Afternoon gentlemen,
Just introducing myself after finding your forum just by chance yesterday. Brian Howram is the name, retired now for 7 years, in road haulage all my working life, mostly on tankers in the fuel and petroleum industry. Started out in the Hargreaves Group, did some tipper work (coal), moved down the road in Rothwell to S&R’s for a few months and then went to Hargreaves Fuel Oil at Liversedge and did 25 years there (happy years) until management pulled the plug on us. A lot of the lads left that yard in tears, long sevice lads. Finished up many years later doing the gas oil dye job to all the refineries round the country.
Passed my driving test in 1958 on a Ford 4D, only test I’ve ever had, got all the HGV classes, PSV all types, they’ve all expired now and with the state of traffic these days I’ve no desire to go back on the road. Eldest lad (40) does a bit on the road when required but he’s a skilled fitter at Cross roads Commercials at Birstall and he prefers that.
I’m enjoying retirement and I can and do recommend it. 
Hi Brian,
Welcome to TruckNet,not done anything with tankers myself,but plenty others on the forum have.Hope you get as much enjoyment from the threads reminiscing as the rest of us.
Cheers Dave.
Hi Brian
As Dave said welcome to trucknet.You will find plenty on here about tankers and of course all the other haulage lads.I myself spent 25yrs around tankers (mechanic then office) and afew more on here the same,just scroll through the threads.
JOHN
hi brian
welcome to the forum.
cheers
gaz
Hiya Brian welcome to the thread but be warned that with all the experiences you must have filed away in your head you will more than likely need to go into re-hab to get yourself torn away!!! The banter and “crack” on here is something wicked at times but absolutely “magic” if you have been in job and understand how things worked!!! Cheers Bewick.
Thank you all for the welcome.
Does anybody remember Fred Chappel Ltd. Batley? Fred was a good man and he gave me a good start in road transport. He’s been dead a long time now but I will be forever in his debt.
" I’ve never driven owt that big before Fred" “Well tha’s got to start sometime, get thissen off darn t’ road”
Hi Brian I Passed my test in 1984 on a Ford D Series worked on general for 4 years had a good laugh doing that went on tankers in 1988 never ever looked back on chemicals then on Total like all the good jobs it went contract now working on Conoco jet for the past 7 years and cant wait until i stop driving my dad was a tanker driver he packed up about 6 years ago and has never looked back or missed it
grumpy old man:
Thank you all for the welcome.
Does anybody remember Fred Chappel Ltd. Batley? Fred was a good man and he gave me a good start in road transport. He’s been dead a long time now but I will be forever in his debt.
" I’ve never driven owt that big before Fred" “Well tha’s got to start sometime, get thissen off darn t’ road”
hi,Grumpy,and welcome to the nut-house, that last line above rings a bell. age 21,well almost!, biggest thing id ever driven was a Bedford CF van,first day on Smiths in Bristol on a LAD dodge artic,“to get used to it,ill keep you local!”,then next day 15t of handball to Liverpool docks!! 
…chris
grumpy old man:
Thank you all for the welcome.
Does anybody remember Fred Chappel Ltd. Batley? Fred was a good man and he gave me a good start in road transport. He’s been dead a long time now but I will be forever in his debt.
" I’ve never driven owt that big before Fred" “Well tha’s got to start sometime, get thissen off darn t’ road”
Welcome Grumpy, I’ve only been on this forum a short while and find it very interesting - the Fred Chappel you mention, didn’t he run tankers from Ossett?
I worked for Shaws (Sykes Group) at Shepley on tankers for a while, then went on to Hoyers, Hansons and owner/driving amongst others.
I got my Class 2 on grandfather rights but took my Class 1 in 1977 in a D series Ford while driving a little gas oiler for Shaws and when oil work went quiet Sykes said here you’ve got a Class 1 do you want to go on Bulk Liquids?
They presented me with a Scammell Crusader and sent me to Immingham Storage to load Cyanide!!!
What an introduction - I didn’t even know what a range change was let alone how to work one, but I survived and enjoyed the work (the pay) immensely.
Hi Grumpy
Here’s one of Freds for you mate,did you drive this one at all
JOHN
Hells teeth, we had a few of those. Happy days. Thank you for finding that. 150 Gardner with a 6 speed David Brown box. 
It was about 1961, I’m sure i must have done a bit on that one. No motorways to speak of, no sleeper cabs.
Ok, another one for you fellas, who remember George Brays transport Cafe and digs down Liverpool Road, Islington?
That photo brings back a lot of happy memories.
stevecook:
grumpy old man:
Thank you all for the welcome.
Does anybody remember Fred Chappel Ltd. Batley? Fred was a good man and he gave me a good start in road transport. He’s been dead a long time now but I will be forever in his debt.
" I’ve never driven owt that big before Fred" “Well tha’s got to start sometime, get thissen off darn t’ road”Welcome Grumpy, I’ve only been on this forum a short while and find it very interesting - the Fred Chappel you mention, didn’t he run tankers from Ossett?
I worked for Shaws (Sykes Group) at Shepley on tankers for a while, then went on to Hoyers, Hansons and owner/driving amongst others.
I got my Class 2 on grandfather rights but took my Class 1 in 1977 in a D series Ford while driving a little gas oiler for Shaws and when oil work went quiet Sykes said here you’ve got a Class 1 do you want to go on Bulk Liquids?
They presented me with a Scammell Crusader and sent me to Immingham Storage to load Cyanide!!!
What an introduction - I didn’t even know what a range change was let alone how to work one, but I survived and enjoyed the work (the pay) immensely.
That’s Fred son Brian. Still does in a very small way. We were never short of work when Fred ran the job but Brian never seemed to have his dads enthusiasm, never developed the company. Moving up through the ranks? doesn’t happen now, young fellas don’t LEARN the job, pay hundreds of pounds, get a licence and away you go. Not the right way in my opinion but…
grumpy old man:
Hells teeth, we had a few of those. Happy days. Thank you for finding that. 150 Gardner with a 6 speed David Brown box.
Ok, another one for you fellas, who remember George Brays transport Cafe and digs down Liverpool Road, Islington?That photo brings back a lot of happy memories.
Hello Grumpy, I’m sure Brays burnt down several years ago. I seem to remember it was on a weekend and some lives were lost. regards, Haddy.