Ex Surrey lorry driver on pressures of industry

Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have both massively impacted road haulage in the UK and beyond, but for Surrey man Dominic Harris the issues with the industry went deeper still.

"The hours as an HGV Driver are just so long," he said after turning his back on his job as a Class 2 Driver.

"No disrespect to any of my former employers, but the Industry is set up to get the most out of every driver, every day and it is just exhausting."

Images of of huge queues of HGVs in southern England have littered UK media in recent years following chaos in international transport regulations after the Brexit vote that were only complicated further by the advent of Covid-19.

Yet the stories behind those images, of the people driving frequently essential goods to and from the UK, were often lost amid wider macro considerations.

Dominic described how hard the work of a Class 2 lorry driver can be:

"I was leaving the house at 6am every morning and not knowing what time I’d get home, some nights it was as late as 9pm.

"It affected my mental health, home life and social life," he said, suggesting that he was not the only one:

"Many Drivers are just falling out of love with the job. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I couldn’t live like this long-term."

Image: Gareth Fuller/PA

Since deciding enough was enough for him in the job, the Surrey man decided to park his HGV and back a U-turn into a completely different trade altogether.

The decision, he said, arrived after he noticed untended graves while volunteering with a website that helps look after the graves of the deceased whose relatives do not live locally.

"It was so sad to see graves that hadn’t been maintained in recent years," Dominic said.

"I knew that all of the graves I saw were dearly loved people, and I felt that I could help those who weren’t able to get to the graves or weren’t able to do the maintenance themselves. I’ve lost a number of close relatives, so I know how important it is to honour their memory in their resting place."

Harris Grave Tending

To that end he set up Harris Grave Tending in June and has already completed a wide range of projects including complete grave transformations, headstone cleans and kerb surround renovations.

"I’ve managed to really transform some of the graves and headstones, and I’ve had great feedback from the families, even receiving my first 5-star review!" He said.

"I wanted to ensure that the service was affordable and this maybe a business for me, but it isn’t about the money. I get so much satisfaction from helping out families that can’t do the work themselves.

"I don’t miss HGV driving at all, and I am now able to choose my own hours and I am out working out in the fresh air; I’ve totally made the right decision."