Відео

I'm not sure if I mentioned it in a vid how I got my Class 1but it was 2 and a half years ago I passed my HGV test. I'd done 15 years of 7.5 ton driving doing pallet runs for parcel companies in Yorkshire, Manchester, and Liverpool so I learned my stuff in the days before satnavs etc. I did some sameday stuff too which was a bit crazy but paid well. I came off the road in 2007 when my late Mrs was terminal in ICU for 7 months, the mix of stress, late nights at hospital, lack of sleep, didn't mix with driving for a living. I moved up to Northumberland in 2008 for a new start and generally did whatever agency work there was, not driving though apart from the odd van job. I did miss life on the road though. In 2020 I landed a job with a private company based at Blyth bus depot who clean, fuel, and park the buses. When someone left suddenly I was put on parking duties, 55 buses a night in a very small depot, you had to plan it well, and when a job at ASrriva came up I applied, passed the on road assessment, but some operations manager failer me on a video interview on customer service questions. Ironic since I won customer service awards whilst working the Shell garage. My brother, a HGV Class 1 mentor knew I was gutted and out of the blue offered to put me through my HGV test (as a loan of course), at that point you could only go to Class 2 but just after my medical they changed the rules so I could go straight to Class 1 just as my brother did 20 years ago. In response to is it in the blood? I'd say yes cos driving is what I've always loved. I've tried everything else but was never truly happy. Today I honestly feel like I'm living the dream every day. People talk about the money, to be honest I just love what I do, the £££ signs are just a bonus. It's true what they say "Find a job you genuinely love and you'll never 'work' again".

@TruckerMurdock thanks for the reply I like your vids there really good keep them coming mate 👍

@@Horsecockbadger thanks mate, I really appreciate that.

I agree to an extent but this week I've been on days doing Northumberland to Leicester with 10am start and nights with closures etc is still way faster. Yeah the amount of roadworks at the moment are insane and my main gripe is they don't seem to coordinate closures so HGVs aren't held up too much. The regions should plan things together according to major routes and not just on local traffic.

Got everything crossed for you mate. I was the same, totally bricking it. Seriously, if you drive to the standard your instructors taught you then you'll pass. Remember, you're taught to a higher standard than the test standard to allow for nerves etc. The examiner doesn't want to fail you, they want you to pass. Don't forget, if your instructor had any doubts he wouldn't put you in for the test, failure looks bad on them, so have faith mate.

​@@TruckerMurdockthanks mate. I'm on a boot camp, doing 6 hours a day for 5 days. Passed my reverse and CPC on day 2 first time so happy about that. Hit a kerb today when training, went over it a bit because a bus coming around a bend took me off my line, was fuming with myself for not waiting. 1 hour of perfect driving and I'm in the industry I've wanted to join for years. I'll keep you updated. Love your videos mate

@@Cnaylor30 thanks mate. Hey you made a mistake, we all do, just learn from it rather than worry about it. You've just hit the nail on the head, 1 hour is all it takes. It's all about the basics.

@@TruckerMurdock absolutely buzzing. I passed today mate first time. 2 minors. Can't describe the relief.

@@Cnaylor30 that's f**king AWESOME mate! Congratulations! I know that mixed feeling of euphoria and relief, it sounds crazy but that's how it is. Now the real fun starts, it's a big learning curve on your own but it's all good mate. 😄😄😄😄

They're good to work for if you like the kind of work they have. Good bunch of drivers and warehouse staff, got on fine with the office, and the night trunks were a good earner on agency.

I'm not on TPN anymore, I'm doing PallEx at the moment for a different company but hey things may change in the future, you can never tell what's coming up next lol.

Thanks mate. I'll see what I can do when I get the chance.

LMAO so it was YOU who told the guys about me, they had no idea I was doing it. They said someone had come in with a load and mentioned me. I know where the PEK goes and I've worked for that company in the past. Thanks for the awesome feedback mate, I really do appreciate it. The best comment I've had so far 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

No problem mate. They were putting them up over the last couple of weeks and the size of the extending trailers they were being delivered on was insanely huge. I'm back on nights from the 27th but I'll see if I can do something sooner.

On that Swadlincote run it was 5pm start. I would have a 15min break on the way down to the hub, arrive around 9-30pm, pull the curtains back, once in the tunnel and being tipped the tacho would go on break. More often than not tipping would take longer than 30mins which gives me the required break time, if it was quicker than 30mins I would drop the empty trailer, hitch up to the loaded return trailer, then have a 30min break before leaving the hub. Arrival back at Gateshead would generally be around 4am, open up the warehouse, drop the trailer inside, park the unit outside, finish at 4-30am or 4-45am if I have to lock up the warehouse. Rochdale was simpler. Start at 6pm, no stopping on the way to the hub, back in to the bay, curtains back, then on break for at least 2 hours, usually get back to Northumberland at around 4am-ish. With trunk runs and bulk deliveries/collections the break times and finish times are often dictated by the tipping and loading times. If they're quick you'll finish early, if they're slow you'll finish later. I always assume they'll be slow so if they're quick it's a nice bonus. Good luck with your test, fingers crossed for you mate.

@@TruckerMurdock awesome information 👏 thank you so much. Looking forward to your informative video. Stay safe.

@@banglaline3859 no problem mate. I see you're an Everton fan, so was my late Mrs and I spent a few years in Litherland with her, many a pint was drunk in the Royal Oak near Goodison, I'm a rugby fan, she was the footy fan, but a good atmosphere. I was 7.5 ton over there covering Merseyside, Lancashire, The Wirral, and North Wales. My claim to fame was delivering to Duncan Ferguson and him giving me a get well card for the Mrs when she was in ICU cos he knew she was a big fan, a very nice chap indeed.

Not a problem mate and glad to hear it's helped. It gets easier when you get your head around it all when you actually start doing the job. Have look at fleetgo.com/kb/legislation/tachograph-rules/ That might help a bit too mate.

@@TruckerMurdock thank you! I’m actually going for Cat D for a local bus company so won’t be bound by EU rules or need a tacho but need to learn it! Do want my class 1 as well tho

@@geordie80 ironically my job before I passed my Class 1 was shunting/parking buses at the local bus depot, didn't Cat D as it was all private land. My advice on buses from shunting them is the double deckers are easier than single deckers in tight spots as the single deckers usually have longer tail swings and front swings on them. You'll see many a single decker with scuffs on them lol. Good luck on your training mate.

@@TruckerMurdock that’ll have put you in good stead for your class 1 then! It’ll be stagecoach in Sunderland for me so mainly single deckers. Interesting that you say double are easier. I know I’ll be ok if I pass the online stuff, I’m not academic at all but learn very well practically. Plus I was a driving instructor and advanced police driver so can definitely drive, just no good in the classroom

@@geordie80 if you haven't already seen it look up an online tool called DTS Anytime, it does all the CPC, theory, etc for all classes tailored to you. It puts you through the actual tests (practices) as many times as you want. That's how I flew through the CPC and theory etc. When you're out and about look at the front and rear swings on deckers and single deckers, it's a big difference. As for parking and shunting buses vs artics yes buses give you an idea of what a Class 2 is like but the artic is very different in the way the trailer behaves etc. Having said that sometimes it's way easier to get an artic urban trailer into places than a rigid. Those short stubby urban trailers can get into places vans struggle with. That's just my personal opinion, some may disagree.

I've not been sent to the main PallEx hub at Leicester yet but when I do go I'll do something as I'm told it's very different from TPN at Swadlincote so it'll show how hubs vary etc even though they all work on the same business plan.

Oops, did I slip up on that one? My bad if I got the numbers mixed up, easy to do when you're concentrating on the traffic around you lol. Hopefully new drivers will check out the stuff on HGV websites such as RHA etc which clarify things and I found helpful. I do think the driving schools should include tachograph training but sadly most don't.

@@TruckerMurdock ahh not a problem mate you have so much shit going on when in the cab on the road easily done, yeah I agree for new drivers if you don’t do your research you’ll easily get caught up in some sort of feck up. They should combat this by actually teaching you in driving schools

@@colindevlin4567 I agree mate, it only takes a run through manual entries and a handbook of the rules that would be cheap enough to print off along with maybe a couple of hours in a classroom. It'd save many folks a lot of hassle.

Thanks mate, I appreciate it and hopefully the tips coming through in the comments will help some folk out. We all have our personal methods of handling night shift so the more tips people get the better. I do agree with not flipping the sleep patterns too much at weekends which may sound tricky for some but hey we find a way around it to get the best of both worlds. Yeah the Shell points were a nice little bonus but hopefully we'll find a replacement perk at some point 🙂

Youre right about the best of both worlds mate, to anyone who may see this and is debating going on nights, do give it a shot. If you can make it work for you its a far easier way to make money driving a truck. Audible comes in clutch on the long trunks too

@@kw9106 I agree it's better than day shift (for me). Less traffic, delivery/collection points sem to be more relaxed, and less hassle getting to/from work on the daily commute. As a bonus the money is usually better too.

Thanks for sharing that mate and I'm glad you got it sorted. Your story is a lesson to us all. And yes when a licence is suspended the DVLA are a nightmare, I know a few who've had similar issues and heard some horror stories. On a massive plus side you're chasing the dream now and hats off to you. I really wish you well on your training. And yes my training school threw me in at the deep end too but you'll be surprised how fast you learn. Now the reverse test is out of the way just concentrate on the road. Very soon you'll find many things becoming second nature. On your test if you drive to the standard you've been taught you have every chance of passing and believe me when you get that pass certificate it's like winning every cup final in the world, every gold medal, and every lottery all at once! Lmao. Go for it mate!

I second that ⬆️

Thanks mate and that's exactly the right attitude, better to be late than risk an accident. Where are you from by the way?

@TruckerMurdock Blaydon, what agency you with

@@dingerbell80 I'm reluctant to say companies or agencies on here for obvious reasons but my boss advertises regularly on CV Library for jobs around Gateshead. He also has work around Washington etc. You'll know if you find him cos he has a southern accent lol. My mate got a job at DHL at Prudhoe recently, he's loving it and he says they're often after drivers.

@TruckerMurdock totally understand! Tried DHL but never got a reply but I have a full-time job atm down in Oxford so I can wait for the perfect job back up home. I had an assessment for Asda but failed the question part I was gutted but the bloke that had been driving for 20 years also failed the with the same questions

If you're sat waiting and doing absolutely no work whatsoever then I put the tacho on break. If you're opening the curtains, doing paperwork, or anything work related then it goes on other work. Yes waiting time can be used as break as you're not doing any work and yes the tacho can be on break whilst being tipped or loaded as long as you are not supervising the process etc. At many RDC's etc you can be asked to wait in a driver's lounge whilst being tipped/loaded and always remember to put the tacho on break before you leave the vehicle cos they won't let you go back to it til they're finished. For example at Rochdale I back into the bay, pull the curtains, hand the paperwork in, then tacho goes on break and stays on break til they shout on me they're done (usually around 2 or 3 hours), then it's put on other work when closing the curtains and it automatically switches to drive when you move. Hope that helps.

Yeah amazing thanks so much. Great answer.

@@marktucker208 no problem mate. I would also advise to check on tacho laws and working time directive in addition to driving time. Many new drivers fall foul of the rules as training schools don't train you for it. My advice is look on UA-cam for the laws and also manual tacho entries, you'll need to do them and take care in the early days doing them as you don't want any tacho infringements. Just take a manual entry slow and you'll be fine. If you or others need a look at it I'll do a vid of it.

@@TruckerMurdockdo a video mate, will benefit new drivers massively

@@ItsJS9 when I get the chance I'll do it, good idea mate. The tacho rules and working time directive do catch people out. I'll have to plan it well to try make everything very clear.

Hello mate

It's unbranded and bought from an Ebay shop called ByTruckers4Truckers well over 2yrs ago. Truck It Prayle has the same and Kev Tee reviewed one with direct comparison to his £300 Garmin and they both worked the same but this only cost me £80. I tested mine alonside an expensive Snooper and no difference at all, both gave the same instructions exactly. The ONLY differences between mine and expensive satnavs is it doesn't give realtime traffic and if you want an update you buy a yearly memory card for £20 with all the latest updates on it. If you want realtime traffic updates you can run Road Lords or Google Maps on your phone for traffic and the satnav for directions (obviously NEVER use Google Maps in a truck for directions).

Thanks mate, I appreciate it. To be fair my late Dad (God rest him) taught me how to deal with shift patterns way before I became any kind of driver, let alone Class 1. You're right that some love nights, some struggle, and it's vert true you need to stay alert all the time. Should I do a video on how we adapt to sleep patterns etc?

@TruckerMurdock yeah why not. anything to teach people the right way is a good thing.i used to do hayes west London to Birmingham and back every night. enjoyed the work but some nights were scary as I would lose time on the m40 as if I had drifted off. never did just felt like it. Tough gig. On days now and love it

@@bellastaffypearmapearman2666 that's definitely on my "to do list". Thanks mate.

To be fair there's a yes and no to that. Some runs are very easy, some can be difficult when companies plan for say 3hrs 45min driving time, maybe 4hrs drive, then you get hit with roadworks they don't factor in, maybe an accident that shuts the road, another trunk carrying your stuff is delayed and it delays you and others, so yeah things can go wrong quite often. I agree that on a good night you'll get a flyer and it's a doddle but by no means expect it every night. It only takes one idiot on the road to give us all a bad night.

Lazy man's job? Sign me up.

To be fair sure some jobs are long hours, some aren't. I've had contracts where you'd do 40-45hrs a week, some where you could do 55-60hrs a week. The hours vary depending on who you work for, the type of work, routes, loading/tipping times etc. For example doing Rochdale I can be done in 10hrs but doing Swadlicote that can be between 11 and 13hrs. Much of those runs depends on waiting times at the hubs. However if you do trailer drop and swaps that's way faster and generally no waiting time. Regarding 12hr shifts usually you don't actually work 12hrs, you could well be on break for maybe 3hrs and getting paid for doing nothing some guys I know go to bed on waiting time and the loaders wake them up when they're done. Sometimes the hours sound harsh but it's not as tough as some say. You have to make the job work for you and make it easier on yourself. 2 days isn't enough time to get used to a job and find out the perks, and they all have perks, you have to get used to it and you soon find it becoming way easier.

Thanks mate. Finding work as a newly passed driver is the tricky part. It can depend a fair bit on where you live and the demand for drivers in your area. Have a look on the likes of Facebook for local trucking groups in your area to see what people are saying about jobs etc and make a few calls to agencies and employers to try get an idea of how much work is out there.

Yes mate. I have some regular clients I work for so it's regular work even though I move around a fair bit.

Thanks Debra, I appreciate that clearing up and it's a cool story. The farmer must have driven the government crazy. Love it! x 🤣🤣🤣

Yeah they're one of the companies I work for, being agency I get moved around a fair bit. Yeah the M62 can be a pain at times but the A1 in the North East and Yorkshire can be worse at times with the damned roadworks lol.

The route we come in via the A511 from the A42 it looks a nice place and it seems to be a friendly place too. The locals who work at TPN all seem nice folk and easy to get on with so yeah I'd say it's one of the better places I go to 🙂

Oh they can go faster than that when it gets really busy later on. Yeah the first time you go in there and see them whizzing around you're like "WTF???" ha ha ha.

@@TruckerMurdock 🤣👍

Hey we like what we like. If you love your job that's what matters more than money. Respect to you for living the dream rather than chasing the £££'s.

Lmao I'm not young and back in my van and 7.5 ton days many moons ago I learned all of West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, The Wirral, and North Wales with nothing but A-Z's and memorising stuff. I always have the Phillips Trucking Altas with me and know how to read maps. Just saying lol.

It's a small world lol. ADD Express seem to be doing well with the Pallex hub, it's a good place to go to.

Yeah I'd say Rochdale is pretty straightforward, just keep an eye on the planned road closures and roadworks etc. And no you can't have my job ha ha ha ha. It's not really "my job" at the moment, I'm agency and covering it for 4 to 6 weeks but hoping to go permanent at some point. To be fair Swadlincote isn't bad either if you don't let the manic nature of it phase you. In all honesty night trunking is a good crack if you don't mind anti-social hours and some quite long waiting times (also known as very long breaks lmao).

Thanks mate, I really appreciate that 🙂

Cheers mate, where are you from?

@@TruckerMurdock Northumberland mate. In final stages of getting my class 1, cant wait to get it done and dusted.

@@TommyFibonacci good luck mate. Who are you doing your driver training with?

@@TruckerMurdock Cheers mate. Its a company in North Tyneside called Logistic skills consultancy. Hadn't heard of them before but was put onto them by a friend that got fork lift training there so giving it a go with them 👍

Thanks mate, we appreciate it 😃😃😃

Yeah McDowell are based near my Mum in Yorkshire. I've heard good things about them and their drivers at the hub seem happy which is always a good sign.

@@TruckerMurdock based in keighley mate majority of trucks are all Mercedes artic and rigid apart from the odd scania and daf. There depot is just literally a stones throw walk from where my mum and dad live. Small world eh

@@matthewgarvey3911 yeah I know, my Mum lives at Silsden and I'm from Bradford originally but live in Northumberland now. It's funny going to hubs and RDCs cos when you see certain trucks it always reminds me of Yorkshire

@@TruckerMurdock it's always nice seeing trucks on vlogs like yours that are from around the local area, my dad was a coach driver for dalesman coaches guiesley but has been driving for joda freight for 23 years now he works nights aswell pallet track in the Midlands or Wigan or anything else.

@@matthewgarvey3911 I see Joda quite often when I do the Rochdale run, they're heading for Wigan as you say.

TPN main hub at Swadlincote. And yeah it's pretty lively there 😂

Close to Ashington

It's for things like sudden diversions or unlisted road closures mostly, it's there as a back up already programmed with the destination so no messing around. It also gives an idea of my ETA if there are delays with traffic etc so I can let people know about arrival times if need be. It's a "just in case" option and it's come in handy a few times.