Does anybody know what it,s like trying to get offloaded these days. Do you still have to drownd a couple of scouses.I remeber a tipper driver putting a load of coal into the docks, shouting steal that you idle B======s.drove of leaving tickets blowing in the wind
thats funny
I remember many years ago probably 1960 ish arriving at I think the Canada dock with a load of 9 gallon kegs of export beer.All on the floor of course.Up comes the forklift with a load of pallets which he drops about ten feet from the trailer He was closely followed by about five checkers.who proceed to make themselves comfortable around and about.I had about six inches of space on the back.It took me about three hours to tip and not one ounce of help did I have.Ever since then I have always had a great regard for dockers.
charlie one:
I remember many years ago probably 1960 ish arriving at I think the Canada dock with a load of 9 gallon kegs of export beer.All on the floor of course.Up comes the forklift with a load of pallets which he drops about ten feet from the trailer He was closely followed by about five checkers.who proceed to make themselves comfortable around and about.I had about six inches of space on the back.It took me about three hours to tip and not one ounce of help did I have.
'Kin 'ell Charlie you were jammy getting the pallets brought to your wagon. I worked for Fred Davies in the 60s and we were always in the L/pool docks either tipping or loading. One day I had 25t of brewing sugars in paper bags to Gladstone dock and when I finally got a speck to tip I had to go and drag the dock pallets (those 'kin big heavy ones) round the wagon and handball the bags onto the pallets myself. When I did eventually get finished, as if by magic, a docker came from behind one of the posts in the shed, wetting the lead of his pencil in his mouth and saying “how many bags and what weight didjeraveon Davo?” I asked him why he wanted to know and he said “it’s soze I can book me tonnage for me bonus lah” he said. This was an every day occurrence at L/pool and Birkenhead docks as anyone who as had the misfortune to go there will tell you, there was never any help from any of the dockers…I tell a lie, I once saw a Scot come in one of the docks with a load of whisky. One of the dockers got on top of the load and dropped a few cases of scotch off the wagon onto the floor breaking the contents. I have never seen the dockers move so quickly with all sorts of containers to get a share of the whisky then vanish again. 
charlie one:
I remember many years ago probably 1960 ish arriving at I think the Canada dock with a load of 9 gallon kegs of export beer.All on the floor of course.Up comes the forklift with a load of pallets which he drops about ten feet from the trailer He was closely followed by about five checkers.who proceed to make themselves comfortable around and about.I had about six inches of space on the back.It took me about three hours to tip and not one ounce of help did I have.Ever since then I have always had a great regard for dockers.
Me too Charlie 
.
Must have told these tales before but when we get to our age we’re allowed ain’t we?
Raleigh bikes flat packed stacked high on a flat trailer with duckboards which made the load 9’ wide. Had to take the 2 40’ square sheets off myself and fold them - fair enough, my job, and another driver helped me throw them back on afterwards.
But then I had to climb on top of this wobbly load and kick each stack to the floor before climbing down and stacking them all neatly in the warehouse. Then back up again time after time 'till the job was done. No help at all, just an eagle eyed checker with a clipboard and a mug of tea.
Stanton pipes, those long small guage iron ones which were loaded in a pyramid stack and roped every layer as well as over the top. Craned off several at a time with multi chains and little hooks. Driver hooks all those one end then tip toes along the stack to hook the others on. Then stands back. One driver, from Ensor’s of Burton was killed when he hooked 2 pipes odd ended and the resulting chaos swept him off the trailer and under the falling pipes. Despite our vigorous protests this dangerous practice continued although if there were 2 Econofreight drivers in the docks at the same time we would halt our own jobs to help each other out.
One carton of something.
‘Where do you want it mate?’ I said.
'You’ll have to wait ‘till the gang arrives’
‘But I can chuck it off, no bother.’
‘No, you have to wait’
‘But what if I chuck it off anyway?’
'‘We’ll stop the job.’
I waited the best part of a day to get rid of that box, all because they were on a different bonus rate that day.
Whisky. Revenge . In 1966 I brought a load of handball whisky down from Dumbarton Bond to the docks. Arriving around 5 or 6 pm I was ready for parking up for the night and tipping in the morning having, as was usual with Ilkeston Haulage, had very little kip in the preceding few days. Not a bit of it, the dockers were on a tip everything quick bonus and wanted the load off there and then. I parked in the bonded warehouse and took off and carefully 
folded all my sheets and neatly coiled the ropes. Then they demanded £5 for labour from the Pool to help get the stuff off. I only had a tenner so went off to find some change while they organised the labour. Went in the first pub on the Dock Rd. and bought a pint to get the change. Noticed the World Cup on the TV in the bar so settled down to watch the match - all the match. 
. Strolled back into the docks to find an empty trailer and some sweating dockers, lifted my sheets and ropes on board, collected my notes, handed over the fiver and departed. A very happy driver.
Can’t even remember who won the match 
.
I resisted the temptation Charlie at the start of this rant to say ‘don’t get me started’, because I knew you would - and did.
Great posting David.I could go on all day about docks.There were only about two or three I liked going to.Glasson Dock.Watchet Dock and Lowerstoft Dock.Always had plenty of help and friendly guys.
Canada and Gladstone Liverpool and Vittoria at Birkenhead were all ■■■■■ as far as I was concerned.I could rant on and on but it was fourty years ago.
Still got bad memories of all three.
What a change to go to Goole,Boston and Kings Lynn. Hull was ok for a start but went downhill in the late 60’s and got like Liverpool.
Just a tiny edit to keep the auto censor happy, you were right though. D
I think one of the worst jobs used to be loading the fishmeal in hesian bags.They used to hoist it out of the ships hold and dump it on your trl on them big plts.Then they used to stand there and watch you.After loading that stuff you were deff johney no mates,you stunk like a polecat.Dont know which was worst,fishmeal,carbon black or loading bales when you wasn,t used to it with the gravity cranes.
Now then Dafdave.I can remember loading fishmeal in Hull many years ago.Myself and another of our drivers decided to run to Doncaster for the night.On arrival at the digs,the woman turned us away saying"I could smell you coming up the street" My sheets stunk for months afterwards. 
Aye charlie them were the days.
Fishmeal , Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh. If I phoned for a return load and they mentioned that awful word then I would throw the phone down and run!!
It wasn’t that I was a coward, it was just that…Well yes I was.
TIR Original:
Fishmeal , Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh. If I phoned for a return load and they mentioned that awful word then I would throw the phone down and run!!
It wasn’t that I was a coward, it was just that…Well yes I was.
Once got a lift from Goole to Woodhall services when fiddling home with one of Hull Fish Meal wagons and got my own table in t’pub.
A few days later one of Prosper de Mulders from Bentley,Doncaster picked me up on his way to Silvertown and that was even worse.
Mind you “A third class ride is better than a first class walk”.
dont mention fish meal to me 
i took a load from liverpool to northallerton on tuesday the trailer still ■■■■■■ stinks,
You know who your real friends are when youv’e been carrying fish meal
i Remember loading 20 tons 12 stone bags of bone grist in liverpool docks on behalf of Stewart Cameron not too bad if theres a few of you to help each other load 
smelly job ,
Imagine that happening nowadays 
stuart cameron !!.now theres a name i aint heard in a while,are
they still going ?.was with me dad in seaforth s2 late 70’s and one of their f86
artics was loading sacks of nuts,i watched him rope and sheet it to as
near perfection as you can get.me dad was loadin cases of copper tube
with a few tins of catering corned beef smuggled inbetween.a few days later
the same tins were condemed on national tv as a bad batch from
brazil 
I remember loading bone meal with many of the bags split open.Dust everywhere.Later that week listening on the radio about the dangers of anthrax through handling bone meal! Spent a week scrubbing meself all over.
.
Can anyone remember the proposal put forward by the dockers regarding driving of lorries within the dock areas.It went like this.All lorries having any work in the dock area would report to a central area.A docker who had been trained up would then drive the vehicule into the dock area with the driver sitting at his side.i was asked by a delegate what I thought of the idea. I said “Youv’e worked yourself out of a job and now you want mine.Go away in short jerky movements.” Did I reply correctly?
I remember that Charlie and yes your reply was correct.
Cheeky sods.