by 
A written submission and video from an anonymous food delivery driver.
I’m a truck driver. I bring food to shops. I’ve worked here for 8 years now. They pay well. That’s why I stick around. It’s only reason any of us stick around. We get to drive to nice places. I can listen to my music. I can think a lot. I don’t feel lonely. I’m used to it now. The staff in the depot aren’t very nice to us. The managers are always hard on us. Always giving us warnings when we make a mistake. I work long hours. I start work at 4am. I don’t get much free time. Or much sleep. My days off are always different. I don’t have a routine. I struggle with that. People aren’t always very nice to us. Especially in their cars. Sometimes the deliveries are really heavy. The ground is sometimes broken. I get a lot of joint pain. Sometimes the cages are overloaded. They’re not meant to be. Sometimes I can barely move them. Sometimes I can barely stop them. I worry a lot about hurting someone walking past. The warehouse don’t load the cages very well. They only have two sides. They fall apart. I’ve had black eyes. You learn to get out the way when they tip over. Sometimes our trucks get robbed. It’s happened 3 times. I nearly got fired one time. I always lock my cab. Some of the boys had their bags stolen. The trucks aren’t very clean. Before the virus came we complained about it. It’s not right delivering food in dirty trucks. They don’t take us seriously. Now the virus is here. They still don’t take us seriously. I worry a lot about catching it. It took the depot a long time to change. Our bothy had all the tables moved to be a barrier to keep us away from the transport desk. Then they put up screens. And signs. And more barriers. And one way systems. The trucks are still dirty. I stole some cleaning wipes. I keep them in my bag. Some of the guys are infected. The work don’t tell us about it. They don’t really tell us anything. We tell each other. One boy nearly died. We did a whip round for him. He’s a nice guy. I like the guys I work with. We look out for each other. No one else does. There’s lots of laws and big fines if we get caught making a mistake. Getting a driving license is expensive. Getting caught is expensive. Not many people do the job now. I don’t blame them. I don’t want to be a truck driver anymore. I miss my friends. I want to have a life again. I’m lucky to have a job. I’m lucky to get out the house. I’m lucky to see things most people don’t. When I drive over the braes I feel like I’m escaping. I stop for my break somewhere nice. I sit outside in the sun. I feel safe. I eat my sandwiches. I drink my juice.
For 45 minutes. I forget about the virus.
