When i started driving in the mid eighties i did a brief stint of continental work in a puddlejumper for paul binns haulage .On one of the ferry trips back from calais i remember the boat was a “freighter” (trucks only) & the restaurant was just like the crews “mess” room 
Whatever were these boats & why were they used
Regards Tony
The freighters were normally cheaper,and very basic.
In the early 90’s I used to use the freighter out of Ipswich,North Sea Ferries,which only had cabin space for 12 driver’s,but it was a good laugh as there were usually always the same drivers on (Spalding Haulage,H.C.Wilson,H&S Transport to name a few).
We also used Torline out of Immingham,which again only had cabin’s for 12 driver’s.
Stena also had a couple of freighter’s running the Hook-Harwich route,though with a lot more cabins.But during the summer they’d also do a cheap deal for caravaners,so you’d end up sharing the restaurant with a load of terrorists.Sorry,I meant tourists 
Used to get a freighter out of Immingham to Gothengurg. Took around 36 hrs. Cabins for about 12 drivers 4 to a cabin. Got 4 meals a day on it, food was excellent.
You had an opportunity to buy your duty free out of the bond on the ship, very cheap.Cheapest beer I could find in Gothengurg then was about £3.50 a pint so it paid to get a slab in under the bunk.
KW:
The freighters were normally cheaper,and very basic.In the early 90’s I used to use the freighter out of Ipswich,North Sea Ferries,which only had cabin space for 12 driver’s,but it was a good laugh as there were usually always the same drivers on (Spalding Haulage,H.C.Wilson,H&S Transport to name a few).
We also used Torline out of Immingham,which again only had cabin’s for 12 driver’s.Stena also had a couple of freighter’s running the Hook-Harwich route,though with a lot more cabins.But during the summer they’d also do a cheap deal for caravaners,so you’d end up sharing the restaurant with a load of terrorists.Sorry,I meant tourists
Yes, I remember using the freighter Ipswich to Europort when I drove for Ridgeways carrying explosives. Always had to go top deck and at the back where they could shove the wagon over the edge at the first sign of trouble 
Immingham to Gothenburg was another route I also remember.
One that I recall was from Felixstowe to Oslo via Rotterdam and Kristiansand (Fred Olsen line). I was mortified when I discovered that they had just made it a “dry” ship and had chucked all the booze overboard on the previous trip. I arrived at Oslo up to my neck in orange juice. My transport manager sympathised with me and said that if I could find another boat to return to the UK he would sanction it. I couldn’t so had to use the bloomin’ thing all the way back!! 
There was one that ran from Shoreham to Dieppe too, but I cannot recall who the operator was.
Always good fun during school holidays, and the skipper used to allow you onto the bridge when docking @ Dieppe.
Hello churchyboy that was the Shiaffino line using the old Pand O boats the LionTiger and Leopard me and your dad used them when they were owned by PandO had some laughs on them like the time the boat ran into the lock gates and old johnnie Davidson would hide up so he did not have to reverse all the way to the front of the boat got there late one sunday and they would not let him on.
I worked on heavy haulage and tankers 60s to the 80s and used freighters a lot (not by choice) on heavy haulage it was the weight and on tankers you were not allowed to use passenger ferrys when carrying hazardous loads. They mostly had room for around 12 drivers, there was a ferry from Southampton “Seagull Ferrys” which used to fly some of the drivers over and from what I heard the flight was worse than crossing on the ferry which could be a tad bumpy on a good day.
I know its wandering off the track slightly… but does anyone remember the ‘Argo’. It was a converted trawler that P & O used to charter for Dover - Zeebrugge run when they got busy.
It used to carry 6 trucks, 3 on the top dack & 3 below. You had the choice… reverse on and drive off, or visa versa. The last truck on top stayed on the ramp and they lifted it with the ramp. Polish crew, free food because there was no duty free. 
It was a gem 
, if you got the slightest bit sea sick ‘Argo’ was worth the miss … it was flat bottomed, no stabilisers, and took up to 6 hours to make the crossing (in good weather).
stevie wonder:
I know its wandering off the track slightly… but does anyone remember the ‘Argo’. It was a converted trawler that P & O used to charter for Dover - Zeebrugge run when they got busy.It used to carry 6 trucks, 3 on the top dack & 3 below. You had the choice… reverse on and drive off, or visa versa. The last truck on top stayed on the ramp and they lifted it with the ramp. Polish crew, free food because there was no duty free.
It was a gem
get back on recovery world stevie