Hi, is there any guys on here who used to drive for any of the old cornish hauliers, I used to drive for Rowe & co back in the eighties, great memories and worked with some brilliant characters, also does anyone know of the group that meets once a month at Redruth rugby club ?
Be great to hear some info
Kev
kwakerkev:
Hi, is there any guys on here who used to drive for any of the old cornish hauliers, I used to drive for Rowe & co back in the eighties, great memories and worked with some brilliant characters, also does anyone know of the group that meets once a month at Redruth rugby club ?Be great to hear some info
Kev
Hi Kev, took my test in Redruth and past 1st time after doing two weeks training with the RTITB who ran there trucks out of the brother Groses yard in St Austell. This was through ■■■■ Benney from Helston who in the day had a bit of trouble with the law of the day, but on Bodmin they did not have much better else to do but try and hassle us working hard with two log books on the go most of the time. Stayed there for a year working up and down the country milk powder out of Cambourne and spuds and broccoli in the seasons and back loading animal feeds out of Avonmouth for Cornwall farmers.
Remember some names of the day Riviera, R&O who in the day had a huge fleet plus many others who’s names don’t spring instantly to mind but it was in the early 70’s so long time ago now. Still speak to Richard Benny every now and then, but it was Sue his wife who kept things together sadly no longer here.
Had some memorable lockins in the pubs of the area but no one seemed to bothered but then we were not causing havock when we finished, just went home to bed.
Came home and built up my own company which is still going strong today although I have retired and my two sons run it now. There is a Cornish thread on TNUK but there doesent seem to be any one posting on it now, perhaps the transport is in decline down there now but we do reciprocate work with Conway Baily nowadays, well that’s enough reminiscing for now, loved the place but if you aint born there you aint Cornish, cheers Buzzer.
Rowe and co were a very big concern down in Cornwall but what actually happenned to them?
lawrence2765:
Rowe and co were a very big concern down in Cornwall but what actually happenned to them?
Did they not start off in farming then moved to transport to move there own goods and it grew from there, maybe some one will know Buzzer.
Another name just come to mind was Christopher Miners, remember him when he got a brand new F86 six wheeler and she was always well freighted.
Hi Buzzer, Yes I took my test with what was then Cornwall Transport Training and ran out of the yard beside Groses, took my test in 1985 on a ford D series which had a two speed axle and was a pig to catch right in gear changes sometimes I recall, but passed my test first time, all paid for by Rowe & Co.
My first job within a couple of hours of passing my test was home get changed and off up to our Exeter depot driving a Volvo F10 pulling a flat trailer, all roped and sheeted with 20 ton of Cornish new potatoes !! those were the days, talk about baptism of fire, the A30 wasn’t all dual carriageway in those days either, down through Okehampton etc and many other villages in those days, but it made me learn very quick.
I remember ■■■■ Benney transport, along with Christopher Miners transport, Bassett Transport, Hichens Transport and many others, very fond memories of the time and guess they will always live with me.
I could talk about it for hours but will save some for another time, sounds as if you are still within the haulage business and thats great news, hope the success continues.
I am still doing some driving but a lot easier these days, I work for a Commercial vehicle main dealer and take vehicles to and from the MOT station etc and deliver and collect trucks from customers so its all comparitevely easy stuff.
all the best and hope to hear from you soon, Kev.
Buzzer:
lawrence2765:
Rowe and co were a very big concern down in Cornwall but what actually happenned to them?
Did they not start off in farming then moved to transport to move there own goods and it grew from there, maybe some one will know Buzzer.
Another name just come to mind was Christopher Miners, remember him when he got a brand new F86 six wheeler and she was always well freighted.
Yes Rowe & Co were a very big concern, they were big farmers and did used to transport a lot of their own produce all over the country but started i believe with a retail outlet in Cardiff originally, but the business was built into quite an empire, one of the largest fruit and vegetable importers in the country.
I worked for them right up until they sold the wholesale fruit and vegetable business to the Fyffes group, a very shrewd business decision I seem to recall, did it just at the right time, very good move at that particular time.
However the Rowe family continued to run R&R Transport, which carried on with general haulage until a few years ago sold that out to Conway Bailey transport who still run it to this day and still under the name R&R.
I’ve sent you a PM Kev.
The real question kwakerkev is do you remember Layby Transport from Launceston? Now there was an outfit.
I probably met you at Rowes because I had a spell working for Torbay Freight and although it was normally Roly the shunter that did the Cornwall deliveries when we had a full load for Rowes we would gets sent straight on down with it. Proper times they were.
David
In fact you are bound to remember Black Victor who, one time and another, worked for about every haulier that there was in Cornwall - as well as a good spell in North Devon at Tolley and Smail. I see him pretty regular because he has been working for my mate at Cannon Commercials in Newton. Don’t know if you know but the poor old beggar had a stroke in January time and I think they have pulled his licence. Shame because he had just done the CPC by sleeping through every lesson! 
David
I used to see Victor on the Plymouth-Roscoff crossing when I worked for Dave Boaden doing the Contico job. Years before he had a fine Transconti bearing the Blue Mule name on the front. There’s a great picture on this chap’s Flickr pages of Victor and Bobby Barnard outside Victor’s place up by Carn Brea Leisure Centre with the Ford and Bobby’s F88 (and some impressive flared trousers!)
flickr.com/photos/47693471@N07/sets/
Also did a bit for Rowe/R&R during the 90s. My first trip for Rowe was up to Cardiff with compressors from CompAir in that last green F12 they had. Parked for the night near the wharfs and woke up next morning to find the rearmost sheet on the floor and a whole crate of hammerjacks missing. Neil Barrett wasn’t very impressed when I rung them up a short while later! Later on, before Mark took over R&R, I drove whatever truck needed a driver, like this old Wendy House FL/
Though I miss Cornwall I don’t miss many of those Cornish hauliers, certain of them didn’t realise that slavery had been outlawed a fair few years ago 
~ Craig
Great pictures on that site Craig and a load of memories.
Couldn’t find the picture of our Victor, though.
David
David Miller:
Great pictures on that site Craig and a load of memories.Couldn’t find the picture of our Victor, though.
David
The pic is somewhere in the Cornish Lorries section David. Our internet is running slower than my old man’s Albion so I’m struggling to look through all the photos at present. If I find the photo I’ll post up a link.
Craig
what was the company from Helston called went down early 00s ■■? …think their surname was James .
There he is!
Thank you Craig. I’ve sent a copy to Cannon for the Tea Room notice board!
David
kwakerkev:
Hi, is there any guys on here who used to drive for any of the old cornish hauliers, I used to drive for Rowe & co back in the eighties, great memories and worked with some brilliant characters, also does anyone know of the group that meets once a month at Redruth rugby club ?Be great to hear some info
Kev
Hi the group meets at Redruth rugby club TR15 1SY on the first Friday of the mouth [Not January] next meeting 3/4/15 19;30 20;00 start all welcome
Sammy Lee-Jose:
kwakerkev:
Hi, is there any guys on here who used to drive for any of the old cornish hauliers, I used to drive for Rowe & co back in the eighties, great memories and worked with some brilliant characters, also does anyone know of the group that meets once a month at Redruth rugby club ?Be great to hear some info
Kev
Hi the group meets at Redruth rugby club TR15 1SY on the first Friday of the mouth [Not January] next meeting 3/4/15 19;30 20;00 start all welcome
Have you seen Cornish Lorries on Facebook lots of photos
I well remember Hichens from Penzance one driver I remember was called Vivien, rather an unusual name for a bloke in the late fifties/ early sixties he drove a mk 3 AEC 8 wheeler, one of the loads he used to collect was 15 ton of tin from Geivor ( not sure about the spelling) tin mine for Liverpool ,and then backload out of Turners Asbestos in Trafford Park ( that’s where I got to know the firm) there was also another driver I knew was called Ken , he had a AEC Mercury (always used to wear a black beret) nice guy .they probably will have passed on by now, I was only 15 or 16 at the time when I was a drivers mate on a 1952 Leyland Octopus, which could only do 30 mph .coming back from Cornwall one night we met up with Vivien at Weavers cafe on the A38 at Worcester, he had his 15 ton of tin for Liverpool and we had 15 ton of slate dust from Delabole slate quarry for Blackwell & National Roofing felt at Broadheath ,Altrincham , Vivien would pass us on the flat,No problem his AEC did 38 mph, (wow).Happy days growing up in the haulage game ,( been in it all my working life). Ime 75 now just retired last year.One of the reasons I packed it in was the antics of some our so called professional drivers, ( they really should know better) giving a bad name to the industry.Cheers to all the good drivers out there. Alec .ex Rowley’s Transport of Sale,where I started, and Air Products of Carrington.
Anyone still talking about old cornish hauliers
