Not seen this photo on here before. I wonder why! Seriously though, It can happen to the best of us. Happened to me, luckily with an empty trailer, when I worked for Mitchell & Robertson at Staplehurst in about 74. A job had just come up and I was instructed to go and load it. Jumped up in my Scammell Crusader, pulled away but the pin wasn’t engaged properly. Bang behind me. Stopped immediately so as not to rip out the airlines and sat there very embarrassed in front of the two bosses, yard manager, two day loaders and another driver. John Norley, who was the yard manger didn’t say a word just jumped on the forklift came over to me told me to disconnect the lines and pull my unit forward. He then lifted the front of the trailer and I wound the legs down before backing back under the trailer. Job done in a matter of minutes. Perhaps everybody knew how embarrassed I was because nobody said a word and it was all forgotten about. Well, whilst I was in earshot. Who knows what was said as soon as I was out of the yard.
It’s been suggested here that there that a Len Valsler thread would be of interest to some here, and as Len doesn’t appear to visit or frequent these pages I thought I might as well get the ball rolling.
This is the Ford D 1614 I drove for a while in the mid 80s.
A couple here which I put on the Bewick thread ages ago,taken from Heritage Commercial mag in 2008.
JOHN
Stanfield:
A couple here which I put on the Bewick thread ages ago,taken from Heritage Commercial mag in 2008.10
JOHN
I remember the Guy from when Len worked for Wallis Haulage of Dartford. He had a Guy Invincible before the Big J, and an old Leyland before that.
I also remember Len driving a Bedford KM four wheeler and an Albion six wheeler for R.K. Baldock, which must have been in the late 60s.
Hi Bender
He had a big writeup in the Heritage Commercial mag around about June 2008,I still have the mag I will dig it out and hopefully put some more on here for you.
JOHN.
Stanfield:
Hi Bender
He had a big writeup in the Heritage Commercial mag around about June 2008,I still have the mag I will dig it out and hopefully put some more on here for you.
JOHN.
Thanks, I would be interested to see that. Martin
Stanfield:
Hi Bender
He had a big writeup in the Heritage Commercial mag around about June 2008,I still have the mag I will dig it out and hopefully put some more on here for you.
JOHN.
There was a series running over about 4 issues. I missed one or two and tried to get them from Dover to Grangemouth. Very interesting though, is there a book?
I think Leslie Purdon the transport Author of Truckers North Truckers South was driving this LV Transport ERF at the
2008 Kelsall Rally ( of course I am getting old and might have got it all wrong 
) regards Big Al
Hi bender some of len,s old friends from up north from freeway haulage tell him
STAN (the man) FAHY
ALAN( wrangler) HODGEON
BRIAN HOUSTON asking after him thanks mark
marcus 22:
Hi bender some of len,s old friends from up north from freeway haulage tell him
STAN (the man) FAHY
ALAN( wrangler) HODGEON
BRIAN HOUSTON asking after him thanks mark
Sadly Mark I haven’t seen Len for years, his Mum still lives a couple of doors from my Dad, but since I last saw Len he has divorced and re-married, I have no idea where he lives now, so maybe if anyone knows him or sees him these days they could ask him to pop in here and say hello…
hi bender
i knew len from the early 70,s when i used to go with my dad it was a regular backload out of his yard, then when i started driving mid 80,s i loaded of him a couple of times aswell, he was good friends with my dad and never seen the freeway drivers or any other drivers stuck for anything he,s a really nice guy,
thanks
mark
.
Is Mike Pooley still operating out of Northfleet I used to get the odd load o Scotch from him early/ mid eighties usually flat pack furniture for MFI or Tea&Coffee he was a gentleman to deal with.Eddie.
marcus 22:
hi bender
i knew len from the early 70,s when i used to go with my dad it was a regular backload out of his yard, then when i started driving mid 80,s i loaded of him a couple of times aswell, he was good friends with my dad and never seen the freeway drivers or any other drivers stuck for anything he,s a really nice guy,thanks
mark
I worked for LV Transport for awhile in the mid 1980s.
Bender:
marcus 22:
hi bender
i knew len from the early 70,s when i used to go with my dad it was a regular backload out of his yard, then when i started driving mid 80,s i loaded of him a couple of times aswell, he was good friends with my dad and never seen the freeway drivers or any other drivers stuck for anything he,s a really nice guy,thanks
markI never had any problem with Len Marc, but I think Veronica ruled with a rod of iron!
I’ve been in management now for about 15 years, and like to think I’m firm but fair, but while the working conditions at LV were OK (apart from that horrible old D Series) there were things in place there that make me shudder when I think about them.
I don’t know if it’s common to pay a flat wage (however many hours you worked) but if you got back early (i.e. earlier than 5pm) you had to help out in the yard or rope and sheet other people’s trailers, the favourites of course went home whenever they liked.
The wages were apalling, the only sniff of any extra cash was through a ridiculously complicated bonus system which inevitably meant that you didn’t get anything, and you were expected to come in and wash down on Saturdays purely for the privelige of working there. The other drivers seemed happy enough, if you got back early enough on a Friday Len took you all down the local social club.
I may be wrong, but I felt that after working maybe 15-20 hours a week as a kid for £1 a week when Len was working for Bewick, I thought I might get my reward when I worked for his company, but if anything I felt penalised by Veronica for knowing Len most of my life and being friends with him.
I guess I only really lost touch with him after my wife spelled things out to me when I left LV.
I went straight to work for a local agency (driving both artics and rigids) and pretty well doubled my earnings without really trying.
Thats some testamony Bender,I hope you don’t think I had anything to do with your “slave labour £1 per week” as that was the first time I’d heard about you when you introduced yourself to me on this site! The young lads that worked for us at the depot in Milnthorpe got what you “earned” for 1 hour!!! Plus all the ■■■■■ mags they could thieve out of one or two of the pervert drivers cabs. And I sincerely hope and believe that I never get a “reference” of the calibre you have just “spit out”!!! Bewick Transport always paid for all hours worked i.e.40 hrs basic ,then time and a half, and 8 hrs min.X 2 on Sundays,Bank hols X2 plus 8hrs hol/pay. dear oh dear! Dennis.
This is one for “Bender” seeing as he appears to be on a Downer!Question for a £----When and where was this shot taken?
Bewick:
Bender:
marcus 22:
hi bender
i knew len from the early 70,s when i used to go with my dad it was a regular backload out of his yard, then when i started driving mid 80,s i loaded of him a couple of times aswell, he was good friends with my dad and never seen the freeway drivers or any other drivers stuck for anything he,s a really nice guy,thanks
markI never had any problem with Len Marc.
Thats some testamony Bender,I hope you don’t think I had anything to do with your “slave labour £1 per week” as that was the first time I’d heard about you when you introduced yourself to me on this site! The young lads that worked for us at the depot in Milnthorpe got what you “earned” for 1 hour!!! Plus all the ■■■■■ mags they could thieve out of one or two of the pervert drivers cabs. And I sincerely hope and believe that I never get a “reference” of the calibre you have just “spit out”!!! Bewick Transport always paid for all hours worked i.e.40 hrs basic ,then time and a half, and 8 hrs min.X 2 on Sundays,Bank hols X2 plus 8hrs hol/pay. dear oh dear! Dennis.
No worries there Dennis, I was never under the impression that I was on the Bewick payroll, and to be fair, the pay was on a par with a paper round, but much more enjoyable.
Bewick:
This is one for “Bender” seeing as he appears to be on a Downer!Question for a £----When and where was this shot taken?
That would have been about 72 or 73, in the car park near the cemetery off Springhead Road (my dad took over the allotment garden behind the fence)
I am amazed that the council didn’t have anything to say about the number of trailers that used to get parked there!