retired now i loved nights me and the foxes no traffic then finish back to my black out room pich black ,sleep good 9 hours ,then peacefull at night radio talk shows .love it. And glove torch are brilliant £20 .
I can fully relate I have done nights as a taxi driver and with 2 youngish children it doesn't work. You need a quiet house to sleep. Plus you don't want to be asleep when your kids want their Dad. You need to keep trying till you find what fits.
I left a well paid office job almost a year ago to go on the road driving artics. Have been on nights since October 2022 working Tue to Sat 55 odd hours per week. I can’t sleep in the daytime and get roughly 4 hours sleep a day. I am 55 and in fairly good health and don’t feel too affected by the lack of sleep.
WOW i gave up my first job after 6 weeks you beat me there... i am now on nights and after around 5 months of nights cannot sleep at day either, i am writing this and watching your videos at 14:47 and i have to get up at 19:00 for a return trip to Coventry (from Tilbury) i hate doing nights, all the roads are closed to many vehicles oblivious to have main beam on and fog lights and the road is just a flash of white lines... unfortunately now days the work is so dried up the good jobs are no longer there...
Nice honest story buddy about HGV driving. Nights are really hard ☹️ I’m 40 years in and ready for hanging my keys up 😊it’s cost me my 1st marriage as I was always away from home 🏡🥲 So work family time is the most important and talk with your misses all the time 👍🏻 On a positive note I’ve had a fantastic time especially when I drove in Europe seeing lots of places that I could never of been to without being a HGV driver. Good luck 🤞🏻 with your job interviews. Stay safe cheers Stevie 😊
Not for everyone. I start at 7pm and home about 5am so manage to get decent sleep but it's 5 nights per week so weekends you end up staying in the same sleeping pattern. Took me 3 months but now I enjoy the quieter roads and currently the footy on the radio but not the diversions due to roadworks. Seen a few new starters come and go but I agree find something you want to do .
Just passed my class 2 this morning but I get a good wage at 7 5 tonne so I be staying at this for a while longer ps I got 2 minors on my practical im not sure if that's good or bad .but I'm absolutely buzzing as this whole process started 6 months ago .good luck and hope you find a great job that suits your life style 👍
Fair play to you billy I personally think Hgv driving with nights away unless only 1 night away won’t be for you with a young family . It’s nice to know that you the lad who mentored you gave you good advice , one thing we tend to do in this industry is Chuck people in at the deep end and skrimp on training people . In my opinion ( please prove me wrong ) you are more likely to be a blogger than an HGV driver .
I do 4on4 off nights. Found extremely tiring and hard to sleep in the day been doing it now nearly 3 minths. And still struggling with sleep!! Good luck in finding somthing that suits u but truck driving ain’t no 9-5 mate 😢
Well Billy all power to you it is always best to know when to quit and you did after a few days,with regard sleeping during the day,if you need to do that again,what you need to do is get home have some breakfast stay up for at least 3 hours and then go to sleep,if you were on day work you would not get home say at 6pm and then go to bed at 7pm you would go around 10 or 11,but all that aside maybe get on witha supermarket on day work that might suit best of luck
Wotked nights in retail for 15 odd years left as wanted a change so went down the hgv route, passed class 1 a year ago and work nights, my sleeping isnt so bad working nights 5 on 3 off regular hours also and yeah diversions are a pain but all part of the experience, maybe working for the supermarkets as i do may be a good option shift wise....keep at it
dont think about what kind of trucks they have it doesnt matter why are you going for nights now tramping is it chasing the money. the best thing you can do is local multi drop get all the experience you need then chase the money .
Hi there Billy. I'm looking to become a hgv class 1 driver.. I'm planning to leave hospitality as a manager (which is a every weekend, bank holiday, special occasion etc. Job 48 hours a week) can you give advise what sort of good hours work best for family life? Nights, afternoons, days etc. I know they're long hours, I look to do 4 on 4 off. Great video btw. If you don't try with nights and other hours.. You never know what's best for you. Thanks!
In my opinion it totally depends on the line of work you go into. If you would like work, life balance, day work would be suitable I would say. 4 on 4 of would probably work too. Best of luck with it … I hope that helps 😊
I can't do nights anymore it ruins your health in the long run. Night shifts are optional they can't refuse drivers a work if they don't want night shifts.
If you are having issues with family life (thats why I left the industry in the end), stay away from tramping roles mate; nothing worse than being away on the second of five nights and having the kids crying or the mrs saying its hard without you at home. Tramping roles, in most cases, suit the single life. Even if it's day driving, sleeping in a wagon does not suit everyone. Look for local firms or day running which will be slightly better for your home life. Building merchants can be decent (e.g. Huwes Grey - local drop work to building sites and home before 1800) I spent 2 years on the roads beforegoing back to office work - it just was not for me and i am much happier now. Still keep my license/medical updated as an emergency but I would not try to make a career out of it.
The truth is tramping means from Monday to Friday you have no life whatsoever. Work is your life and that's it. Weekends with family is not enough. I'm a loner who like peace and quiet and I can't do tramping as I miss my daughter too much during those 5 days away
To be honest two weeks wasn’t enough time to settle into working nights. Not trying to belittle your decision but it took me about a month to get used to it and now would not like to work days anymore
Think you showed a lot of responsibility and professionalism here, mate. Lots of people would have loaded themselves up with coffee and energy drinks to get through the shifts chasing the night rate money, but you recognized it was dangerous, you were tired, and of course it wasn't working with your home life. I think you have to be a night owl to do nights. If you've worked 9-5 your whole life, going to 18:00-06:00 is gonna be a killer ... quite literally if you fall asleep. I have always been a night owl, work 14:00-22:00 now, but often slip into vampire mode and end up staying up until 07:00 on days off for absolutely no bloody reason! That's why I feel comfortable trying nights. The great thing about nights is, if you're working agency, you can get temp work and earn pretty much the exact same doing 2/3 nights as you would doing 4/5 days. The night shifts in my work are 0:00-12:00. Sounds like a right bastard. Getting up at 22:00, doing 12 hours then going to bed at 14:00? Even out of my comfort zone that one! I was hoping to get from the vans to the trucks here, but after hearing that I'll be looking elsewhere. Four on / four off sounds like a dream tho!!
One of the reasons for quitting was you said you should be spending time with you kid. But then take a tramping job where you will be away from family through week. Other one you said you weren't getting 7/8 hours sleep, what are you going to do when you have a 9 hour off and you have to get home eat, bathe sleep then get back to work. You need to get used to only getting 5/6 hours. Honestly mate I don't think you going to enjoy truck driving.. or atleaat the hours, you may enjoy the grivimg side. Also you never gave your body time to adjust to the night shift, it takes a few days till you can get to sleep through day
agree with that i work in the construction game - leave the house at 6am and usually get home around 6/6.30pm then by the time i get a shower and changed its pushing 7pm - little girls just had her tea, then she goes bed at 8-8.30pm i have a few hours to chill and unwind go bed around 11.30/12 get 6 hours sleep up and go again!
Are you doing this because you want to make a RUclips channel or are you doing this because you want to be a trucker? If nights aren't good for your home life then tramping will be a disaster. Are you being honest with yourself?
Hi, Billy the Downton in yate bristol the transport manager was bloody awful the lorrys stink of wee and cheesy feet thats why it didn't work out for me.They been heavily tramped in i spent a week there
That's a shame it didn't work out fella. You did the right thing though, must of been a tough one for you. Not sure Tramping is the answer at this point if i'm honest. ATB for the next one though.
Great Vlog Billy, you know when something isn't right for you but at least you have given it a shot, and who knows maybe later down the line when your daughter is older it may be an option for you then. Good news on the new job front and hope this fits in with what you want.
Hope it works out for you mate but Tramping is really not great for a family life, 4 on 4 off nights would suit me right down to the ground wish I could find one like that.
There seems to be a lot of experts in the comments.... take no notice m8 you do what you think is best. Tramping isn't for me though with young kids. Here's a tip apply for a pallet network close to you and do day trunks or class 1 or even 2 day tipper work. Bin work, All the best though for the future
So, you left your first truck driving job after your first week, because you didn't realise that night shift truck driving would be tiring, and involve driving trucks for long hours during the night ? LMFAO
Lol I once got offered a driving apprenticeship with downtons in Leeds I had to stay with them 2 years passing hgv tests. All the training was meant to be in Leeds throughout the interview. Then on my first day it suddenley changed to Gloucester asked to drive down there from where I live in my car every week. Then all the paperwork health and safety bullshit videos I had to sit through started. The trainer seemed a bit of a dickhead as well patronising which put me off. Then I was told id have to work in the warehouse and transport office for a while. I quit and took the PPE back to them the next day and went back to my job I left. I didn't get good vibes at all. Seen their hgv class 1 jobs advertise at £11 per hour crap anyway.
Brilliant video Billy. In my humble opinion, it takes guts to admit something isn’t right and quickly nip it in the bud and find something that suits you and your family. You’ll find what’s right. Thank you for making this video.
Yes. Ring them. But it depends where you are based. They are no longer called Downton. They are now part of the EV Cargo group. Have a look at there website online. 😊
You sound like a nice guy with a great family set up but here is some advice from an old hat in the industry - Don't go down the tramping route mate as it will cost you your marriage and family life. GOOD LUCK 👍
You tried and it didn't work mate no shame in that. You could spend the next 10 years there moaning about your job and always threatening to leave. Alot of people seem to enjoy doing that :')
How can you say you cant do nights due to family but have lined up two intervies as a tramper?? If your a tramper you’ll be away for 5 nights?? Makes no sense, seems like your just giving excuses, get yourself on days for your experience!
You live on no sleep tramping lol. He has no idea what tramping is. 9 hours off on reduced rest and by time you phoned your family and had a shower something to eat, you then need to get some sort of sleep for you next 15hour day. Lucky if you get 5 hours sleep
Total respect for you putting safety and family life first. Good man
retired now i loved nights me and the foxes no traffic then finish back to my black out room pich black ,sleep good 9 hours ,then peacefull at night radio talk shows .love it. And glove torch are brilliant £20 .
I can fully relate I have done nights as a taxi driver and with 2 youngish children it doesn't work. You need a quiet house to sleep. Plus you don't want to be asleep when your kids want their Dad. You need to keep trying till you find what fits.
I left a well paid office job almost a year ago to go on the road driving artics. Have been on nights since October 2022 working Tue to Sat 55 odd hours per week. I can’t sleep in the daytime and get roughly 4 hours sleep a day. I am 55 and in fairly good health and don’t feel too affected by the lack of sleep.
Seems like a well thought out and responsible decision. Best of luck to you fella.
Love your honesty mate. And the gut is always right.!!
WOW i gave up my first job after 6 weeks you beat me there... i am now on nights and after around 5 months of nights cannot sleep at day either, i am writing this and watching your videos at 14:47 and i have to get up at 19:00 for a return trip to Coventry (from Tilbury) i hate doing nights, all the roads are closed to many vehicles oblivious to have main beam on and fog lights and the road is just a flash of white lines... unfortunately now days the work is so dried up the good jobs are no longer there...
Nice honest story buddy about HGV driving. Nights are really hard ☹️ I’m 40 years in and ready for hanging my keys up 😊it’s cost me my 1st marriage as I was always away from home 🏡🥲 So work family time is the most important and talk with your misses all the time 👍🏻 On a positive note I’ve had a fantastic time especially when I drove in Europe seeing lots of places that I could never of been to without being a HGV driver. Good luck 🤞🏻 with your job interviews. Stay safe cheers Stevie 😊
Not for everyone. I start at 7pm and home about 5am so manage to get decent sleep but it's 5 nights per week so weekends you end up staying in the same sleeping pattern. Took me 3 months but now I enjoy the quieter roads and currently the footy on the radio but not the diversions due to roadworks. Seen a few new starters come and go but I agree find something you want to do .
All the best Billy , Hope things work out for you 👍🏼
i retired last year after nearly 43years driveing trucks glad to be done with it and the 80 odd hr weeks low basic wage and being treated like crap
Just passed my class 2 this morning but I get a good wage at 7 5 tonne so I be staying at this for a while longer ps I got 2 minors on my practical im not sure if that's good or bad .but I'm absolutely buzzing as this whole process started 6 months ago .good luck and hope you find a great job that suits your life style 👍
Fair play to you billy I personally think Hgv driving with nights away unless only 1 night away won’t be for you with a young family . It’s nice to know that you the lad who mentored you gave you good advice , one thing we tend to do in this industry is Chuck people in at the deep end and skrimp on training people . In my opinion ( please prove me wrong ) you are more likely to be a blogger than an HGV driver .
I do 4on4 off nights. Found extremely tiring and hard to sleep in the day been doing it now nearly 3 minths. And still struggling with sleep!! Good luck in finding somthing that suits u but truck driving ain’t no 9-5 mate 😢
Well Billy all power to you it is always best to know when to quit and you did after a few days,with regard sleeping during the day,if you need to do that again,what you need to do is get home have some breakfast stay up for at least 3 hours and then go to sleep,if you were on day work you would not get home say at 6pm and then go to bed at 7pm you would go around 10 or 11,but all that aside maybe get on witha supermarket on day work that might suit best of luck
Single man's job is what you described, not for a family man at all.
Wotked nights in retail for 15 odd years left as wanted a change so went down the hgv route, passed class 1 a year ago and work nights, my sleeping isnt so bad working nights 5 on 3 off regular hours also and yeah diversions are a pain but all part of the experience, maybe working for the supermarkets as i do may be a good option shift wise....keep at it
dont think about what kind of trucks they have it doesnt matter why are you going for nights now tramping is it chasing the money. the best thing you can do is local multi drop get all the experience you need then chase the money .
Better of tramping than just working nights sleeping in day time is hard
All the best for you my brothe🙏...you are number one 👏🙌🚚🙏
Hi there Billy. I'm looking to become a hgv class 1 driver.. I'm planning to leave hospitality as a manager (which is a every weekend, bank holiday, special occasion etc. Job 48 hours a week) can you give advise what sort of good hours work best for family life? Nights, afternoons, days etc. I know they're long hours, I look to do 4 on 4 off. Great video btw. If you don't try with nights and other hours.. You never know what's best for you. Thanks!
In my opinion it totally depends on the line of work you go into. If you would like work, life balance, day work would be suitable I would say. 4 on 4 of would probably work too. Best of luck with it … I hope that helps 😊
I can't do nights anymore it ruins your health in the long run. Night shifts are optional they can't refuse drivers a work if they don't want night shifts.
If you are having issues with family life (thats why I left the industry in the end), stay away from tramping roles mate; nothing worse than being away on the second of five nights and having the kids crying or the mrs saying its hard without you at home. Tramping roles, in most cases, suit the single life. Even if it's day driving, sleeping in a wagon does not suit everyone.
Look for local firms or day running which will be slightly better for your home life. Building merchants can be decent (e.g. Huwes Grey - local drop work to building sites and home before 1800)
I spent 2 years on the roads beforegoing back to office work - it just was not for me and i am much happier now. Still keep my license/medical updated as an emergency but I would not try to make a career out of it.
Hi hope your well? I was a driver for 8 years then went planning I did a year in the office couldn’t hack it no more so am going back driving
The truth is tramping means from Monday to Friday you have no life whatsoever. Work is your life and that's it. Weekends with family is not enough.
I'm a loner who like peace and quiet and I can't do tramping as I miss my daughter too much during those 5 days away
To be honest two weeks wasn’t enough time to settle into working nights. Not trying to belittle your decision but it took me about a month to get used to it and now would not like to work days anymore
Tramping!? You will never be at home during the week! if family life is your key motivator you really need to be a day man! But good luck to you!
Think you showed a lot of responsibility and professionalism here, mate.
Lots of people would have loaded themselves up with coffee and energy drinks to get through the shifts chasing the night rate money, but you recognized it was dangerous, you were tired, and of course it wasn't working with your home life. I think you have to be a night owl to do nights. If you've worked 9-5 your whole life, going to 18:00-06:00 is gonna be a killer ... quite literally if you fall asleep. I have always been a night owl, work 14:00-22:00 now, but often slip into vampire mode and end up staying up until 07:00 on days off for absolutely no bloody reason! That's why I feel comfortable trying nights. The great thing about nights is, if you're working agency, you can get temp work and earn pretty much the exact same doing 2/3 nights as you would doing 4/5 days.
The night shifts in my work are 0:00-12:00. Sounds like a right bastard. Getting up at 22:00, doing 12 hours then going to bed at 14:00? Even out of my comfort zone that one! I was hoping to get from the vans to the trucks here, but after hearing that I'll be looking elsewhere. Four on / four off sounds like a dream tho!!
One of the reasons for quitting was you said you should be spending time with you kid. But then take a tramping job where you will be away from family through week.
Other one you said you weren't getting 7/8 hours sleep, what are you going to do when you have a 9 hour off and you have to get home eat, bathe sleep then get back to work. You need to get used to only getting 5/6 hours.
Honestly mate I don't think you going to enjoy truck driving.. or atleaat the hours, you may enjoy the grivimg side. Also you never gave your body time to adjust to the night shift, it takes a few days till you can get to sleep through day
agree with that i work in the construction game - leave the house at 6am and usually get home around 6/6.30pm then by the time i get a shower and changed its pushing 7pm - little girls just had her tea, then she goes bed at 8-8.30pm i have a few hours to chill and unwind go bed around 11.30/12 get 6 hours sleep up and go again!
Thank you for the vlog and your honesty 👍👍
Are you doing this because you want to make a RUclips channel or are you doing this because you want to be a trucker? If nights aren't good for your home life then tramping will be a disaster. Are you being honest with yourself?
Hi, Billy the Downton in yate bristol the transport manager was bloody awful the lorrys stink of wee and cheesy feet thats why it didn't work out for me.They been heavily tramped in i spent a week there
Totally get it mate I can't sleep through the day either
Good luck, you will find something that suits you. I eventually did, start at 7am to 4pm. 👍
That's a shame it didn't work out fella. You did the right thing though, must of been a tough one for you. Not sure Tramping is the answer at this point if i'm honest. ATB for the next one though.
Great Vlog Billy, you know when something isn't right for you but at least you have given it a shot, and who knows maybe later down the line when your daughter is older it may be an option for you then. Good news on the new job front and hope this fits in with what you want.
Hope it works out for you mate but Tramping is really not great for a family life, 4 on 4 off nights would suit me right down to the ground wish I could find one like that.
Give agency a bash, pick what days you want to work and get plenty of experience in different driving roles
You are the few drivers that realized that they exchange life for money. Skipping sleep = early death..
i do refuse work not bad at all 7-2:30 take home around 2k a month still get a good life too
Good thumbnail. And video. Intro cut down to under 30seconds and it’ll be a cracking video 👍
There seems to be a lot of experts in the comments.... take no notice m8 you do what you think is best. Tramping isn't for me though with young kids. Here's a tip apply for a pallet network close to you and do day trunks or class 1 or even 2 day tipper work. Bin work, All the best though for the future
Nice one billy night shift is a no for me as well
Have to buy one of those torches 😁👍
Have you thought about doing days?
Sounds like trucking isn’t for you, you quit tramping you quit nights good luck to you mate 👍
So, you left your first truck driving job after your first week, because you didn't realise that night shift truck driving would be tiring, and involve driving trucks for long hours during the night ? LMFAO
😂😂👍🏻👍🏻
Get into foodservice or produce you'll be up early but finish early
Best thing mate applye for a skip or refuse driver good hours
Lol I once got offered a driving apprenticeship with downtons in Leeds I had to stay with them 2 years passing hgv tests. All the training was meant to be in Leeds throughout the interview. Then on my first day it suddenley changed to Gloucester asked to drive down there from where I live in my car every week. Then all the paperwork health and safety bullshit videos I had to sit through started. The trainer seemed a bit of a dickhead as well patronising which put me off. Then I was told id have to work in the warehouse and transport office for a while. I quit and took the PPE back to them the next day and went back to my job I left. I didn't get good vibes at all. Seen their hgv class 1 jobs advertise at £11 per hour crap anyway.
Brilliant video Billy. In my humble opinion, it takes guts to admit something isn’t right and quickly nip it in the bud and find something that suits you and your family. You’ll find what’s right. Thank you for making this video.
hi did downton take new hgv1 ?
Yes. Ring them. But it depends where you are based. They are no longer called Downton. They are now part of the EV Cargo group. Have a look at there website online. 😊
It takes 6 months to get use to it even if you keen...
You sound like a nice guy with a great family set up but here is some advice from an old hat in the industry - Don't go down the tramping route mate as it will cost you your marriage and family life. GOOD LUCK 👍
Thanks for the tips! 👍
Another tip for night drivers is take vitamin D
You tried and it didn't work mate no shame in that. You could spend the next 10 years there moaning about your job and always threatening to leave. Alot of people seem to enjoy doing that :')
Night shifts are terrible definitely not for me
How can you say you cant do nights due to family but have lined up two intervies as a tramper?? If your a tramper you’ll be away for 5 nights?? Makes no sense, seems like your just giving excuses, get yourself on days for your experience!
You live on no sleep tramping lol. He has no idea what tramping is. 9 hours off on reduced rest and by time you phoned your family and had a shower something to eat, you then need to get some sort of sleep for you next 15hour day. Lucky if you get 5 hours sleep
He’s another Gareth deady. Chatting bollocks, and will leave the industry in a year.
Family life your talking about going tramping told you ya wouldn't last at Downtons also stay away from flatbed work mate