The only reason to run bent was for more money or to get home when you should be parked somewhere on a night out.
newmercman:
The only reason to run bent was for more money or to get home when you should be parked somewhere on a night out.
Which still happens nowadays, it didn’t stop this millennium.
newmercman:
The only reason to run bent was for more money or to get home when you should be parked somewhere on a night out.
Or, just to keep a job, they were like rockinghorse ■■■■ in W Cornwall, if we wouldn’t run bent, there were plenty more drivers that would.
Of course ‘Ghost Loads’ made operator’s a few quid in the past as well, it wasn’t all down to bending driving hours etc! 
Pete.
mrginge:
newmercman:
The only reason to run bent was for more money or to get home when you should be parked somewhere on a night out.Which still happens nowadays, it didn’t stop this millennium.
There’s some that still think were still in the 80’s and 90’s but technology is overtaking them and it’s just a matter of time before they get caught
windrush:
Of course ‘Ghost Loads’ made operator’s a few quid in the past as well, it wasn’t all down to bending driving hours etc!Pete.
done a few of them in my time, when i was on the machinery transport used too get asked if i could just drop of a pallet or a wheel or some parts too someone on my way past which got me a £50 in my pocket and the boss was none the wiser as he used too get us too move full loads at times that paid cash on delivery and that earned me a £100
Carryfast:
windrush:
Tacho discs were a lot larger back then, and they also had a nasty habit of jumping out of the clock near the end of the day…Pete.
Which then left ‘issues’ like ‘lost mileage’ without going to all the other aggro of disconnected tachos etc etc.The reality is that in most cases tachographs did their job in enforcing the rules and trying to run bent by tampering with a tacho,just like today,involved a lot worse implications,if caught,than just showing the bent hours on the record.
While ironically using log books under domestic regs as in all cases usually meant more rest time in the driver’s favour than less.Either in terms of being able to get back to the yard,finished and home or being able to stop for an ‘unauthorised break’ on the road without the guvnor knowing about it.Which is why the unions were ( rightly ) originally against the introduction of tachos.Until they lost the plot.
I knew more trucks with fuses, switches and plugs which when pulled disabled the whole tacho unit, no mileage or anything.
the easiest way was to be ‘tired’ and put the tacho in the wrong way round, something which was done without realisation a good few times.
war1974:
Carryfast:
windrush:
Tacho discs were a lot larger back then, and they also had a nasty habit of jumping out of the clock near the end of the day…Pete.
Which then left ‘issues’ like ‘lost mileage’ without going to all the other aggro of disconnected tachos etc etc.The reality is that in most cases tachographs did their job in enforcing the rules and trying to run bent by tampering with a tacho,just like today,involved a lot worse implications,if caught,than just showing the bent hours on the record.
While ironically using log books under domestic regs as in all cases usually meant more rest time in the driver’s favour than less.Either in terms of being able to get back to the yard,finished and home or being able to stop for an ‘unauthorised break’ on the road without the guvnor knowing about it.Which is why the unions were ( rightly ) originally against the introduction of tachos.Until they lost the plot.
I knew more trucks with fuses, switches and plugs which when pulled disabled the whole tacho unit, no mileage or anything.
the easiest way was to be ‘tired’ and put the tacho in the wrong way round, something which was done without realisation a good few times.
if you got caught and hadnt stopped the clock then all you were done with was failing too keep records, insufficient rest, parked up for 9 hours and away you went.
however if you had stopped the clock then fraud came into play and that was when it became expensive
I had a switch under the ashtray for 14, had a wax seal on the tachograph fuses. Never got a pull, but the idea was, when on the switch you’d have a tacho filled out identical to that day, wrong way round, while following the plod you would flick the switch and change the clock back
The third contact breaker from the left disabled the speedometer section of the tacho on Foden’s…or so I was told! Slightly harder to do when they fitted fuses instead…again or so I was told!
Pete.
The flying Tacho disk, the laybys were full of them, I used to do quite a bit of “winding” , and on fridges it was always 15+ most days, was it better? I don’t know, You could make good money, no CPC crap, far less hassle, the office boys did not have degrees but COULD do the job and knew what the hell you were talking about when you rang in, the police were not as jobsworth as they are now.
we didn’t run bent , we "adjusted " the rules a little bit . we older ones who started on log books couldn’t get the hang of the newfangled spy in the cab , so adjustments had to be made . on a side note the lovely beverley bell in her early days came to our place regularly checking records ( usually for an o licence increase ) and she was very easygoing with the charts . wouldn’t want to meet her now . dave
1995ish, Had 21 fuse out of a 143 Scania booking break when driving. Had my 9yr old daughter ‘educated’ how and which one to take out…yeh I know 
A copper on the East Lancs at Haydock followed me, my little girl put fuse back in and jumped on top bunk.
When he looked at my card he asked if fuse was out I answered no, he checked it looked surprised, pulled out a screwdriver and started removing fuse panel 
would you believe, looking for a switch. He kept me there for about half hour checking all the usual places ( obviously he knew the score and tricks)
He eventually admitted defeat and told me he would be reporting it and had to be checked out by the then Ministry.in next few days.
He never saw my little girl so he never cottoned on 
Hi
And don’t forget how many had " hazardous goods ■■" on and was running to “safe parking”" which was usually your yard or where you were tipping!!
Cheers Bassman
robroy:
1995ish, Had 21 fuse out of a 143 Scania booking break when driving. Had my 9yr old daughter ‘educated’ how and which one to take out…yeh I know
A copper on the East Lancs at Haydock followed me, my little girl put fuse back in and jumped on top bunk.
When he looked at my card he asked if fuse was out I answered no, he checked it looked surprised, pulled out a screwdriver and started removing fuse panel
He eventually admitted defeat and told me he would be reporting it and had to be checked out by the then Ministry.in next few days.
He never saw my little girl so he never cottoned on
class…old days never die,they just get harder to have… 
robroy:
1995ish, Had 21 fuse out of a 143 Scania booking break when driving. Had my 9yr old daughter ‘educated’ how and which one to take out…yeh I know
A copper on the East Lancs at Haydock followed me, my little girl put fuse back in and jumped on top bunk.
When he looked at my card he asked if fuse was out I answered no, he checked it looked surprised, pulled out a screwdriver and started removing fuse panel
He eventually admitted defeat and told me he would be reporting it and had to be checked out by the then Ministry.in next few days.
He never saw my little girl so he never cottoned on
I was schooled the same, many a nite the “wire” was ripped out and put down the trousers when we got the blue lights, some tricks of the trade back then, I mind the ole fella racing up the m6 for the boat in the middle of the night with the 2 windows down radio up full blast and hitting the rumble strip of the hard shoulder to stay awake, and me freezing in the passenger seat lol, Bodmin to Nuneaton then Stranraer 1 hit
irishexpat:
robroy:
1995ish, Had 21 fuse out of a 143 Scania booking break when driving. Had my 9yr old daughter ‘educated’ how and which one to take out…yeh I know
A copper on the East Lancs at Haydock followed me, my little girl put fuse back in and jumped on top bunk.
When he looked at my card he asked if fuse was out I answered no, he checked it looked surprised, pulled out a screwdriver and started removing fuse panel
He eventually admitted defeat and told me he would be reporting it and had to be checked out by the then Ministry.in next few days.
He never saw my little girl so he never cottoned onI was schooled the same, many a nite the “wire” was ripped out and put down the trousers when we got the blue lights, some tricks of the trade back then, I mind the ole fella racing up the m6 for the boat in the middle of the night with the 2 windows down radio up full blast and hitting the rumble strip of the hard shoulder to stay awake, and me freezing in the passenger seat lol, Bodmin to Nuneaton then Stranraer 1 hit
what did you do for the rest of the shift then■■?..that’s a shunters trip over here…
If nobody believes this post I won’t blame you but on my life it IS true 
A guy who worked for me in the 80s used to work for Robsons of Carlisle in the early 70s on an old split windscreen type Foden. This guy liked a pint or two to say the least and his favourite tale was telling me how he would spend all day Sunday in the pub and set off about 10 at night for London taking his 13 yr old lad with him.
He drove to the motorway where the lad would sit on his knee steer the motor down the M6, and when he needed to change gear would knock his dad on the leg to wake him, this happened numerous times and the lad grew up to be a driver himself. …I kid you not
well believable…we had a guy worked for us then as well…farmer who worked as mechanic in the yard,used to work flatout on the farm then in the workshop,then quite often had to do a night trunk Glasgow/Liverpool docks,lift box off,then come straight back with another. 142 scania,no limiter etc,motorway started at carlisle,used to take a kid about 16 ish with him to drive while he attacked a cpl of barrack buster 2 liter bottles of cider till he got blocked and fell asleep.he did this 2 or 3 times a week…happy days all round…
dieseldog999:
irishexpat:
robroy:
1995ish, Had 21 fuse out of a 143 Scania booking break when driving. Had my 9yr old daughter ‘educated’ how and which one to take out…yeh I know
A copper on the East Lancs at Haydock followed me, my little girl put fuse back in and jumped on top bunk.
When he looked at my card he asked if fuse was out I answered no, he checked it looked surprised, pulled out a screwdriver and started removing fuse panel
He eventually admitted defeat and told me he would be reporting it and had to be checked out by the then Ministry.in next few days.
He never saw my little girl so he never cottoned onI was schooled the same, many a nite the “wire” was ripped out and put down the trousers when we got the blue lights, some tricks of the trade back then, I mind the ole fella racing up the m6 for the boat in the middle of the night with the 2 windows down radio up full blast and hitting the rumble strip of the hard shoulder to stay awake, and me freezing in the passenger seat lol, Bodmin to Nuneaton then Stranraer 1 hit
what did you do for the rest of the shift then■■?..that’s a shunters trip over here…
That was the 2nd leg of the trip, the 1st leg was getting from the Midlands of Ireland to bodmin via Holyhead lol
not many tangs be fit for that work these days lol