Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…
dafdave
Correct me if ime wrong but in the 90s was there not a company called samsons or sampsons in blue and white livery operated in the thurrock area of essex,who were also agents for sed/atkinsons i seem to recollect having a motor repaired there.
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…
Les Sampson Transport (LST), later re-born as TSL (Transport Services Limited, later Transport Services plc) and went down again.
I’ve a recollection that Les Sampson previously worked for Hilton Transport Services
Les Sampson / TSL / TS Plc / etc etc
Half owned by Cowell Nicola, shipping agents who did a lot of trade throughout Africa - funnily enough they always seemed to change their trading name at the same time as Les did.
Last I heard, from a reliable source, was that Les Sampson had retired and was living aboard a super-yacht somewhere in the South of France and doing chartering. I hope its in better condition than his wagons were.
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…
I remember a company with a similar name and similar colours. I’m fairly sure they were Danish. (I don’t think they had Leyland Marathons though!!)
dieseldave:
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…I remember a company with a similar name and similar colours. I’m fairly sure they were Danish. (I don’t think they had Leyland Marathons though!!)
no they didn’t have Marathons!
samson were danish and had a place at MK - they went through a few buyouts and I think they’re now buried somewhere in the behemoth which is DSV 
used to do some good jobs for their Herning office - including many route surveys for windmill sites in Ireland, me and the Danish lad they sent one time to Cork spent 12 hours the first day scouting and had 2 pints of Guinness - by day 7 the numbers had changed around 
they sent him to the US soon after
jj72:
samson were danish and had a place at MK - they went through a few buyouts and I think they’re now buried somewhere in the behemoth which is DSV
You’re right - I’m sure that Samson disappeared into DSV
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…
Seem to remember backloading off Samsons around Tilbury Dagenham & Millwall not sure may have the name wrong!
greek:
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…Seem to remember backloading off Samsons around Tilbury Dagenham & Millwall not sure may have the name wrong!
les sampson container outfit same as bfi when i worked for wbs (ralph hilton) he lent them the money to start up had seddons with rolls royce engines
egg on legs:
greek:
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…Seem to remember backloading off Samsons around Tilbury Dagenham & Millwall not sure may have the name wrong!
les sampson container outfit same as bfi when i worked for wbs (ralph hilton) he lent them the money to start up had seddons with rolls royce engines
Yes BFI was Bowden Freight International, as I recall - also had FIAT/Iveco dealership? And a depot somewhere like Castle Donington for doing the British Gypsum job at Gotham. It’s a few years now since they went bust, isn’t it?
240 Gardner:
egg on legs:
greek:
discoman:
Does anyone recall a company called samson’s … what I recall of them as a kid was they had blue trucks on white writing… I am sure they were operating leyland marathons…Seem to remember backloading off Samsons around Tilbury Dagenham & Millwall not sure may have the name wrong!
les sampson container outfit same as bfi when i worked for wbs (ralph hilton) he lent them the money to start up had seddons with rolls royce engines
Yes BFI was Bowden Freight International, as I recall - also had FIAT/Iveco dealership? And a depot somewhere like Castle Donington for doing the British Gypsum job at Gotham. It’s a few years now since they went bust, isn’t it?[/
quote]
yes but the main depot was in horn lane greenwich doing containers also had a fiat delearship 
DFDS Transport was developed through a merger between 4 large Danish transport companies; DSV, Samson Transport, Dan Transport and DFDS Transport.
It has recently expanded with the further acquisition of Frans Maas of Holland and is now known as DSV Logistics.
Les Sampson became TSL and then disappeared. 2 different companies and not related.
TSL ran out of Oliver Road in Thurrock and I think mostly operated containers.
Used to go in there when I worked for T&R out of Southend Airport.
Ok. I’ll shed some light for you.
Yes it was Sampsons, not confusing with Samsons.
Was known as Les sampson services Ltd. I was on the spanners for a few years back in the early eighties & my old man (Jeff Mitchell) was a driver.
At first ran Ford D series & a few F86’s. Then went onto Leyland marathons in blue & white. Based in Royal albert dock E16. Later ran merc 1628’s in plain blue & seddon 411’s blue/white. Had about 50 trucks back then. Mainly done container work. Also ran alongside cement tankers out of Tilbury under the name of Seament in red & white Seddons. Moved into Russell Davies old yard in Oilver road Thurrock ( kicked out of docks for city airport to be built) & became A Seddon Franchise ( biggest hash up that was) That’s when I left. Went bust as usual every few years & popped up as TSL services on London road west Thurrock in the nineties. From then on I know not of.
This picture should drop some memories. Found it at Gaydon the other week.
Tony.
snakeman112:
Ok. I’ll shed some light for you.Yes it was Sampsons, not confusing with Samsons.
Was known as Les sampson services Ltd. I was on the spanners for a few years back in the early eighties & my old man (Jeff Mitchell) was a driver.
At first ran Ford D series & a few F86’s. Then went onto Leyland marathons in blue & white. Based in Royal albert dock E16. Later ran merc 1628’s in plain blue & seddon 411’s blue/white. Had about 50 trucks back then. Mainly done container work. Also ran alongside cement tankers out of Tilbury under the name of Seament in red & white Seddons. Moved into Russell Davies old yard in Oilver road Thurrock ( kicked out of docks for city airport to be built) & became A Seddon Franchise ( biggest hash up that was) That’s when I left. Went bust as usual every few years & popped up as TSL services on London road west Thurrock in the nineties. From then on I know not of.
This picture should drop some memories. Found it at Gaydon the other week.Tony.
good tag line… where have all the leyland marathons gone 
has anybody done them over the years.
Bob Fairbrother:
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
Spot-on Bob, I did Grasso’s too, and all the James Walker stuff, Dunkerque, Paris (Antwerp?? and somewhere in Holland 
) You’d possibly also remember Fred Roe and “Little Geoff,” Barry Hartley, John Bridge and George Savage then?? There was also a guy called Tim, who did a roll coming down the French side of the Frejus. I don’t think poor Tim ever drove again. (Both his parents were doctors, I believe.)
Re Les Sampson - found this after trawling the web
check out the “operating company” and the contact e-mail
worked for TSL a few years back,i was based at the conbase in b-ham
I worked for les when he first started as Les Sampson Services ltd in 1978 before that we were sampsons transport in tolgate road we had around 25 32/34 seddons 6 1418 mercs 3 sed/atkis and 2 d/series units and 1 4 wheeler
then before that it was HTS where les was tm when LSS started we were at bloomfield yard at canning town we had 2 1418 2 seddons 2 spanish dodges 2 marathons then we moved to winsor terrace in beckton next to chris hudsons
then we moved to the dock and i left then 1n 1979 still keep in contact and he is doing well and was a great bloke to work for dont ever rember having f86 had scania 76 ex Andrews plant hire got it with low loader trailer but dont think f86