British road Services

[Bewick]

I know my place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Correct !

[Retired Old Fart]

[harry_gill]

Hiya,
Yes drivers loved Atki's but loved them more minus Gardner engines a
Cummins or Roller made them more favourable, Yes I liked Atki's but
if given the choice would have plumped for the ERF a tad more comfy
in the bit that made hauliers wealthy, but I did like both, but the one
motor that I really liked was the Scammell Crusader now with the big
Roller that was some machine, where's my class one I'm off.
thanks harry, long retired.

[ERF-NGC-European]

[kingswinford kit]

s-l16r00.jpg

That looks like Worcester to me ,regards Keith

[toshboy]

Hi lads, not many of us left but now with election time upon us and Jeremy and co looking to nationalise everything in sight. could we see a resurgent BRS MK 2 ? slim chance I suppose , is it what todays drivers want ? standard wages and conditions and none of this daily moaning about agencies and all the rest of the crp we read about on this forum, having to go back to a 11hr day, proper overtime rates for nights and week ends etc how can it be that I read about a 15 hr day allowed in this day and age - it seems to me that as long as they can drive a blinged up truck they roll over to anything asked of them, do you think the industry has gone backwards -if so then drivers need to have a good look at themselves ! toshboy

[Spardo]

Hi lads, not many of us left but now with election time upon us and Jeremy and co looking to nationalise everything in sight. could we see a resurgent BRS MK 2 ? slim chance I suppose , is it what todays drivers want ? standard wages and conditions and none of this daily moaning about agencies and all the rest of the crp we read about on this forum, having to go back to a 11hr day, proper overtime rates for nights and week ends etc how can it be that I read about a 15 hr day allowed in this day and age - it seems to me that as long as they can drive a blinged up truck they roll over to anything asked of them, do you think the industry has gone backwards -if so then drivers need to have a good look at themselves ! toshboy

You could be right Toshboy, but I wouldn't hold your breath re doing away with agency workers, BRS or not. However agency working does not have to be all bad, perhaps better regulated, there are drivers I believe who prefer the comparative freedom it gives.

When I was manager at Toray I was forced for several years to employ agnecy drivers, because the company would not take on permanent staff. But they enjoyed almost the same conditions as the regular blokes because I only used the best agency, one which gave them holiday and sick pay, and they were with us pemanently in all but name only. But not one of them passed up the chance to come onto staff when the brakes were released. When I stood down as manager there was not one driver left who had not been agency previously.

But 15 hour days? Outrageous, I don't even come near that even now in my car. 10 hours max driving and 12 spread for me, and often much less. When I was asked to do 15s with my last employer (French) I refused.

[TROOPER2]

Leyland DAF - K227GRC - BRS Truck Rental:

[TIDDERSON]

A couple of photos of a Bristol from Guildford at different stages of it's life

[TROOPER2]

Volvo FL6 - F816XSC - BRS (SRS Truck Rental):

[JAKEY]

Great photo Trooper2, i like that livery a lot .

A photo of Jock Fultons lovely T45 roadtrain he drove at the Oxford depot.

[ERF-NGC-European]

Please: Anyone know the approx build years of BRS Leyland LAD-cabbed unit registered 714-LWL and Guy Warrior unit 118-LOG?

[roolechat]

Please: Anyone know the approx build years of BRS Leyland LAD-cabbed unit registered 714-LWL and Guy Warrior unit 118-LOG?

Not certain on build dates,but 714 LWL first registered April 1961 & 118 LOG first registered Dec 1963

[ERF-NGC-European]

Please: Anyone know the approx build years of BRS Leyland LAD-cabbed unit registered 714-LWL and Guy Warrior unit 118-LOG?

Not certain on build dates,but 714 LWL first registered April 1961 & 118 LOG first registered Dec 1963

Wow! You're a star! It was the reg date (rather than the build dates I wanted) so thanks

[Frankydobo]

LWL was an Oxford issued reg no, sometime from April 61 to Sept 61, LOG a Birmingham issue December 63 to May 64.

[Birdie4x4]

An old Toft Bros and Tomlinson lorry from Darley Dale, it still has the logo on the cab after being taken over by BRS.
I started my driving career with TB&T. I think they ceased trading around 1974.
NMP

[windrush]

An old Toft Bros and Tomlinson lorry from Darley Dale, it still has the logo on the cab after being taken over by BRS.
I started my driving career with TB&T. I think they ceased trading around 1974.
NMP

Toft bros and tomlinson..jpg

They ceased in 1975 Birdie. When I married and moved north to Matlock Bath in March '75 I was unemployed and the Labour Exchange offered me two fitting jobs: Tofts and Tilcon at Ballidon. I went with Ballidon as both father in law and brother in law worked there, I think that Tofts folded later that year.

Pete.

[Birdie4x4]

An old Toft Bros and Tomlinson lorry from Darley Dale, it still has the logo on the cab after being taken over by BRS.
I started my driving career with TB&T. I think they ceased trading around 1974.
NMP

Toft bros and tomlinson..jpg

They ceased in 1975 Birdie. When I married and moved north to Matlock Bath in March '75 I was unemployed and the Labour Exchange offered me two fitting jobs: Tofts and Tilcon at Ballidon. I went with Ballidon as both father in law and brother in law worked there, I think that Tofts folded later that year.

Pete.

That's about right, I was still working for them when they packed up, it was a shame as they were a good firm to work for, after they closed I went to Matlock Transport as they bought a couple of Toft's artics, the first they had on the fleet, then to Joseph Hoyle's and then on the Middle East for a few years before buying and running my own lorry.
Quite a few of my mates ran out of Tilcon at Ballidon.

[ERF-NGC-European]

NMP

[Gidders]

I suspect the starting handle at the front will not be missed by us old timers reminiscing.

[Spardo]

I suspect the starting handle at the front will not be missed by us old timers reminiscing.

Depends how old time the old timers are. I think I might qualify, but the only time I had to swing one (several in fact) was on a rope with some other drivers outside some digs one morning on the Great North Road. Haven't a clue where, but the fact that this was my only experience suggests that whatever I had at the time, had a self starter.

[Fergie47]

An old Toft Bros and Tomlinson lorry from Darley Dale, it still has the logo on the cab after being taken over by BRS.
I started my driving career with TB&T. I think they ceased trading around 1974.
NMP

Toft bros and tomlinson..jpg

That one windscreen wiper, those mirrors, the "headlights" and no indicators......wow..

I can remember working on lorries like these back in the 60' s the Dennis Max springs to mind, very similar to that one....and now, 60 years on..

[grumpy old man]

I suspect the starting handle at the front will not be missed by us old timers reminiscing.

Depends how old time the old timers are. I think I might qualify, but the only time I had to swing one (several in fact) was on a rope with some other drivers outside some digs one morning on the Great North Road. Haven't a clue where, but the fact that this was my only experience suggests that whatever I had at the time, had a self starter.

I reckon the ropes were being consigned to history in the late 50's. And self starter equipped Guy Arab double deckers were addicted to the rope in Dewsbury bus station. "# 26 has a flat battery AGAIN, get the bloody rope" It was common to leave the engine running the whole shift, early morning until last bus at night.
And now we are in an era where cars are equipped with stop/ start systems

[Spardo]

I suspect the starting handle at the front will not be missed by us old timers reminiscing.

Depends how old time the old timers are. I think I might qualify, but the only time I had to swing one (several in fact) was on a rope with some other drivers outside some digs one morning on the Great North Road. Haven't a clue where, but the fact that this was my only experience suggests that whatever I had at the time, had a self starter.

I reckon the ropes were being consigned to history in the late 50's. And self starter equipped Guy Arab double deckers were addicted to the rope in Dewsbury bus station. "# 26 has a flat battery AGAIN, get the bloody rope" It was common to leave the engine running the whole shift, early morning until last bus at night.
And now we are in an era where cars are equipped with stop/ start systems

That would fit with my memory then, GOM, I started driving in '63 (21st birthday right at the end of it and got into 'big wheels' immediately ) so that experience of mine would have been with some real old timers.

[toshboy]

An old Toft Bros and Tomlinson lorry from Darley Dale, it still has the logo on the cab after being taken over by BRS.
I started my driving career with TB&T. I think they ceased trading around 1974.
NMP

Toft bros and tomlinson..jpg

That one windscreen wiper, those mirrors, the "headlights" and no indicators......wow..

I can remember working on lorries like these back in the 60' s the Dennis Max springs to mind, very similar to that one....and now, 60 years on..

The good old days ????. BRS 1950 ish usually fixed starting handle , one wiper, no n/s mirror ,1 headlight n/s fixed for kerbs , o/s headlight to dip for oncoming traffic , no spot light. ropes stored in cab along wth own tools,spare injector pipes and olives etc , 20 mph plate on rear , the lorries then were well worn out from the War period , Transport offices usually run by competant ex drivers -with dirty boots !------- toshboy

[Suedehead]

[Suedehead]

[Dennis Javelin]

Seeing as this thread had been bumped recently it awakened my interest in the history of BRS after de-nationalisation. Searching through the internet I came across this article from the archives of Commercial Motor

http://archive.commercialmotor.com/arti ... age-reborn

It is interesting to note that of the companies that they specifically mentioned as having done rather well from the de-nationalisation process three of them (Road Services Caledonian, Road Services Forth and D McKinnon) were later brought back under the BRS umbrella. These were all sizeable operations when they were with the BRS group in the 60's and 70's.

So that got me thinking - how many other companies that emerged as a result of assets bought from BRS during the de-nationalisation era later got absorbed back into the nationalised company?

[ERF-NGC-European]

Looks as if BRS was not averse to a bit of traction.

NMP

16hHJHEFFl1PkeM7BS4M6giCw60_12-vi.jpg (45.87 KiB) Viewed 264 times

[ERF-NGC-European]