Found this forum yesterday,As a bloke who has been involved in trucks from the age of 20 it is very interesting.Started on the spanners for George Read at Mitcheldean then Uncle Richard at Longhope.Moved to Brum,Allenways coaches who also owned Hire Services tankers.Back to the forest to Soudley Valley Transport.Spotted by Richard when he came to look at buying Soudleys trucks, 
You guessed back to Richard, back to Brum,(New Wife) Missed the forest.Short spell for John James Transport at Lydbrook.Then into partnership with little brother in Brum.He slung his hook to Australia so i carred on building up to 4 tippersin my little fleet.Worked them at muckshifting then onto quarry work.RMC had opened a tarmac plant half a mile from my yard.We/brother and i have owned D series,fixed hed Leyland Bison,ERF tractor Foden 8 leggers Daf 8 legger but my favorite truck was My Constuctor.I put a 290 â– â– â– â– â– â– â– engine in,slightly tweaked,Empty it would clear Corley southbound at just under 70mph.I kept it for 13 years.Retired at 58 to live in Northern Cyprus.Came back in 2009.Have not been in a truck for 6 years.Do i miss them? NO.But i still whisper abuse at rival quarries trucks 
Hi leylandlover,
There’s a few members on here from the Forest of Dean on these forums.I drove tippers and hauled out of the then owned Mann-Abell quarries Gore and Dolyhir near Kington on the Welsh Border.We used to haul a lot of stuff down into Gloucestershire and beyond.I was hauling to the M5 stretch between Gloucester and Bristol when that was being built.A lot of tippers from the Forest were hauling there as well.
Cheers Dave.
Hi do you remember any of the ERFs of Healings flour mill allied mills coming into Richard reads and do you know anybody with any photos?cheers Flourpower.
Yes flowerpoweri do,Did you have a lady driver on the fleet? I rember a fitter from that company who lost his life working on a tipper on a farm late at night.
Some of the lorries we saw at Richard Read’s yard at Longhope leylandlover.
Cheers Dave.
Shame about the MAN,s 
Welcome leylandlover nice too have a new member. Great pictures as
Always Dave . Tony
leylandlover:
Shame about the MAN,s
I have downsized the pics to fit the screen leylandlover,but they haven’t re sized yet.Its a shame that the ERF and Foden are no longer made,but I suppose with Read’s being an agent its only natural that they went with M A N.
Cheer’s Dave.
I remember talking to Richard a few years ago about the demise of Leyland.He was trying to sell me an ERF.Itold him nobody used ERF,s for muckshifting as they had too many bits too low to the ground We parted good friends as always,he was a good boss. 
Richard Read did put three ERF’s into the Strinds quarry up this way hauling concrete blocks for Nash Rocks back in the late 1980’s.
There was rumours at the time the they were going to take over the tipper haulage,but nothing became of it.Shortly after he sold the block lorries to a local haulier.
Cheers Dave.