as long as you dont cry into your lager norman, its watered down enough 
hiya,
Old Normās as hard as nails being a former sand wobbler he wonāt know how to shed a tear, will he??.
thanks harry long retired.
No Harry I have become a big softy, do you realise it is two years in April since I got my first laptop, and then a couple of months later a mate sent me info on the Trucknet and told me to go no and put everyone in the picture about my accident in Turkey for a few rumours was spreading about, then we were in touch and been friends ever since. 
hiya,
Tell you what good buddy doesānt time fly when youāre having fun, thoroughly enjoyed my time on here and āspokenā to some nice people.
thanks harry long retired
Yes they are not a bad bunch of lads, Chris, Keith, Dave, Frenchy & Mappo when they are around, Steve in Queensland, they have all joined in the fun, and we have had some nice comments, lets hope Harry we can keep up the banter for a few more years. 
hiya,
Just wondering how many who look on here think thereās a few crackpots amongst us, well no way am i going to put it to the vote, anyway anybody who has been accepted for employment by the "red and rust"must be sound of mind otherwise no way would they have got a start on the ācreme de la cremeā, now hands up all in agreement, OK OK so thereās only me iām going back to bed.
thanks harry long retired.
You keep on waiting Harry, I am sure that hundreds of hands will show up on this thread in the next few days :- Hand !
Hi Harry & Norm,
No problem you fellaās have put some good stuff on this and the other threads,thereās not enough people around who enjoy a bit of fun and banter,keep it coming.
Cheers Dave.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Just wondering how many who look on here think thereās a few crackpots amongst us, well no way am i going to put it to the vote, anyway anybody who has been accepted for employment by the "red and rust"must be sound of mind otherwise no way would they have got a start on the ācreme de la cremeā, now hands up all in agreement, OK OK so thereās only me iām going back to bed.
thanks harry long retired.
I tried to get on with BRS in 1967/8 at Staniforth Road,Sheffield - no chance,so the yard must have been filled with crackpots 'cos I was one mesen,no more daft buggers was the cry BRS - always stuffed at back of lorry parks( ask the young lad at Four Oaks Rainham),all trunkers having an extra half hour in a cafe somewhere,well thereās no wonder a daft sod like me couldnāt get on Harry anyway Iāll bet I met more crackpots than you and Norm on the road,BRS werenāt the only oneās tha knows that had nutters and I know one who parked in the yard and got a night out paid for it,booked off somewhere else - now them were first class,five star,A1 dodgys and a nationalized company to boot.
And the unknowing gaffer gave him a lift home - no names to protect the innocent
Aye,and Iām a silly owd sod/crackpot still,nowt alters
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Just wondering how many who look on here think thereās a few crackpots amongst us, well no way am i going to put it to the vote, anyway anybody who has been accepted for employment by the "red and rust"must be sound of mind otherwise no way would they have got a start on the ācreme de la cremeā, now hands up all in agreement, OK OK so thereās only me iām going back to bed.
thanks harry long retired.I tried to get on with BRS in 1967/8 at Staniforth Road,Sheffield - no chance,so the yard must have been filled with crackpots 'cos I was one mesen,no more daft buggers was the cry
And the unknowing gaffer gave him a lift home - no names to protect the innocent
Aye,and Iām a silly owd sod/crackpot still,nowt alters
Chris what have you dropped āBillyā in the ā ā ā ā ā for we used to do it regular at Pickfords wait until after 6 then be in yard before 7-30 no problem ran up from Derby and book an early start which you also got extra pay for. 
cheers Johnnie
sammyopisite:
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Just wondering how many who look on here think thereās a few crackpots amongst us, well no way am i going to put it to the vote, anyway anybody who has been accepted for employment by the "red and rust"must be sound of mind otherwise no way would they have got a start on the ācreme de la cremeā, now hands up all in agreement, OK OK so thereās only me iām going back to bed.
thanks harry long retired.I tried to get on with BRS in 1967/8 at Staniforth Road,Sheffield - no chance,so the yard must have been filled with crackpots 'cos I was one mesen,no more daft buggers was the cry
And the unknowing gaffer gave him a lift home - no names to protect the innocent
Aye,and Iām a silly owd sod/crackpot still,nowt altersChris what have you dropped āBillyā in the [zb] for we used to do it regular at Pickfords wait until after 6 then be in yard before 7-30 no problem ran up from Derby and book an early start which you also got extra pay for.
cheers Johnnie
Ee,just been thinking about that Johnnie,a terrible thing to do It was a regular thing at Evans-sneaking in yard after 1800 and away again afore 0600.Went like a dream for donkeys until some useless t*** overlaid and got there when tāgaffer was in.Instead of altering his log book he left it as āDerbyā or summat and the gaffer put it in his memory bank and waited for the sheet to be handed in .
He was sacked and then Securicor came round at night to take all the reg numbers in the yard,so thatās when it was - tank at Beighton,unit at Red Lion
I feel right guilty about all these dodgy nights out,remorse is setting in so must oppen another can
Chris I never feel guilty as they always got a good days work out of me and when we busy it was encouraged to get on with it I have known them tell us not to bring the wagon back to the yard at five oā clock so you would have a night out with thirty minutes driving time left how times have changed
Harry, after seeing what these young lads have been up too, we should get a medal of honour Harry for we have been like angels compared to them, parked a couple of miles from the depot, but never in the ābloody placeā, once went up to Wilsonās in the Oldham road Manchester, and they was on strike, asked if we should bring it back, they told us no, there must have been at least six tankers waitng to be unloaded, the Manager came up to sort it out, but it stayed the same, so I asked for a lift home, saying I had something I ,must sign and put in the post, how will you get back he said, that is my problem, even if I have to use my nightout money on a train, the other lads could not believe he would agree, and I said I think some others would like a lift, so as we was leaving, he said room for two more, and there was a mad rush. , I went to the brewery at just before 5am and caught one of our vehicleās going to the same place, I told him there was no rush and we had breakfast on the way, and I saw the other two drivers in other lorries making there way back, only just got in my lorry and the securityman said a call for you, it was the manager, he said how in the hell did you get back so quick, I checked the train times, just " Magic" and put the phone down. 
sammyopisite:
Chris I never feel guilty as they always got a good days work out of me and when we busy it was encouraged to get on with it I have known them tell us not to bring the wagon back to the yard at five oā clock so you would have a night out with thirty minutes driving time left how times have changed
I know,I,ve picked you up often enough
Evans knew all about dodgys and never questioned it as long as your sheets/books were right.What they didnāt like were drivers booking off way up the road and parking at Rotherham,Woodhall etc. and if caught trailer number was P45.Just before I finished if you parked within a 20 mile radius of the yard you only got half night out money which wasnāt fair on the genuine night out men like me and a few others.If they had bought sleeper Marathons I wouldnāt have bothered log booking it home but I think a lot of the best digs just started to disappear in the 70s and I would run over my time either to get to a good dig that was left or to a good ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā for a lift home - simples cwykk".
The trick was to always be in front of yourself 'cos they didnāt know where you were and you knew you were on top of the job
Chris some weeks I would clock 2000 miles and 1100 would be in the passenger seat of somebody elseās wagon
Sammy you must be as crazy as me, I came back from Le Havre just to go to a friends birthday party and then back again, just because I could not get my vehicle on the ferry until monday evening, that was a long weekend.
hiya,
Can any of you former red and rusters/Pickfords lads ever get weekended whereby you parked up on a Friday at a depot away from home and get a return train ticket from that depot, travel home by train on the Friday afternoon, get a refund on the return part of the ticket and get a lift back on Sunday to your motor in time for a Monday AM start, Saturday night at home with your beer money supplied by the host depot and all legal, well ish. PS forgot to add 10 hours at double travelling back on the Sunday.
thanks harry long retired.
Are the old red & rust, when you did something to please the forman or manager,You was in for a good time , for they took a favour and gave one, and you alway was on a winner if you done one for them.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Can any of you former red and rusters/Pickfords lads ever get weekended whereby you parked up on a Friday at a depot away from home and get a return train ticket from that depot, travel home by train on the Friday afternoon, get a refund on the return part of the ticket and get a lift back on Sunday to your motor in time for a Monday AM start, Saturday night at home with your beer money supplied by the host depot and all legal, well ish. PS forgot to add 10 hours at double travelling back on the Sunday.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry, the red and rust have always been alright with me, Its now part of the yellow peril outfit but the contract Iām on all the guys are from the old days. We have a driver outbased at Carlisle whom we run night trunks to, if he is on holiday theyāll often ask me to go up there from the midlands and cover his job. For this they pay me ten hrs going up there in my own time plus ten back and hundred quid petrol money. I go up there on my motorbike and spend the evenings touring the borders sightseeing ! and thats the way they have always been with me, do them a favour and theyāll do the same back.
hiya,
You are right there Trev_H, i never lost a day when working for the BRS, it was a pleasure going to work and i always did what was expected of me and having worked for the private sector you knew before you set out on some of their jobs you couldānt do it legally, it was a sad day when it came to an end, as i knew it it was a great job, i think if there hadānt been the BRS and getting a start there my driving career wouldānt have lasted very long.
thanks harry long retired.