bestbooties:
I remember the time when myself and Alan Jones,(Mr.Magoo) were working for SI from Stoke and Alan had a mixed load of gas cylinders for the UAE.
It was accepted that it was a hazardous load,but who was into ADR in those days.
The bottles were chained lying down in pyramids down the tilt bed.
One thing about Alan,there’s never any drama,I asked him how he’d got on when he landed back here.
He said there was no real problem,just loaded the truck on the ramp of the ferry so it could be dropped overboard if there was a problem.When he was driving down around the Hoffuf area at night he said he heard something go with a “whoof” and thought it was a low flying plane.
He pulled onto the desert to kip for the night and it wasn’t until he got up in the morning and walked round the trailer to find there was no trace of a tilt cover! To quote Alan,“I completed the job as open TIR!”
We could only guess that there must have been some leakage from the cylinders and a bit of friction between the chains and the bottles must have ignited it and blown the tilt sheet off.
Looking back you’ve just got to laugh,but it could have been much worse.
A Great story Ian, It’s just too ridiculous, nobody could ever dream that one up. Can you just imagine it ? Whoosh and the bloody lot’s gone. I’ll bet Geoffrey was peed off having to buy a new Tilt Cover, eh ?
Cheers, Archie
Hello, I enjoy reading some of the stories in here, bring back lots of memories. So hears one for you. I used to run Cosmetics from Southampton to a place in Swiss, Not much problem going but getting out of Swiss via Basil, having loaded in Swiss was a friggin nightmare First it would be load with 40’ long crates of Aluminium, then go to a couple other places & put on more junk, finally get to Lingrubbers,(not sure on spelling) but they were a groupage company in Basil. Well the Fat controller was a real ■■■■■■■■ he would make me open up the tilt with one side compleatly open, just so he could see that there was no bloody room left apart from the back end. Then it was round to Customs before they close and garentee it they will find the smallest hole in the tilt, where the ■■■■■■■ would put his finger & pull, then he says O look i can put my hand in here !! a quick dash back to Linegrubbers to get the tilt repaird at an extorshanant cost. But the worst was when he found a knot hole in a floor plank, I was made to go and unload the whole load and have a new plank put in the floor. that took a whole weekend and some of the Monday. On one ocasion I actually blocked the customs gate exit into france by parking my truck accross both lanes! i was so ■■■■■■ with an ignorant Swiss customs agent that I said [zb] it, I am not putting up with this crap & drove my truck upto the gates and swung her right accross the road, then sat in my truck reading a mag & ignoring the customs agents waving the toy pistols in my general direction. Eventually a senior agent in a suit & tie arrived, speking perfect English he asked whats the problem? I explained how the customs agent had refused to lend me a pen from his pot of a dozen pens to fill in his form, when a driver lent me one he threw my papaers all over the floor in his side of the office and told the next guys in line to come past me, so after a few drivers getting there papaers stamped i blew a fuse and went & got my truck and blocked the whole friggin place. I was told that the ■■■■■■■ had been dismissed, a result for once. Haha.
Regarding TIR, I used to run a lot in east Europe in the 80s and if the commie caught you taking short cuts off the TIR routes, you were good for getting a ticket.
Some great stories here. I actually used to build and refurbish tilts and for TIR type approval, before allowed on the road, they would send an official to inspect all the work. This would involve things like the correct bolted, not riveted position of the blue TIR plates front and rear - not obscured by any outriggers, timbers or canopy. He would then photograph the vehicle from the front and the rear clearly showing the TIR plates, the trailer number and the hauliers name. They kept the originals for records and a copy of these pics would be placed inside the document carrier of the trailer (which also had to be in a certain position - usually near to the couplings on the bulkhead.) It didn’t end there, all the flooring had to be sealed (no gaps, no daylight) and the coachbolts used to fasten the plywood sheets to the decking (IIRC 4 per sheet, and about 12 sheets per 40’) had to be tack welded - an awful job. The side gates and tailgates again had to be fitted snugly so no gaps (remember how these used to get battered about) and the canopy no holes or tears in it, and no damage to the brass eyelets, then sealed with a TIR cord which the two ends met at the rear, to be tucked under a tilt welded flap fastened with either a press stud or velcro. Also, things like the rear bumper had to be either sealed (no gaps) or if box section type, you had to be able to see right through to the other side. These people were worse than the MOT gang, and they didn’t smile much either.
hayday:
Some great stories here. I actually used to build and refurbish tilts and for TIR type approval, before allowed on the road, they would send an official to inspect all the work. This would involve things like the correct bolted, not riveted position of the blue TIR plates front and rear - not obscured by any outriggers, timbers or canopy. He would then photograph the vehicle from the front and the rear clearly showing the TIR plates, the trailer number and the hauliers name. They kept the originals for records and a copy of these pics would be placed inside the document carrier of the trailer (which also had to be in a certain position - usually near to the couplings on the bulkhead.) It didn’t end there, all the flooring had to be sealed (no gaps, no daylight) and the coachbolts used to fasten the plywood sheets to the decking (IIRC 4 per sheet, and about 12 sheets per 40’) had to be tack welded - an awful job. The side gates and tailgates again had to be fitted snugly so no gaps (remember how these used to get battered about) and the canopy no holes or tears in it, and no damage to the brass eyelets, then sealed with a TIR cord which the two ends met at the rear, to be tucked under a tilt welded flap fastened with either a press stud or velcro. Also, things like the rear bumper had to be either sealed (no gaps) or if box section type, you had to be able to see right through to the other side. These people were worse than the MOT gang, and they didn’t smile much either.
Hullo Hayday,
Some job eh ? Do you remember some trailers instead of wooden boards in the roof, used metal tubes, a bit like lenghs of Gas Pipes, even all of those had to have the ends sealed up as well.
Cheers, Archie.
hayday:
Some great stories here. I actually used to build and refurbish tilts and for TIR type approval, before allowed on the road, they would send an official to inspect all the work. This would involve things like the correct bolted, not riveted position of the blue TIR plates front and rear - not obscured by any outriggers, timbers or canopy. He would then photograph the vehicle from the front and the rear clearly showing the TIR plates, the trailer number and the hauliers name. They kept the originals for records and a copy of these pics would be placed inside the document carrier of the trailer (which also had to be in a certain position - usually near to the couplings on the bulkhead.) It didn’t end there, all the flooring had to be sealed (no gaps, no daylight) and the coachbolts used to fasten the plywood sheets to the decking (IIRC 4 per sheet, and about 12 sheets per 40’) had to be tack welded - an awful job. The side gates and tailgates again had to be fitted snugly so no gaps (remember how these used to get battered about) and the canopy no holes or tears in it, and no damage to the brass eyelets, then sealed with a TIR cord which the two ends met at the rear, to be tucked under a tilt welded flap fastened with either a press stud or velcro. Also, things like the rear bumper had to be either sealed (no gaps) or if box section type, you had to be able to see right through to the other side. These people were worse than the MOT gang, and they didn’t smile much either.
Hullo Hayday,
Some job eh ? Do you remember some trailers instead of wooden boards in the roof, used metal tubes, a bit like lenghs of Gas Pipes, even all of those had to have the ends sealed up as well.
Cheers, Archie.
Yes Archie I remember them being introduced. When new, they were a pig to fit into the rubber sockets and some bright spark suggested we use a compound called rubberlube (probably could have been at home on a shelf in Ann Summers) A reddish substance in a tin that got absolutely everywhere, and ruined your gloves. Yuk, and what about the alu boards that when damaged cut your fingers to ribbons, very clever.
hayday:
Some great stories here. I actually used to build and refurbish tilts and for TIR type approval, before allowed on the road, they would send an official to inspect all the work. This would involve things like the correct bolted, not riveted position of the blue TIR plates front and rear - not obscured by any outriggers, timbers or canopy. He would then photograph the vehicle from the front and the rear clearly showing the TIR plates, the trailer number and the hauliers name. They kept the originals for records and a copy of these pics would be placed inside the document carrier of the trailer (which also had to be in a certain position - usually near to the couplings on the bulkhead.) It didn’t end there, all the flooring had to be sealed (no gaps, no daylight) and the coachbolts used to fasten the plywood sheets to the decking (IIRC 4 per sheet, and about 12 sheets per 40’) had to be tack welded - an awful job. The side gates and tailgates again had to be fitted snugly so no gaps (remember how these used to get battered about) and the canopy no holes or tears in it, and no damage to the brass eyelets, then sealed with a TIR cord which the two ends met at the rear, to be tucked under a tilt welded flap fastened with either a press stud or velcro. Also, things like the rear bumper had to be either sealed (no gaps) or if box section type, you had to be able to see right through to the other side. These people were worse than the MOT gang, and they didn’t smile much either.
Hullo Hayday,
Some job eh ? Do you remember some trailers instead of wooden boards in the roof, used metal tubes, a bit like lenghs of Gas Pipes, even all of those had to have the ends sealed up as well.
Cheers, Archie.
Yes Archie I remember them being introduced. When new, they were a pig to fit into the rubber sockets and some bright spark suggested we use a compound called rubberlube (probably could have been at home on a shelf in Ann Summers) A reddish substance in a tin that got absolutely everywhere, and ruined your gloves. Yuk, and what about the alu boards that when damaged cut your fingers to ribbons, very clever.
Nice memories Heyday, do you remember the original TIR tilts that had leather loops instead of plastic down straps, you looped them through the eyes and through each other and pulled them tight at the bottom and then the TIR cord went through the bottom loop, found them a lot easier to use and get a tighter corner.
Also what were the trailer photo’s called I think it was GV something, one of the back and front and one of each side, the back and front one’s had to show clearly the TIR plate and trailer number, there must be a lot of old photo’s of TIR trailers out their some where.
Used to have couple of customs men turn up in the yard for a trailer check one went inside the trailer with a torch which he shone down any cracks the other one was out side looking for any light shining through, good memories.
OssieD:
Nice memories Heyday, do you remember the original TIR tilts that had leather loops instead of plastic down straps, you looped them through the eyes and through each other and pulled them tight at the bottom and then the TIR cord went through the bottom loop, found them a lot easier to use and get a tighter corner.
Also what were the trailer photo’s called I think it was GV something, one of the back and front and one of each side, the back and front one’s had to show clearly the TIR plate and trailer number, there must be a lot of old photo’s of TIR trailers out their some where.
Used to have couple of customs men turn up in the yard for a trailer check one went inside the trailer with a torch which he shone down any cracks the other one was out side looking for any light shining through, good memories.
OssieD:
Nice memories Heyday, do you remember the original TIR tilts that had leather loops instead of plastic down straps, you looped them through the eyes and through each other and pulled them tight at the bottom and then the TIR cord went through the bottom loop, found them a lot easier to use and get a tighter corner.
Also what were the trailer photo’s called I think it was GV something, one of the back and front and one of each side, the back and front one’s had to show clearly the TIR plate and trailer number, there must be a lot of old photo’s of TIR trailers out their some where.
Used to have couple of customs men turn up in the yard for a trailer check one went inside the trailer with a torch which he shone down any cracks the other one was out side looking for any light shining through, good memories.
Ossie
Hullo Ossie,
GV60
Eyup Archie.
Aye well,not being a TIR man mesen - I always thought it meant ‘tear arsing about’ - weren’t it a lot more comfy just to do three a day from Malton to Maltby and be greeted by a nice,friendly,helpful shunter.
Anon…
OssieD:
Nice memories Heyday, do you remember the original TIR tilts that had leather loops instead of plastic down straps, you looped them through the eyes and through each other and pulled them tight at the bottom and then the TIR cord went through the bottom loop, found them a lot easier to use and get a tighter corner.
Also what were the trailer photo’s called I think it was GV something, one of the back and front and one of each side, the back and front one’s had to show clearly the TIR plate and trailer number, there must be a lot of old photo’s of TIR trailers out their some where.
Used to have couple of customs men turn up in the yard for a trailer check one went inside the trailer with a torch which he shone down any cracks the other one was out side looking for any light shining through, good memories.
Ossie
Hullo Ossie,
GV60
Eyup Archie.
Aye well,not being a TIR man mesen - I always thought it meant ‘tear arsing about’ - weren’t it a lot more comfy just to do three a day from Malton to Maltby and be greeted by a nice,friendly,helpful shunter.
Anon…
Thank’s Archie, thought it was GV60 I know you had to have them attached to the front of the trailer but they soon got lost or kids nicked them so we used to staple them to the back of the carnet de passage then they were always with the trailer.
Back then all Euro work was TIR, as we weren’t in the Common market as it was called, even after we joined we still had to use TIR carnets on Swiss work as they were not in the common market and it was not until they became an EFTA member could we use T forms, wise people.
Aye up Chris, It was the easiest way I new to earn big money, real steady and no chasing, all the time I did it, you could easily loose a day here and there to go to a beech or somewhere, all right you weren’t home much but kept the wife of your back.
OssieD:
Nice memories Heyday, do you remember the original TIR tilts that had leather loops instead of plastic down straps, you looped them through the eyes and through each other and pulled them tight at the bottom and then the TIR cord went through the bottom loop, found them a lot easier to use and get a tighter corner.
Also what were the trailer photo’s called I think it was GV something, one of the back and front and one of each side, the back and front one’s had to show clearly the TIR plate and trailer number, there must be a lot of old photo’s of TIR trailers out their some where.
Used to have couple of customs men turn up in the yard for a trailer check one went inside the trailer with a torch which he shone down any cracks the other one was out side looking for any light shining through, good memories.
Ossie
Hullo Ossie,
GV60
Aye well,not being a TIR man mesen - I always thought it meant ‘tear arsing about’ - weren’t it a lot more comfy just to do three a day from Malton to Maltby and be greeted by a nice,friendly,helpful shunter.
Anon…
Thank’s Archie, thought it was GV60 I know you had to have them attached to the front of the trailer but they soon got lost or kids nicked them so we used to staple them to the back of the carnet de passage then they were always with the trailer.
Back then all Euro work was TIR, as we weren’t in the Common market as it was called, even after we joined we still had to use TIR carnets on Swiss work as they were not in the common market and it was not until they became an EFTA member could we use T forms, wise people.
Aye up Chris, It was the easiest way I new to earn big money, real steady and no chasing, all the time I did it, you could easily loose a day here and there to go to a beech or somewhere, all right you weren’t home much but kept the wife of your back.
Ossie
Hullo Ossie,
Heres my last trailer one , bugger I can’t download the picture
DD, The Austrians used to Colis seal stuff too, I took a big forklift down to Vienna in a stepframe once and it was easier to leaver the tilt stripped down so it only covered the groupage on the step, when I got to Suben they wrapped a bit of string around the forklift and lead sealed it, that was all good, they were a bit ■■■■■■ off to see a couple of hundred cartons that needed a seal around them too that were lurking under the tilt on the step, of course they dealt with it all in their usual friendly way
Just as an aside, those tossers get my vote for the most awkward border guards, not as intimidating as the Commie Bloc soldiers, but awkward and belligerent sons of unmarried mothers without equal, how about those who travelled further, what is your vote for the worst border guards?
newmercman:
DD, The Austrians used to Colis seal stuff too, I took a big forklift down to Vienna in a stepframe once and it was easier to leaver the tilt stripped down so it only covered the groupage on the step, when I got to Suben they wrapped a bit of string around the forklift and lead sealed it, that was all good, they were a bit ■■■■■■ off to see a couple of hundred cartons that needed a seal around them too that were lurking under the tilt on the step, of course they dealt with it all in their usual friendly way
Just as an aside, those tossers get my vote for the most awkward border guards, not as intimidating as the Commie Bloc soldiers, but awkward and belligerent sons of unmarried mothers without equal, how about those who travelled further, what is your vote for the worst border guards?
The patrols trying to stop peeps leaving Manitoba,especially the ones without the same DNA See you out on the road from next week onwards.Ah hell,must mean I have to get back to reality(or maintaining the wife in the ways she’s become accustomed too) DOH!!!
Austria is very high on my list - I don’t think they hired 'em for their brains. They all looked like the the Hitler Fitness brochure & used to bark like dogs. Funny thing is the traffic cops were OK.
Another tale from the past.
A lot of trailers on one firm had the same number and when you shipped out,the photo on the GV 60 was a photocopy of the only real GV 60 I think we had.
bestbooties:
Another tale from the past.
A lot of trailers on one firm had the same number and when you shipped out,the photo on the GV 60 was a photocopy of the only real GV 60 I think we had.
Spot on there Ian!! Had big problems at Dover on one occasion (1976) when the customs discovered that I only had a photocopy of the GV60. I’ve related the whole story before (most probably on the Simon Internation thread) but ended up shipping out on T forms to Spielfeld (which got me around the problem of having to show a GV60 at Dover) and starting my TIR Carnet there.
Got a big pat on the back from Jeff for thinking that one out.
bestbooties:
Another tale from the past.
A lot of trailers on one firm had the same number and when you shipped out,the photo on the GV 60 was a photocopy of the only real GV 60 I think we had.
Spot on there Ian!! Had big problems at Dover on one occasion (1976) when the customs discovered that I only had a photocopy of the GV60. I’ve related the whole story before (most probably on the Simon Internation thread) but ended up shipping out on T forms to Spielfeld (which got me around the problem of having to show a GV60 at Dover) and starting my TIR Carnet there.
Got a big pat on the back from Jeff for thinking that one out.
Yes mate,been there,done that.
It’s called"Thinking on yer feet",How many lads could do that today?
On another trip out,I think that could have been with Alan Jones,I was loaded for Baghdad,and shipped out without a Yugo permit,being told “You’ll get in OK!”
Going from Austria into Yugo,tried the Radkersberg Border.
Got stamped out of Austria,tried Yugo,no way would they let us in.
Rang Jeff,he says,“Drive down to Belgrade in a tractor unit,go to the British embassy and they’ll give you some permits!”
To cut a long story short,no joy.Came back to Radkersberg,booked back into Austria,transited Austria to Italy,got in there using “Own account permits” as usual,then down to Brindisi to catch a ferry to Patras.
Where there’s a will,there’s a way!
That’s what made the job so interesting.
Eyup Archie.
Aye well,not being a TIR man mesen - I always thought it meant ‘tear arsing about’ - weren’t it a lot more comfy just to do three a day from Malton to Maltby and be greeted by a nice,friendly,helpful shunter.
Anon…
Aye it were, but bloody Sheffield Customs did’nt like my Mickey Permits, just typical of the South of the County eh?
Cheers, Archie
Hi Just a thought,if the wagon had a t i r plate on both the unit and the trailer and they were both sealed by customs,and you dropped the trailer,did that mean you had broken tir regs?
jeffreyk:
Hi Just a thought,if the wagon had a t i r plate on both the unit and the trailer and they were both sealed by customs,and you dropped the trailer,did that mean you had broken tir regs?
Yes,see my post on page one of this thread
If you had the unit AND trailer plates sealed and the unit and trailer number on the TIR carnet,that was it.
First it would be load with 40’ long crates of Aluminium, then go to a couple other places & put on more junk, finally get to Lingrubbers,(not sure on spelling) but they were a groupage company in Basil. Well the Fat controller was a real ■■■■■■■■ he would make me open up the tilt with one side compleatly open, just so he could see that there was no bloody room left apart from the back end. Then it was round to Customs before they close and garentee it they will find the smallest hole in the tilt, where the ■■■■■■■ would put his finger & pull, then he says O look i can put my hand in here !! a quick dash back to Linegrubbers to get the tilt repaird at an extorshanant cost. But the worst was when he found a knot hole in a floor plank, I was made to go and unload the whole load and have a new plank put in the floor. that took a whole weekend and some of the Monday. On one ocasion I actually blocked the customs gate exit into france by parking my truck accross both lanes! i was so ■■■■■■ with an ignorant Swiss customs agent that I said [zb] it, I am not putting up with this crap & drove my truck upto the gates and swung her right accross the road, then sat in my truck reading a mag & ignoring the customs agents waving the toy pistols in my general direction. Eventually a senior agent in a suit & tie arrived, speking perfect English he asked whats the problem? I explained how the customs agent had refused to lend me a pen from his pot of a dozen pens to fill in his form, when a driver lent me one he threw my papaers all over the floor in his side of the office and told the next guys in line to come past me, so after a few drivers getting there papaers stamped i blew a fuse and went & got my truck and blocked the whole friggin place. I was told that the ■■■■■■■ had been dismissed, a result for once. Haha.
