Q and A with Actros driver Syd Sutton

So how long have you been driving the Mercedes-Benz truck for?

9 years at Halewood Tellent and 4–5 years before that at Standford Distribution.

What do you love about trucking?

Being out on the open road and meeting people.

Tell us about your truck – make, model and age?

Actros 25–46. I got it 14^th May this year (2018). It doesn’t have a name but I’ve got two little mascots that sit in there all the time: the Tetley Tea man called Sydney because my name is Sydney and Roland the Rat. When he first came on telly I thought he was brilliant and his rugby shirt is the same colour that I used to wear when I started playing rugby at school.

How do you feel about the new technology available in trucks now?

It’s good but for a dinosaur like me I find it a little bit too much sometimes. I’m used to using a dipstick to check my oil! But you’ve got to embrace it (the new technology).

What do you like most about the Mercedes-Benz trucks?

I just like the comfort. It’s a solid truck and I hammer up and down the motorway and it keeps going. I’m away Monday to Friday and there’s plenty of room for everything I need – I can cook and get changed in the morning.

What was the most unusual load you ever transported?

I’ve done everything from copper pipes to magazines. I took my son to his school prom – he got out and then I was swamped by everyone saying “Aww look at that” and “That’s fantastic” and “Can I have a look inside?” I spent the next hour letting all the kids have a look inside and they said “That’s really cool”. He’s a qualified mechanic now and when he was away from college on holidays he was always with me. He would sit and read the maps and when he qualified as a mechanic he was on a casual contract with Standford Distribution, so he’s known nothing else.

What do you most enjoy when attending truck shows?

Meeting different people. I can meet the general public, fellow drivers and just have a chat. We acknowledge each other – we’ve seen one another parked up in a truck stop and you sit and have a natter. I bumped in to a guy I used to work with at Standford Distribution, hadn’t seen him for 4-5 years. That’s how it goes sometimes. You see someone regularly and then you don’t see them for a while. You can just stop and have a chat. That’s nice.

What would you say to the younger generation who want to get involved in the trucking industry?

The authorities have got to loosen all the red tape and make it easier for guys like my son to get into the industry, encourage them to take on more apprenticeships, not keep chopping and changing the age limit and make the money a bit more attractive. And when young people come into the industry they need to be doing all aspects of the work. I’m lucky I’ve done curtain side, flat bed, tanker work. I can rope and sheet.

How much longer do you think you’ll be driving for?

Until I finish. I’m 55 now and I’ll keep going until retirement, I absolutely love it.

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