Letters: The lure of lorry driving

Driving force

Sir: As a long-distance UK lorry driver I am very aware of the issues raised by Rodney Pittam (‘So long, truckers’, 18 September). However the job can provide an income of more than £40,000 to those with a practical rather than an academic bent. Yes, there is unpleasantness, discomfort and a combative attitude from other road users. But there is also a high degree of independence, a chance to see this country and others, and a sense of pride in the job. Better facilities are overdue in this country for drivers, and this may go some way — together with greater remuneration — to creating more respect for the work we do.

David Darran

Cefnpennar, Rhondda Cynon Taff

One for the road

Sir: I very much enjoyed Rodney Pittam’s recollections of life on the road in the 1980s. Lorry drivers weren’t the only ones to enjoy the freedoms on offer. As students my girlfriend and I hitched thousands of miles across Europe and Asia and saved a fortune doing it this way.