Hi Balders, hope all is well with you mate…
Hope Buzzer doesn,t mind me answering your question, it was taken at Les Slaters old workshop in Northam
where we used to wash the trucks ( lorries ) every time home…Buzzer spent most of his time there in those days,
and even had his own phone line in Les,s workshop…
You must have great memories of that Tone.
I’d like to jump in one of those and do a quick Milan…
Via Mont Cenise of course ( is there any other way? )…
Happy days mate, but we have to leave it the youngn’s now… With auto boxes and computers.
You’ll never replace that feeling of going up and down the box with splitter and overdrive…
When you got it right you didn’t need a read out on a screen to tell you… And the joy of getting under the trailer and doing the slack adjusters…then finding you could actually press the brake and slow down a tiny bit on a mountain descent with an overloaded trailer and a useless exhauster…
Then it all changed… The roads and the trucks… e.g. Miguels to Irun… Frejus , Blanc or Brenner…
From single to twin track then just pull the lever back on an FH and cruise down no problem… Plenty of time to fiddle with air con or multi change cd to get your sounds right , or stream your playlist, phone the Mrs and post on FB whilst doing your nails and perusing the menu for that nights stop ( rather than doing a througher for Le Havre ) …
Happy days that won’t come again…
The boys these days don’t know they’re born.
Ha ha you crease me up Balders…lol
Yes mate, some great memories from that era, as we all have…
I was luckier than many in driving some decent wagons for Buzzer…and it wasn,t " all flash n no cash "
JD paid the going rate for the job, and often more…plus of course plenty of free breckies by the delightful Gill…
mappo:
Ha ha you crease me up Balders…lol
Yes mate, some great memories from that era, as we all have…
I was luckier than many in driving some decent wagons for Buzzer…and it wasn,t " all flash n no cash "
JD paid the going rate for the job, and often more…plus of course plenty of free breckies by the delightful Gill…
Tone old Balders is a case aint he, good job he now resides in the Emerald Isle he would be locked up over here, any way if I still had C789 she would have been 30yo this year how time fly’s eh, Cheers JD.
PS. had one of those breakfasts this morning Tone, 3 bacon, fried tater and fried egg on toast, proper job all done by the lovely Gill.
Blimey JD, was it really that long ago ■■
Makes yer realise just how old we,re getting now…never catch Charlie up though…lol
mappo:
Blimey JD, was it really that long ago ■■
Makes yer realise just how old we,re getting now…never catch Charlie up though…lol
That was a rotten remark Tone. Taking the urine out of an old pensioner who is down on his luck! However I shall turn the other cheek. I notice you don’t ridicule Buzzer. It’s no use. You won’t get your job back. Mind you he could do worse than employ you me and Jimmer. We could do the work of ten men between us eh? Think about it John. Regards Charlie 
Charlie employment of drivers is not my forte nowadays as you know I have moved on to Equine and Farming interests, as for Tone he wont take the ■■■■ out of me as I think he knows I can give back tenfold should he start, any way rumour has it he gave Fergie all his old sandals white socks and shorts to Fergie and that was the purpose of his visit to his gaff earlier this year and it has been reported in that famous French weekly “Anglaisimports” he has been seen parading in the early evening in the local hostilleries dressed in Tone’s old clobber much to the amusement of the locals, photographic evidence will surely leak out soon, Buzzer.
I had to give 'em away Buzzer, they don’t fit anymore…they’ve shrunk in the wash…
Or just maybe I’ve turned into a fat old git… 
Buzzer:
HRS:
Hi all,
Wow !!! what a trip down memory lane this site has given me, great stuff !.
A lot of the trucks I am seeing I sold to many years ago and some i understand are still working, bit like me.
After driving i spent over 30 years selling trucks in and arround Southampton and retired to Scotland in 2007 but after 4 months found myself behind the wheel for a few days a week, sad or what at 70+.
Great site,
HarveyHarvey first of all welcome to this thread, your name instantly makes me think you worked for Princes commercials in Millbrook but am I right ? if you are that said person you would definitely know me John Davies now retired like you but we are still at it with my two sons running the company.
Also I bought my first new Volvo Globetrotter from Princes from a pimple faced junior Roger Leppard and that was in 1986, we went on to buy over one hundred new Volvo’s through them over the years but now have switched marks to Scania.
Well if you are not the Harvey I am thinking of at least you know a bit of history of Davies International Transport as it is now known. please put me out of my misery and confirm your identity and for whom you sold trucks, regards John Davies aka Buzzer on TNUK.
You sure were a brave man John,100 Volvos 
It was the reverse at Bewick Transport 100 Scanias or there about’s and a few Volvos sprinkled in over the years. Long gone times in a different era which I sure would not exchange with to-days operators. Cheers Dennis.
Hello John/Buzzer,
Yes you have the right Harvey, remember the AEC Mandator, and you went and broke it, overseas if I recall.I bought it from a brewery in Alton.
I was with Princes from 74 untill 84.
Thanks for the welcome and good to hear you are well.
Harvey
Buzzer:
Jimski what you mean (nought wrong with a Merc) you did mean Stuttgart hillstopper did you, you obviously never drove on or you would know.
Reliable they may have been but they were no mountaineers, Buzzer.
Buzzer when I say nowt wrong with a Merc I talk from experience NOT in the truck world but car world as I’ve been running Mercs for 13 years now 80 thou last year 106 thou for a year is the record more than I ever did with heavy’s yes their brilliant !! You should try em John
Hope to see you at the roundup ! 
DEANB you got me there with that Crusader as I can remember that being delivered brand new to Sqiubb’s one night when they were in a yard at Chandlers ford from I believe Lex Tillotsons of Redbridge now Moreys DAF. at the time I was driving a GUY Big J for Squibbs but I never lasted long there but that old GUY would do touching 80mph if you wound her up but a lot less traffic about back then. Buzzer.
Buzzer:
DEANB you got me there with that Crusader as I can remember that being delivered brand new to Sqiubb’s one night when they were in a yard at Chandlers ford from I believe Lex Tillotsons of Redbridge now Moreys DAF. at the time I was driving a GUY Big J for Squibbs but I never lasted long there but that old GUY would do touching 80mph if you wound her up but a lot less traffic about back then. Buzzer.
I always enjoys Buzzer’s contributions! And be under no illusion, ye pre-limiter drivers and those who are too quick to cry ‘bull-■■■■’: Buzzer is right, those old wagons could seriously fly. Dammit, even in the early eighties it was nothing to drive nose-to-tail up the M1 on a Friday night at 70 to 75 mph in a fully-freighted artic, even though their bhp was trifling compared with today. I took out a Transcon that could do 90+ according to its regular drivers but I sh=t out at 85 because I knew that Transcon brakes were useless and because I was scared of ‘throwing’ treads on dodgy tires. But oh, such happy days. Robert
Well Robert… I wouldn’t condone that sort of reckless behaviour… 
Although , joking apart , the old speed limiter must have saved a few lives…
You’re right about Transcon brakes… A design fault… Surely, if you can make it go you should also be able to stop… Perhaps Adrian Newey should design trucks…
However, I digress.
My most vivid memory of those unrestricted days was heading down to Tankerville , pre roundabouts and twin track… In a Foden freighted with rubber . A load that many on this thread will know… Trying to get a good run up that hill…
Not sure what speed… Mad stuff in hindsight, and plenty to talk about at The Forge…
A bit different now… Out of Lu Arve negotiate a roundabout and into cruise on twin track…nice, but I know which one I prefer
Baldrick1953:
Well Robert… I wouldn’t condone that sort of reckless behaviour…
Although , joking apart , the old speed limiter must have saved a few lives…You’re right about Transcon brakes… A design fault… Surely, if you can make it go you should also be able to stop… Perhaps Andrew Newey should design trucks…
However, I digress.
My most vivid memory of those unrestricted days was heading down to Tankerville , pre roundabouts and twin track… In a Foden freighted with rubber . A load that many on this thread will know… Trying to get a good run up that hill…
Not sure what speed… Mad stuff in hindsight, and plenty to talk about at The Forge…
A bit different now… Out of Lu Arve negotiate a roundabout and into cruise on twin track…nice, but I know which one I prefer
Those Tankerville loads - would that be Vistalon out of ND Gravenchon in the Exxon-Mobil factory complex? I know I used regularly to pick up loads out of there when returning empty from Europe and tip in Stockport, shipping in via Le Havre (nice restaurant/bar on the dockside there - even more scope for recklessness: happy days!). Robert
Christ it works
Hello Soton Boys, 2 Photos of Robert Baillie Atkinsons. I know they are
not Southampton,but they are Hampshire. Take a look at the radiator
blind, necessary in the winter, I cant remember whether the Mark 1
Atkinsons had cab Heaters. Reg No OPN 26F had a 180 Gardner engine,
but I cant identify the other one. Both photos were taken in Baillies
yard at Chapel Lane, Wigan. Regards, Ray.
not Southampton,but they are Hampshire. Take a look at the radiator
blind, necessary in the winter, I cant remember whether the Mark 1
Atkinsons had cab Heaters. Reg No OPN 26F had a 180 Gardner engine,
but I cant identify the other one. Both photos were taken in Baillies
yard at Chapel Lane, Wigan. Regards, Ray.
HRS:
Hello John/Buzzer,
Yes you have the right Harvey, remember the AEC Mandator, and you went and broke it, overseas if I recall.I bought it from a brewery in Alton.
I was with Princes from 74 untill 84.
Thanks for the welcome and good to hear you are well.
Harvey
Harvey I remember the AEC Mandator £1000 plus the dreaded I bought ex Harp lager, in the cab was jack, wheel brace, ear defenders and that was nearly 40 years ago, remember when I looked round the old girl I thought the fuel gage was broken but apparently not the case as Harp always when selling a motor filled them to the brim, in most other cases you would be lucky to get to the nearest garage without running out. Just for old times sake here is a picture of said AEC with James my son in front of the old girl after I had hand painted her green which was my chosen colour back then, and he is shaping up for his foutieth birthday in the not too distant future, all the best Buzzer.
PS. stick some pictures of what you drive now sure to be of interest.
