cookie_monster Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I'm leaving IT to become a truck driver, i feel like Goose did in Top Gun The Daily Mash - FORTY-TWO GRAND - TO DRIVE A TRUCK oooops excuse the url title
joe90bass Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I know bonkers!!! That's the first thing I thought when I heard how much they earned!! I can't read the article due to the f word!!
Elky Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 They do work very long hours though. They also drive at 60MPH for very long distances, must do your head in big time! Not saying its worth £42k but the shifts, hours, overtime etc is a lot. I'm sure the £42k includes any overtime?
dhicks Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I'm leaving IT to become a truck driver There was an interesting quote on the news the other day, talking about why the fuel tanker drivers were striking, i.e. that tanker driving is a "difficult and dangerous job". And I'm not saying it isn't a difficult/dangerous job, either - but could someone please look into the "dangerous" part a bit more closely and, uh, kind of fix whatever it is that makes it dangerous?... -- David Hicks
ICT_GUY Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Yes but they will all die early due to sitting down all day doing a sedentary high stress job, not like us computer techs.... doh!
somabc Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I wouldn't like to drive a fuel tanker through a busy city, No Way!
localzuk Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Dangerous? When was the last time someone in their industry was injured (and by injured, I mean serious enough to count as an injury, not a scuffed knee or something) due to the job?
Gatt Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 one spark and your History But then again - Arent tankers fairly well built these days?
cookie_monster Posted June 19, 2008 Author Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Yep but are they in more danger than a fire fighter? They do have to pass a couple of exams so they can explain what happens when you smoke near petrol and about 4 different driving tests 'BUT' £46k woa!!! But then again - Arent tankers fairly well built these days? Not to mention we've all seen tankers explode in films, no one ever dies Edited June 19, 2008 by cookie_monster
K.C.Leblanc Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 "dangerous" part a bit more closely and, uh, kind of fix whatever it is that makes it dangerous?... -- David Hicks Have you seem what they eat? I think they are also responsible for pumping the fuel from the tanker to garages tanks, which could carry a risk of explosion.
SOSAGES Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 its a dangerous job every film i see with them in has people blowing them up, making them drive on only 1 set of wheels, sliding along the ground. not to mention the contant threat of terminators
cookie_monster Posted June 19, 2008 Author Posted June 19, 2008 its a dangerous job every film i see with them in has people blowing them up, making them drive on only 1 set of wheels, sliding along the ground. not to mention the contant threat of terminators Yeh but as mentioned above no one ever seems to die as long as you're running away you just jump in the air a bit. Don't fancy the terminator bit though, 'They absolutely will not stop, EVER untill you are dead' 1
Gatt Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 They do have to pass a couple of exams so they can explain what happens when you smoke near petrol I could tell you that without any exams....
localzuk Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Have you seem what they eat? I think they are also responsible for pumping the fuel from the tanker to garages tanks, which could carry a risk of explosion. I worked in a petrol station and the risk is very low. Precautions are common sense - make sure there are no ignition points, make sure all seals are in place and let it pump. Nothing that I would call dangerous. Certainly not more dangerous than working in a petrol station, where people ignore the signs and smoke, use their mobiles, leave engines running etc... The most dangerous aspect of petrol is when there is vapour, which is a lot more flammable. During pumping from a tanker to a forecourt, there is minimal contact with the air, so the amount of vapour is low. During filling a car, there is a constant stream of vapour and as such, there is considerably more risk. Yet a forecourt cleaner or a station attendant will earn near minimum wage. Add in the risk of being robbed and it makes it seem even more unreasonable.
TechMonkey Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 But there is the difference between doing a cruddy job, such as driving long distances, shift work, long hours monotony and by doing something silly you might die and having a dangerous job. Zoo keepers coudl get mauled if thye poke a tiger in the eye not sure that they get 14% rise for it though!
localzuk Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 But there is the difference between doing a cruddy job, such as driving long distances, shift work, long hours monotony and by doing something silly you might die and having a dangerous job. Zoo keepers coudl get mauled if thye poke a tiger in the eye not sure that they get 14% rise for it though! Many many people do monotonous jobs, shift work etc... They certainly don't get £42k or 14% pay rises.
Gatt Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I worked in a petrol station and the risk is very low. Precautions are common sense - make sure there are no ignition points, make sure all seals are in place and let it pump. Nothing that I would call dangerous. Certainly not more dangerous than working in a petrol station, where people ignore the signs and smoke, use their mobiles, leave engines running etc... The most dangerous aspect of petrol is when there is vapour, which is a lot more flammable. During pumping from a tanker to a forecourt, there is minimal contact with the air, so the amount of vapour is low. During filling a car, there is a constant stream of vapour and as such, there is considerably more risk. Yet a forecourt cleaner or a station attendant will earn near minimum wage. Add in the risk of being robbed and it makes it seem even more unreasonable. Oh yeah! been there - car pulls up, unleaded, pump running and then you spot it - the Cig... "PUMP 3...ARE YOU TRYING TO F:censored:G KILL ALL OF US!!!" then they have the uter audacity to stick the finger up at you and THROW IT ON THE FLOOR!! its liek that seen from Lethal Weapon (3?) - "Grab The Cat"...
ICT_GUY Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Oh yeah! been there - car pulls up, unleaded, pump running and then you spot it - the Cig... "PUMP 3...ARE YOU TRYING TO F:censored:G KILL ALL OF US!!!" then they have the uter audacity to stick the finger up at you and THROW IT ON THE FLOOR!! its liek that seen from Lethal Weapon (3?) - "Grab The Cat"... Its impossible to set petrol alight with a cigarette. Do you not watch Mythbusters? Matches and lighters are a different matter though.
plexer Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Diesel tanker fire: BBC NEWS | England | Berkshire | Diesel tanker fire shuts motorway Ben
ICT_GUY Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Diesel tanker fire: BBC NEWS | England | Berkshire | Diesel tanker fire shuts motorway Ben And the driver walked away without a scratch. Hmm he really earned his pay cheque that day
LeMarchand Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 And the driver walked away without a scratch. Hmm he really earned his pay cheque that day Given the mysterious source of the blaze, maybe it happened to re-claim the public's sympathy in a show of how "dangerous" the job is.
somabc Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 29,000 litres of diesel that's £37,700 at £1.30 a litre. Perhaps their salary is due to the value of their cargo?
Advocate Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 They work a 50+ hour week driving a bomb - extremely dangerous - extremely exhausting and boring as hell - and think of all the aresole on the motorways! - I think they deserve every penny - with out hem we have no fuel and whilst that might mean I cant get to work - it also means that the hospitals cant have fuel for vital things, the emergency services could not reach us etc etc.....
Dos_Box Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I used to drive tankers in the army (on a Bosnia tour), and am still fully qualified to do so (amongst other things). The danger is negligible, in fact, I feel in more danger in a server room than driving\operating a tanker. Do I think they are worth 41k? No. Most Tanker work is not like normal haulage as they usually do set 'rounds' and as such they don't do overnighters (not allowed to sleep in the cabs or park up in a public area for long periods). The Shell drivers simply began to hit the profits of their employers when fuel prices are sky high (even though the cost of production has not changed) and their rivals got their customers.
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