My father worked for Tom Williams back in 1967 to 1970 (approx) about the time Tom changed the name to Freightline Transport Ltd. It grew into a very large concern and eventually disappeared into the Curries of Dumfries company.
I have a few pictures of my dads time at Freightline and a lot of fond memories of the lorries and characters, I spent a lot of Saturdays at the Williams farm in Felton from where Freightline operated out of, from seeing the drivers getting payed on the village green to watching the Volvo F86, Guy Warrior, Scammell Highwayman, and as far as I know the first Scania 110 in the west being maintained.
I know a lot of Bristol drivers have had some connection with Freightline over the years and I would love to hear recollections and to see some pictures of this colourful company.
hi kingtrucker me and my dad worked for tommy from 1979 till 1981 started on a mandator up to a marathon then to a f88 regards work flat out all the time but had a great time earned the best money ever then but when work started to get short other firms started to cut the rates and tommy couldnt or wouldnt do the same. back then we were doing loads of timber for a big concern in avonmouth to northfleet for £150.00 a1 the clearing house moved in quoting £90 back load so couldnt compete sad to see a lot of haulage firms disappear
Hello Kingtrucker143 and Buf,I had no connection with Freightline,I just liked taking pictures of the fleet where ever they were parked up,heres a selection of not very good pics.
Cheers Bubbs, 
Cheers Buf & Bubbleman, Brilliant pics, I’ve got quite a few myself and I’ve got some more that Norman Taylor copied for me but my scanner is VOR’d at the moment so can’t put them on here yet.
Its interesting what you say about the money Buf, I remember my dad saying it was the best job he ever had, he got on really well with Tom and used to do the maintenance on his lorry, he also used to do fabrication, stretching trailers to the new 40ft length limit. I’ve got a really good picture of my dad pulling the Scammell Highwayman out of the workshop where he had just finished spraying it looking the dogs bollox, I loved riding in that lorry. Cheers Pete.
This is my truck now.
buf:
210hi kingtrucker me and my dad worked for tommy from 1979 till 1981 started on a mandator up to a marathon then to a f88 regards work flat out all the time but had a great time earned the best money ever then but when work started to get short other firms started to cut the rates and tommy couldnt or wouldnt do the same. back then we were doing loads of timber for a big concern in avonmouth to northfleet for £150.00 a1 the clearing house moved in quoting £90 back load so couldnt compete sad to see a lot of haulage firms disappear
Yes it is sad, so many long established family firms have disappeared over the years, all the colour seems to have gone, do you still drive?
Hi kingtrucker
Still driving at the moment on the car transporters I do agree though a lot of firms have gone by the wayside and the news at are running now I can’t understand how what with the cost of everything. When I worked for tommy it was the best job by far then we worked hard but got paid well for it.
Buf.
.
.
.
Kingtrucker143:
Lovely picture of five 111’s and an 88.
if you count the bales of straw on the scania 1 in from the right you will see it is 1 row higher than the rest that was ticker thomas who made it as far as slough and then knocked the top layer off on the m4!
Freighline became part of Curries, eventually the Bristol depot closed.