.
hi i started my drivin carrier at starrb roadway bilson on the 7.5 tonner ropin and sheeting they was taken over by stillers in the mid 90’s a proper transport firm what know gone like many others
Hiya…wow its nice to see jottings back on the front page…let me tell you i spoke to a chap maybe 4 weeks ago
his lad did the lgv at 18 he did 3 tests and was on the big stuff at 20. iicr he did the training with Bassets roadways.
his dad has always been into haulage and removals…at least i’ve found one who did the training.
John
hi lads,jim i finished work after 50years driving lorries at Van Hee transport,they had a training school for hgv and forklift truck, they also run an apprentice hgv driving training scheme. it was a joke the training staff would teach them the basic of driving and reversing, but they did not have a clue about roping and sheeting or how to secure a load correctly, it was only when they past onto the haulage side that they started to learn how to do the job the right,there was a few times that i refuse to take a trailer out for delivery because it had been load the wrong way by so called training staff, of the young lads that started their training only about 50% went on to be hvg drivers, some were disillusioned with the job or had accidents and left,it was the same when the NCB closed all the pits a lot of miners came to van hee for retraining and once again it was the haulage drivers that had to teach them the roping and sheeting part of the job, we even had to show them how to pick up and drop trailer, 
i don’t know if any of the other training schools did train new drivers in all aspects of the job, i know that the training that i got when learning to drive and load was from older drivers who had done the job for years,always remember been tolled its better to spent an hour longer to load and secure the load correctly, than spend 4hrs trying to put it back on down the road, 
bumper
mushroomman:
A couple of things lads. Where and when did the notion of the Knights of the Road begin? And did the Atkinson Knight grill badge have its beginnings in those tales of chivalry?..jimstravaiger
SENIOR MEMBERBrilliant story Jim, the only thing that I can add was that as a kid I seem to think that there was a Sunday newspaper which I think might of been The News Of The World and they used to have a column where people would nominate somebody who had helped them out on the road. For example, somebody helped me change a wheel in Gretna or Mr So and so gave me a jump start near Nottingham. I think that they sent out a silver knight’s helmet to The Good Samariten which was about the size of an R.A.C. badge so that the driver could display it on his badge bar, do you remember those ?.
I don’t know what or if there was a connection with Atkinson as this was in the early sixties but the badges were similar. This was in the days when the A.A. man would salute you whenever he saw your A.A. badge proudly displayed on your car.
Back in 1965 a workmate who had just come back from a camping holiday in Anglesey told me that he had broken down near Bangor in his Ford Anglia. The A.A. patrolman who used to stand by the A.A. box on The Menei Bridge came to his rescue and my friend asked him if he saluted every car that passed. The patrolman told him that on one occasion somebody had actually turned around and told him that he hadn’t saluted them.
This was presented to my dad in the 50s for his courteous and considerate driving in traffic, the passenger in the car behind him at the time was the then Chief Constable of Lancashire who observed his driving standards and nominated him for the award.
Jakdaw:
mushroomman:
A couple of things lads. Where and when did the notion of the Knights of the Road begin? And did the Atkinson Knight grill badge have its beginnings in those tales of chivalry?..jimstravaiger
SENIOR MEMBERBrilliant story Jim, the only thing that I can add was that as a kid I seem to think that there was a Sunday newspaper which I think might of been The News Of The World and they used to have a column where people would nominate somebody who had helped them out on the road. For example, somebody helped me change a wheel in Gretna or Mr So and so gave me a jump start near Nottingham. I think that they sent out a silver knight’s helmet to The Good Samariten which was about the size of an R.A.C. badge so that the driver could display it on his badge bar, do you remember those ?.
I don’t know what or if there was a connection with Atkinson as this was in the early sixties but the badges were similar. This was in the days when the A.A. man would salute you whenever he saw your A.A. badge proudly displayed on your car.
Back in 1965 a workmate who had just come back from a camping holiday in Anglesey told me that he had broken down near Bangor in his Ford Anglia. The A.A. patrolman who used to stand by the A.A. box on The Menei Bridge came to his rescue and my friend asked him if he saluted every car that passed. The patrolman told him that on one occasion somebody had actually turned around and told him that he hadn’t saluted themThis was presented to my dad in the 50s for his courteous and considerate driving in traffic, the passenger in the car behind him at the time was the then Chief Constable of Lancashire who observed his driving standards and nominated him for the award.
.
Jakdaw:
Jakdaw:
mushroomman:
A couple of things lads. Where and when did the notion of the Knights of the Road begin? And did the Atkinson Knight grill badge have its beginnings in those tales of chivalry?..jimstravaiger
SENIOR MEMBERBrilliant story Jim, the only thing that I can add was that as a kid I seem to think that there was a Sunday newspaper which I think might of been The News Of The World and they used to have a column where people would nominate somebody who had helped them out on the road. For example, somebody helped me change a wheel in Gretna or Mr So and so gave me a jump start near Nottingham. I think that they sent out a silver knight’s helmet to The Good Samariten which was about the size of an R.A.C. badge so that the driver could display it on his badge bar, do you remember those ?.
I don’t know what or if there was a connection with Atkinson as this was in the early sixties but the badges were similar. This was in the days when the A.A. man would salute you whenever he saw your A.A. badge proudly displayed on your car.
Back in 1965 a workmate who had just come back from a camping holiday in Anglesey told me that he had broken down near Bangor in his Ford Anglia. The A.A. patrolman who used to stand by the A.A. box on The Menei Bridge came to his rescue and my friend asked him if he saluted every car that passed. The patrolman told him that on one occasion somebody had actually turned around and told him that he hadn’t saluted themThis was presented to my dad in the 50s for his courteous and considerate driving in traffic, the passenger in the car behind him at the time was the then Chief Constable of Lancashire who observed his driving standards and nominated him for the award.
.
Ooops.
Gridley51:
Stravaiger returns.Notice him posting again so I thought I would resurrect this old thread of his.
First of all,where have you been Jim,been a bit long to have been sitting on the hard shoulder?
Secondly,passed Popeyes old place the other day and its gone.Flattened,soon there will be nothing but RDCs and industrial estates.
Thirdly,as I`m getting no response on the other forum,I passed aJim Hay of Turriff wagon the other day.Proudly sporting The Hay Team headboard.I thought he had gone,hopefully for good.
Mark.
hiya,
Did anyone on here ever load out of the Singer Sewing Machine Co at Clydebank and remember the loaders/slingers who used to ride on the load at great height and supposed to be fastened to the the overhead crane rope one of the better loading places very quick and handy had usually tipped steel at the shipyard just close by, the loads out of Singers was usually for shipping via Salford Docks handy work for a wag and drag not a lot of shunting about to do.
thanks harry long retired.
.
Apologies about the removal of the photographs folks but it was brought to my attention that some well intentioned person managed to exchange some for some of theirs. The mods inform me that as the pics were hosted by photobucket/tinypics then it’s not so difficult .
There remains one little problem.Although I wipe the pics, if someone has used the posts “quote”.then the replacement pic cannot be removed by me and will appear until the member who’s post it transfers to “edits” it out or has the mods do so.
I can only say I assure you that any silly/innapropriate/offensive photograph or video was NOT my doing…jim
hiya,
Time this cracking thread was brought to the fore, when I first started as a civilian driver in 1957 one of the rules was a driver had to take his rest period away from the vehicle and on several occasions I have known of drivers who used the “cab hotel” being woken by the police and ticketed whether fines were imposed or not I don’t know I never slept in the cab even when driving a sleeper cabbed job much to the amazement of some lads who couldn’t understand why I always toddled off to the digs i suppose this rule was either repealed or just forgotten when lorry cabs was was turned into sleepers, does anyone and you’ll have to be as ancient as me know when “cabbing it” became legal I know the BRS never allowed sleeping in the cab.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Time this cracking thread was brought to the fore, when I first started as a civilian driver in 1957 one of the rules was a driver had to take his rest period away from the vehicle and on several occasions I have known of drivers who used the “cab hotel” being woken by the police and ticketed whether fines were imposed or not I don’t know I never slept in the cab even when driving a sleeper cabbed job much to the amazement of some lads who couldn’t understand why I always toddled off to the digs i suppose this rule was either repealed or just forgotten when lorry cabs was was turned into sleepers, does anyone and you’ll have to be as ancient as me know when “cabbing it” became legal I know the BRS never allowed sleeping in the cab.
thanks harry long retired.
I’ve cabbed it in Albions,Leylands,AEC MK3s,MK5s and Mandators Harry and never had any bother.IIRC there was some agro with the union about cabbing it years ago,maybe the 70s,in the Liverpool area.
Chris Webb:
harry_gill:
hiya,
Time this cracking thread was brought to the fore, when I first started as a civilian driver in 1957 one of the rules was a driver had to take his rest period away from the vehicle and on several occasions I have known of drivers who used the “cab hotel” being woken by the police and ticketed whether fines were imposed or not I don’t know I never slept in the cab even when driving a sleeper cabbed job much to the amazement of some lads who couldn’t understand why I always toddled off to the digs i suppose this rule was either repealed or just forgotten when lorry cabs was was turned into sleepers, does anyone and you’ll have to be as ancient as me know when “cabbing it” became legal I know the BRS never allowed sleeping in the cab.
thanks harry long retired.I’ve cabbed it in Albions,Leylands,AEC MK3s,MK5s and Mandators Harry and never had any bother.IIRC there was some agro with the union about cabbing it years ago,maybe the 70s,in the Liverpool area.
hiya,
Chris the only time I sort of “cabbed it” was one Monday morning when I was young and had been partying all the previous day I was loaded with heated tallow and had to be at the unloading point in reasonable time so’s it would pump off reasonably easily still being warm having had the steam up it’s arse all the evening prior to my departure well I got almost there I think it was Port Sunlight when i decided to have half an hour’s kip did that and more woke up four and a bit hours later and yes the bloody stuff had become un-pumpable there was equipment there to warm it up but the Guvnor wasn’t best pleased and stopped me a days wages I suppose I was lucky I didn’t get the push but he did put me on the flats which was handball and ropes and sheets, serves me right eh’.
thanks harry long retired.
A few years ago the police descended on Hartshead Moor services in the wee small hours, woke up the guys who were “cabbing it” and took the lot down to Brighouse nick. Sleeper cabs were rare at that time.
Talking on sleeping in the cab, I remember being at a RHA. meeting when this subject was brought up. Some nob in the Dept of Whatever , were looking to bring regs, in so the driver had to so many inches away from the steering wheel.? I was never implimented, because the whole thing was a joke, It meant that a driver couldnt even stop for a normal break and have a kip sitting up in the seat. Regards Larry. Rules & regs. & it seems to be worse now, little wonder theres a shortage of proffesional drivers.Regards Larry
hiya,
Anybody remember the ESSO advert from the 60s, and who else drove about with a tiger’s tail tied round the filler tube on the derv tank, I seem to think it was narrated by an imitation Indian voiceover which went something like " I’ve got a tiger in my tank,anybody want to buy an elephant", funny I can’t remember what I had for my breakfast but I can trawl rubbish up from donkey’s year’s ago, a bit sad eh’.
thanks harry long retired.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Talking on sleeping in the cab, I remember being at a RHA. meeting when this subject was brought up. Some nob in the Dept of Whatever , were looking to bring regs, in so the driver had to so many inches away from the steering wheel.? I was never implimented, because the whole thing was a joke, It meant that a driver couldnt even stop for a normal break and have a kip sitting up in the seat. Regards Larry. Rules & regs. & it seems to be worse now, little wonder theres a shortage of proffesional drivers.Regards Larry
I remember sleeping at Peters at Hatfield, it was one big dorm room with wooden partitions around the beds, all the bed sheets were nylon and with all the static at lights out it looked like there was arc welding going on in there 
. It was about that time I gave up with digs and took to sleeping across the bonnet of the big j. We had sleeper cabs in the late 70’s early 80’s at BRS and although against union guidlines, at our branch at least we always slept in them !
harry_gill:
hiya,
Anybody remember the ESSO advert from the 60s, and who else drove about with a tiger’s tail tied round the filler tube on the derv tank, I seem to think it was narrated by an imitation Indian voiceover which went something like " I’ve got a tiger in my tank,anybody want to buy an elephant", funny I can’t remember what I had for my breakfast but I can trawl rubbish up from donkey’s year’s ago, a bit sad eh’.
thanks harry long retired.
My old tradesman constantly gave a decent rendition of the jingle… " The Esso sign means plenty overtime" 
when a new order for railway tanks arrived. Then there was the Al Capone bullet hole stickers and the… see what you’ve started now harry
hiya,
Signs of the times I don’t know whether government grants have been given, but a huge building not far fro me has been utilised for storage purposes total workforce a bird in a mini skirt a guy in a suit and two forklift drivers grand total of four workers, that hasn’t shortened the dole queue very much makes me wonder is anyone in Britain producing anything anymore or are we just storing and distributing goods made abroad no wonder the place is on it’s knees.
thanks harry long retired