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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Sirin Kale. Photographs by Peter Flude

The hidden life of a lorry driver: long hours, fear of robberies – and living for the weekend

Lorry driver Rob Piper
‘You’re driving a killing machine’ … Rob Piper beside his DAF XF lorry on the Nursling industrial estate in Southampton. Photograph: Peter Flude/The Guardian

Rob Piper’s world is grey, blue and black.

The early morning sky is an inky blue-black as Piper drives his 44-tonne, 12-wheeled DAF XF lorry out of the Nursling industrial estate in Southampton. At this time of day – 6am – the endless grey roads consist mainly of lorries. Their metal bullbars flash a friendly smile in the halogen glare of each other’s headlights.

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