I think I'm right in that testing came in around 1968 while I was working for a BMC dealership and I do remember the first vehicle that we prepared like it was yesterday. It was an elderly Morris FFK140 owned by Stelco Steels of Richfield Avenue, Reading. Of course nobody knew exactly what the test involved at that stage so this poor truck was stripped down almost to the last nut,bolt and rivet!


Our test centre was at Shaw, Newbury, but I could only take the lighter vehicles as I had no HGV licence back then but we had a good pass rate. Then I left and worked for a Bedford agency and the first vehicle I had for test was a Ford K series three tonner. A farmer owned it and drove it in; "brakes might need looking at" he said. Both front tyres were worn but he supplied two 'brand new remoulds' on wheels so they should have been OK. I put the truck on the brake rollers, absolutely no response from either front brake! Stripped them down, all four wheel cylinders were solid. Fixed that, the rest wasn't too bad so it was cleaned and booked for test at Newbury. Trundling down the M4 and BANG went a 'brand new remould' so I got the almost bald spare off and changed it on the hard shoulder. Ten miles on and BANG went the other 'new' tyre! Garage came out and changed it, test was late of course but they fitted it in later in the day and it finally passed OK.
One of our customers, a thatcher, ran an O Type Bedford from the 1940's that he had purchased new from our garage, he lived with his family in some woods. Each year at test time we sent our Bedford RL recovery truck to his place and raised the front of the Bedford so that it could be dropped onto a chain stretched between two posts (trees?) so that he could clean it underneath with parafin and a brush! After he cleaned it we went out and lowered it down again!

Back in those days the office at the test centres had an open counter usually staffed by a couple of ladies, however later they were fitted with screens like a bank as (I was told) a disgruntled fitter leapt over the counter to try and get to a lass. I believe I actually knew the chap as he worked locally but I never knew for certain that it was him.
Then in 1975 I moved to Derbyshire to work for Tilcon and, after passing my class 2, did all the pre test inspections and took the vehicles as well but more of that later!

Pete.