The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
retriever:
The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
Nothing to be sorry about with that pic retriever.A good nostalgic photo.
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
retriever:
The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
Nothing to be sorry about with that pic retriever.A good nostalgic photo.
Cheers Dave.
If you stopped in decent digs you were never lonely ! Quite the opposite, things could get fairly lively at times as there was usually one or two that you knew if you were on the “beaten track”.I think it is quite different in to-days sleeper cab world not to mention being terrified of having a pint nowadays! Cheers Bewick.
That was part of the job in those days, a bit daunting as a young lad just starting out, but it didn’t take to long to get to know where to and where not to go. 
It was good going in your local on the way home on Saturday launch time with your little battered case… I’m on long distance now even if all you had in the case was a couple of well used ESSO road maps.
retriever:
The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
Qaulity moody pic. Typical rigid driver though . . . taking up half the car park !!
Is that a Hansons motor ,bottom left ?
any one know where this is 
GAZ70:
any one know where this is
Liverpool? . . the drivers nipped in the cafe and his cab is being robbed!!
Lorry parks in town centres, that,s a rarity today 
Suedehead:
retriever:
The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
Qaulity moody pic. Typical rigid driver though . . . taking up half the car park !!
Is that a Hansons motor ,bottom left ?
Looks like a Rover 2000 to me!!!
Bewick:
[
If you stopped in decent digs you were never lonely ! Quite the opposite, things could get fairly lively at times as there was usually one or two that you knew if you were on the “beaten track”.I think it is quite different in to-days sleeper cab world not to mention being terrified of having a pint nowadays! Cheers Bewick.
That was true Bewick, about the digs, that is, but not too much different these days in France. Sleeper cabs yes, but the ‘digs’ still exist in the form of the good routiers. Communal meals, good food and good company. The only thing that spoils it a bit sometimes is the telly. 
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
retriever:
The loneliness of the long-distance driver of the past - park-up and off to the digs with the battered suitcase.
As photographed by Roger Kenney - copyright Roundoak Publishing (sorry about the grain - fast b/w film)
Nothing to be sorry about with that pic retriever.A good nostalgic photo.
Cheers Dave.If you stopped in decent digs you were never lonely ! Quite the opposite, things could get fairly lively at times as there was usually one or two that you knew if you were on the “beaten track”.I think it is quite different in to-days sleeper cab world not to mention being terrified of having a pint nowadays! Cheers Bewick.
Got to agree there dennis,lot
more cameraderie in them days,if you were in good digs,same drivers,all went out at night,happy days.
regards dave.
I have always acknowledged that as a teenager I was very fortunate to start as a mate with one of the finest,probably the best,8 wheeler and trailer drivers in the UK.His name is Eric Postlethwaite “Possy” and the motor,a Power Plus Octopus,was the last of this combination that T.Brady & Sons Ltd. operated,Athersmith Bros. of Barrow-in Furness carried on running 2 or 3 until the legislation altered.However,to get back on track regarding Digs,I didn’t have to learn the “hard way” as I was introduced to only first class establishments by “The Boss” !! We did however operate on regular routes “so to speak”,South Wales at the start of the week saw us at Walfords in Llansamlet (Mrs. Phillips),treat me like a son she did !! Then we used the Sunset at Penkridge a bit (very modern at that time in the 60’s), The Hollies,occaisionally and Durose in Newcastle,Stoke.We also used The Kelmscott in Chorley if we’d been tipping at W. Houghton.Can’t just re-call the digs in Glasgow we sometimes used occaisionally as Glasgow was usually a tip ( tarry coil to Paisley or sometime a lump into one of the Yards from Vickers Barrow) and straight back M/T for reloading during the night in Barrow Steel,usually for London and a another load of Coil for one of the cable manufactures (Blackheath I think).In London we used Silvertown Motel,again a very modern type of digs in the 60’s, and we did stay in Aldgate a few times if we had a load of Cellophane for a wharf.When we started loading Parent tissue reels for the new Bowater Scott mill in Barrow ex their mill in Northfleet we sometimes stayed in a dig in Gravesend but I forget the name !!! We were sent down to British Cellophane in Bridgewater occaisionally (usually to lift anything up to 28 tons) if traffic was busy and the Beavers and Comets couldn’t cope,I don’t think we were ever within the 32 ton limit the times we loaded from Bridgewater! anyway when we were down there we stayed at Woods Cafe North Petherton. Oh! and we sometimes stayed at The Shutonger,Tewkesbury now and again.Eric was well known throughout all these digs and I can never re-call not been able to stay at any of them,because they were full !! But he was always very decent and booked early,but if on the odd occaision we had to cancel,he did it ASAP so as not to deprive the Dig of a late booking ! A true gentleman if ever there was one,oh! and he,literally,had a photographic memory for telephone numbers,he had a mind like a modern day computer,just walk into a phone box and start ringing,no referring to his little book!!Those were the day’s,these youngsters haven’t got a clue how the job used to be done properly. Cheers Bewick
Suedehead:
GAZ70:
any one know where this isLiverpool? . . the drivers nipped in the cafe and his cab is being robbed!!
I remember staying at Mabels in Bootle close to Gladstone Dock , very good digs clean & good grub, The problem was when you parked up on the dock Road, the young Scousers asked If you wanted your wagon looked after while it was parked overnight, well you were oblidged to give them 2 Bob rather than a kick up the arse, I f you failed to pay them they would sabotage the wagon, Ive seen wagons with flat tyres, wipers missing, Etc. Regards Larry
Lawrence Dunbar:
I remember staying at Mabels in Bootle close to Gladstone Dock , very good digs clean & good grub, The problem was when you parked up on the dock Road, the young Scousers asked If you wanted your wagon looked after while it was parked overnight, well you were oblidged to give them 2 Bob rather than a kick up the arse, I f you failed to pay them they would sabotage the wagon, Ive seen wagons with flat tyres, wipers missing, Etc. Regards Larry
I bet it wasnt just in Liverpool this happened
BIGRIG:
Lawrence Dunbar:
I remember staying at Mabels in Bootle close to Gladstone Dock , very good digs clean & good grub, The problem was when you parked up on the dock Road, the young Scousers asked If you wanted your wagon looked after while it was parked overnight, well you were oblidged to give them 2 Bob rather than a kick up the arse, I f you failed to pay them they would sabotage the wagon, Ive seen wagons with flat tyres, wipers missing, Etc. Regards LarryI bet it wasnt just in Liverpool this happened
Glasgow,but if you didn’t pay there your motor probably could look like it had been attacked by the Apaches next morning!Bewick.
Aye, there were rascals in Glasgow allright,you had to lock your cab when making deliveries, otherwise some one would be into it, they would take anything that wasnt nailed down, even the blanket bonnet cover. Regards Larry.
Gateshead
Lawrence Dunbar:
Aye, there were rascals in Glasgow allright,you had to lock your cab when making deliveries, otherwise some one would be into it, they would take anything that wasnt nailed down, even the blanket bonnet cover. Regards Larry.
We once did a regular daily job from Storey bros. Lancaster to RDB Freightlines in Rutherglen and one day whilst the Big J was backed in on the bay with the cab sticking out in the road some little “scroat” slung the keys so we had to get the steering lock replaced before the motor could be moved ! Cheers Dennis.
Lawrence Dunbar:
I remember staying at Mabels in Bootle close to Gladstone Dock , very good digs clean & good grub, The problem was when you parked up on the dock Road, the young Scousers asked If you wanted your wagon looked after while it was parked overnight, well you were oblidged to give them 2 Bob rather than a kick up the arse, I f you failed to pay them they would sabotage the wagon, Ive seen wagons with flat tyres, wipers missing, Etc. Regards Larry
Aye,it was always better to pay up.
A driver from Sheffield who worked for Wheeler Road Transport parked up in Bootle loaded with sugar and told the little bleeders to p*ss off despite advice from other drivers.Next morning his trailer was surrounded by sugar,they had slit open every bottom bag…wide load springs to mind.