No Class 1 test, i got my licence on Grandfather Rights. Passed my car driving test at 17 in November 1965. I’d been driving lorries about the yard since being about 9, and tractors on the farm. The first “solo” lorry driving job was at 19 years old, an LAD cabbed Leyland Super Comet with Primrose trailing third axle, 5781 TJ, a load of fire sprinkler pipes and fittings from Radcliffe to the newly built Ford factory at Halewood. First artic load at 21 was with an AEC Mercury, HUB 311E, and Boden 30ft 4-in-line loaded with brown reels of paper from ELPM at Radcliffe to Hugh Stevenson at Darlington. Fond memories in deed.
I got a bit of a raw deal with the class 1. I started driving tippers in 63 and worked my way through 4 6 &8 wheelers to 67 I then started on an artic on distance work and after a year changed firms and went back on a 4 wheeler on distance. With my name being Waugh it was about 72 before my licence was due to be renewed and the qualifying year was 69 if I mind right. So at the tail end of 70 I was given an artic as the firm had just got their second one so when my renewal came up I thought o they will sign the qualifying sheet and save me going for a test but no. Turns out the two brothers that owned the firm had signed applications for all their pals and weren’t prepared to risk it in case the commissioners checked up on them as they only had one artic for the qualifying year so I had to take the test they grudgingly gave me a lone of the motor to get through. Eddie.
uk load of groceries from Sheffield to Birmingham for sainsburies Leyland single axle mastiff tractor I think trip went well until I had to put it into the dock 1974 .
Canada. load of petrol on 7 axle rig b train pulled by international unit Calgary alberta to Banff alberta to a shell station…did ok until I tried to leave knocked over an oil stand 1987 I think
Only ever drove class 2, sorry. 
Pete.
windrush:
Only ever drove class 2, sorry.Pete.
That means nothing pete ,you could tow a trailer behind Goughs c series as good as any man .
Dan Punchard:
windrush:
Only ever drove class 2, sorry.Pete.
That means nothing pete ,you could tow a trailer behind Goughs c series as good as any man .
Ha ha! The ERF’s had all gone when I started there Dan, you know me, if it wasn’t built at Elworth then I wasn’t interested! 
Did a few days relief driving when in the garage, first day was in a Foden Haulmaster, Gardner 6LXC ‘powered’, 2 trips from Ballidon to Manchester Airport and two loads to Carsington Water. Tommy Wibberley said I should have managed three Carsingtons! 
First ‘proper load’ when I went driving full time was type 1 Ballidon to Wolverhampton, stone to Fenton and then 1/4 chippings to Sheffield.
Pete.
steel slab about 18 tonnes… no chains …
No steel that day due to shut down so did 22 packs of bricks on a coil trailer to oaken gates Telford with a trusty F7…with the boss behind in his 401 pushing me along 
…you never forget your first 
Last was, bosses 401 on a night trunk to TNT Atherstone…there’s nothing wrong with a desk and chair with wheels!!! ,
Load of rubbish from bermondsy to south ockendon landfill site. Not to daunting id been doing the same in an 8 wheel bulker for a couple of years before.
Passed my test on Monday, Weds morning, Driver wont be in, C series ERF artic + flat full load of welsh roofing slate from Ffestiniog slate quarry back to Clitheroe.
Roads were a bit of a bugger from Betws Coed down to Blaenau but managed with no damage .!!
At the age of just under 22 my Gaffer collared me one afternoon and said nows your chance to have a go at artics,as you asked for.
He sent me out to the Dunlop to fetch a trunk load in ready for the night man,in a Leyland Badger with a 35ft trailer that had a headboard so high you had to use your mirrors to see the R Send.
What an experience driving a vehicle that the gear change was so slow you could roll a ■■■ in between gear shift,arrived at the Dunlop no problems then the fun started.
45 minutes after arriving I managed to get the trailer on the bay,but I managed it,no help from my work mates,as they where laughing their socks off at me sweating my cobs off.
Case of learning the hard way,but at least they did give me a hand to rope and sheet the load of wheel rims.
Spent a week loading flats & tilts locally for pinnacle international !
Then 1st delivered load was 22plts of Buxton water on a 40ft curtain, 3 of us down to Stratford lift !
Passed my test on the Friday, loaded electrical pylons near Edinburgh on the Monday for Nottingham. Remember having problems trying to stop the wagon going through Newcastle, going too fast and not being used to a loaded lorry.
My first load was reels of paper out of Convoys in Deptford, 1984, tipping at Aylesbury Print, then run back to the yard empty.
I was just 22yrs old…and that was the start of it.
I had to stand up to pull the wheel round to full lock and juggle the clutch at the same time !!
GS OVERLAND:
My first load was reels of paper out of Convoys in Deptford, 1984, tipping at Aylesbury Print, then run back to the yard empty.
I was just 22yrs old…and that was the start of it.
I had to stand up to pull the wheel round to full lock and juggle the clutch at the same time !!
That’s a tidy bit of sheeting for a 1st go 
, I gather you had been practicing on other peoples 
. Regards Chris
Past my class1 in 1995 used to do some casual work for a local firm mainly skips with an F reg Leyland Freighter F167 KYS. Got phone call to say he had an artic job and did I want to do it? “Take a sicky and come do it for me” were his words.
It was a hired in K reg Daf 95 360 coupled to his ancient wide spread tandem axle flat and a load of steel!!! Yikes I thought bit different to the Cargo 2015 and single axle trailer I took my test in.
Luckily I got my brother to come with me he drove first and latter charmed me into the hotseat as I must admit I was shatting myself and said I would have a go another day.
To that I say… Thankyou Big Brother
My first run after passing was with a double decker stacked to a full 44t…realised as I pressed the stoppers for the first time after gaining speed as to why the instructors always told me to brake earlier… 
After passing Cat CE in Dec 2012, finally got a first drive in Sept 2013 with K&N to take a varied load of tyres, karchers, metal etc to Pamiers, then return with a load of paint back to Lézignan-Corbières.
It was a lovely first drive in this.
I have now driven a lot for the company, and would probably take a full time job from them if they offered.
My first run out was with a V reg B series ERF
I did a changeover at Stainmore cafe
Driving a 1976 B series ERF . XEX 567S , pulling a flat with MT bins 2 high to collect waste paper from Standard Check in Midsomer Norton.
Blindside into the warehouse, un-rope would be tipped and reloaded then it was climb on top to kick a net over ( what H&S ) then re rope, roping was better than strapping as the bins although metal would bend.
the back to Severnside waste paper on the Feeder in Bristol to tip and do it all over again.