Susie Jones
Nyheder og opdateringer • 5 min læsning

Truckerfortællinger: historier fra den åbne landevej

Oprettet: 22.08.2024

Opdateret: 22.08.2024

Vi vil gerne kaste lys over lastbilbranchen og lære menneskene bag rattet at kende.

Fra helikoptere, der lander foran deres lastbiler, til biler på den forkerte side af motorvejen - lær mere om de chauffører, der leverer dine varer.

Alan

Alan har kørt lastbil i 23 år og besluttede sig for at gå ind i branchen efter at have lyttet til Ally Thomsons sange om at køre lastbil. På spørgsmålet om, hvad han elsker mest ved jobbet, siger han, at det er "den ensomhed, som lastbilkørsel giver - der er en fuldstændig adskillelse fra hjemmelivet."

Volvo-lastbiler er en klar favorit, når han rejser rundt i Storbritannien og transporterer Amazon-varer. Han siger, at han har transporteret mange interessante produkter, "valget er ubegrænset - tænk bare på alt, hvad Amazon sælger."

For chauffører, der parkerer natten over, er det svært at holde sig underholdt i stilstandstiden. Men erfarne chauffører som Alan har styr på deres aftenrutine. Han siger, at han "godt kan lide at se Sky TV på iPad'en", når han har parkeret for natten.

For bilister, der kæmper for at blive underholdt bag rattet, har vi samlet en liste over måder at forhindre kedsomhed i at sætte ind.

Mens lange timer på landevejen kan virke ensformige for mange, forklarer Alan, at der altid er noget, der holder ham på tæerne.

"Jeg tror, at det vildeste, jeg har set, mens jeg kørte, var en helikopter, der landede lige foran mig," forklarer han - langt fra det monotone ry, der har omgærdet branchen i årtier.

Med 23 år i branchen bag sig har Alan givet nogle råd, som vil få dine perlehvide til at se friske ud på dine rejser.

Han forklarer: "Det råd, jeg vil give til alle, der er nye i branchen, er altid at huske at lade tandbørsten op."

Richard

For 36 år siden startede Richard sin karriere i transportbranchen og så sig aldrig tilbage. Han blev bidt af at køre, da han sammen med sine to ældre brødre hjalp med at levere varer i hele Storbritannien.

"Jeg elsker at få et læs og komme af sted. Jeg bestemmer selv, hvornår jeg holder pause, og hvor jeg parkerer. Det er fantastisk at være på farten og rejse rundt i hele Storbritannien," forklarer han.

I løbet af sin karriere har livet på landevejen bragt ham til Milano i Italien - en opslidende rejse selv for de mest erfarne chauffører. På spørgsmålet om, hvordan han holder sig underholdt på sine rejser, siger han: "Jeg kan godt lide at lytte til musik og se film i min fritid."

Den bedste lastbil til at gøre det i? "Det må være en Scania Next Generation 450S," siger han.

For Richard har 30 år i branchen ikke været uden en del skøre historier og usædvanlige leverancer: "Jeg har set en bil køre den forkerte vej op ad en motorvej på vej ud af en tilkørsel. Det mest interessante, jeg har haft bag på lastbilen, er en paradevogn fra Sankt Wilfreds Dag."

Selv om han stadig elsker de åbne veje, siger Richard, at det nogle gange har en pris. Han giver et godt indblik i virkeligheden i dette erhverv og råd til dem, der ønsker at blive en del af branchen.

"Overvej meget nøje, om det er den rigtige karriere for dig. Forvent lange arbejdsdage og at gå glip af en masse familieliv."

Sean

At vokse op i en familie af chauffører betød, at Sean havde lastbilkørsel i blodet, og for 20 år siden satte han sig bag rattet og fortsatte sin karriere i transportbranchen.

Jobbet har mange fordele, men for Sean er den frihed, jobbet giver, det, han elsker mest. Denne frihed har bragt ham så langt som til Skotland, hvor han kører hver sjette uge. På de lange rejser er det at ringe til venner og se tv hans kilde til underholdning.

Derudover har rastepladser spillet en afgørende rolle for Sean i kampen mod den isolation, som kørsel medfører. På rastepladserne er der ofte masser af aktivitet, og Sean kan mødes med venner på sine rejser.

Disse pitstop giver den perfekte mulighed for at høre skøre historier fra andre lastbilchauffører. Ligesom Richard har det mærkeligste, Sean har set på sine rejser, været "en bil, der kørte den forkerte vej på en motorvej i mørke" - en historie, der er alt for almindelig i lastbilbranchen.

En DAF XF 530 er Seans foretrukne lastbil til transport af byggematerialer i hele Storbritannien. Han råder alle, der ønsker en karriere som lastbilchauffør, til "bare at kaste sig ud i det!"

Dave

Dave har kørt lastbil i 30 år og har rejst så langt som til Danmark og Spanien. Når han ikke kører i sin yndlingslastbil, en Volvo FH, kan han godt lide at se sæbeoperaer i sit førerhus.

"Nogle bilisters opførsel har givet mig nogle skøre historier at fortælle," forklarer han. Men da vi spurgte Dave om den mest interessante ting, han har haft på ladet af sin lastbil, var han meget fåmælt - "det er tophemmeligt", siger han.

Efter 30 år med godstransport har Dave lært et par ting om transportverdenen. Han giver et godt råd til dem, der ønsker at kickstarte deres karriere i branchen: "Sørg for at specialisere dig i noget."

Alastair

Alastair er relativt ny i branchen og besluttede sig for en karriere som lastbilchauffør for at holde sig i gang efter pensioneringen. Med fem år på bagen nyder han afvekslingen i erhvervet mere end noget andet.

I løbet af denne tid har Alastair haft mulighed for at rejse rundt i Storbritannien og Europa. "Jeg har rejst til Inverness, København, Lissabon, Budapest og Rom," siger han.

For at undgå kedsomhed lytter Alastair gerne til "Radio 4, LBC og 5 Live".

Når han har rejst rundt i Europa, har han været vidne til en del usædvanlig adfærd fra andre trafikanter. Men det var tættere på hjemmet, hvor han måtte manøvrere sin lastbil gennem "demonstrationerne i London. Det var nok det mest vanvittige, jeg har oplevet," forklarer han.

For 007-fans fortæller Alastair om dengang, han skulle transportere nogle tophemmelige genstande.

"Det mest interessante, jeg har haft bag i bilen, er nok James Bond-udstillingsgenstande," siger han.

Selvom Alastair ikke har været i branchen længe, har han nogle ord til dem, der er nye i branchen.

"Et råd, jeg vil give til nogen, der overvejer at gå ind i transportverdenen, er at bevare roen."

Sean V

Seans kærlighed til vejen stammer fra de mange sommerferier, han tilbragte sammen med sin far i hans lastbil. Efter 30 års kørsel er hans kærlighed til bilkørsel fortsat stærk.

"Det, jeg elsker ved jobbet, er at se alle de dejlige steder i Storbritannien og Europa," forklarer han. Det er et job, der har bragt ham til forskellige destinationer - Rom er den længste rejse, han har foretaget.

Når han ikke udforsker byerne, kan Sean godt lide at underholde sig selv ved at se tv, bruge sin iPad og indtil for nylig ved at spille i sin egen taxa.

Det vildeste, han har oplevet på vejen?

Desværre er Sean endnu en gang vidne til et syn, der er alt for almindeligt blandt lastbilchauffører - "en bil, der kører den forkerte vej på motorvejen", forklarer han.

I løbet af Seans 30-årige karriere siger han, at DAF-lastbiler har været hans favorit at køre, og at det mest interessante emne, han har transporteret, var "medicinsk specialudstyr".

Seans kærlighed til branchen opvejer nogle af de negative aspekter ved jobbet. Men til dem, der ønsker at kickstarte deres karriere i vognmandsbranchen, har han disse kloge ord at tilbyde dem:

"Hvis du overvejer at gå ind i branchen, skal du regne med at arbejde mange timer."

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