Part of the problem is that it is a very fragmented industry, ranging from the one-man-band owner driver to the massive “corporate” fleets, but with the majority of the operators somewhere in between running about 30 trucks, (like us). So the participants in this essential industry of ours work to totally different agendas. There is no common voice or directive. For representing the hire and reward sector the RHA is all but useless, and we haven’t been a member for years. The FTA likes the sound of its own voice but doesn’t actually achieve very much for the industry. The only time the industry did get a bit of decent publicity was in the days of the British Transport Commission film unit (sorry Dennis!). If someone was to produce a factual and meaningful TV programme or series about the industry, then it would be perceived as dull television and uninteresting to the vast majority of the general public audience.
Fergie47:
Robert, I know she’s not one of your specials, but she looks hansom…
Yes indeed! I think that one is an Australian sheep transport - an eight legger with the 3MW cab. Robert
newmercman:
I had a similar conversation with HRH Andy Salter when he was my boss at TRUCK, he raised a very valid point. It doesn’t matter what we do or say, people do not like lorries, they’re big, slow and in their way, that’s all they see, so [zb] em! I’m sure he finished the statement in a more pleasant manner, but the point remains the same.It drives me up the wall, the only thing a lorry doesn’t deliver is a baby, but all the paraphernalia the baby needs to be born, including the concrete for the foundation of the maternity unit has been on a lorry, along with every man made item and all of the food we get from anywhere but our own gardens.
Yet we’re hated by 99% of the population.
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Alas, all true. Robert
I have a feeling I may be shot at for writing the following, but I’ll write it anyway. I think Eddie Stobart has done the industry a lot of good from the public’s perception. The names on the trucks, the spotters club etc.
The vast majority of the public miss the link between the truck and what they purchase in the shop. I have had a few discussions with friends regarding the truck verses rail argument.
Johnny
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I’ve always said that about Stobart, they made a lot of other hauliers raise their game and tidy up their fleets.
Just a shame about the rate slashing…
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It’s very rarely that I catch one of the Fast Eddie programmes but I do remember one which stuck in my memory. Bear with me-
A maximum weight artic leaves Carlisle and runs empty to Daventry. It then gets loaded with eight pallets of goods which it delivers to Humberside. The vehicle then returns empty to Carlisle.
If any of you experts can work out how that day’s work generated a profit, please let me know. I will then be in a position to know just where I went wrong all those years ago! 
PS. I wonder how many days Bewick Transport Services ran in this fashion?!?!
Retired Old ■■■■:
It’s very rarely that I catch one of the Fast Eddie programmes but I do remember one which stuck in my memory. Bear with me-
A maximum weight artic leaves Carlisle and runs empty to Daventry. It then gets loaded with eight pallets of goods which it delivers to Humberside. The vehicle then returns empty to Carlisle.
If any of you experts can work out how that day’s work generated a profit, please let me know. I will then be in a position to know just where I went wrong all those years ago!PS. I wonder how many days Bewick Transport Services ran in this fashion?!?!
It’s the power of the supermarkets over their suppliers that causes this to happen. If a supplier has goods rejected, or has made a mistake with an order then the order has to be made good. In my Turners days it was a frequent happening. As an example, I’ve sent two pallets of apples from Newmarket to Chepstow to replace a rejection. On that particular afternoon we didn’t have a rigid in the yard, so an artic had to go with 2 pallets. The supplier paid for the vehicle. We probably had 5 or 6 “specials” as they were called, every week.
I’ve watched that Stobbies show couple of times, mostly because of that driver lass that was in it, I must admit 
But they did gave an insight in the industry for most of the outsiders.
There was some sort of documentary on the BBC about Ainscough, think it was called the crane boys/crane gang? That too gave a good insight in the heavy haulage industry I reckoned, hasn’t been on the telly for a while now though…
I like to see a serious programme about the industry, presented by Sara Cox…
Anyone else like to see that, or am I the only one with those fantasies about the one hosting the show that is 
Cheers, Patrick
Saviem:
Evening all,But a bit of housekeeping…Patrick, (pv83), I will come to the story about the Tractomas and dog in due course…but our friend Robert 1952 may stumble over the particular driver in his quest to discover the provenance of the Transports Lost Pacific/Mack/ERF…good story there…and a really eccentric operation…but really good!
I presume your trailer is one of the Lohr/Nicolas creations? Thanks for your detailed explanation. Strange old set up with the axles…probably worked better on a drawing board than on the road…wonder why engineers seem never to have driven a loaded lorry?..
Cheerio for now.
Hiya,
It’s actually a Dutch product, it’s a Floor (the manufacturer of those mighty FTF’s) who were owned by Nooteboom at the time, but I believe they’re back on their own feet.
Saw an interesting Nicolas module trailer this week, took some pic’s whilst waiting for the police to arrive to ■■■■■■ us through Douai.
Cheers, Patrick
Thanks a lot Patrick. Great pictures.
Some pages ago the Titans were mentioned, now I don’t know if we all have the same Titans in mind, but I’ve found some pic’s of the only build 10 wheeler version, was in service with a Norwegian firm, haven’t got a clue if they still own it or what happened otherwise to it.
Cheers, Patrick
jsutherland:
Thanks a lot Patrick. Great pictures.
Saviem JL 25/6 with narrow cab in rail-road use.
![9- [gr].JPG](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/trucknetuk/original/3X/6/e/6eb541af829d20afe1b73aeeb00b367fca8a3440.jpeg)
![IMG_0021 [gr].jpg](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/trucknetuk/original/3X/a/0/a03a74df1ce2daf0f96933177fd1ee39207ef062.jpeg)
Fergie47:
Few Dam and Blast moments…" Wasn’t my fault Govner"…
I’m wondering how the Debeaux Berliet (1st pic) managed its way in what looks like a canal, and why it didn’t sink in the mud. Moreover, it doesn’t even look especially dirty!
It looks as the second photo with the lorry into the Traction Avant was a war time one as the lorry has the coal gas converter behind the cab.
kerbut:
It looks as the second photo with the lorry into the Traction Avant was a war time one as the lorry has the coal gas converter behind the cab.
Thought that was a GBE that you use to drive Nigel… …