grumpy old man:
Started as a van lad (Harrisons of Dewsbury) 1959, no HGV licences then, moved to Fred Chappell, Batley and never looked back. Fred was a good man and a good gaffer, he gave a few of us young lads our start ‘on the road’ and I’ll be forever in his debt. I enjoyed my working life, yes, there were c rap day but there were a hell of a lot of great happy days.
And some of the stuff we got up to when we were young is best left unsaidHell, 3 of us lost (yes lost) an Atky unit in Islington one night, we’d forgotten where we parked it took us until lunchtime the next day to find it…in a taxi touring the streets. Old Fred wasn’t amused…“where the 'kin hell have you been”?
I’ve only ever had one driving test, never had a test with an HGV, all my training has been by the best way…that’s from my peers, old hands who were happy to pass their experience on and help young fellas move up the ladder, you were told how, you were shown how, and if you got it wrong it was a clip round the ear .
But I say again…they were VERY happy days. Would I go back to a life on the road with todays T&C’s and modern euro box vehicles?..NO
No mobile phones and trackers in our day, you got your paperwork and you were sent out to do a job…“give us a ring when you’re tipped” Main trouble in those days was a supply of 10p pieces and finding a public phone that actually worked.
…and didn’t have that aroma of stale urine Grumpy!!!
David