GUEST BLOG; Tim Melero, Ipswich, UK
“Give them some trucking credit!”
Ahhh haulage. What a glamorous sector of industry. I like to think of it as very much like Smokey and the Bandit: The Day Job, and obviously every truck has the ability to transform into Optimus Prime.
The drivers, with their chiselled features and firm bodies, turn the ladies legs to jelly as they pull up to the local Aldi distribution centre. Frankly, I don’t know how those middle-aged housewives get any work done whilst these Adonises are around. Margaret, 54 from Wakefield, states in her dulcet Yorkshire tones “When these guys show up wearing their sunglasses and nothing but a high vis jacket and tight jeans, all the women in t’office are a flutter. Poor Sally nearly had a stroke t’other day, we had t’ make her an extra strong cup of Tetleys”.
Joking aside, the haulage industry obviously isn’t all ticker-tape and balloons. You would be hard pressed to say that it’s a seductive and alluring sector of employment. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a great place to work. Haulage is a vital part of how the country runs effectively. If Mrs Beckenham-Wells of South Kensington couldn’t get her organic, free range, non-caged, magnolia white, perfectly sized eggs from Waitrose one week, her local MP would be getting a letter. The same woman would scoff if she were to meet a lorry driver at a dinner party.
Can you imagine half of these floppy haired posh boys trying to hook up a trailer in the rain or operating traffic from a freezing Portakabin with the door half open and the only source of heat is lukewarm sausage roll. Neither can I.
The industry is hard and fast paced. These guys don’t get enough credit for what they do. I’ve worked in the haulage industry, and let me tell you, it is no picnic. I couldn’t do a number of things in the industry (although I’m a bit daft). Being academic doesn’t mean you can handle the pressure and have the ability to think on your feet clearly and concisely.
From top to bottom, every person plays a part in ensuring that your Jaffa Cakes are stocked in one-stop and your lemon yellow paint for the new downstairs bathroom is on the shelf. Yea, it’s not glamorous but working in the haulage sector is just as important as or even more so than many other occupations.
Not elegant, but essential.
Written by; Tim Melero (Guest Writer/Blogger)
UK Haulier would love for more guest writers and bloggers to come forward with pieces connected to the haulage, freight and overall logistics industries. Whether its facts or humour or perhaps a bit of both, send us your BLOGS via email; info@ukhaulier.co.uk
I like what this guy is saying and how he's saying it.