marktaff:
JAKEY:
No they are up in Warrington . great bodies ,I wish I had gone to them before .I should be signing for the new TGL on Monday , hopefully the following year I get a short wheel based 12t for me
Signing your life away Jakey
So would there body builders be some of the
Old employees to Jakey ?
Sorry my phone jumps ahead of me some times…I ment Marsden employees!
As ■■■■■■ equality, equal pay & rights are never out of the news, & women sailors in submarines, I suppose 30 plus years ago we were ahead of our time employing 6 or 7 female drivers. Two or three driving Class 1 with 40 ft van trailers, and in all cases having to empty heavy loads on their own.
However we never sent a female driver on removals. We had three teams of two women who we had trained as packers of china etc who were sent out the day before to pre pack, saving our male staff time at loading, but never any women as part of a team to carry & load vans. Possibly we were being sexist but always took the view that if two turned up to do the removal & one or more was a woman, the customer would complain, thinking we were trying to do it on the cheap.
In these even more enlightened days does anyone know of an established professional removal company that uses female staff.
There is a firm in London called van girls an all female removal company, just had a look at there website, they have closed down.
Carl Williams:
As ■■■■■■ equality, equal pay & rights are never out of the news, & women sailors in submarines, I suppose 30 plus years ago we were ahead of our time employing 6 or 7 female drivers. Two or three driving Class 1 with 40 ft van trailers, and in all cases having to empty heavy loads on their own.However we never sent a female driver on removals. We had three teams of two women who we had trained as packers of china etc who were sent out the day before to pre pack, saving our male staff time at loading, but never any women as part of a team to carry & load vans. Possibly we were being sexist but always took the view that if two turned up to do the removal & one or more was a woman, the customer would complain, thinking we were trying to do it on the cheap.
In these even more enlightened days does anyone know of an established professional removal company that uses female staff.
Hi Carl,
I’ve been in the removal game 40yrs and only came across women packers mainly when I worked at Pickfords…the odd branch had women packers…but can’t say I’ve witnessed women doing removals or driving removal vans in my time Carl…did you put the women you employed Carl through there HGV tests ?
marktaff:
Carl Williams:
As ■■■■■■ equality, equal pay & rights are never out of the news, & women sailors in submarines, I suppose 30 plus years ago we were ahead of our time employing 6 or 7 female drivers. Two or three driving Class 1 with 40 ft van trailers, and in all cases having to empty heavy loads on their own.However we never sent a female driver on removals. We had three teams of two women who we had trained as packers of china etc who were sent out the day before to pre pack, saving our male staff time at loading, but never any women as part of a team to carry & load vans. Possibly we were being sexist but always took the view that if two turned up to do the removal & one or more was a woman, the customer would complain, thinking we were trying to do it on the cheap.
In these even more enlightened days does anyone know of an established professional removal company that uses female staff.
Hi Carl,
I’ve been in the removal game 40yrs and only came across women packers mainly when I worked at Pickfords…the odd branch had women packers…but can’t say I’ve witnessed women doing removals or driving removal vans in my time Carl…did you put the women you employed Carl through there HGV tests ?
Amongst my activities I was a Director of Darlington Driver Training, and a female who had paid for herself was Lady Carolyne Vane, who at the time was very high in line to the Thrown. She was on TV at the time of passing her HGV class 1 test and Dennis Gooder the training Officer asked me would I not consider her for a job as she had so much determination. She was our first female driver.
She was for a while driving a rigid Bedford Marsden & went onto artisc & worked for us aprox 13 years delivering Courtaulds textiles New Furniture Domestic Appliances etc. At a recent reunion she told how when delivering about 150 fridges to an Electricity Board men in the warehouse watched as she single handed unloaded telling her for insurance reasons they were not allowed to assist, only to return about a week later when she had to wait for another of our vehicles to unload with everyone helping a male driver. Carolyne is still very small, petite & attractive with a grown up daughter. Another of our drivers, Gordon Ball was recalling one day making a delivery into the centre of York. He was driving a Bedford Marsden. He had had great difficulty reversing up a side street off one of the main narrow streets near York Minster when along came Carolyne with one of our artics Gordon pulled out to watch Carolyne reverse in. She tried once and the trailer front corner was too near the shop fronts as it was turning, & he said ‘You’re not going to make it, Carolyne, there’s not enough width’ & she told him she would & next time in it went.
Anotherof our female driver in about 1985 received the highest weeks wage we ever paid a driver £385 with about £45 extra tax free subsistance. Putting that into perspective it was a very high wage for 33 years ago.They could work hard. However feeling was on a household removal the customer would not accept thinking we were just trying to cut costs.
We trained an awful lot of drivers over the years, but all females we employed had paid for themselves and obtained licences before we employed them.
Hi Carl ,I have never seen a woman on removals would firms take them on with all this equal bull they spout on about ,I see a lot of women drivers about and could put some blokes to shame cheers John
Carl Williams:
marktaff:
Carl Williams:
As ■■■■■■ equality, equal pay & rights are never out of the news, & women sailors in submarines, I suppose 30 plus years ago we were ahead of our time employing 6 or 7 female drivers. Two or three driving Class 1 with 40 ft van trailers, and in all cases having to empty heavy loads on their own.However we never sent a female driver on removals. We had three teams of two women who we had trained as packers of china etc who were sent out the day before to pre pack, saving our male staff time at loading, but never any women as part of a team to carry & load vans. Possibly we were being sexist but always took the view that if two turned up to do the removal & one or more was a woman, the customer would complain, thinking we were trying to do it on the cheap.
In these even more enlightened days does anyone know of an established professional removal company that uses female staff.
Hi Carl,
I’ve been in the removal game 40yrs and only came across women packers mainly when I worked at Pickfords…the odd branch had women packers…but can’t say I’ve witnessed women doing removals or driving removal vans in my time Carl…did you put the women you employed Carl through there HGV tests ?Amongst my activities I was a Director of Darlington Driver Training, and a female who had paid for herself was Lady Carolyne Vane, who at the time was very high in line to the Thrown. She was on TV at the time of passing her HGV class 1 test and Dennis Gooder the training Officer asked me would I not consider her for a job as she had so much determination. She was our first female driver.
She was for a while driving a rigid Bedford Marsden & went onto artisc & worked for us aprox 13 years delivering Courtaulds textiles New Furniture Domestic Appliances etc. At a recent reunion she told how when delivering about 150 fridges to an Electricity Board men in the warehouse watched as she single handed unloaded telling her for insurance reasons they were not allowed to assist, only to return about a week later when she had to wait for another of our vehicles to unload with everyone helping a male driver. Carolyne is still very small, petite & attractive with a grown up daughter. Another of our drivers, Gordon Ball was recalling one day making a delivery into the centre of York. He was driving a Bedford Marsden. He had had great difficulty reversing up a side street off one of the main narrow streets near York Minster when along came Carolyne with one of our artics Gordon pulled out to watch Carolyne reverse in. She tried once and the trailer front corner was too near the shop fronts as it was turning, & he said ‘You’re not going to make it, Carolyne, there’s not enough width’ & she told him she would & next time in it went.
Anotherof our female driver in about 1985 received the highest weeks wage we ever paid a driver £385 with about £45 extra tax free subsistance. Putting that into perspective it was a very high wage for 33 years ago.They could work hard. However feeling was on a household removal the customer would not accept thinking we were just trying to cut costs.
We trained an awful lot of drivers over the years, but all females we employed had paid for themselves and obtained licences before we employed them.
I take my hat off to Lady Carolyne Vane Carl…back in the 70s early 80s it realy was a mans world in transport and especially removals…that’s the type of attitude you would get from a Nationalised company like the Electric board back in them days…it was bad enough arriving at there goods in as a man although a woman…for her to last 13 years in service with your company says a lot Carl for your company back then…but getting back to the point of women in removals…I’ve witnessed a drop in youngsters showing any interest in coming into the removal industry of the last decade. …the company I work for struggle to get the younger generation through the door there days…a lot of the guys just think they are there to drive there days…but I would welcome any females if they have any interest in the job no problem.
Regards Mark
I spent a day, very many years ago, with Tony Abel, manning the British Association of Removers (BAR) stand at the Ideal Homes Exhibition in Olympia, London.
When I was employed by Brs Oxford depot and was on the Habitat contract we use to drop our drawbar to Abel’s to unload whilst we went up to Norwich to deliver at the shop ,by the time we got back the trailer was ready .
Never seen them before DEAN 1 bet John and mark have though ?
Great photos of some classic removal wagons Kempston,thank you .
JAKEY:
Never seen them before DEAN 1 bet John and mark have though ?
Hi Boys,
Yes i remember this company back in the 70s. …the removal vans they had were blue and white…I think when they put this TM on the road they changed there lettering design …I remember In the 80s they changed the name to Davies Removals Pyle…I remember them having an X Christie Tyler’s D series Ford rigid…I don’t think they are any longer in business.
Regards Mark
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marktaff:
JAKEY:
Never seen them before DEAN 1 bet John and mark have though ?Hi Boys,
Yes i remember this company back in the 70s. …the removal vans they had were blue and white…I think when they put this TM on the road they changed there lettering design …I remember In the 80s they changed the name to Davies Removals Pyle…I remember them having an X Christie Tyler’s D series Ford rigid…I don’t think they are any longer in business.Regards Mark
Good god what a blast from the past I remember them yes they bought one of Christies wagons I think they still going I will check cheers John
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