If you’ve weighed up what life on the open road would be like and decided it wasn’t for you, why don’t you take a look at what kind of perks come along with being a professional truck driver – as they just might change your mind.
It’s just you and the tarmac rather than a bustling office full of annoying colleagues…and let’s not forget you have full control of the radio, so you can sing your heart out to your choice of music all the way there.
But there’s a lot more to this role than just independence and free reign with the aux cord.
We get it – you might not have dreamed of becoming a HGV driver since childhood and possibly aren’t too keen on the idea of being behind the wheel of a lorry all day long, but there’s a few secret benefits that come with being a trucker.
The trucker life is a bit more cushty than you might have first thought (Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The country is crying out for them too, as according to statistics, around 268,000 people worked as lorry drivers in the UK in 2021, which is 16 percent down from the stats in 2017.
So if you have a driving licence, are over 18, are prepared to put the work in to get your Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and fancy a change of career, it sounds like a no-brainer to be quite frank.
For starts, if you take the plunge into the trucker world, you could be raking in the big bucks like professional trucker Ashley Hale, who recently revealed the shocking amount he makes each year.
The Brit describes himself as a ‘HGV content creator’ and shares videos of what it’s really like being the King of the Highways on his YouTube channel while he’s tearing up the tarmac in a 2020 DAF XF 530.
HGV driver Ashley Hale revealed how much you can earn in the industry (YouTube/Ashley Hale UK)
In one of his latest clips, he gave his subscribers an idea of what they can expect financially if they fancy becoming a trucker, while also reeling off the many advantages which come with the job.
Hale was referring to his earnings from his previous role as to not ruffle any feathers with his current employer, but he explained that it still gives a good overview of what a HGV driver can anticipate to earn.
He shared that at his previous job, he worked all week in the vehicle and his pay reflects that specific role of a ‘tramper’.
Putting the payslip up on the screen for viewers to see, he explained that he made £625 per a 45-hour week at work.
That would amount to around £32,500 per year, which is pretty average in the UK.
But it’s the perks that come with the job which really make it worth it (Getty stock photo)
However, it was the perks that bumped it up to about £52,000 – which is when his subscribers ears pricked up.
Hale said that overtime was paid at double the standard rate, which was an estimated additional £261 per week, as well as him receiving a £3 weekly bonus for working ‘unsociable hours’ such as evening driving shifts.
If his performance was on par with his targets, he’d also receive an extra £40 for his hard work as a bit of an incentive.
Then, he’d get around £100 for a ‘nights out’ allowance to reimburse him for accommodation or meals when he was working nights.
So, all in all, that would work out to be about £1,000 per week and just under £53k a year – which isn’t half bad at all.
On top of all of that, other truckers have boasted about how they get to explore new places they never would have otherwise, there’s job security and how simple it is to get started in the industry.
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