Hi everyone
I’m looking for some reminiscence of driving lorries long distance in the 1970s and 80s.
I’ve got an idea for a play featuring a lorry driver and I’d like to catch up with some older drivers, maybe retired, in Scotland preferably, to chat for some time about the old vehicles, comfort in the cab, dangers, laughs, overnights etc.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your time
Sam
In the 90’s , all over Europe, the story of a French motorcycle Gendarme, who had a grudge for English and Irish drivers heading towards the port of Cherbourg.
His nickname was Pinocchio, he would wait on a hill and use binoculars to spot his prey.
Apparently he was too close to a lorry that slammed on the brakes, causing him broken bones.
Another drivers myth was the Scottish motorcyclist with a ginger beard who worked for Gendarmerie patrolling the Paris ring road,or Periphique.
I kept my eyes peeled for him but never saw him.
My worst memories are stripping down Tilt trailers and rebuilding them alone in intense summer heat or in freezing conditions.
Tilts may have step frame, or super jumbo size, the sides had metal posts with wooden sideboards.
It took hours to strip them to a flatbed trailer.
Dangers were ghost cab robbing immigrants that lived in the orange or lemon groves in the Valencia area.
Robbers would never be seen, cab contents gone in minutes.
The bragging drivers boasting on the ferry of their one hit antics, non stop trips with no rest for two or three days.
Crocodile clips would make old analogue paper disc tachos go to rest mode while driving, pulling the fuse as well.
Secret switches hidden in the cab, in case of a tug or pull by the authorities, coffee money or a bribe to the police,if arguing over hours.
They liked cartons of cigarettes.
Don’t forget the legendary Irish driver who double-manned non-stop to Italy with his 14-year-old son, and had a load of hanging beef in the trailer and another load of marble slabs on the floor.
I suspect there was an element of truth about it…but the two loads were never on the trailer at the same time…ie hanging beef out from Ireland and marble on the floor back from Italy.
There’s also some good stories about Murfitts Transport in East Anglia … some of them may even be true.
Driver spends night in a ‘club’, wakes up next morning with a headache and no wallet.
No, he hadn’t spent all his running money on girlies…he’d been gassed and robbed…or at least that’s what he said.
Not sure if this counts, as I cant personally vouch for it’s accuracy, but I recall a tale told to me in my early days of a company (Whose name was mentioned but I’ll not repeat here. PM me if you want to know) who did their sums, decided they had work for another unit but had nothing in the kitty to spring for one, so the works engineer had the bright idea of building one himself. He started with a Marathon rolling chassis that had been sitting in a depot that had been on fire, was written off charge and had been used for spares. A cab came from another vehicle at a different depot that had one for reasons unknown. An L12 engine came from an accident write off, along with the box. Only thing they couldnt find within the company network was an axle so they got one from a breakers. Took them a couple of weeks to put it all together as stuff turned up one piece at a time, and then, like the old Johnny Cash song, that’s when they noticed something was definitely wrong. It MoT’d ok and was put to work where everyone who drove it complained about it. It was a ■■■■■ to get going when laden, even in crawler, but once moving it was a flying machine! Turns out the rear axle should have had reduction hubs, but didnt. Result was it was vastly over geared. Nothing came of the complaints though until one day it was seen going down the M5 past taunton by the owner of the company who pulled into the next services to ring head office and ask about it. He was allegedly bimbling along in his jag at about 80 when this thing flew past him like he was parked up! Supposedly it was pulled off the road that day, and I don’t know what happened to it then.
I was a pretty new driver when I heard this tale and I’m not sure if I was being wound up, but decades later in the industry I’ve learned that all manner of totally unbelievable but completely true crap has gone on in the past, so I’m willing to accept it at face value unless proven otherwise 
I was working for a company that delivered chilled produce. One day I was in reception when an Irish driver arrived with a full load for the warehouse. The clerk told him which bay to use and the driver relayed the information on his phone.
A few minutes later I went out to hook up a trailer and saw the Irish lorry backed neatly onto one of the more awkward bays. Nothing odd so far you are thinking. Then the driver’s door opened and a kid who looked to be about ten years old hopped out. It turned out that he was actually twelve but even so…
Even more shocking - he wasn’t wearing a high-viz vest.
He he.
These stories are hilarious. I love that kind of stuff.
Now, what about the lorries that were on the road back in the 60s,70 and 80s?
How comfortable or not was it driving up and down the UK?
How did you make the cabs, back then, more comfy for long distance?
What wear and tear did you get on your bones and back from that kind of work?
And what about wear and tear on the cabs?
And what sorts of problems did you face when you had to leave the Mways and roads weren’t as ‘awesome’ as they are today?
What do you all have to say on that?!
Cheers
Sam
Santa:
I was working for a company that delivered chilled produce. One day I was in reception when an Irish driver arrived with a full load for the warehouse. The clerk told him which bay to use and the driver relayed the information on his phone.A few minutes later I went out to hook up a trailer and saw the Irish lorry backed neatly onto one of the more awkward bays. Nothing odd so far you are thinking. Then the driver’s door opened and a kid who looked to be about ten years old hopped out. It turned out that he was actually twelve but even so…
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
heres his big brother
youtube.com/watch?v=4mm_CVLidGQ