What went wrong there then ■■?
Comments please !!!
Has that company gone WHR?
I remember them from many years ago when I used to deliver PVC Granules into Alida Packaging. They had a very tidy fleet and some good helpful drivers. I thought they were still around, although I do get mixed up with them from Middlebrook as they look a similar colour
Gone POP Wheel nut, big time.
Old Les sold out two years ago, whilst it was in his control, the business was run in the “Old Style”, since the new “Whiz Kid” got his hands on it, it went down hill faster than Franz Klammer !!!
It was the Kamac / SAY / a million others syndrome, too much debt, and very little substance, the balance sheet was decimated, the banks only support those they trust, and those they dont, go under.
What amazed me, was that the company owned £1.3 m worth of property, so something was drastically wrong, for the banks to close the doors.
It was the bank that closed it, I was loading opposite the yard, on the morning of the closure, as I was in a queue, and I knew someone on the otherside of the locked gates, I asked a few pertinent questions, and got the answers from a bank appointed official [having a ■■■ break], he thought I was a creditor.
It was cracking business, Les had his funny ways, but he paid his bills, he also made a lot of money out of haulage, he is now cattle breeder, and gentleman farmer [so i am told].
Lockwoods seemed to have picked up most of the work, and the good drivers,
The yard at Heanor, and warehouse at Ilkeston are still for sale, at the moment.
shame, i like the old style firm, theyre getting fewrer
What amazed me, was that the company owned £1.3 m worth of property, so something was drastically wrong, for the banks to close the doors.
call me suspicious ram, but theres a lot of people unscrupulous where land is concerend these days its big moolah! and the whizz kid wouldnt have the loyalt taht les wilson did when it came to the business! 
I think this whizz kid was not the wizzard he thought he was, the property was being offered by the receivers, so he had not salted it away.
He just cocked the whole job up. I have someone who worked there, working for me, she says that he was a very nice person, but was not tough enough for the transport game. There was no control over the garage, the drivers or suppliers, so the lunatics were running the asylam !!!
She also gave me a list of the “not very good / not to be touched” drivers, a couple have approached me, it was interesting listening to their version of events.
The good ones have all found jobs, by the way.
Too much being taken out of the business, was another problem, a footballers wife type problem, me finks !!!
The whizz kid drove a nice Jag with personal plates, another sign of decadence.
i get the picture now, what a shame. all that work and gone in a couple of years!
I know what you mean about being tough enough for the game, theres no avoiding it im afraid, and some drivers will take the milk out of your tea, and some are good lads. i bought a 7.5 and got work for it day and night. the night man was family, no sweat the day driver liked the siphon tube. i just said to him that if the motor used that much diesel again on the run he was on the dole, and dont try taking the ■■■■ i know whats what. needless to say it didnt happen again!
i wished i would have kept going sometimes, but i got tired and sold the lorry and the van and went back to being a driver, less problems! 
I knew Les Wilson, the company, very well having employed them for many years on excess haulage when I was TM at Toray, Bulwell, and also for excess storage at their warehouse just by the bendy bridge at Ilkeston.
The TM was big Mick (Frost?) and we had a good relationship. He later bought a partnership in another of my subbies (again haulage & storage) Clearways at Balloon Woods, after falling out with Les and his wife, who was also important in the running of the business I think.
I remember Mick telling me after the bust up that his former second in command had taken over his job. Can’t remember his name though.
Salut, David.
Mick Frost bought into RG Services, Kelvin was the geezer who replaced Mick.
Kelvin is now TM @ White Peak, Somercotes.
RG were at Balloon Woods, Clearway were at Triumph Road, CW have sold to “management” in 2005.
Mick is still top man @ RG, they are on Gin Close, Awsworth.
Over the bendy bridge, first on your left, coming from the A610 is Digby Street, at the top was the warehouse / storage gaff.
West Hallam Ram:
Mick Frost bought into RG Services, Kelvin was the geezer who replaced Mick.
Kelvin is now TM @ White Peak, Somercotes.RG were at Balloon Woods, Clearway were at Triumph Road, CW have sold to “management” in 2005.
Mick is still top man @ RG, they are on Gin Close, Awsworth.
Over the bendy bridge, first on your left, coming from the A610 is Digby Street, at the top was the warehouse / storage gaff.
Don’t know why I said Clearway, perhaps because I first used RG (Robert & Bob) when they were subbies for Clearway and only had light vehicles Trannies and ‘A’ series (? over grown ■■■■■■?) with light trailers doing a lot of those great big polystyrene bottles. I then started to use them on full loads when they bought their first big one, an ERF I think. That vehicle I think it was came to grief at the Muston Gap (when the bridge still went over the road) on the way to Grantham when an oncoming artic jack-knifed into it. The driver, Joe, was quite seriously injured and was a long time away from the job. I never saw him again.
Kelvin, yes, I knew it was an unusual name and should have remembered it, but didn’t 
. I got the impression from Mick that he wasn’t best pleased at the turn of events but got no details.
Clearway sold to management? I thought it was already owned by management . My involvement with that firm goes back many years to its predecessor in the early 70s. At that time it was known as W.E. Andrews and Son, a firm started with tippers in Lincolnshire by Bill Andrews, a lovely bloke. When my brother and I set up with a ■■■■■■ van and trailer, amongst a lot of other work, we subbed for Bill delivering Super Ser gas heaters all over the UK from his warehouse on Wilford road (Br. Waterways). I have told the tale before about when he offered us a Leyland Redline unit and 30’ stepframe van for £100 down and £100 a month for 4 months. We refused him partly because it was a lot of money 
, but also because it had a Scammell coupling and if we broke down we wouldn’t be able to hire a replacement 
.
Anyway, Bill’s son John wasn’t interested in the business and eventually set himself up with a B&B in Devon, so Bill took a partner, a certain Mr. Dean. This bloke had a son Chris who eventually took over the business after Bill sold out completely and his Dad died. Later he moved to Nuthall Rd. and re-named it Clearway, using the then sign for a no-stopping stretch of road as his logo.
I never really did get on with either of the 2 Deans, finding them rather cold fish. Once, years later when I was at Toray and therefore giving them work, I met Chris on a LeylandDaf trip to Thame for the launch of something or other and he showed no inclination to be friendly. I always got the impression that he didn’t approve of ‘jumped-up’ drivers running the job.
If your name means anything Ram, you must be from West Hallam, so do you remember Midland Storage there, both the original with Cream Atkis and KMs, and the successors with blue Mercs?
Salut, David.
David,
I am based in the yard at WH, TDG are my landlords, they own MS, and after numerous re-brandings, its now known as TDG Contract Logistics.
I have only been here 18 years, so I am a bit knew to the local habits, or should that be the habits of the locals ■■?
Going back to Clearway, Chris Dean has sold out to the “management” , an MBO in Money mans terms, he has left the trucking to the whizz kids, and has kept the warehouse side, re-naming it something or other.
Can you remember Ray Hamblin ? [ex summerfields]
Cold fish, that sums up quite a few in the Nottingham transport scene, do you not think ■■?
Spardo:
I knew Les Wilson, the company, very well having employed them for many years on excess haulage when I was TM at Toray, Bulwell, and also for excess storage at their warehouse just by the bendy bridge at Ilkeston.
The TM was big Mick (Frost?) and we had a good relationship. He later bought a partnership in another of my subbies (again haulage & storage) Clearways at Balloon Woods, after falling out with Les and his wife, who was also important in the running of the business I think.
I remember Mick telling me after the bust up that his former second in command had taken over his job. Can’t remember his name though.Salut, David.
I used to deal with Mick quite a bit when subbing work to him. If it’s the same chap, I remember him telling me that he had workled for K&M Hauliers, and drove an Atki Viewline there at one time. Always good to deal with.
West Hallam Ram:
David,I am based in the yard at WH, TDG are my landlords, they own MS, and after numerous re-brandings, its now known as TDG Contract Logistics.
It was Transport Developement who owned it even in my days there (around 1970) and we were prevented from moving directly to another TDG company without a 3 month gap, to prevent ‘poaching’
One gripe we did have was why can’t we have decent foreign motors with heaters , and when told that it wasn’t TDG policy, pointed to Stirlands who had just bought a couple of Scania 80s. Some years later when working at Stirlands, I drove one of their Scannys and it was one of the few motors I have ever refused to drive. It was freeeeezing, the heater didn’t work and whether because a steel cab or not I don’t know, was much worse than the Atkis we had complained about at MS . The next night I was back on my, only very, cold Borderer . I have many stories about Storage and some photos in the back of the shed somewhere. Another time .
Can you remember Ray Hamblin ? [ex summerfields]
Yes, but not on a personal level. When I was TM at Toray the Export Shipping Manager, Mick Skinner, used to use him for European deliveries and they were, I think, big mates. Think it was them who had a driver pulled in at Dover when drugs were found in the trailer. He was deemed innocent and released almost immediately but I think the trailer was held up for a while. Bit different these days when they just throw away the key.
240 Gardner:
I used to deal with Mick quite a bit when subbing work to him. If it’s the same chap, I remember him telling me that he had workled for K&M Hauliers, and drove an Atki Viewline there at one time. Always good to deal with.
I don’t remember him at K&M though now you mention it I do recall a slight sense of recognition the first time I met him at Wilsons. As far as I know they only had one Viewline in an almost exclusively Foden fleet (until the takeover of Bulk Powders’ Mk.1s that is) and a tall blond haired lad drove it (definitely not Mick ). He went on holiday and I had it for a few days pulling a powder tank. I was chuffed to bits but it was winter and that typical Atki heater coupled with the panoramic screen made it very cold except in strong sunlight - when I fried . It was probably the first motor I had with power steering and the tiny little steering wheel felt really strange after the enormous circular levers I was used to 
. Afterwards I got my own motor, a steel cabbed Foden with 12-speed and 205 ■■■■■■■■ Loved it. Re-started on Swinscoe in the snow when empty and spinning to a stop. Merely by careful experimentation to find the exactly right gear .
Yes, I did enjoy dealing with Mick once I had got used to his bluff manner, but I was the boss in effect, not sure if I would have liked to have worked for him. One Christmas when all the subbies would do the rounds giving out bottles and ■■■■, he invited me up to his office for a drink and presented me with - a christmas pudding . Lovely .
Salut, David.
Spardo:
West Hallam Ram:
David,I am based in the yard at WH, TDG are my landlords, they own MS, and after numerous re-brandings, its now known as TDG Contract Logistics.
It was Transport Developement who owned it even in my days there (around 1970) and we were prevented from moving directly to another TDG company without a 3 month gap, to prevent ‘poaching’
I don’t remember him at K&M though now you mention it I do recall a slight sense of recognition the first time I met him at Wilsons. As far as I know they only had one Viewline in an almost exclusively Foden fleet (until the takeover of Bulk Powders’ Mk.1s that is) and a tall blond haired lad drove it (definitely not Mick
Salut, David.
There was a rare Atki kicking around for restoration a couple of years ago, and I wondered if it was ex-MS (from about your time there too). It’s a 6x2 Rear Steer, JRA 978J, still in its original twin steer format. I found an article in the Atkinson house magazine about MS, and it shows a head on photo of Atki JRA 977J.
And, yes, I’ve had the frying/freezing experience with my Viewline, especially with a (non-existent) Gardner heater! I do remember driving down the M40 one summer’s day and trying to hang my head out of the window for air!! I got quite used to it after 19 years!