I see my old outfit has gone…Anything on DODDS transport please
mickthebrush:
I see my old outfit has gone…Anything on DODDS transport please
good to see this thread started ,used to be based at the same building in Calne wilts and got to know David Pink quite well !was a rep for volvo at the time ,im sure bubbs will help with some of "ades"photos .
Hi shakysteve
I guess you would know… Did Syms of Calne move to the new site after they were taken over by Dodds or before? I can’t remember which way around it all happened… 
Tis a shame neither of them are around any more - another couple of nice fleets sadly gone…
Piston broke:
Hi shakysteveI guess you would know… Did Syms of Calne move to the new site after they were taken over by Dodds or before? I can’t remember which way around it all happened…
Tis a shame neither of them are around any more - another couple of nice fleets sadly gone…
Hello mate ,they moved to the new place before they were taken over by Dodds ,which dept were you based ?
shakysteve:
Hello mate ,they moved to the new place before they were taken over by Dodds ,which dept were you based ?
I didn’t work for either - I just well remember both fleets during my time trundling around the area as a lorry mad kid and later on when I was driving them. Twas a long time ago now… 
Late seventies through to 2000 when I’d had enough and finished…
Laterly, my guvnor used to have some of his warranty work done there on the FM’s…but I did used to visit the test station quite a bit and always had a nose to see what was in the yard…
hi,piston I wasbased at Dodds macfarlane rd London depot.
as I recall Symms were in trouble when Dodds stepped in,were they not based next door or near the Volvo dealership?
I was at Dodds early eighties,started on the Quaker Oats work,driving a Leyland frieghter 4x2 rigid.
Moved to the Hitachi contract later on,nice job…out based driver doing east anglia,truck then Leyland Cruiser 4x2 rigid/drawbar.
regards mickthebrush
Hi Mick
They were on the same site at the new place. Syms’ old place was across the other side of Calne and was sold for housing… I think I can remember lots of Dodds FH’s arriving, all with personalised plates on. Would that be early nineties when they took over?
Hi all,When I started with Dodds the fleet was all brit motors,Leyland,Foden mainly.They were red,white and blue with a union jack flag painted on the cab top wind deflectors,this was the general haulage fleet.
Others were painted in contract customers colours,for example…Hitachi all black with red or white signwork…Milupa,they were orange.
The HQ was at macfarlane rd shepherds bush london with a depot in sheffield also.I think the fleet strenght at the time was about 45 motors(I stand to be corrected).This was before the expansion that came later,ie…
Maywood,Parkers,Symms,Hunts…and before the advent of 21st century logistics.
21st were painted originally in a green colour(Heineken).
There was a move of depot to Southall(old AEC site)at one time,although I believe this was short lived and when the company got larger still the main depot was in Sittingbourne Kent.(Hammonds)■■
I had a good time at Dodds.A good company as far as I was concerned.I left only because the Hitachi contract changed,which meant a change of location from Hayes Middx to Stone in Staffs.Not prepared to relocate.I stand to be corrected on all the above as I,m sure there are more knowledgable people than me out there,so come on and post all your comments.
regards mickthebrush.
Hi piston,yes the early ninetys is about right.Thats when the change from the predominate british motors were being phased out and the Volvos were the mainstay at that time.You have to understand that Roy Dodd would not operate any (foriegn) motors…when his son Jimmy started to take a more active role in the company thing had to change.Volvo first,although there was at least one Merc SK 6x2 tractor unit in heineken green(21st logistics).After I believe the fleet was Mercedes based…most of these vehicles had the DOD plates…I think the first was K1DODD a Leyland DAF 80 artic…
Dave Pink was an ex Maywood if memory serves.I remer him when I worked for Roy Bowles Transport Pump lane Hayes Middx.The depots were next door to each other.
regards mickthebrush
Hey.No Doddy men out there??
When I lived down in Strood for a while I did nights for Dodds, Sittingbourne Depot. Good job, FH12s & Merc’s, common nights work would be Sittingbourne up Cherwell Valley Services (M40, Oxford), trailer swap with a Northern wagon, take trailer usually somewhere round London to tip, then take the empty trailer down to Folkstone Docks & drop it to go over un-accompanied, then bob-tail up to Dover Docks, pick up a un-accompanied that had come over & take it back to Sittingbourne for a day man to take on. Work was easy, wagons were tidy & as long as you just got on & did the job you were left alone!
Regards Chris
Hi adr.sounds a nice runaround.Its true what you sayabout them letting you get on with the job.When I was working for them I only worked on 2 contracts,Quaker Oats and Hitachi.Once you understood the rquirements,they just left you alone,no hassle.I only left because the Hitachi contract changed location,was not prepared to move.
The Sittingbourne operations began as I was leaving the job.On the whole a good outfit to work for.
regards mick
Mick I was at Sheffield depot for a few months late 80s and did the night trunk down and usually picked a trailer up from Quaker Vic was the part time shunter ( as I had his Strato and kept missing him to change back ) at the time. Did you have the black roadtrain on Hitachi as I did a couple of loads out usually to tip at Dixons on nights.
cheers Johnnie 
Hi sammy,No i did not have the black roadtrain,i had a drawbar outfit,leyland cruiser…The roadtrain in my days with Dodds was driven by Reg Crisp.Hitachi did a lot with Dixons at Stevenage so we often there with artics and drags.Was a guy called Ian King the manager at Sheffield when you were there?He was at London in fact took me on but i think he later went to Sheffield.
regards mick
Hi,just remembered the guys name who was the shunter at Quakers was George Clapp,he did the days.nice chap but no nonsense.
Hi Mick no the gaffer at Sheffield was a guy called Bill a Londoner, Ian was at Acton in the office with Jimmy but I worked a couple of times with Ian shunting when they were short if a night driver had knocked he seemed a good guy but they all were in my time there. I can recall a few drivers at Sheffield the two Eddies, Les, Neil, Peter and Ronnie. I only did nights there.
Hi,sammyopisite,yes thats how it was when i worked in London,Jim Dodd,Ian King,and Roy Dodd was still about.I was an outbased driver working on Hitachi contract,so i did not go to the yard in London much,when i did it was for derv,servicing ect…Nice to hear your comments.Regards Mick
Hello. I stumbled across this forum while searching for something else and had to join up.
Mick… My dad also drove for Dodd’s. He started there in 1970 when I was 1 year old 
driving an Albion first, then a couple of Leyland Clydesdales all on Quaker Oats contract. Then in '83 he got a new Freighter just like yours, this time in Quaker livery. His was ALX 583Y. Here it is only a few days old…
He moved on to the Milupa thing for a while with one of the Orange Freighters before progressing to the Hitachi contract and getting one of the black Cruisers (D820 PVX). I have a few pictures of the Cruisers and some other Dodd’s lorries but they’re not all ‘computerable’ at the moment.
When Dodd’s ‘lost’ the Hitachi contract, they set up another company, Worldfleet. They were based at Stone, Staffordshire and took on the Hitachi work and my dad went with it, this time driving a Foden. Again, I have pictures of that somewhere too.
Now then, my brother also used to drive for Dodd’s and I think he started on Hitachi with the one odd Cruiser. Remember that one? All the others were 16-26 but this one was a 16-17 without the fancy splitter gearbox, reg.no. C666 SLL I can remember going up with bruv on a Saturday and hanging around in the yard at MacFarlane Rd while he went off for a drive and a chat with Jimmy Dodd.
Anyway, he did Hitachi and also general haulage in Dodd’s colours as well as a bit of a stint on 21st Century driving a Daf.
I spoke to both my dad and brother this morning and told them I’d seen you on here. They remember you well and, apparently, they’d only been talking about you a few days ago.
I won’t go on too much as I think they may well want to join up or get in touch with you themselves. I’m CERTAIN there are lots of stories to be remembered and shared 
By the way, my dad is Cliff and my brother is Mark.
Mick, here’s another picture for you…
You’ll obviously remember the loading bays at Quaker. Here are some Dodd’s lorries from the 70’s loading up…
Me dad’s Clydesdale was slightly different to the others (and that one in the above photo) as it was the only one with black wheel arches. I only have one photo available at the moment, but here it is…
Also notice the turbo behind the cab. I think that was a new thing on the Clydesdales.
Got a few more photo’s to come… if you fancy it?