It’s time to throw in some more names to jog the memory, so here’s a few names from the 80’s as I remember them.
The question is: does anybody know whether they’re still going, or what happened to them. I’ve put in approximate locations, and fleet colours, but I’m always prepared to be wrong.
#1 Martintrux (Essex?) [sky blue]
#2 White-trux (Dover) [blue and white]
#3 Coombe Valley Transport (Dover?) [burgundy?]
#4 Barco (Camberley) [white cab / red trailer]
#5 Chiaramello (Ramsgate) [navy blue cab / grey or yellow trailer]
#6 Defoy (London) [red / white]
I used to work for Whitetrux and I believe they are still going under another name (with Euro in it), as for the others the only connection I had with any was that I went to look at a house to buy at the bottom of the road that Coombe Vally operated from 
.
Spardo:
I used to work for Whitetrux and I believe they are still going under another name (with Euro in it), as for the others the only connection I had with any was that I went to look at a house to buy at the bottom of the road that Coombe Vally operated from .
Spardo I remember a guy called Alex on Whitetrux- a nice guy and very knowledgeable. As I remember, he was driving an F89.
I went to Coombe Valley’s yard for a top-up load on a couple of occasions, but didn’t really get to know anybody there.
Thanks.
Spardo:
I used to work for Whitetrux and I believe they are still going under another name (with Euro in it),
I think they are simply called European now.
MartinTrux don’t do haulage any more, they are primarily a customs agent.
martintrux.co.uk/History.htm
corr they had some cluless berks on martintrux - probably some good blokes as well (for cockernies) but i only ever encountered the berks
rumour was that their ghost fleet of italian drivers, the ones who took over at the blanc, tipped, loaded and returned trucks to the blanc 
apparently didn’t exist according to the ministry men
jj72:
corr they had some cluless berks on martintrux - probably some good blokes as well (for cockernies) but i only ever encountered the berks
rumour was that their ghost fleet of italian drivers, the ones who took over at the blanc, tipped, loaded and returned trucks to the blanc apparently didn’t exist according to the ministry men
You’re right- I remember the clueless ones as well. Fancy them having “ghost” drivers- who’d have thought that… 
Weren’t they the same ghosts that worked for Febland Europa- or were they moonlighting for both companies
dieseldave:
jj72:
corr they had some cluless berks on martintrux - probably some good blokes as well (for cockernies) but i only ever encountered the berks
rumour was that their ghost fleet of italian drivers, the ones who took over at the blanc, tipped, loaded and returned trucks to the blanc apparently didn’t exist according to the ministry men
You’re right- I remember the clueless ones as well. Fancy them having “ghost” drivers- who’d have thought that…
Weren’t they the same ghosts that worked for Febland Europa- or were they moonlighting for both companies
quite possible - and a few more i could mention but won’t, saw a motor in UK the other day with Febland written on it, don’t know if it’s owt to do with Tony?
jj72:
quite possible - and a few more i could mention but won’t, saw a motor in UK the other day with Febland written on it, don’t know if it’s owt to do with Tony?
I have to be honest- I thought Tony’s mob were long gone. I spent many happy hours in Novara at their place.
dieseldave:
[
Spardo I remember a guy called Alex on Whitetrux- a nice guy and very knowledgeable. As I remember, he was driving an F89.
.
Neither of us can remember an Alex. There was Billy Broad, a Lancashireman who lived in Dover; Stuart, who had once been a guest of HM in Nottingham; Tony Buckle, married to someone working at Laser (he said she was TM ) and who once saved Fran from the sea when the rest of us thought she was waving not drowning 
; 2 Richards, Big, the one a bit ticked off by our ‘sweater’ shenanigins at Aosta, and Little; and ‘Pathfinder’ who lived on the Isle of Sheppey and persuaded us it was a good place to buy 'till we found out that mortgages were a bit hard to come by, something to do with weatherboard houses and sea level . His nickname was ironic.
The TM was Pete Farbrace who I had previously known as the Dover agent of Cheverall’s of Luton where I first started driving wagons internationally (not counting Oz of course ).
Be pleased if anyone has updates on any of these, especially Billy, who years later rang me up while running north and saying he was parking up in Nottingham that night, and why not get together? I said ‘sure, great, just tell me where you end up and I’ll come and fetch you’. Last I ever heard of him. 
Spardo:
dieseldave:
[
Spardo I remember a guy called Alex on Whitetrux- a nice guy and very knowledgeable. As I remember, he was driving an F89.
.
Neither of us can remember an Alex. There was Billy Broad, a Lancashireman who lived in Dover; Stuart, who had once been a guest of HM in Nottingham; Tony Buckle, married to someone working at Laser (he said she was TM ) and who once saved Fran from the sea when the rest of us thought she was waving not drowning ; 2 Richards, Big, the one a bit ticked off by our ‘sweater’ shenanigins at Aosta, and Little; and ‘Pathfinder’ who lived on the Isle of Sheppey and persuaded us it was a good place to buy 'till we found out that mortgages were a bit hard to come by, something to do with weatherboard houses and sea level . His nickname was ironic.
The TM was Pete Farbrace who I had previously known as the Dover agent of Cheverall’s of Luton where I first started driving internationally (not counting Oz of course ).
Be pleased if anyone has updates on any of these, especially Billy, who years later rang me up while running north and saying he was parking up in Nottingham that night, and why not get together? I said ‘sure, great, just tell me where you end up and I’ll come and fetch you’. Last I ever heard of him.
You’ve certainly got a more in-depth knowledge of White-trux than me! I might know them as faces, but not by name. You know how it is
The only other thing I can remember is that Alex was carrying a fairly high stack of trailer-sized steel reinforcing grids for concreting. I stopped and gave him a hand, cos the load had slipped a bit 
This was in France after all and I didn’t want to see a Brit get nicked by the Gendarmerie. After much levering and cussing, we got it somewhere near right. Maybe he was a casual driver
Barco are still about but I think they only have 1 or 2 trailers with Barco on them all the rest of their lorries are in Camberley Removals colours.
coombe valley are still operating, think they are pulling trailers out of purfleet at least
I believe that Whitetrux became part of Seafields. European I am told was set up by the original transport manager when he left Seafields - hence European still going whereas the Kent depot of Seafields hit problems, not sure if they go abroad at all now. Seafields have been through a few financial situations of late (that’s one reason why I left), the head office being moved from Kent to Worksop.
Passed Combe Valley the other day, tidy if old FH12 on the M6.
Mackem:
Passed Combe Valley the other day, tidy if old FH12 on the M6.
Thanks for that.
Any ideas about the others??
Bob Fairbrother:
Barco are still about but I think they only have 1 or 2 trailers with Barco on them all the rest of their lorries are in Camberley Removals colours.
Well I never
When I was on Barco, (mid/late 80’s) they had one removals lorry. They were on Albany Park Ind Est near the Payless warehouse. I’d heard they’d moved, but didn’t know whether it was a rumour.
Nice info Bob, thanks very much. (Do you know whether Barco/Camberley Removals is still under the same ownership?)
I think it is still owned by Anne +John , their yard is now in Admiralty way, as you come up the A321 from the M3 towards the A30 they are on the left by the gasometers. I worked for them in 80-82 before they moved to Albany Park.
Bob Fairbrother:
I think it is still owned by Anne +John , their yard is now in Admiralty way, as you come up the A321 from the M3 towards the A30 they are on the left by the gasometers. I worked for them in 80-82 before they moved to Albany Park.
Do you know Geoff Minnis and Bob Simmons? (Bob now has a B&B in Gt Yarmouth.)
Yes I remember Geoff, last I heard he had gone back to buying and selling antiques, and Bob I had a few good night s in Camberley with him, he started shortly before I left and came on his first trip abroad with me to Grasso’s at Den Bosch.
bob