Wasn’t that a guy called Humphries from London?
I seem to recall an article in one of the magazines at the time…
hi my name is mick maunders i used to work for sca freight is there anyone out there who remembers me.
rexyu:
I was, I believe, their third ever driver when I joined them at their depot in Eastleigh. Is there anyone out there■■? t
Steve…Do you remember Pete Humphries when you were at Eastleigh ? he also had a Maggie ( poss a 6 wheel tractor) he drove for Hattons of Eastleigh prior to that.
Believe he fell from a Tilt while stripping it out in Italy, and hurt his back quite badly.
foxy maunders:
hi my name is mick maunders i used to work for sca freight is there anyone out there who remembers me.
Hi Micky,im Martin Harris i was freinds with your mate Tony Davey when we worked on SGH in wapping.I left SCA cause i was to young for their insurance .I took you to the gare de lyon station once when you had to get a train out to pick a lorry up.You may remember we used to drink in the Earl of Zetland pub off of kingsland road.I lost track of you after you bought the red scania 140,meet you a few times i think you were doing tanker work.My dad had the pub in bethnal green,you an Tony drank there sometimes.
I used to subby to one of SCA’s affiliated companies Allianze Freight which was located in an office on Commercial road about half a mile up from Whitechapel with a small yard just round the corner using a few of SCA’s canvas topped boxes (what sadistic ■■■■ came up with that idea, he obviously thought drivers needed more exercise) repainted a dark red. I had a new Scania 111 in blue and white at the time which was in 1975.
There were a couple of other hauliers on as well whose names I can’t remember but one of the drivers was I think called Mickey Melville and we used to occassionaly pick up trailers out of Island Row but we used to go straight through to Milan instead of stopping at Avallon although I used to use the national roads quite a lot and called in there often for a meal and there was always a one or two SCA drivers in there.
When SCA folded and Europa started I was transfered on to there and had as much work as I could handle to the point that I decided to buy a second tractor unit and picked up a used 7 year old Volvo. Huge mistake as it blew a turbo in France on its first trip with affiliated damage to pistons and had to be towed back to the uk, second mistake was leaving Europa a few months later with its regular work and money and regular cheques and going for the lure of the middle east and the big rates, not that I did’nt enjoy doing it but did get turned over payment wise a couple of time which took the shine off it somewhat.
Ended up doing regular Greece with the odd Spain thrown in for 12 years but often wondered where I would have been if I had stuck with Europa, all water under the bridge now of course. At the time they even supplied the permits (EEC books and there were’nt many of them about then but they had three), I believe they were transferred over from SCA and I remember being asked to get a letter from the Italian police saying I had had one stolen from my cab so they could present it to Newcastle and get a duplicate replacement so they had four to run with.
This was 35 years ago so hopefully this is’nt going to drop anyone in it but then probably 60 - 70% of trucks going to Italy were on dodgy paperwork anyway through the fact that there were’nt the permits available for the amount of vehicles that were needed.
Can anyone remember any of the names at Europa in the early days eg; the transport manager and also does anyone remember the manager at Allianze.
Chazzer
Hi Pete…a mate of mine converted a F89…high roof…longer cab etc it looked like a kenworth from a distance…it was painted black…and his name was barry…as detailed in an earlier story.but sadly now deceased…god bless.so i dont know if its the same one or not.
i remember being in the Cheb hotel afavourite stop for brit truckers amongst others…just inside the Czech border from Waidhouse…or Voitanov as i used to use…anyway this day ai was waiting for the brits to turn up …on this lovely sunny afternoon when this big green scania pulls in…well the driver gets out…as you do…and i offer him a beer…the first of many…anyway i sit looking at this scanny…and it seems different…longer…higher…so i thought it was the beer…but id only had 2..and it wasnt pilsner from my roof rack (where i kept the crates) well to cut a long story short ..the driver offered me a look inside..there was no passenger seat..or beds in the normal manner..but you could walk around inside..like a corridor..it had been altered so you couldnt see the cabin..the bed was completeley above the cab..there was a wash basin and cooker at the back of the cab..built in..it was amazing..but he did say that his boss had converted it..and was doing a Volvo..never saw that though...i did however see Roger Rabbits Daf.complete with a sofa the length of the rear wall (dont ask) last i heard it had been confiscated by the ministry…but thats another story…
have a nice day
Thanks again for a great read,if I remember right HTS featured in a tele prog called" The Brothers " (Hammond Transport) about a transport firm,those were the days,we even featured on the telly.regards derek
Hi chazzer,Andrew Dare,i think started europa after he finished at SCA.He kept the registration number SCA1.Im sure someone will correct me if im wrong.Near the end of SCA they were in with a belgium company from hasselt i think they were called biloos.They had some flat trailers and were a cream color.I remember an F10 in cream with an orange roof an stripe with AGA on it,i think this maybe was some thing to do with europa in the early days,also did they have an office in barking road canning town?
Hi chazzer,Andrew Dare,i think started europa after he finished at SCA.He kept the registration number SCA1.
Adrian Chambers put that on his Merc the last time I saw it as he passed me on the A12 one sunny day after SCA had packed up.
harry:
Hi chazzer,Andrew Dare,i think started europa after he finished at SCA.He kept the registration number SCA1.
Adrian Chambers put that on his Merc the last time I saw it as he passed me on the A12 one sunny day after SCA had packed up.
Hi Harry,i was doing some traction for Europa around 1994/5 and Andrew Dares jag was parked in the yard with SCA 1 plate on it.Maybe this was after you see it on the A12?I was loading at SCA depot in avonmouth when i was on there and the manager Tony told me he was the person who bought the reg number off of someone that came in one day selling a vauxhall cresta with it on for £600.Wheather this was true i don,t know.
Probably true - then Andrew knocked it out Chambers for about £6k? 
SCA Scania, about 1970… le Harve…
Cawthorne Sinclare F88
Jameson Scania
( Can’t remember the f86 company, but the driver was Bill, and the company from London )
European Traction Services… Bedford.
Thanks for posting the photo Fergie,it must have been an early 70,s photo as all the scania,s have the square headlamps in the bumper.The SCA trucks had reflective SCA stickers,normally on the front and doors so of a night they stood out when comeing towards you.
I got on well with the Euro Trac driver- tall young fella with dark hair.
harry:
I got on well with the Euro Trac driver- tall young fella with dark hair.
That would be John Cahill, from Amphill, one of three partners in the company. They also had a bull-nosed Mercedes
Fergie47:
harry:
I got on well with the Euro Trac driver- tall young fella with dark hair.That would be John Cahill, from Amphill, one of three partners in the company. They also had a bull-nosed Mercedes
John tried out a F88 on the Italian run & was amazed how gutless it was after his Scania. Used to see him in Turin a lot.
Hi TIR Original Southampton
Yes I remember SCA Express I worked for them (only for a short time though) in 1973 when they were in Island Row E.14. I left as the money was not that good and got a better job working for a Swiss firm where I stayed for about 6 years before becoming an O/D. I remember Ralph Mullins with his shirt open in in the depths of winter and the two Jones brothers, George (forget his other name) from Wells-next the Sea, Norfolk. These were great times, we were two’d up then and did a stint of three weeks on and one week off. I also worked for Alltransport and Hilton Transport Services, Charlton doing mainly Italy, Switzerland and Germany. I feel I must know you please let me know who you are!
I am new to TruckNet so I’ve only just seen your posting whilst trawling through a few old names like SCA, HTS etc…
Best regards
Ken Davies
Georgie Wells from Wells-on-Sea - had a big old Austin Princess & used to lend it to the lads when he was on a run. He lent it to me & Johnny Ethrington thought he had the rights to it because he lived in Kings Lynne.He shouted." You tight C ,why don’t you buy yourself a ■■■■■■ car!" 
I wouldn’t have wanted to be in it when it broke down. John passed away recently.
Hi Harry
I’m sure I must know you!, sorry to hear about John Etherington, John and Peter rescued me on the A1 north of Paris when we all worked for SCA, I was two’d up with a guy named Tony Horne (what ever happened to him?) anyway and we all jumped in their Scania drove to Calais, dropped their trailer, borrowed a chain from the ferry terminal went back and they towed our rig back to Calais on just a chain with their unit, only problem was we got stuck on the very narrow bridge at Lille, only with some great skillfull reversing from the Etherington’s we got going again.
Great days back then, you couldn’t do that nowadays…
btw; Whats happened to Baz?