John Hunt Driver Penta GB
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Mendlesham, Suffolk Now 46, Hunt is adamant he does not want to be driving in his late 60s or 70s. "It depends what you are doing. But generally speaking, it's not a job for a man that age. It's a young man's game.
"In this industry, a lot of people suffer health problems and, in many cases, they don't even realise it until it is too late.
"Even something as simple as making an
appointment with your GP can be extremely difficult with this job."
Hunt doesn't think declining reaction speeds are an issue. He believes any drop in response times is compensated by older drivers' ability to read the road better.
But it's the day-to-day rigours of some aspects of the job that would be beyond even a healthy 70-year-old, he says.
"I can see that doing something like supermarket work, where you just turn up and get loaded, would be OK. But tipping on your own, unloading palletised goods or even pulling curtains and closing them is hard work"