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I’ve written about lorry driver urban legends before, but they just keep cropping up all over the internet. I’m not sure quite why lorry drivers and their vehicles often seem to be at the centre of these kinds of stories - my theory is that it’s the lorry drivers themselves who spread them while running haulage jobs and return loads all over the world! Perhaps it is just that many urban legends take place on the road, and lorry drivers make for convenient and plausible participants.
If you are considering a change of career or are looking for a place to start, then driving a lorry for a living has many great things to offer.
Whether it is through luck or fate, lorries just seem to keep finding their way to the centre of the most bizarre news stories and urban myths around the internet. Weird and wonderful, strange and terrible, the crazy lorry stories just keep appearing. There certainly are some strange lorry stories out there – bee filled lorry crashes, chocolate powered lorries, and even a church that was moved 100 miles on the back of a lorry!
There are plenty of lorry jobs around for those with the experience and the skills, but how do you make sure you stand out from the other candidates? The Managing Director of a leading freight exchange demonstrates how your CV can land you that haulage job interview...
If you think of lorry drivers in England, you probably get the same common stereotype in your head – a middle aged white man. There’s a good reason for that – they dominate the industry. Of course, the problem with this status quo is that an industry cannot survive on those in their middle age, and it’s estimated that around 80,000 of them could be retiring in the next 10 years – with nobody to replace them. The haulage industry needs to fish outside its usual demographic to secure its future. Could you be the sort of person that’s suited to a job in the road haulage industry?
Lorries are an every day sight on our roads and motorways, ubiquitous in modern life and a common sight (and sometimes annoyance) for drivers. A lorry in the next lane is as much a part of road life as cat’s eyes or yellow speed cameras. But these haulage giants have become more than just a part of our road life – they are a cultural symbol and are frequently seen on our cinema and PC screens. We take a look at the latter, and count down the top five uses of lorries, lorry drivers and general purpose road haulage vehicles in computer games.
Most lorry drivers transport ordinary goods to their destination, pickup their backload if they’ve arranged one, and drive back. Most will need some kind of identification, even if it’s only a name tag, or possibly a security pass. Few will need armed guards or refractive armour, but some do, and these are the truck and lorry drivers that transport hazardous and life threatening loads.
On a long haul road haulage job, a lorry driver can be on the road for days or even weeks. That’s a long time for something to go wrong with your lorry – and if you are stuck by the side of the road waiting for help and paying for repairs, you and your company will be losing time and money.
It has been a tough year for UK lorry drivers, with fuel prices fluctuating and the Low Emission Zone opening, but there has been a lighter side to the news too. The Managing Director of the Transport Exchange group lists the most unusual lorry stories to make the headlines this year...
If you read any lorry-centric news sites at the moment, you’ll be aware that times are not exactly good. Fuel prices are higher than ever, there are taxes to enter major city centres and to top it all off the whole world is suffering from an economic downturn. The big companies will manage to get through this, no doubt, but what about the independent lorry drivers - the owner operators? It’s going to be a struggle for some of them undoubtedly, but cutting down on unnecessary expenses can allow them to fight another day.
The British Army is modern and fully mechanised, with rapid response and fast troop transport the world over. But to be able to maintain and service such a mobile force needs a similarly mobile logistical organisation. We have a look at the interesting world of the Army’s logistical corps and the lorries that they use to keep the armed forces going.
The world of haulage and lorry driving has never been seen as the most glamorous, despite there being some truly memorable lorries in the world of film and television. Here are 5 of my favourites...
Each time you travel along the motorway, you are bound to see lorries lining the inside lane. However, what we often tend to forget, is that these lorries do in fact have a final destination. This could be down a narrow country road, up a very steep hill, or even in a place where lorries are not allowed, and yet their delivery work must be completed.
Looking for a job? Have you considered driving a truck?
What is involved? Driving, early starts and maybe night driving, lots of fast food and little exercise.
What skills do I need?
The cost of petrol now averages 114p per litre and diesel 126p per litre - an unwanted hike in addition to van insurance and road tax prices. The rising cost of fuel in the UK was yesterday protested by van and lorry drivers. Disgruntled drivers in the south of England headed to Marble Arch in convoys in order to express their dissatisfaction at increases across the industry.
As times get tighter and costs fluctuate, companies are rightly worried about profit margins and staying afloat. While many companies try to pass the effects of these changing costs onto the customer, the widely varied price elasticity of demand for products means that often these fluctuations (in real terms) of price can’t be passed on to customers; i.e, changes in price mean a steep or shallow rise or fall in demand for your product depending on what the product is.
Not many people know about device drivers until they need to find one, be it for a printer or most commonly a modem driver. Finding one can be very difficult to say the least if you are using HSP based modem drivers.
One of the best times in a teen's life is when they get their drivers license. This license is the key for their traveling anywhere they desire without any parental rules.
There's not too many among us who don't, whether boldly or secretly, make some kind of promise to do better, be better or feel better every time New Year comes around. Although most resolutions are made with the best of intentions, it is a sad fact that a large proportion of them go by the wayside even before the streamers and balloons are relegated to the rubbish heap. Anyone who drives for a living, be they long distance lorry drivers or those doing courier jobs, knows how hectic this time of year can be, but deciding on your New Year's resolution can be a great way of passing the time when you're stuck in a traffic jam! Here's a few you may or may not like to consider.
A guide detailing the dangers for cars drivers posed by non UK lorries as they join the motorway.
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