rigsby:
I did a lot of work out of Darlton in the late 80s , bagged retardamac and concrete crane off load , they even gave me a set of redundant forks for the crane . Also a lot of stone to garden centres as well . If it was slack on the bags I got a tipping trailer on bulk retardamac I made good money there as all the deliveries were East Anglia Water as far down as Felixtow . Last time I went in there was about 2001 or 2 for building stone , I don’t know how long it was open after that . Only went in Goddard once in the 80s , rates were abysmal .
I used to give Dene quarry at Cromford call if I was short of work after lunchtime and sometimes they would send me with dust for the block plant at Darlton. It had those favourite two letters loved by Tarmac on the delivery note; ‘SR’ meaning special (crap!) rate but it was a load and beggars can’t be choosy! The first time I went there I called at Darlton weighbridge before tipping as I thought they would need to weigh it in, BIG mistake! “Can you nip a load of tarmac to Wombwell, it’s in the bin and they are waiting for it?” so muggins sets off with it at around 3pm! Gets to site, 200+ tonne in front of me and nothing ready. At 6.30 pm; “Can you get rid of it driver, we don’t need it?” and it ended up getting tipped in the dark on waste ground!
Second time, afternoon and same scenario “Can you take a load of stone to Nottingham?” and I said OK. Gets loaded, looks at ticket and it has RAF Cottesmore on it! Twice as far as Nottingham. Set off, got pulled by ministry at Bingham and was half a tonne overweight but they let me go and arrived at the site just as they were getting in the van to go home! Tipped me anyway, all mither I could have done without though! The aggro I had just trying to earn a crust at times!
Pete.
There are some drivers on here and FB who can’t bring theirselves to write the word “Tarmac”. Are they really that bad?
Chris Webb:
There are some drivers on here and FB who can’t bring theirselves to write the word “Tarmac”. Are they really that bad?
It sticks in my craw spelling the word as well Chris! They aren’t good, compared to how things ran under Tilcon they aren’t fit to lick their boots. Best thing about it was that the group Tilcon were in actually took tarmac over, yet the new regime ran it under the ‘Tarmac’ banner as it was a more recognised trading name. First thing they did was move the central area offices from Ballidon to Halesowen, all the office staff were given the chance to move down there but none wanted to go so they asked them to spend a few days there teaching the new staff how to do their old job. When that was over they were being made redundant! Obviously the staff told them to sod off, so when the new regime took over on January the first none of the hauliers were paid for a couple of months as nobody could work out the rates per mile etc!
Another example, a lad from Scotland landed at the weighbridge one day with a new Volvo six wheeler. He had been working for Tarmac in Glasgow (I think?) on the owner/driver scheme feeding concrete plants with aggregate and they told him he would have to get a fresh truck as the other was getting old. He asked if his work was safe and was told yes so he purchased the new truck…and Tarmac promptly sold the plant to Agg Industries so he had no work and a new truck to pay for! Tarmac told him there was work in Derbyshire so he left his family in Scotland, rented a flat in Ashbourne, and spent a year at least working from Ballidon and going back home at weekends! A friend of mine on Tyneside had a similar thing happen, he ended up in South Wales for two months.
A ruthless bunch with no respect to anyone, it got so I was rarely in Ballidon because they would send trucks up from Shrewsbury etc to do the work. They got several lads to buy trucks via the scheme and then dropped the 17 tonne minimum haulage on six wheelers and knocked a few other things off as well, I had been made redundant by then partly because of how things had changed. I don’t think that Mick (Malmic on here) was too impressed with how they treated long serving hauliers either, we all knew from other folk what it would probably be like but I think it was even worse than they thought! Best thing about them was the road surfacing gangs, I couldn’t fault their workrate.
Chris Webb:
There are some drivers on here and FB who can’t bring theirselves to write the word “Tarmac”. Are they really that bad?
It sticks in my craw spelling the word as well Chris! They aren’t good, compared to how things ran under Tilcon they aren’t fit to lick their boots. Best thing about it was that the group Tilcon were in actually took tarmac over, yet the new regime ran it under the ‘Tarmac’ banner as it was a more recognised trading name. First thing they did was move the central area offices from Ballidon to Halesowen, all the office staff were given the chance to move down there but none wanted to go so they asked them to spend a few days there teaching the new staff how to do their old job. When that was over they were being made redundant! Obviously the staff told them to sod off, so when the new regime took over on January the first none of the hauliers were paid for a couple of months as nobody could work out the rates per mile etc!
Another example, a lad from Scotland landed at the weighbridge one day with a new Volvo six wheeler. He had been working for Tarmac in Glasgow (I think?) on the owner/driver scheme feeding concrete plants with aggregate and they told him he would have to get a fresh truck as the other was getting old. He asked if his work was safe and was told yes so he purchased the new truck…and Tarmac promptly sold the plant to Agg Industries so he had no work and a new truck to pay for! Tarmac told him there was work in Derbyshire so he left his family in Scotland, rented a flat in Ashbourne, and spent a year at least working from Ballidon and going back home at weekends! A friend of mine on Tyneside had a similar thing happen, he ended up in South Wales for two months.
A ruthless bunch with no respect to anyone, it got so I was rarely in Ballidon because they would send trucks up from Shrewsbury etc to do the work. They got several lads to buy trucks via the scheme and then dropped the 17 tonne minimum haulage on six wheelers and knocked a few other things off as well, I had been made redundant by then partly because of how things had changed. I don’t think that Mick (Malmic on here) was too impressed with how they treated long serving hauliers either, we all knew from other folk what it would probably be like but I think it was even worse than they thought! Best thing about them was the road surfacing gangs, I couldn’t fault their workrate.
Pete.
It’s a pity that all the hauliers didn’t get together and have a go at them Pete,but I suppose it was a “take it or leave it scenario”. So were they short of haulage out of Ballidon,having to use Salop companies? And if you got say a 12 tonne load,were you still paid for 17 tonne on a 6 -legger? Did it mean that anybody with a 6 wheeler that was unable to put 17 tonne on had to get another vehicle?
The cheeky sods,asking Ballidon staff to train Halesowen staff and then making them redundant,I have heard of some ruthless companies but Tarmac take the biscuit,why don’t they realise that without hauliers they would be goosed,and should treat them with more respect.
No wonder some blokes like yourself can’t say the Ta*mac name.
Chris Webb:
It’s a pity that all the hauliers didn’t get together and have a go at them Pete,but I suppose it was a “take it or leave it scenario”. So were they short of haulage out of Ballidon,having to use Salop companies? And if you got say a 12 tonne load,were you still paid for 17 tonne on a 6 -legger? Did it mean that anybody with a 6 wheeler that was unable to put 17 tonne on had to get another vehicle?
The cheeky sods,asking Ballidon staff to train Halesowen staff and then making them redundant,I have heard of some ruthless companies but Tarmac take the biscuit,why don’t they realise that without hauliers they would be goosed,and should treat them with more respect.
No wonder some blokes like yourself can’t say the Ta*mac name.
No shortage of transport Chris but there were many hauliers on the tarmac scheme based at Bayston hill near Shrewsbury who had newish trucks to pay for so they double shifted them and got priority over the local hauliers who were not on contract to tarmac like the firm I drove for. I didn’t have a problem with that but when you were booked for (say) two loads of black at night, and had stood the truck and driver idle during the day, to then get told that there would only be one load as contract hauliers were coming to do a load was annoying to say the least! Our weighbridge staff were overuled by senior management at Halesowen so could do nothing about it really. Sometimes they didn’t even know that the extra trucks were coming anyway. I did several nights for RMC as well and if they booked you for two loads and you only did one (job cancelled, too much material etc) they still paid you for two which was fairer.
Regarding the minimum haulage, that WAS a good idea but of course it didn’t last! Most of the six wheelers at Ballidon had been uprated to 26 tonne GVW so could carry around 17 tonnes, the Ford Cargo’s could get almost 18 tonne on, but there were many small loads so paying 17 tonne (14 tonne on a four wheeler) was a good payer. Also any excess tarmac from jobs could be weighed in and even if there was only a couple of tonne they paid half haulage on 17 tonne. However, as tarmac do, they moved the goalposts after I left and you then only got paid for whatever you had on and as some of the newer Volvo’s etc were heavy and could only manage around 15 tonne they lost out! Tarmac were very good at giving you something that was to your asdvantage and then snatching it away from you!
^^^^cant just blame tosmac it’s the financed up to the knackers glory boys 8 spot lamps in tosmac livery on a new foreign pile of crap too ,thier name on the door as well but only ledgable through a magnifying glass that are holding the rates down and making the proper haulier suffer the same low rates ,Slaves as they reffered to by my m8 dare not say boo to the goose for fear of loosing everything they don’t own
I’m not sure what book this is out of but it’s a nice photo of a Limbux AEC MK3 “tin front” with sliding doors which was quite rare on a tin front.I thought the photo looked like it were taken on road between Tideswell or Tidser and the A6 just before Brierlow Bar?
Any of our Buxton area lads recognise it?
Chris Webb:
I’m not sure what book this is out of but it’s a nice photo of a Limbux AEC MK3 “tin front” with sliding doors which was quite rare on a tin front.I thought the photo looked like it were taken on road between Tideswell or Tidser and the A6 just before Brierlow Bar?
Any of our Buxton area lads recognise it?
I remember ICI having three of those and three bulk bodied similar to Steel Peach and Tozer side discharge . I’m damned if I can work out where the pic was taken but somewhere Chapel side of Peak Forest would be my guess .
Chris Webb:
I’m not sure what book this is out of but it’s a nice photo of a Limbux AEC MK3 “tin front” with sliding doors which was quite rare on a tin front.I thought the photo looked like it were taken on road between Tideswell or Tidser and the A6 just before Brierlow Bar?
Any of our Buxton area lads recognise it?
I remember ICI having three of those and three bulk bodied similar to Steel Peach and Tozer side discharge . I’m damned if I can work out where the pic was taken but somewhere Chapel side of Peak Forest would be my guess .
I remember Sheffield BRS in SPT livery running LAD Octopussies on that lime job,they were double shifted and regulars up Froggatt Edge Dave.
I noticed your route was via Brierlow Bar and Harper Chris , neatly avoiding Border Control and not paying your dues . No wonder we’re all poor in Buxton . If you’d come through town the cctv would have seen you and you would have got a summons , not that you would have payed it .
rigsby:
I noticed your route was via Brierlow Bar and Harper Chris , neatly avoiding Border Control and not paying your dues . No wonder we’re all poor in Buxton . If you’d come through town the cctv would have seen you and you would have got a summons , not that you would have payed it .
I’m immune from paying local tolls int Peak District,having lived in Froggatt for 14 years.
I doubt the CCTV would have deciphered our Isle of Man number plate anyroad.
I followed a Hazelcroft DAF artic down into Macclesfield,usually go via Congleton and Holmes Chapel but A54 were closed where it splits off from the Cat,just outside the fine town of Buxton.
rigsby:
I noticed your route was via Brierlow Bar and Harper Chris , neatly avoiding Border Control and not paying your dues . No wonder we’re all poor in Buxton . If you’d come through town the cctv would have seen you and you would have got a summons , not that you would have payed it .
I’m immune from paying local tolls int Peak District,having lived in Froggatt for 14 years.
I doubt the CCTV would have deciphered our Isle of Man number plate anyroad.
I followed a Hazelcroft DAF artic down into Macclesfield,usually go via Congleton and Holmes Chapel but A54 were closed where it splits off from the Cat,just outside the fine town of Buxton.
The Congleton road is shut for about 4 months , repairs to the crash barriers at Wildboarclough , quite a big job they reckon . You know how it is these days , they shut the road to mend the footpath , health and safety rules . Living in Froggat doesn’t exempt you I’m afraid , Froggat’s nearly in Yorkshire anyroad and Isle of Man refugee status won’t wash with us hillbillies either .
rigsby:
I noticed your route was via Brierlow Bar and Harper Chris , neatly avoiding Border Control and not paying your dues . No wonder we’re all poor in Buxton . If you’d come through town the cctv would have seen you and you would have got a summons , not that you would have payed it .
I’m immune from paying local tolls int Peak District,having lived in Froggatt for 14 years.
I doubt the CCTV would have deciphered our Isle of Man number plate anyroad.
I followed a Hazelcroft DAF artic down into Macclesfield,usually go via Congleton and Holmes Chapel but A54 were closed where it splits off from the Cat,just outside the fine town of Buxton.
The Congleton road is shut for about 4 months , repairs to the crash barriers at Wildboarclough , quite a big job they reckon . You know how it is these days , they shut the road to mend the footpath , health and safety rules . Living in Froggat doesn’t exempt you I’m afraid , Froggat’s nearly in Yorkshire anyroad and Isle of Man refugee status won’t wash with us hillbillies either .
Sorry Dave but thas wrong.I were born in Sheffield but lived in Froggatt for 14 years from being one year old - Froggatt being in the PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK which Buxton isn’t . Anyroad Froggatt is 12 miles from dee-dah land,and you tipper lads out of Limestone Cowboy country must have been grateful for the work you got from Sheffield industry.
I’ll send thi a cheque if thas so skint in Buxton,you can donate it to a good cause,like buying Cheshire drivers their breakfasts.
Chris Webb:
Sorry Dave but thas wrong.I were born in Sheffield but lived in Froggatt for 14 years from being one year old - Froggatt being in the PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK which Buxton isn’t . Anyroad Froggatt is 12 miles from dee-dah land,and you tipper lads out of Limestone Cowboy country must have been grateful for the work you got from Sheffield industry.
I’ll send thi a cheque if thas so skint in Buxton,you can donate it to a good cause,like buying Cheshire drivers their breakfasts.
Never mind about subbing those living in the wealthy spa town of Buxton Chris, spare a thought for those like myself living in poverty stricken Matlock and also poor old Daniel stuck up on that mountain of his. Buxton has all those nice quarries for folk to earn big money hauling material, now’t left down here to earn any sort of a living from! Have to admit that Sheffield council found me plenty of tarmac work over the years, plus supplying Tilcons two concrete plants there.
Don’t set me off about the Peak District National Park . We’re grateful we aren’t in it , bloody megalomaniacs they would tell you when to breath in and out if they could . They block every initiative suggested unless it is to do with cycling or hiking , seem to think that tree hugging is better than work for folks . I think I’ll go and lie down in a dark room now .
rigsby:
Don’t set me off about the Peak District National Park . We’re grateful we aren’t in it , bloody megalomaniacs they would tell you when to breath in and out if they could . They block every initiative suggested unless it is to do with cycling or hiking , seem to think that tree hugging is better than work for folks . I think I’ll go and lie down in a dark room now .
And some property has a Derbyshire exclusion on it. I wonder what the seller thinks when he/she can’t sell their property because the interested party doesn’t fit the criteria? Is that only in the Peak National Park,I know we couldn’t buy a property in Grindleford years ago because neither of us qualified.
Upmarket spa town of Buxton versus poor deprived Matlock,love it,but there’s worse places.
rigsby:
Don’t set me off about the Peak District National Park . We’re grateful we aren’t in it , bloody megalomaniacs they would tell you when to breath in and out if they could . They block every initiative suggested unless it is to do with cycling or hiking , seem to think that tree hugging is better than work for folks . I think I’ll go and lie down in a dark room now .
And some property has a Derbyshire exclusion on it. I wonder what the seller thinks when he/she can’t sell their property because the interested party doesn’t fit the criteria? Is that only in the Peak National Park,I know we couldn’t buy a property in Grindleford years ago because neither of us qualified.
Upmarket spa town of Buxton versus poor deprived Matlock,love it,but there’s worse places.
Chris Webb:
And some property has a Derbyshire exclusion on it. I wonder what the seller thinks when he/she can’t sell their property because the interested party doesn’t fit the criteria? Is that only in the Peak National Park,I know we couldn’t buy a property in Grindleford years ago because neither of us qualified.
Upmarket spa town of Buxton versus poor deprived Matlock,love it,but there’s worse places.
Mr. Webb!
You have just shot both your feet off with regards to your elaborate fabrication, carefully constructed over a decade or more, whereby you have refuted all allegations of being a wealthy tax exile whilst at the same time attempting to solidly align yourself with the fine county of Derbyshire. Firstly, you admit to being unable to purchase a property in Grindleford due to not possessing sufficient Derbyshire credentials, which to be frank no one has taken seriously for some time. Secondly and of far more consequence, the fact that you were even considering purchasing a property in Grindleford, exclusive commuter enclave to the great and good of Sheffield, is a flagrant display of the financial firepower that you have so long and so robustly denied.
You’ve certainly got a way with words Limey , got him bang to rights there . We now await the usual protestations of poverty and hardship coming from the three legged isle .
Chris Webb:
And some property has a Derbyshire exclusion on it. I wonder what the seller thinks when he/she can’t sell their property because the interested party doesn’t fit the criteria? Is that only in the Peak National Park,I know we couldn’t buy a property in Grindleford years ago because neither of us qualified.
Upmarket spa town of Buxton versus poor deprived Matlock,love it,but there’s worse places.
Mr. Webb!
You have just shot both your feet off with regards to your elaborate fabrication, carefully constructed over a decade or more, whereby you have refuted all allegations of being a wealthy tax exile whilst at the same time attempting to solidly align yourself with the fine county of Derbyshire. Firstly, you admit to being unable to purchase a property in Grindleford due to not possessing sufficient Derbyshire credentials, which to be frank no one has taken seriously for some time. Secondly and of far more consequence, the fact that you were even considering purchasing a property in Grindleford, exclusive commuter enclave to the great and good of Sheffield, is a flagrant display of the financial firepower that you have so long and so robustly denied.
I rest my case.
Morning,I thought I’d get some response from my post,but that reply is summat else,I’m rayt proud of you.I went to Lady Manners but could never write owt like it.
Just to say that the property we thought about buying was not a £1 million pile but a small terraced house in Grindleford,which was not exactly the sort of house that a rich dee-dah would contemplate buying.
And as for being a wealthy “tax exile” you are miles off,just a poor ex HGV operator whose wife happens to be part Manx and who wanted to live back here.By the way,don’t you live in Staffordshire now,cos it’s cheaper?
My conscience is clear and my case is rested.
Now,to book a flight to Zurich………………….
It’s a poor job when folks move all the way to the Isle of Man just to avoid taking their turn at buying the breakfast. And I notice young Dan has taken to running around the Swiss mountains after I almost caught him in Macclesfield a few weeks ago. Perhaps he thinks I’m so senile that I’ll forget what that abomination of a rattly old Foden looks like if he keeps out of the way for a while.
Meanwhile, I believe that Rigsby is keeping his head down until after Brexit in the hope that the Peak “foreign currency” will not be accepted as legal tender after down here after it all happens.
I’m thinking of taking a few pals for a jaunt in the hope of cornering that Webb chappie for a breakfast or two next Spring, I have made tentative plans for the last week in May and the first week in June as I’ve heard there may be some sort of entertainment on hand for those two weeks, We plan to slip in “under the wire” by way of a small fishing boat to Ramsey harbour with a cargo of a few motorcycles to assist in paying for the fuel.
Anyone care to join us?
Twice as far as Nottingham. Set off, got pulled by ministry at Bingham and was half a tonne overweight but they let me go and arrived at the site just as they were getting in the van to go home! Tipped me anyway, all mither I could have done without though!
The aggro I had just trying to earn a crust at times!
and the A6 just before Brierlow Bar?
Have to admit that Sheffield council found me plenty of tarmac work over the years, plus supplying Tilcons two concrete plants there. 
