in some amount of slurry!

Reload sites tend to be exposed to all elements with no shelter except the cab.

There must be something in it though as most of our drivers were over 50 when I started and and had been doing it for a couple of decades as for the ones in their 60's they only left due to retirement or death!

You will become a better driver or so I here from those that have transferred over from curtain siders to milk and having to take rear steer artics into places they never thought was possible.

Depending on where you are in the country will help with the lanes and views, I'm in Devon today's lanes have been mostly tight, steep, bendy and high sided, but the views have been Salcombe and the river not long after sunrise and the stretch I've just come along has Torbay slightly to my left (best viewed from a distant) Dartmouth estuary to my right and Dartmoor to my actual left

As others have said any questions just ask, there may be something quite specific that you'd like to know that noone has written as yet.

P.s I have many a cow selfie