My mate Trev worked on Barrios, i,ll get him to have a butchers later.
Wont be long before hes identified.
THE driver in the BARRIO F12 GLOBETROTTER is the late mr keith godden hope this helps , there was also a driver/owner by the name of FRANK he pulled trls ex ramsgate for deadmans transport ,he had one of romacs volvos any one remember him ?
TREV:
THE driver in the BARRIO F12 GLOBETROTTER is the late mr keith godden hope this helps , there was also a driver/owner by the name of FRANK he pulled trls ex ramsgate for deadmans transport ,he had one of romacs volvos any one remember him ?
I’m very sorry to hear Keith is no longer with us. What happened?
Don’t recall Frank, but Deadman’s Transport were legendary. They re-mortgaged their yard twice before the bank found out that they didn’t actually own it but were simply squatting, two of the directors drew four-year prison sentences for that little stunt…
I will always have fond memories of Romac. I had only been driving HGVs for four weeks and had already jacked in one job (White Trux) because they wouldn’t send me over the water, saying that I didn’t have enough experience. I started for Johnny Mac on the following Monday and shipped out on the Tuesday evening for a puddle-jump to France, the following week I went to Italy.
In the late 1980’s, a Globetrotter was far more unusual than it is these days, to have one when you were still in your mid-twenties and to be doing long-haul continental work in it was fantastic. The money was good too, although you did need a short piece of wire with a crocodile clip on each end to earn it… I just couldn’t conceive of doing that these days.
I will always have fond memories of Romac. I had only been driving HGVs for four weeks and had already jacked in one job (White Trux) because they wouldn’t send me over the water, saying that I didn’t have enough experience. I started for Johnny Mac on the following Monday and shipped out on the Tuesday evening for a puddle-jump to France, the following week I went to Italy.
None of this surprises me in the slightest. I recall the 80s when I first started driving as a hellhole of running bent and gaffers who rode you to do it. I remember Romac although I never drove for them. Their yard wasn’t in Sandwich as I recall, it was at Richborough off the old A259?
I also started out at Whitetrux although they wouldn’t even give me an artic cos I was only 22. But then some bloke in Ramsgate was desperate for a driver and took me on. I was still 22 and very wet behind the ears. I often wonder nowadays whether I was even insured! I was certainly the youngest lad I knew on the continental run. He was called Norman summat or other and lived near Ramsgate railway station.
Talking of Sandwich, does anyone remember Paul Coomber?
Wolf
Lonewolf Yorks:
Talking of Sandwich, does anyone remember Paul Coomber?
When I did my HGV lessons (Mike West of LearnHGV), I did my reversing in Paul Coomber’s yard.
When I did my HGV lessons (Mike West of LearnHGV), I did my reversing in Paul Coomber’s yard.
OMG me too, Mike West and Pauls yard although we called it TIRs yard. The one with Stonar lake up one side of it. TIR was a fitters in the same yard run by Colin someone and he was lost at sea in a fishing boat accident. I went to a service at Ash church for him.
It was Mike West who gave my name to this Norman bloke in Ramsgate. He had another driver who actually took me for my lessons, Chris someone. This would have been 1986.
Lonewolf Yorks:
It was Mike West who gave my name to this Norman bloke in Ramsgate. He had another driver who actually took me for my lessons, Chris someone. This would have been 1986.
I took and passed my test at Hersden on 4th November 1986. Mike’s son Steve works for Whites Transport at Minster, he’s a sound bloke.
More spooky 
I took and failed my first test at Hersden on or around the 21st November 1986. Passed it a month later!
Presumably you were tested by the legendary Mr Mummary?
Hi all,
On the left in Harrys yard pics there is a Scania which was probably one of mine
Anyone know anything about it?
It is in the same colours like as this one
I think it may have been this one as we did get it painted, a LHD 141 EPU300T this is how I bought it off Tony (Hot to Trot) Bradfield, with the roof rack and steel sunvisor and TIR plate…
Regards Pat
If you do a crop of that yard photo to show only your Scania, you will almost certainly find that it gives a presentable picture but if you then post it on here I am sure someone will volunteer to Photoshop it so it looks like it was taken yesterday.
Hello Harry. Ive got a photo somewhere of a Romac Volvo F10 or 12 reg ,no B117 TKL, this is quite unusual because its got the old style flat top cab, which i thought finished on an A plate. When i find it i,ll put it on here, its a really good photo too, parked up with a bulker behind it.
Presumably you were tested by the legendary Mr Mummary?
Ye gods theres a name I haven’t heard for nearly 25 years. Aye that was him. I heard so much about him before I went for the test, I was about ready to do a runner LOL 
Whites Transport at Minster,
Vague memories are surfacing, were they orange wagons?
I did my test on the Margate test route and as I came under the railway bridge by Victoria lights, a Ford Capri came flying towards me on the wrong side of the road, being chased by the Police. I did a full emergency stop, and 20 years later I have never braked a truck as heavily as i did on test day.
I did avoid an accident but Mr Mummary flew out of the passenger seat and smashed his head into the windscreen so hard I’m surprised he didn’t break it.
He was very seriously concussed, and I asked him three times if he wanted me to take him to hospital, and that I has happy to take the test again another day.
I was already convinced that I had failed, I knocked over the pole on the reversing manouevre in the test centre and he had said “well, you saw what happened, do you still want to go out on the road?” I just thought well, I’ve paid for the diesel…
By the time we got back to Hersden he had recovered a bit and he offered me another chance at the reverse, and I promptly knocked the pole over again.
I just wanted to get home and was fully prepared for the bad news when he said “Well. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and believe me, it’s a very big doubt”.
I was shattered, absolutely shot to pieces. Mike West got back into the cab with a sad and sympathetic face on and nearly fell out of the door when I showed him my pass certificate! 
Do any of you guys know Bob Lewis? I’m not sure if he pulled for Romac at some time,but he started as an O/D around 1982 with a new F12,same colours as Romac.Came from Whitstable.
Romacs a blast from the past, used to work for bob tayler at robert intl . had the yard on the left before going into TIRs yard, did a cpl runs for Romac pulling ferrymasters trailers and borrowed there trailers for MOTs
also remeber parking the truck at romacs to go in the red lion ? opposite for a few beers
There was a T&D back in the late 80’s, where they accompany a Hungarocamion Driver from Budapest back to the UK in an Iveco Turbostar, and in one of the photo’s at the Hungarian Border there are 2 Romac motors…
Just a bit of useless info for you
The money was good too, although you did need a short piece of wire with a crocodile clip on each end to earn it… I just couldn’t conceive of doing that these days.
Remember First trip out for them in a Scanie ,Taco wasnt working on way down to dock ,then somebody showed me where the switch was ,despite being told at interview that we only run leagal .Only done a trip to Belgium re load coal in France back to yard then had a F12 Volvo think it was the 4th truck along on left in picture of yard ? Spent next 5 weeks pulling coal out of France ,Scrap out of Belgium and coils out of Antwepen Six weeks was it for me …
Bumped, for kerwyn.
what about your kepstowe pics harry 