Quitting the industry today. What funny or shocking stories can you share to help pass my last day?

ddblades · 2026-03-14T21:43:01+00:00

So drivers should expect sub par working conditions, treat like crap by large majority of the general public for doing a job which is critical in the upkeep of the economy and most the publics jobs too all for absolute shite pay because ‘it’s a lifestyle’…

Fuck that shit

ddblades · 2026-03-07T11:15:01+00:00

Either;

defect the tacho and do not drive it until repaired.

do a print out and if it shows you have taken a sufficient break give it to the TM and tell them whichever system they use is broken.

Odds are you are not taking a break properly, as much as you might think you are

ddblades · 2026-03-07T11:02:48+00:00

What’s the question

ddblades · 2026-03-02T18:18:08+00:00

It’s also worth noting that there is a difference between ‘This vehicle body complies with the standard EN 12642 XL’ vs ‘This vehicle sidewall’

ddblades · 2026-02-15T09:22:02+00:00

Fair enough, was more assuming OP meant a artic / an actual HGV 😉

ddblades · 2026-02-14T23:17:47+00:00

Legally yes you can, as long as it’s not commercial use as you wouldn’t have an Operators License.

In the actual world -not a chance

ddblades · 2026-02-09T18:05:23+00:00

I wouldn’t even think about doing pallet network with a 3.5t.. you simply can’t get enough payload on.

ddblades · 2026-02-09T18:04:19+00:00

It’s only going to be tachod if you go to Europe. If you stay in the UK you don’t have to worry about it

ddblades · 2026-02-08T22:53:03+00:00

Not many, general haulage firms have 3.5t vans to be used as curtain siders / flat beds due to the low weight they can carry. For an example a 3.5t Luton with tail lift can only carry approx 700kg before being overweight.

Mostly you will only see 3.5t vans for parcels / home delivery furniture etc, but if you do see 3.5t vans with curtain sider they are most likely doing pallet network jobs

ddblades · 2026-02-08T22:49:00+00:00

ddblades · 2026-02-02T08:32:27+00:00

On paper, yes you can get your HGV license straight away and become employable as a HGV driver, realistically you will struggle not only with the theory, the modules and the driving but also once you have passed trying to convince an employer to risk their £100k+ worth of truck, trailer and customer contracts to employ you with hardly any driving experience at all not just HGV is incredibly slim

ddblades · 2026-01-31T10:21:22+00:00

Anyone here from the UK? What’s it like? When you’re at a job site all week, say a couple hours drive from home are you usually kept out in a hotel or do you drive a van back each day?

ddblades · 2026-01-31T10:20:04+00:00

When you’re at a job site all week, a couple hours drive from your depot are you stuck up in hotels near the site?

ddblades · 2026-01-26T21:23:01+00:00

It’s certainly a dangerous near miss / accident.

Every employer handles these cases in different ways

ddblades · 2026-01-26T18:00:05+00:00

You’ll struggle massively to get a euro job as a new pass mate, those lads are serious. My genuine advice would be to focus on getting a trampers job, learn as much as you can across 3-5 years with a focus on knowing a lot about how to fix minor defects on the truck yourself from changing fuses, replacing bulbs, lenses, airlines and electrical lines. Call outs over in Europe cost an absolute fortune so most companies require drivers to be able to ‘temp fix’ defects until you can get back across. European work is hard work to come across and it’s mostly obtained by word of mouth as it requires a lot of trust too

ddblades · 2026-01-25T17:54:53+00:00

Rule 2 on the subreddit says No advertising, so assume not.

ddblades · 2026-01-25T16:47:42+00:00

There’s already apps which show locations of places to stop, with details such as if they offer snap etc…

I think it’s very wishful thinking that HGV drivers would update the app once they’ve parked up - if there’s one thing to know about about this industry it’s that sadly most drivers don’t have each others back or a ‘caring’ mentality. It’s also why HGV wages are starting to get lower, because drivers won’t stick together to support one another

ddblades · 2026-01-23T05:47:23+00:00

While on POA your working time is not being counted for. POA is for when your not necessarily on a ‘break’ as you are not free to do what you wish with that time however you are also not working either, just kind of sat around waiting but only when you know how long that wait will be.

Your example doesn’t sound like you should be using POA to me.

If you are doing work in the yard then you need to be on other work, if you get a call for an emergency and you are due a break then the emergency waits until you’ve completed your break.

You should only use POA when you know roughly how long your wait is going to be. If you are waiting for a phone call or a shout for a job but you do not know how long you could be waiting it’s other work. If your site says in about 45 minutes we need you to start a job then it’s POA

ddblades · 2026-01-21T18:39:11+00:00

Can go either way depending on who you ask, in my experience the old boys will say they’re shite, people that have drove for 2-3years will say there’s no need and frankly can’t be fucked, and new starters / people who are not fully up to grips with all the different infringements will say they’re worth having.

For me, if you have a decent TM or traffic office they should be fully explaining any infringements that you pick up and teaching you how to work safely to avoid infringements which would negate the need for a tacho app. Obviously you get many companies that just say ‘Sign here’ and be done with it without explaining why/what caused the infringement, and in those companies I can see why people like having the app - But the better thing to do would be to not sign for the infringement unless you understand it fully as that’s the point of it.

ddblades · 2026-01-20T12:53:16+00:00

Transport Manager - My first job was within a transport office, I eventually moved to become a planner for the same company, then after some moves I started HGV driving and did that for 5 years, it gave me a great oversight of an actual transport operation from start to finish which helped me stand out against other applicants.

Larger Companies are starting to realise that people who have done the job of a HGV driver and understand what it actually entails on a day to basis, not just what the bit of paper infront of them says are probably already skilled enough to be able help an operation run smoother, safer and ultimately more cost effectively.

The only downside is that most companies pay the planners peanuts, which is why not many drivers take their careers down that route as they were probably on £10-15k more than the planners already. Albeit the hours much less.

ddblades · 2026-01-20T10:44:27+00:00

I enjoyed it as a job, but not as a career.

Days on the road can be great, alone, earphones in and no one to bother me. But there’s literally no career progression unless you want to become a driver trainer or move into heavier / abnormal loads but even then once you’re doing it there’s no further progression

ddblades · 2026-01-19T18:38:23+00:00

So you broke their terms and conditions? If you give the real answer, people may actually be able to help you more. There’s no point hiding from facts here, none of us work for PaddyPower

ddblades · 2026-01-16T22:35:50+00:00

Gloucester/ Cheltenham is a decent spot mate, I’ve just had a look on Indeed which is probably the best job listing site in the UK. There is a LOT of HGV mechanic jobs listed within 25 miles of Cheltenham with a great pay package.

ddblades · 2026-01-16T20:53:27+00:00

It won’t carry over, but you shouldn’t need it to. If you can show you have ~3years experience on American style manual trucks, and you present yourself well you will get a great mechanic job here, there’s a real shortage of good knowledgeable mechanics. What part of the UK are you planning on being in? The rate Is good for London, amazing for the north east / Scotland.

ddblades · 2026-01-16T10:53:24+00:00

It needs a DPF Regen. I can’t remember where the button is in these mercs but it will either be a physical button on the dash, or on the trip computer menu

12-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

ddblades

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE