I wish to thank Ash, who still remembers when I met him. Thanks to trucknet for a wonderful site. (Does anyone remember asian driver Roger?)
I am Roger real name Satish Kumar. Trucking was never in my blood, what happened was that I lost my job in January 1976 & I ended at the labour exchange. I was offered HGV Class 1 job and he asked me if I’ve rope and sheet experience. (I didnt knew what HGV Class 1 was, thinking its something to do with sheet metal, I noded my head as yes.) I went for interview at local company. Manager asked me for my driving licences, I said they got lost and have applied for duplicate. I was still confused why is he asking me for driving licences, when as I understood its something to do with fork lifts. Anyway he gave me the job and said to start at 6 in the morning as I’ll be going with another guy. Following morning big guy was waiting for me in Bedford tk with a flat bed trailer, he said jump in and said its a easy day as we only have one load to deliver in dagenham. He said he’ll drive to Bowater Scott where load of andrex will be loaded. He asked me my name, I said Satish Kumar, he goes nice to meet you Sataachgsf Cubaa, I said, call me Roger. It started to come in my mind that this is a truck driving job. After it was loaded he said, he’ll go and collect paper and asked me to sheet it. I had no idea but soon he was back and showed me how to put a dolly in rope. He drove to Dagenham and after tipping, he asked me to drive. I prayed lord and navigated the Bedford home in one piece. Day was over by 11am, and I was told by manager that I will be on my own from tomorrow. On my way to home, I buyed articulated toy truck & started to learn the reverse manouvers. I then started to practice the sheeting by throwing bed sheet over bed headboard. I was there for 3 months before he realised I had no licences. He informed cops and in court I got away lightly with a fine of £30. There was nothing on earth going to stop me from driving trucks, I applied for provisional HGV1 and on 20th December 1976, gave my test at Gillingham test centre, I passed first time… Reeve Transport was looking for HGV 1 driver and I applied for job. They were based in yard of Horton Kirby Paper Mills, Farningham. Bert Reeve said that as I am a new driver, he wont risk putting me on artics and instead he put me on flat bed 4 wheeler AEC, I enjoyed driving that for 6 weeks and then I was put on artics, my first truck was MAN 16.232 reg number STX 274M, day cab hauling AGA trailers all over UK, Thats when I had misfortune in communicating with Mr Russ Mcnally who was a transport clerk at AGA. Soon after that Bert Reeve gained confidence in me and I was given MAN 16.280 reg number LJS 876S.
Reeves then moved to Station Yard in Erith where Russ joined em and I didnt get on well with him, so before they moved to Bilton Road, I quit… I did for time to time worked for him doing odd jobs, not forgeting the trunking for International Stores Swanley to Yeovil. One day Bert Reeve called me to ask, if I am available to do a run down to Florence for Defoy Int. That was my first trip on continent although done many change overs at Ostend port for AGA. I took Deofy trailer to Florence through ventimilia, Bert wouldn’t let me use Mont Blanc saying its too dangerous. I left Florence with other Defoy drivers who used Mont Blanc and I used ventimilia and came back in defoy yard in Belvedere ahead of others which surprised Mr Peter Danzie. As I was looking for permanent work, I asked Mr Danzie if any he can offer me a job. he said, he has a list long enough to keep the company going for 2 years,… funny though as he called me within 4 hours to attend interview. At interview he said, Ok Roger, welcome to Defoy, you are going to Italy leaving tomorrow afternoon. he continued, this is your French permit, this is your italian permit and this is your italian permit. I looked at him and questioned, why do I need 2 italian permits? He looked around and said, ever heard of a mickey mouse permit. I said I have heard of mickey mouse in cartoons.
Mr danzie replied, welcome to Defoy land, and I was given Scania 111. Never looked back and continued to make friends along the road and also did help a few. I remember I pulled into ELF service area outside paris once and saw a lady standing next to Scania 111 with cab tilted on english plates, I asked her whats wrong, she replied, her husband has gone to make some phone calls, as diesel pipe has split., I always carried spare, so I offered one of the spare pipes i had. When I came after a wash, this guy was really pleased and he tried to offer me £3 which I refused for diesel pipe., but he really wanted to pay for it, so I took £1 to keep him happy, Defoy was going strong, when Hamish joined em, for some reason Hamish was saving the Italian used permits under his bunk. Unfortunately he was killed in accident in genoa and Italians found the permits. That was the downfall of Defoy. I then joined BJ Meyers and also worked for fat twit called Ralph Davies in Cheltenham. Ralph was happy with my work and offered me a Scania which I refused as I was now a fan of F16, so I had R666 RDF, and over the months I noticed that wages was somehow not right. For ralph I covered Portugal, Spain, and other european countries. I also worked for G&S Int hauling IBM computers from Gourock to Madrid and many more. Another clown by name of Barry Reed who was running BFR Refridgrated Transport from Coventry Airport took me on in january 2000. With him I was staying in Spain most of the time bringing loaded trailers into France and changing over for back into Spain or Portugal. He went bust in October 2000 owing me £1500+ , which I never got. Finally I stopped International routes in Oct 2000. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all … Ray Biggar a good friend with whom I worked at Reeves, Defoy & BJ Meyers is greatly missed. Any pics of Defoy will be greatly appreciated…Thanks.
Hi Roger and welcome to trucknet.
Hi Eaglaforce
Roger , that is surely one of the best Christmas tales , good idea throwing the bed sheet over your bed , we all had to learn semewhere sometimes with disasterous results , with me I would get awful bollockings from the shed foreman about the state of either my rolled up sheets or the load Id just brought in , but you learnt didnt you after it took longer to undo the dollies than it did to tie them up. Licence wise I laughed at you driving without an HGV for 3 months before they sussed you , Priceless . In the days before the HGV you only produced your normal licence which had heavy car on it , and then qualified for HGV between 69 to 70 with whatever you were driving at the time , which got called Gradfather rights . There was a story of a driver producing a licence for an invalid carrage as he had a calliper on one leg but had been driving Lorries for years .
Great stuff Roger , follow through with some more .
Frenchy
Hi Bullitt & Frenchy…,… Thanks for your kind remarks, on RFS I do remember Squeeky who always had a young coloured girl with him and Ray Bigger once joked to him saying, dont you think she will look better with Roger. (It was at a time when we use to do night trunk for International from Swanley to Yeovil). Squeeky shouted back at Ray saying, she’s like daughter to me…
When Reeves changed to RFS, I did few trips from Europa Erith to Europa Paris & Lyon with odd runs to Brussels, where Reeves had a caravan. My best ever trip that I remember was with Defoy, it was during christmas 1981, normaly departing from Defoy’s yard was on Tuesday afternoon to Florence, but somehow load from UK got delayed and Mr Danzie said, Roger you’ll be having Scania 141 for the trip, it’ll be change over of trailers in Florence, 10 tons going out and 6 tons of shoes coming back. I told security guy to ring me at home once the trailer for Italy is in. He called me at 3-30am on Wednesday 23/12. I got into Calais at 7am and loved the roaring sound of V8, I crossed paris and came off at Fontainblau (sorry cant spell right) followed old N6 and soon got stuck behind 4 trucks, 2 of Carna and other 2 were on irish plates. I had CB on and was listening to their conversations, aparently one of em just broke up with his girl friend and others were trying to cheer him up. I never spoke on CB
I pulled out to overtake one just before a village and saw the ■■■■ lights change to red, so I pulled back. He shouted, theres a blue scania acting suspiciously behind my back door, all I was interested was in their front door. Soon I got passed em and hit Florence at 01-00 on Thursday 24/12. I was woken by Pepe the warehouse man in Florence at 7-30am who gave me papers for my trailer back to UK and gave me 500,000 Lire, normal man only gave 250,000 Lire as running money, so I just took it and made a quick getaway from there. I hit St Omer peage at 02.00 and would you believe me 2 jondons, (gendarmeries) pulled me over. I said merry christmas and he replied, yaa thankyou… papers. I handed papers and then he said DISC. I pulled disc out and gave to him, he said, yesterdays, I said its in there. He took it in headlights of truck and started to spin it around. Then he turned to his friend and both couldnt stop laughing. I said, whats funny? He said, 1200FF. I said, how about 100FF… so he climbed onto the footwell and said, NO, we are 2, so 500FF. I said, deal provided that you sign the back of my disc. I gave em 500FF and he signed it. To date I still have the disc photographed and framed. Good old days will never come back. "happy New Year friends and god bless you all…!!!
hi their eagleforce you mentioned that you once worked for barry reed,is it the same barry that had BBR international from bridlington,blue & white trucks if so you say that he went bust,are you sure because if i remember rightly he just sold up.i think he sold some trucks & trailers to mathews at newport nr hull & as far as i now they went bust.
164480:
hi their eagleforce you mentioned that you once worked for barry reed,is it the same barry that had BBR international from bridlington,blue & white trucks if so you say that he went bust,are you sure because if i remember rightly he just sold up.i think he sold some trucks & trailers to mathews at newport nr hull & as far as i now they went bust.
I dont think it is the same Barry Reed one six four 
Barry had a regular job with Huttons and Hull Ships stores when he started before getting into it in a big way. When he retired Ken bought his company. Ken Matthews didnt go bang either, he just closed the business and works for a tank company now.
I think Eagleforce was talking about BFR and not BBR
Hi Roger, am thrilled to see you once again. I hang up my trucking boots after I went for interview with company called HERCOCK International, Leicester.
On ma way out BArSTewARDS had smeared the door knob with grease.
That was real bad racisim smell, and I quit the industry. Doing well now I’ve a corner shop in Leicester, will pm you phone number. 
love ya style of bedsheets learning into rope n sheet. take care buddy…
hi guys
please dont muddle up this Roger and Roger Haywood Bert Reeves in Horton kirby is not far from Where Roger Haywood lives so the other Roger you must know Roger Haywood if your all confused he drove some of the hire box wagons from swanley for Bert Reeves part time night runs with produce for Safeways ring a bell
The real Roger Haywood
i worked for RFS when ol bert and rosemary were in Bilton road. george dole was doing the greek run from DAP removals, and i was working for adrian who had the international work. Russ was only a boy, still is, and rumour had it that russ was giving rosemary a seeing too, and bert was giving russ a seeing too ha ha ha .
Bert called a meeting one sunday, for all the drivers, and said that a lot of money was owed to the tax man, and how would we like to pay it…to which i replied, bert, sorry, but i am employed by you. and you are responsible for my tax, and all the other drivers as well, and seeing as you are wasting my time, and the pubs are open, ill see you later…i never heard anymore.