Thanks yes! Spat the old dummy out a bit prematurely 
. I’ve now placed what I wanted to write on a more specific Scammell thread 
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The top one was Alan Bonds. Looks like Greasy Joes Lorry park, Cirencester
Very smart unit! I used to park at Greasy Joes from time to time.
Drove for Alan until he called it a day in 2008
I know this is a “long ask” however I wonder if C & C International is associated with Chambers and Cook in Birmingham, particularly since the vehicle has Birmingham registration plates?
Just seen this, EDSTRUCK: I’m afraid I have no idea.
Is it really that difficult to park between the lines?
and he’s left both doors open 
. What is he LIKE?
Proper long-range diesel tank though 
Big tank on the unit, and that looks a bit low and vulnerable for some stuff? But only on the unit by the look of it.
Just stick 12.00 x 20 tyres on it - that’ll raise the ground-clearance sufficiently !
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Bigger wheels, and a belly tank on the trailer, sorted.
The trailer may well be awaiting side boxes (kitchen / tool box) for long-haul. An additional 1000 ltr belly tank on the trailer would reduce his payload capacity by another tonne (unless of course he has a trailer tank instead of the big one on the unit). If he was only carrying hanging garments it would be no problem but if he has to pick up a full load of dates as a return load he’ll be limited.
Payload capacity? What’s that?
Overweight fines are (were) just like tolls and other normal running costs.
As an aside I got pulled by the Poppy Tops on a particular occasion. They went through the docs and found I had quite-a-lot-ish tonnes on board. Round to a weigh-bridge and I was a few ton over. Obviously they wanted cash. It was pre euro time so after refferring to the exchange in the daily paper I handed over GB£, ChF, Dm, FF, ItL, Pt Esc, and of course all of my EspP. I had the correct receipt for the amount in pesatas and with currencies etc all marked. Pay up and drive on.
I remember in the mid-90s the Hungarians started checking axle weights and screwing everyone for mega-bucks. It was a never ending cat-and-mouse game across all those borders, with the rules changing every other trip or so!
Running legally at 44T in the UK, but being limited to 40T on Eu cross border work was interesting at times.
So long as no endorsements were involved, and if it stayed pay some cash and carry on running then many companies took it as a worthwhile chance to take. When the some started using telephone numbers as a guide to fine levels, and others wanted their brother-in-law with a small van to carry the excess weight to the next border, things changed.
For myself I did prefer to hand over all docs with a relaxed smile, rather than wonder if I would be hanging around for ever whilst DKV telexed some funds over to a nearby garage.
From this distance the old days look good, but I don’t miss the cat-and-mouse bit at all.
Nor do I. On Middle-East work the rules were ever changing and no two trips were the same. You relied heavily on the grape-vine for news of what was occurring down the road, but if you didn’t meet drivers coming the other way you remained oblivious to the changes. It wasn’t so bad when the ‘run’ was teeming with UK / Euro traffic but later on when I did it, there was hardly anyone left doing it and you might not meet a soul with news.
I never went as far as you, but when I changed employers on mostly Euro work from a not very compliant one to a much more compliant one, I did find work less tense.
Half the time in work and other situations you don’t realise you are uptight until the pressure is released. It might ratchet up slowly so you don’t feel it, but if it taken off quickly gives a relief.
Ten odd years of running hard was replaced by a longer period of calmer work.
A lot of memories, and no crying over spilt milk, but I wouldn’t want to have to do it all again today.