hmmmm been offered a job
Discussion
its a bigger step than you think,
i was a cab rat for 20 yrs and when i stopped it really took me an age to get use to going home every night and (shock ) have to talk to swmbo every night and fighting over remote for telly .
i found it depended where you night out , give yourself somewhere to do something and it is really good but just bed down and it gets boring and lonely
i was a cab rat for 20 yrs and when i stopped it really took me an age to get use to going home every night and (shock ) have to talk to swmbo every night and fighting over remote for telly .
i found it depended where you night out , give yourself somewhere to do something and it is really good but just bed down and it gets boring and lonely
I've just came back into the driving seat after a year off, done 1 night out a couple if weeks ago an 2 this week.
I've been driving R Series Scanias for the last 5 years (not inc my break) and now have a Topline, the past 3 have been Highlines, and I'm sorry there's no way I'd be doing 4 nights away a week in a lorry, not a chance.
1-2 is bad enough, but the conditions we are expected to shower in some places leaves much to be desires, don't get me started on the food/facilities etc
If I were you chap, stick to what you know, the grass isn't always greener, and you'll soon spend that extra £57 over the course of being away.
I've been driving R Series Scanias for the last 5 years (not inc my break) and now have a Topline, the past 3 have been Highlines, and I'm sorry there's no way I'd be doing 4 nights away a week in a lorry, not a chance.
1-2 is bad enough, but the conditions we are expected to shower in some places leaves much to be desires, don't get me started on the food/facilities etc
If I were you chap, stick to what you know, the grass isn't always greener, and you'll soon spend that extra £57 over the course of being away.
Don't forget the tax and NI and child benefit, tax credits, university grants for kids are all affected by increase in pay, so you won't see half of that.
I work at a desk, but spend 4 nights away Monday to Friday, due to no work at a decent rate, locally, and the difference between my last job (when I was home most nights) and this is an extra 80%
I work at a desk, but spend 4 nights away Monday to Friday, due to no work at a decent rate, locally, and the difference between my last job (when I was home most nights) and this is an extra 80%
spike50 said:
its a bigger step than you think,
i was a cab rat for 20 yrs and when i stopped it really took me an age to get use to going home every night and (shock ) have to talk to swmbo every night and fighting over remote for telly .
i found it depended where you night out , give yourself somewhere to do something and it is really good but just bed down and it gets boring and lonely
Bingo, exactly the same situation, I wouldn't willingly go back, but I had some very good times as well, what's your personal situation ? Wife , kids ? You need to talk to them about it, she will have it hardest , you will effectively turn her into a single parent, on the plus side you won't be commuting.i was a cab rat for 20 yrs and when i stopped it really took me an age to get use to going home every night and (shock ) have to talk to swmbo every night and fighting over remote for telly .
i found it depended where you night out , give yourself somewhere to do something and it is really good but just bed down and it gets boring and lonely
really just depends why you want to do the job ,
for me it was going different places seeing as much as i could .
if you do it just for the money and i understand that, then work for tesco
if you do it for the old reasons , (love of trucks , adventure , seeing whats over the hill) then go and be cabrat .
ive been places id never visit otherwise . delivered to majorca,gib and all over europe, really enjoyed it and would never of done it just for the money.
but then surely there is more to life than money , although at first look the money was not good for some firms i worked for but when you took it all in the money was quite good , i worked for a german firm in the early 80s and the pay was £30 a day but the expences was really good and i was on about £400 a week (no tax of course)
just decide what you want out of life
for me it was going different places seeing as much as i could .
if you do it just for the money and i understand that, then work for tesco
if you do it for the old reasons , (love of trucks , adventure , seeing whats over the hill) then go and be cabrat .
ive been places id never visit otherwise . delivered to majorca,gib and all over europe, really enjoyed it and would never of done it just for the money.
but then surely there is more to life than money , although at first look the money was not good for some firms i worked for but when you took it all in the money was quite good , i worked for a german firm in the early 80s and the pay was £30 a day but the expences was really good and i was on about £400 a week (no tax of course)
just decide what you want out of life
Lol could nt work for Tescos,
Anyway only me and Mrs400 to worry about she fine with me bein out but I don't think she d be fine with it full time. (if that makes sense)
Some of it is ive only been doing the job properly for 2yrs and or thou ive seen a lot and been places there is still so much to see.
Job im in currently is getting very political, and coming in to the office for a lecture about why the computer said id get round and I didn't get round, is boring.
I don't know goin to well over it after Christmas and see how I feel.
Anyway only me and Mrs400 to worry about she fine with me bein out but I don't think she d be fine with it full time. (if that makes sense)
Some of it is ive only been doing the job properly for 2yrs and or thou ive seen a lot and been places there is still so much to see.
Job im in currently is getting very political, and coming in to the office for a lecture about why the computer said id get round and I didn't get round, is boring.
I don't know goin to well over it after Christmas and see how I feel.
spike50 said:
really just depends why you want to do the job ,
for me it was going different places seeing as much as i could .
if you do it just for the money and i understand that, then work for tesco
if you do it for the old reasons , (love of trucks , adventure , seeing whats over the hill) then go and be cabrat .
ive been places id never visit otherwise . delivered to majorca,gib and all over europe, really enjoyed it and would never of done it just for the money.
but then surely there is more to life than money , although at first look the money was not good for some firms i worked for but when you took it all in the money was quite good , i worked for a german firm in the early 80s and the pay was £30 a day but the expences was really good and i was on about £400 a week (no tax of course)
just decide what you want out of life
100% this ^^^^^for me it was going different places seeing as much as i could .
if you do it just for the money and i understand that, then work for tesco
if you do it for the old reasons , (love of trucks , adventure , seeing whats over the hill) then go and be cabrat .
ive been places id never visit otherwise . delivered to majorca,gib and all over europe, really enjoyed it and would never of done it just for the money.
but then surely there is more to life than money , although at first look the money was not good for some firms i worked for but when you took it all in the money was quite good , i worked for a german firm in the early 80s and the pay was £30 a day but the expences was really good and i was on about £400 a week (no tax of course)
just decide what you want out of life
it will be down to you in the end as to what suits.
i agree with spike. i always wanted to travel, and the job has taken me all over europe and beyond. early on doing general haulage, but more recent doing more specialised stuff which pays a more premium rate, but it comes at a cost, as it can be extended periods away. not so bad as the kids are adults now.
i've sat down and worked it out, and when i do the tours, as opposed the containers i'm on at the mo as tour work quiet, there is hardly any difference in nights out over a year, its just structured in a very different way. the difference in wages though is very noticeable.
like you say aswell cossy, getting a pull or spoken to, because the computer says this or that, soon becomes tedious, especially if you know your right.
i'm having the same thing at the mo, where in a 'traffic clerk' is questioning a night out i took, and trying to cause big ructions over it. he says i could have got back to the yard. i could of, if i'd have done a 15 and 3/4 day!!!!!!! i wouldn't, i even checked out what i did with vosa, and they have said i was 100% in the right, adding that if i'd have been stopped after the 15 hours, it would have been a 5k fine for me, and 5k for the company. armed with this info i am very much looking forward to the upcoming meeting with the 'higher powers' in the office.
i do like being told i'm wrong by a traffic clerk, who clearly has no grasp on the tachograph rules and regs.
at the end of the day, go with the job that suits you best, and where you'll be treated better
Defiantly agree with the way of life thing, September 2012 is when I stopped doing nights out, I lost 200 pounds a week in night out money and overtime, plus I had to commute, that was wuth the same firm, also the job became stressful because I had to get home etc, op I am having the same dilemma at the minute, I have achoice between being skint and working at home or a European job offer, I don't know what to do but have to make my mind up soon.
StuntmanMike said:
Defiantly agree with the way of life thing, September 2012 is when I stopped doing nights out, I lost 200 pounds a week in night out money and overtime, plus I had to commute, that was wuth the same firm, also the job became stressful because I had to get home etc, op I am having the same dilemma at the minute, I have achoice between being skint and working at home or a European job offer, I don't know what to do but have to make my mind up soon.
Its not totally about the money or thou more is better than less. Been speaking to the bloke today and or thou 4 is the max hes saying it doesn't mean that its going to be every week, which I have no reason to not believe him, he also said that most Fridays they are back in the yard for between dinner and 2pm. Again im not expecting this to be fully true as this is the haulage game.
And as ive stated the tedious attitude at work at the min where the computer says this and as any of us know it never pans out like that.
Ive never minded nighting out but as ive said the 4 nights is probably the only thing that's putting my mind on alert.
I would to like to thank everyone that's commented thou as that's why I started the thread to hear everyones experiences and thoughts, but again as has been said ultimately its down to me to make the choice.
After having just hung up my HGV licencse after 31 years, 29 of which I spent as an extreme distance tramper, or as known these days, a long haul cab rat, I have to say I am gonna miss the travel, the different views of many many countries around the world, ( Including a short Canadian stint), upside of which is I now have a massive circle of friends around the world. Down side of it was my kids went from knee high to a sparrow fart to full grown and left home before I turned round! I saw a lot, did a lot, but, and trust me on this, I missed out on a hell of a lot more, what with the kids growing up,birthdays, Christmas's etc, the list goes on.
In retrospect, I would have chosen to do 2 or 3 nights out a week and see the kids grow up. Yes, the money was good, I had the best of both worlds, had the home, the wife, the kids, but also led the single life, doing as I wanted when I wanted. 9Within the bounds of the job and my marriage, of course). It can be a hard decision to make, I for one do not envy you the choice you have to make. My opinion of it these days is the stresses involved in the timings of deliveries, penalties incurred for lateness etc, not to mention the massive increase in traffic, outweighs the advantages by a long way, including the extra money you may get paid, but will spend more on parking,showering,food etc. Also, the facilities in this country are much much worse than they should be. Look at the European sites, for example, a far cry beyond the ones available over here.
Hope this helps,
Regards
Pete
In retrospect, I would have chosen to do 2 or 3 nights out a week and see the kids grow up. Yes, the money was good, I had the best of both worlds, had the home, the wife, the kids, but also led the single life, doing as I wanted when I wanted. 9Within the bounds of the job and my marriage, of course). It can be a hard decision to make, I for one do not envy you the choice you have to make. My opinion of it these days is the stresses involved in the timings of deliveries, penalties incurred for lateness etc, not to mention the massive increase in traffic, outweighs the advantages by a long way, including the extra money you may get paid, but will spend more on parking,showering,food etc. Also, the facilities in this country are much much worse than they should be. Look at the European sites, for example, a far cry beyond the ones available over here.
Hope this helps,
Regards
Pete
StuntmanMike said:
Defiantly agree with the way of life thing, September 2012 is when I stopped doing nights out, I lost 200 pounds a week in night out money and overtime, plus I had to commute, that was wuth the same firm, also the job became stressful because I had to get home etc, op I am having the same dilemma at the minute, I have achoice between being skint and working at home or a European job offer, I don't know what to do but have to make my mind up soon.
what sort of euro work would it be Mike?Gassing Station | Commercial Break | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff