Buzzer:
Having seen " snapper " in the yard on Friday he said he would be posting some pictures soon, until then here is my contribution, Buzzer.
Hi all plenty of pics but still trying to suss out how to do it when I do you’ll be sick of em lol
Cheers Andrew
Andrew ,from MARCH13your last post ,get a new phone, or ■■■■ it with your swatter out of the window.pdb
Thanks Buzzer ,aggh the good old days ,we got to be like locals,as with lots of other fridge companies and dry freight but not for D.F.D.S
your paint job reminders me of ROKOLD. back in the 1980s.VERY SMART.PDB.
Hey up Wrighty when I went to our yard this morning to deliver some strawberries to my eldest son he informed me that he thought he saw one of Parkers trucks parked in a layby on our industrial estate, was it you ? or one of your mates if it was you could have parked in’t yard with shower toilets and television. Today I went and collected a dumpy bag of beef feed for the four steers I have at home, they go out in’t day and in at night just to keep grass down so foxy cannot hide. Had a new PTO guard put on the mower in readiness to cut probably second half of the week as its looking a bit more settled, cheers Buzzer.
Special for PDB this is “snapper” in West Sussex this fine morning lookin clean & tidy as always, Buzzer
I have not booked any holiday yet, if any second man is needed,i can sit quiet .and snore, and drink beer , pay for food, plus insurance ,plus passenger ferry crossing , just saying lol, Aussie is out this year mores the pity but Europe is good…just saying, and do not mind fly swatters at all in fact they are brilliant lol.
DBP.I HAVE THE GLASSES
Morning Buzzer
I don’t think it was one of ours down your way could of been a Gilders motor as they have a similar colour scheme, but if we are down your neck of the woods I will ring you for a ■■■■■■■■■■■■. We were busy last week taking machinery and tractors into the Highland Show, and tomorrow will be spent taking it all out again so it will be a busy day.
Had a good days baling yesterday one or two hiccups but managed to bale 191, as you would expect the crops are very heavy and we are 56 bales up on last year so far, so the jobs looking good. According to the forecast the weather is warming up so there might be a chance of us getting some hay as well, Oh well we better go a look the sheep and cattle then mow me lawn then a nice Sunday roast aye life’s hell eh…
Cheers Wrighty.
Wrighty my nipper said it may have been one of Gilders come to think about it, well you have the head start on me with the silage/haylage making but I am now going to put the mower on in readiness but only got ten acres to do as I fed the rest off. The weather is set fair from Tuesday on but a lot cut on Friday here and got caught out with torrential down pours, so unpredictable he weather.
On another note I sold my little Volvo cattle truck to a dealer/farmer in Co.Donagall in Southern Ireland, a mate drove it to the ferry in Liverpool for shipment and he picked her up the other side, he bought it on pictures and my description and after ringing him it was nice that he was really pleased with it now looking for a replacement but in no hurry to do that and will see what comes along, cheers Buzzer.
Another shot of “snapper” loading Jersey spuds in Pompey this morning, don’t like em mesen got no flavour since they stopped em using seaweed for fertilizer,Buzzer.
PS get a new phone Andrew.
BLIMEY, what a change, its 1995ish since I was on the on the ferry, Woolwich end ,turn right along the road SOLSTOR DEPOT,BY THE PUB… and its 1963 since I walked underneath the themes at the ferry terminal Its still there I assume but nice to see a new ferry, no duty free.
Buzzer,for a long time I have often wondered how years ago 1980s how some of the jobs i did ever paid, i have never known in all my driving years what rates , where and did they pay never involved in office work ,and that was the way it was and I was happy with that ■■, were there certain agents that dealt with Spain and Italy for fruit and veg from FRANCE etc, and would subby company’s tell them they [I have 2 trucks in SPAIN etc] and hope. or regular subbies had regular agents and stuck with them.
Some times the time waiting to load was ridicules, once I tipped in LISBON [ICE CREAM] drove across SPAIN Valencia AIRPORT area for strawberries and sat 3 days however would that have paid, OR did they ALL KNOW [office, agent,]and rates would be adjusted accordingly it did not matter to me as on salary and night outs.
that’s one example, I think Spain was the worse SUGUNTO FOR GETTING STUFFED or Hotel -de-Murrow you would be waiting and trucks would come in load and off and yours would not be ready .also especially with revision ,then chase up to ROSES ALL NIGHT and get stuffed again by the vet,docotr,[zbs] but when you got eventually at Dover they would all be there, the same trucks I could never fathom it out. was work like that it all paid on day set rates and they had to swallow the time taken…,just a thought,pdb.
PDB funny you brought up rates as that’s one thing I never got my head round either even though I was the one responsible for taking the jobs on, as a rule if you went to say Madrid it was say a grand but the return load could be 2 grand or more depending on supply and demand this also applied to loads to Italy but remember back then half the exports from Blighty were on British registered trucks but today that has all changed. Today there are a lot of companies using eastern European drivers some times two drivers and they get paid a lot less and all done on false declarations in the form of letters from the employers, these letters were introduced to try and eliminate this cheap labour but its not working hence the rates get slashed. Years ago a lot of companies would pay decent rates if you guaranteed a good service but that is very limited today as cheap nearly always wins out in the end shame as a lot of decent hauliers gave up mainly for uneconomic reasons.
Once I sat in the South of Spain from Friday to Tuesday before I got to load tomatoes, I was loading for Solstor and Mark Viner had the nick name of Billy Liar and he could convince you he was telling you the truth but alas he was not. We did a lot for them and I started with them when it was Chingford fruit packers on the trailers before Solstor was born.
The owner Mr Leon Aitchen was a good straight man someone you could trust and of course his son David joined the company on leaving school but that’s a good few years ago now.
On another occasion I remember after loading strawberries in Huelva I was told drive all night to La Jonquera and a man will have your papers there and they were, no revision just gel on as although you left at 11pm they countd that as one of the two transit days you were allowed, mad I know but lots of us did it back then.
Would I do it again not on your life but things are very different today and none of our drivers are pushed, its not like the old days I know as back then there was real camaraderie among the drivers and for sure if you had a blowout you always got help from fellow drivers and not always Brits either, not today they would just toot there horn and drive on bye.
Hope this gives you a little insight of how it was from an office point of view but I did like driving back then but not any more far too busy for me, cheers Buzzer
Thanks for the reply Buzzer,
it must have been taking a chance every time you were sent to load because as you say waiting time was free,[no demurrage] for a set amount I know how hard you must have worked to build a fleet up, as you say never again. but the crack was good most of the time until your told to GO,THEY ARE WAITING FOR IT I expect that never happens now,24hrs on the go, perhaps its best left where it is .we all know what we did hours wise…with no pro-plus.pdb
Thanks for the input Oily just amazing how big agricultural machines are nowadays. Getting very warm here now and forecast hot for a while yet so grass cutting tomorrow all being well, went to the marsh today doing a headcount and they got plenty of feed, eight up to there guts in grass the other six in the breeze on the outer marsh all looking well though.
The Boss and Hori went to see Tony Mapson in hospital last night a bit of a surprise for him, for those who know him he has had an operation where they removed 2/3rds of one of his lungs, he came home but got Pneumonia so was re admitted but by all accounts he was pretty chipper on there visit so get well soon mate Horry needs you on holiday relief, cheers Buzzer.
Sorry to hear Mappo is back in Hospital, he sent me a Facebook message last week and said all was well.
Buzzer:
Another shot of “snapper” loading Jersey spuds in Pompey this morning, don’t like em mesen got no flavour since they stopped em using seaweed for fertilizer,Buzzer.PS get a new phone Andrew.
I spotted the fly swatter coming out of Norwich Monday afternoon and again today on the A14 possibly heading back. maybe he left his camera there and was going back for it so he can post some pics? Sorry as could’nt get my camera out quick enough…
Andrew, never met you (i think) but really miss the pictures, no pressure but I’m sure I’m not the only one? Would be very grateful.
