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LORRY DRIVER'S STORY * UK - On the road again
For Barrie Tozer, life behind the wheel of an HGV has had its ups and downs but, as he tells, it is a career to which he has always returnedLondon,UK -The Guardian -September 8, 2007: -- Barrie Tozer has mixed feelings about his job as a professional lorry driver... Tozer has been driving lorries for more than 25 years. In that time the safety standard of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) - his is a 12-wheel behemoth of a Mercedes Actros - has improved dramatically. Tozer cannot say the same about the standards upheld by motorists generally. "You need to be alert all the time as the standard of car driving is terrible," says the 52-year-old. "Every car driver feels that they have to get in front of the next person. Everything is travelling faster"... Tozer appreciates the need for drivers to be alert - he says he drinks 30 cups of tea a day - and for regulated hours. Forty-four tonnes of fully laden lorry plus a tired driver can add up to one of the most destructive sights on the road... The rise in hijackings prompted Tozer to launch Truck Alert - text messages about stolen vehicles sent to lorry drivers signed up to the scheme. They can then inform the local police if they spot a stolen truck... Lorry driving is a lonely profession... The freedom of the open road and the fact that each day is different? "My job is varied," he agrees. "Every day I go out of this gate, the road, the scenery and the towns are all different"... His favourite parts of the country are Devon and Cornwall... Some drivers use satellite navigation systems, but not Tozer - he has heard that there are too many problems with them. Some have sent truckers down roads with low bridges. To avoid such strife, he relies on £400-worth of maps and his extensive knowledge of the UK's road system... Tozer has a love-hate relationship with a job he says he would give up if he could find another that suited him... Tozer plans to retire in the next few years. But between now and then he asks for one thing from his fellow road users: respect... (Picture: PA/The Scotsman - An idea of the number of lorries using UK roads can be gained from this composite image)
Labels: truckers' stories
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