I’ll throw a few pics from the 80’s in, only just 80’s as these are from August '89. I posted these about 3 years ago I think so you may have seen them before.
This was a weekend spent in Prato, near Florence. There were a group of us there from Friday until Monday because it was the first weekend in August when the whole of Italy goes on holiday and trucks are banned from driving.
Base camp for the weekend.
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All getting together for a joint cook up to help pass the time, and because a lot of the regular eating places had closed for the holidays. Check out the dining table and kitchen.
Heading up towards the Blanc on the way home on the Monday after the weekend.
Parked at the top just before the entrance to the tunnel, mine is the white Scania on the left.
Sorry Malc, I do indeed mean Prato John. Made a change from Milan Inni.
Wheel Nut:
Was that a Lloyds Freight Services tilt. Do you remember Des Hill?
Big bloke from Birmingham area? If so yes I do. Him and I ran together on quite a few occasions. Shipped out of Felixstowe with him quite a lot and spent a few weekends in Dover.
Sorry Malc, I do indeed mean Prato John. Made a change from Milan Inni.
Wheel Nut:
Was that a Lloyds Freight Services tilt. Do you remember Des Hill?
Big bloke from Birmingham area? If so yes I do. Him and I ran together on quite a few occasions. Shipped out of Felixstowe with him quite a lot and spent a few weekends in Dover.
Thats Des. He used to have Ruth with him till they split up. The last time I saw him he had a blue Magnum on Norn Iron plates and had swapped Ruth for a larger model Im not sure whether he is still driving because he was diagnosed diabetic.
harry:
The geezer with the glasses & blue shirt is Derek from W’hampton.
I can’t remember his name so I’ll go with that. The guy sitting in the trailer was called Nigel and drove for a firm from Bradford area, that’s his unit the other end of the table is resting on. He also played the trumpet and kept us entertained with a variety of stirring tunes during the weekend. The guy in the white shorts with no shirt was driving the Walkers motor.
Wheel Nut:
Thats Des. He used to have Ruth with him till they split up. The last time I saw him he had a blue Magnum on Norn Iron plates and had swapped Ruth for a larger model Im not sure whether he is still driving because he was diagnosed diabetic.
I met him once at Aachen Nord long after we finished on Lloyds Freight, when he was driving the Magnum pulling a fridge for a German mob, and was amazed by the weight loss - several stones. I think it was Ruth he had with him then. Smallish, dark girl who was not exactly the quiet, shy retiring type was she? Had a knack of urinating from the top step of the Magnum to save her getting out the cab during the night.
Wheel Nut:
Thats Des. He used to have Ruth with him till they split up. The last time I saw him he had a blue Magnum on Norn Iron plates and had swapped Ruth for a larger model Im not sure whether he is still driving because he was diagnosed diabetic.
I met him once at Aachen Nord long after we finished on Lloyds Freight, when he was driving the Magnum pulling a fridge for a German mob, and was amazed by the weight loss - several stones. I think it was Ruth he had with him then. Smallish, dark girl who was not exactly the quiet, shy retiring type was she? Had a knack of urinating from the top step of the Magnum to save her getting out the cab during the night.
Its definately Ruth that Neil. I remember asking her to help me with my washing in Meer. Actually I wanted her to do my washing while Des and I got drunk. A lady should not know that kind of language
I only saw him once with the German fridge but knew he had worked for Frigoscandia many years before. He had another mate on Lloyds called Keith who had a black Scania iirc
One night in Meer we were having a drink in Des’s cab with Ruths replacement sat on the bunk. A german driver parked near us brought some beer and he was allowed in. As the night went on the German got a bit amorous and was last seen being launched from the Magnum cab.Ouch!
Wheel Nut:
He had another mate on Lloyds called Keith who had a black Scania iirc
He did indeed. When i started doing European I worked for a guy who had three trucks, Keith drove an ex Peter Roff Globtrotter that he had. He put it in a ditch coming out of Sheerness one night and as the guy I was working for wasn’t going to replace it he bought that black Scania and went on Lloyds. I later bought the Scania I drove from the guy, the one in the pics, and went onto Allport. Keith later also started on Allport and was there for a good number of year. His brother Mick is mentioned in a few of my diaries and bought my second to last Volvo when it went back at the end of the lease, he still runs it and he also occasionally posts on here as Baby K. And just to complete the connections, Mick is married to the sister of Tony the driver of the third truck they guy I worked for had. He also crashed that truck, which led to the guy packing in transport and selling me his last remaining truck. So it is directly because of Keith and Tony, and there ability to crash, I became an OD, I knew it was someone’s fault.
As far as I know Keith is still driving as an OD and has a Scania pulling a bulk tipper.
Well now this puppy ended up on Roger Marriots fleet MJM aka “no tax transport” having had a huge chassis extension and tag axle fitted to it along with huge tanks. She still went like a rocket though. Did several trips in her
Including getting a bollocking from the cops on the M40 for doing 80 with a 113, with a blown motor, on a straight bar
truckerash:
think i got sumthin started here…
obviously not only me who thinks the 80’s was good then!
heres todays selection:
first a couple of “arty” scenery shots to go with the blanc photo at the start.
any guesses where this is then? I took the pics in exactly the same spot - one in the summer and one in the winter!
Got a bottle of Frizante from Marios Carizio still unopened as a prize for the winner!
adr:
Remember this lot poodling along at 35-40 mph on the motorway, with their flowered curtains etc. Chris
They were a PITA in a no overtaking zone in Germany or in the tunnels in Italy. There was always a big gang of them in Pioltella customs, sitting there looking miserable in their bad Christmas jumpers and polyester trousers.
adr:
Remember this lot poodling along at 35-40 mph on the motorway, with their flowered curtains etc. Chris
They were a PITA in a no overtaking zone in Germany or in the tunnels in Italy. There was always a big gang of them in Pioltella customs, sitting there looking miserable in their bad Christmas jumpers and polyester trousers
They were ahead of their time with their fashion Newmm.
A taste of what was to come!
I suppose living in Ceausescu Romania they didn’t have a lot to be cheerful about They were no doubt not in much of a hurry to get back there, I doubt if they were doing it for the overtime Chris
dieseldave:
Now I’ll chuck in another well-tidy outfit: Anybody remember Promotor??
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When I was on for Expo Freight we used to pull for Promotor now and again.
This is a pic of me with a Promotor trailer heading for a Trade Fair in Teheran in 1983.This was taken at Dogubayezet truck stop in Eastern Turkey.Being well freighted with a step frame trailer,I had 4 trailer spares but only suffered one blowout in Bulgaria on the way out.
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They were no doubt not in much of a hurry to get back there, I doubt if they were doing it for the overtime 
Chris