Chris Webb:
Covent Garden,a place I hated more than any other I went in all my driving career.When you managed to get parked - which was an art in itself - you were surrounded by robbing cheating bloody porters,mithering yer to death - “sign here drive”.I once got there one afternoon from Sheffield to load,had an artic instead of the usual Mercury or Marshal.I must have gone round the block three times afore I could get parked outside the Floral bloody Hall for my load of Morrocan new potatoes.I hated the hole with a passion.
Hi Chris , How some memories stick with us forever but Covent just had to be the very worst – it had one good point though not that I used it ,and that was the pubs were open very early morning-maybe part of the problem Toshboy
Aye Toshboy,some memories better than others. I got back to Sheffield from Covent Garden one evening and next morning gaffer had a go at me cos there was a box of summat short.I told the t**t that if he were that bothered about his missing box he should go with driver and count and stack the stuff himself.He used to go down with the accountant and get in a boozer called the Three Bells?? int market,wheeling and dealing.Fish and chips was £1-50 in 1968 in that place,a fortune to me.
Done quite a few loads off Covent Garden to A.E. Dockers in Barrow-in Furness and I agree with you that it was a ■■■■■■■ nightmare of a place and if you managed to get backed onto the cobbles there was no way you dare move otherwise you were ■■■■■■ ! Those fly boy 'barra boys would try and get you to pull round to their particular warehouse if they had quite a bit to put on your motor, only did that once ( cupid stunt! ) never did it again though ! Plus you had to have eyes in the back of your head ( and arse !) I had a few arguments with the ■■■■■ because they would try to rush you and then want you to sign their poxy little notes PDQ before you’d counted and stacked the boxes/ bags. Touch “wood” I always managed to get a clear signature at Dockers so they used to pester J & W Watt who I subbed off for me to do their load off “The Garden” when they were buying. It didn’t always work out and it was a right ■■■■■■■ grueller as I had to be in Barrow for 4 am next morning ready to back into Dockers warehouse. Albert Docker always brought me a slap up “Full English” which I ate sitting in his office while the warehouse lads tipped the motor ! Happy Days ! Cheers Dennis.
Buzzer:
Old Covent Garden Market some long years back with a mixture of lorries and horse drawn vehicles, Buzzer
Thanks for the reminder of Covent Garden ,this place was the most dreaded place to deliver in my time with BRS around early 50 s.
From Cowley , Southampton docks was a very regular run. and BRS used to give out the crp jobs to visiting trucks keeping the better work for themselves.
As trampers tipping S’oton then getting diverted to Portsmouth , get there booked off midday , park up at dock berth, shunters to load evening with produce off French Coasters ,(but not sheet or rope),
Return after rest around 11 pm to pick up .then have to sheet up etc ,leave for Covent about midnight finding TWO drops ,after waiting around and finding the first one ,the second one would claim late delivery but accept load . Time was up -book off at midday . restart next morning . then the eventual inquest when next at home depot.
But it turned out a good payer for drivers, deemed time paid for half day , night pay for trip, deemed time to cover rest of next day until resume normal next morning . Crazy ,annoying , unplanned .cost more than rates earned ,but hey that was brs . toshboy
The south coast BRS depots were not only biased against “foreign” drivers, toshboy, but also treated other regions’ vehicles in the same way. I remember running from Southampton to Portsmouth, only to be told that I was loading out of Southampton. My load involved half a dozen-or-so collections, the last being two pallets out of the BRS depot itself. The traffic clerk had great pleasure in telling me that half of my delivery notes could be collected from Portsmouth, but “Not until tomorrow morning”.
Still, time didn’t matter too much- the whole operation was being financed by a ■■■■■■■■ haulier’s tax bill. Or so he would have us believe!
Hi Rof, Well I did not think I was the only one and not alone ,however it was the worst experience ,it happened twice to me ,why some depots were so anti drivers when most of them were ex drivers beats me. Generally though BRS was to me a good crack and enjoyed my time with them, assistance in every town ,digs, subs ,fuel etc . tell me ROF ,I do not understand how 15 hour shifts of todays drivers came about when all I read about on T N is poor wages ,shift patterns ,expenses included in wages etc .oh well been there done that , my answer nationalise again ,oh dear i’ve just re read your last sentence must go. Toshboy
The M1070 is an ex US Army version (the UK version has a different more rounding nose on it amongest changes) If the vehicle is running a Detroit 8V-92TA engine it is an M1070.If it is a M1070A1 it would be running a Caterpillar C18 engine that the UK versions use.
Thanks to servo88 a fine lot Gordon and to Andrew Morrison for the pics is your brother a driver Andrew .
Hey missed a couple so thanks also to DEANB for the pic and H143500 for the info
Oily
One for the tanker men, how does this damage happen, no scrape mark on the livery number
oiltreader:
Thanks to servo88 a fine lot Gordon and to Andrew Morrison for the pics is your brother a driver Andrew .
Oily
One for the tanker men, how does this damage happen, no scrape mark on the livery number
He was Oily but retired due to ill health few years ago he asked me to put some pics up & I know he likes anything Scottish being the baby brother I just do as I’m told lol
Cheers Andrew
Toshboy
) never did it again though ! Plus you had to have eyes in the back of your head ( and arse !) I had a few arguments with the ■■■■■ because they would try to rush you and then want you to sign their poxy little notes PDQ before you’d counted and stacked the boxes/ bags. Touch “wood” I always managed to get a clear signature at Dockers so they used to pester J & W Watt who I subbed off for me to do their load off “The Garden” when they were buying. It didn’t always work out and it was a right ■■■■■■■ grueller as I had to be in Barrow for 4 am next morning ready to back into Dockers warehouse. Albert Docker always brought me a slap up “Full English” which I ate sitting in his office while the warehouse lads tipped the motor ! Happy Days ! Cheers Dennis.
.
so thanks also to DEANB for the pic and H143500 for the info 
