There’s a cafe down by the beach, that the one?? Its still there. Back then you could lose track of the amount of transport companies in Fraserburgh doing refrigerated work and general haulage. There’s only one major haulier left now and a couple of trucks belonging to fish merchants, sad really.
It is sad, when I think of all the transport firms I knew, that now do not exsist, It makes you shudder, as I repeat, with out shame, I am glad I was born in my era, and not now, for in our times lorry drivers were the pioneers, and many of the ones I knew have passed away, some in their 50’s others in their 60’s, only one is older than me, he is 78, i am 71, and I have known him for over 40 years, he was a sandman too, at least three have gone out of twelve, and many of them was younger when they went to the middle east. Before and after M/E , I was up Scotland so much, I nearly took out citizenship ha ha ha, but I loved the transport cafe’s, specially up above Perth, heading up into the Highlands, ask for a breakfast, jam cakes, piles of toast, and tatty cakes, what fond memories, I took my wife up two years ago, and I was pointing out where the old cafe’s used to be, they must be hundreds that have gone, regards Sandman Norman
Hi Mappo
I just spotted your contribution about Cabins , I too drove for Clabens in 1975 with these 1418 and 1924 Mercs on nights with Malcome White out of Southampton docks with a load of Bananas for the Scotch changeover at Weedon and then on down to Smithfields or Sainsburys at Basingstoke , if memory serves me the Scotch lads did the run in two hops from Aberdeen and used to have day digs way up in a cafe on the A1 somewhere , with the trailer changover we would get a young Scotish lady of the night to be delivered to Smithfield as well , once in Smithfield there was a burst water main and by the time I got tipped all I could do was to run up to the Borehamwood studios depot to cab it until my following nights run . Remember Carly Richy , he hated southern drivers because they wouldnt do the hours the Scotch lads did , Eventually I walked out after I d done a 14hour night , which starting at 11.00 pm and finishing a 1.00 pm the following day , which was 6 nights a week when I was told to load the trailer for my nights run as well .
Frenchy
These fridge hauling Mercs were used in an episode of The Sweeney if i remember rightly!
Hello,
Who nows companys from Scotland that did pulling for Frans Maas Scotland of Frans Maas U.K.?
Regards, Bert Wolters 
MaggieD:
mappoTony was Dave Thorburn on there with you ?
Regards Richard.
Hi Richard,
I dont remember Dave Thorburn being on there at the time i was .
The name certainly rings a bell though.
frenchy
Hi Robin,
when i was on Clabens i used to do a night change over at Hilton Park.
The Aberdeen men used to run to Tebay on days and sleep over while
the Tebay lads ran at night to Hilton Park and back.
There were two of us on nights out of Soton, myself and Dave Brickwood.
Malcolm White and Alan Jones were the day men, although gawd knows
what they used to do on the many occassions that me and Dave did,nt return to
Soton.
Quite often after tipping in Smithfields Market we,ed run to Newhaven to
load bananas during the day then carry on with the night trunk.
Hard work but well paid.
Hi Mappo , Tony
That must`ve been after I walked outa the job and went onto Lamberts before going back to P&O , Malc went onto days and probably ended up on loading bananas in Ffyffes without his day Lorry, with what you say they changed the night truck locations to what I did , One of our runs was Bobtail to Newhaven , pick up the trailer and on up to Weedon Northhants for the changeover and then down to Smithfield and do deliveries to Miss Selfridges and others around London with beef quarters , this was the days of no M25 and it was a long night about 400 miles to fit into our 14 hrs Charley Richy set .
I remember the Name Dave Thornburn but blessed if I can remember where .
Regards Frenchy
Just been talking to my Dad about Claben
He served his time on the fish run to Mallaig doing the herring, sometimes being stuck up there for the whole week waiting for a load, icing fish boxes and getting casual work from the trawler men and earning a few extra bob for his nights in the pub.
At Christmas and New Year, Alec Cheyne would try and get the Mallaig boys to do the van work down south whilst, the regular van men would get the festive season off, my Dad got to be an expert at hiding behind trailers in the yard at this time of the year 
After he served his time, he got promoted to a van with the regular run of running to Londonderry in Yorkshire on the sunday, getting a deem shift on the Monday, then doing the night trunk from the Derry to Grantham swap trailers with the south lads and then back to the Derry to give the day man from Aberdeen his motor back, this happened all week until he got his own motor back on the friday morning, back to the Derry for a few hours kip then up the road to start it all again the next week.
He was telling me about one of the Aberdeen trampers who after being given a brand new Foden went away with a load to Immingham, the next day Alec Cheyne the TM, got a phone call from the Merc dealers there saying that one of his drivers was trying to trade the Foden in for a 1824 Merc and was it alright to do the deal 
to this day he doesn’t think that the salesman could hear properly for the rest of the week 
He loved his time with Claben and was absolutely gutted when they sold out and the pay offs started, to this day it was one off the best jobs he ever had.
So if anyone remembers Jim Scott from the Claben days drop me a pm or if anyone has any more pics of Claben trucks it would make an older driver very happy.
Scottie
Scottie , I too have got it, but I was Lucky, never showed up until, I retired, but I keep taking the tablets, and so far been OK. Glad I started this topic, just to get you guys inter acting, merry christmas & a very good new year to all you laptop drivers ha ha ha, in case any old middle east drivers read this, Londra Camping was still going up to july this year, because I got on to a camping site, and someone was talking about it in july time. Sandman Norman
scottie0011:
Just been talking to my Dad about ClabenScottie
I was with Claben from 1966 to 1976 then two years with Clipper Seafoods, your dads name isn’t ringing any bells, does he remember Dougie Watson/Jungle/Abby Mutch/Bill Warrender .
I found this,not sure where I got it from but it is out of a magazine.
One of Claben’s AEC MK5 Mammoth Majors.A fine machine. 
When whiskey was transported in barrels (huggies) it was a good dodge to carry an “archimedes drill” (a childs fret/woodworking set usually had one) then a small hole could be drilled and a small bottle filled with whiskey. Such a small hole could be filled with a matchstick/filler and “coloured” over ! The whiskey would be white (colour of vodka) so a small miniature of sherry would be purchased and by carefull “blending” the correct colour could be achieved. This “blend” could be transferred ,at home, to the proper bottle ! I often wondered what was made of these barrels when they were returned to the coopers at Dundee for repair or refurbishment !! Happy days !!
Bigleggy, did you read what I wrote on here about what the workers did with the barrels, they told me the found small holes in the barrels, when they finally chopped them up for firewood. Sandman Norman
Norman Ingram
Yes I did read your previous post – sorry if I didn’t make that plain – I was wondering how many times (over the years) those barrels had been “tapped” & was this ever reported to the “excise man” by the cooperage !
Big leggy, I do not think they would say anything, once I took a load of Regal whiskey to London docks, that had been dropped at brs depot Northampton, when handballing the boxes off, the dockers smiled at me ,because some boxes seem to be light, when stored in ■■■■■■■, the dock workers , came over to me, with their hands open, I replied do not look at me mate, I am only tran-shipping this load, my cupboard is bear, they never said a word. Sandman Norman
When I worked for Ilkeston Haulage back in the 70s we used to bring whisky south from Dumbarton on roped and sheeted flats and 3 of us who lived nearby used to park our wagons on a bit of waste ground at Stapleford, near Nottingham. One night ■■■■ East’s wagon went up in flames and, although the brigade were on the scene tout de suite, the fire station was only about a mile away, the whole lot, wagon and load, was gutted. Poor old ■■■■ spent days under questioning as the old bill thought he had set the fire to cover up the the theft they suspected him of. They never proved anything and the funny thing is nobody ever old us not to continue parking there. The other driver was a long term mate of mine, George Milner, with whom I had worked at several firms.
On the subject of “bottled whiskey” I believe a litre of scotch weighs the same as a normal house-brick, this meant one could be substituted in a boxed case of whiskey & on lifting the case it would not feel any lighter !
Big Leggy:
On the subject of “bottled whiskey” I believe a litre of scotch weighs the same as a normal house-brick, this meant one could be substituted in a boxed case of whiskey & on lifting the case it would not feel any lighter !
When I worked for Road Services Forth,We had a letter arrive from the USA asking for more bricks so they could build the garage.
Dave.
davemackie
Who said the Yanks don’t do irony ? LOL
Dave, I was on holiday with wife & daughter & two little grandaughters in Bournemouth at the Savoy hotel for 3nights b&b+ dinner £99 each, guess who paid?. Well I went on line for a couple of Quid , And checked this site, and I could not stop laughing, when I read what you said about the yanks and the bricks, all the guests in the foyer, was wondering what I was laughing about, when I stopped and told them, they too was, in tears with laughter, just like me. Sandman Norman