Lawrence Dunbar:
Well said Dennis, But nowts changed has it, Tax payers are subsidising to-day, All these benefits that the government is paying out willy nilly to people who have never paid a penny in, It really ■■■■■■■ me off, The system stinks, The people who allow this to happen should have tried running a haulage business when we did, & even to-day haulage is still a hard game to be in IMO, Regards Larry.
If thee and me could re-write the “rule book” for this country it would be a far better place than it has sunk to,guaranteed,unfortunately though Larry we are now very much in the minority,worst luck,and the country is run by a bunch of “lily livered ■■■■■■■■ with the backbones of jelly fish ! Aother “large” one Anne please,or I’m going to have another funny turn,Larry’s set me off ! 
Cheers Dennis.
Dennis you old devil, Fancy blaming me because you want another large malt, Im just enjoying a very nice large Glenlivet, I got it to-day at Tescos reduced to £25 a bargain wouldn’t you agree, Anyway I will take the blame, But do enjoy it as I am, Regards Larry.
I worked with a chap who tramped for the BRS , as i recall he told me once you had been out for so many weeks you could draw money at any depot to buy a new shirt, he’s retired now after working on long distance until his 70th birthday , but has had some health problems since he retired , so get well soon Bob. I agree the term "tramper " is used to describe those who spend nights away for the week rather than in its older term those who worked for the brs when if you went into another area or depot you effectively became part of their fleet & they could send you where they wished , the only outfit i can think of who worked this way was ferrymaster when they had their own fleet & many depots
I remember having a little black book & ringing round for a back load , the only thing is by the time the load got to you it had passed through so many hands all of which took a cut , meant the rate was not the best , & often it was 90 days before payment , if there’s one thing that has killed more hauliers over the years its cash flow no good having a fortune owed you in 90 days when your fuel bill has to be paid in 30, for example theres a large paper co. near me & several of the local firms work out of it , but one firm only has a half dozen trucks which mostly do container work but they take up to a quarter of the work from the factory & give it to an internet co. which subs it out as backloads , so the original firm takes say 10% the internet firm takes 10% & who knows how many hands it passes through before it gets on the back of a truck !!. I was on trip money in the past but we had a rate sheet so you could work out what you were earning ( you had to keep a diary just in case they tried to stiff you for the odd trip , often at the end off the week we’d all be at the window waving your diary yowling like cats me hours me hours are wrong Ha Ha ) anyway most firms now do credit checks & wont work for people who dont pay within 30 days
I can confirm that, if you were weekended away from home on BRS, you had the option of being paid the nights out or being issued with a rail warrant by the nearest depot. You could also draw a few quid in cash from any depot on production of your running sheet (was it an “Ops 2”?). The sheet would be stamped in the same way as fuel and would be debited via the usual paper trail to your home depot.
Yes, Dennis, subsidised to a greater or lesser extent by the good old British taxpayer, but, as a young chap in my early twenties, it was a fantastic job- decent pay & conditions, state-of-the-art vehicle, load for wherever took my fancy. What more could a single chap ask for?
And if young Larry can afford to throw 25quid bottles of Scotch down his neck I am tempted to think that the lot of a self-employed haulier wasn’t as hard as he likes us to think!
Oh yes it was hard all right, but the money I earned was very carefully invested, This was on my accountants advice. This was done for my retirement fund, So I lead a comfortable life now , & I just sip the Malts when I have them Plus the £25 one would normaly be £34, So Im still saving a few quid, Regards Larry.
Retired Old ■■■■:
I can confirm that, if you were weekended away from home on BRS, you had the option of being paid the nights out or being issued with a rail warrant by the nearest depot. You could also draw a few quid in cash from any depot on production of your running sheet (was it an “Ops 2”?). The sheet would be stamped in the same way as fuel and would be debited via the usual paper trail to your home depot.
Yes, Dennis, subsidised to a greater or lesser extent by the good old British taxpayer, but, as a young chap in my early twenties, it was a fantastic job- decent pay & conditions, state-of-the-art vehicle, load for wherever took my fancy. What more could a single chap ask for?
And if young Larry can afford to throw 25quid bottles of Scotch down his neck I am tempted to think that the lot of a self-employed haulier wasn’t as hard as he likes us to think!
Aye but Larry didn’t receive any “subsidy”,he only had to pay “through the nose” for everything required by his business so if he has managed to put “a bit by” for a bottle or two or three “ad-infinitum” for his senior years,good on him I say,at least his consienous ? is clear and he’s supping his own “hard earned” 
No offence,just speaking my mind,Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Retired Old ■■■■:
I can confirm that, if you were weekended away from home on BRS, you had the option of being paid the nights out or being issued with a rail warrant by the nearest depot. You could also draw a few quid in cash from any depot on production of your running sheet (was it an “Ops 2”?). The sheet would be stamped in the same way as fuel and would be debited via the usual paper trail to your home depot.
Yes, Dennis, subsidised to a greater or lesser extent by the good old British taxpayer, but, as a young chap in my early twenties, it was a fantastic job- decent pay & conditions, state-of-the-art vehicle, load for wherever took my fancy. What more could a single chap ask for?
And if young Larry can afford to throw 25quid bottles of Scotch down his neck I am tempted to think that the lot of a self-employed haulier wasn’t as hard as he likes us to think!
Aye but Larry didn’t receive any “subsidy”,he only had to pay “through the nose” for everything required by his business so if he has managed to put “a bit by” for a bottle or two or three “ad-infinitum” for his senior years,good on him I say,at least his consienous ? is clear and he’s supping his own “hard earned” No offence,just speaking my mind,Cheers Dennis.
I’m just jealous that I’m having to enjoy a bottle or two of Banks’ bitter regularly. I do successfully hint at a bottle or two of Glenfiddich at Christmas and birthday though!
As to the “investments”, I foolishly followed the advice of your friend Maggie and ended up worse off than if I’d gone my own way. Never mind, can’t change what’s gone before- just have to be grateful for what we’ve got.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Bewick:
Retired Old ■■■■:
I can confirm that, if you were weekended away from home on BRS, you had the option of being paid the nights out or being issued with a rail warrant by the nearest depot. You could also draw a few quid in cash from any depot on production of your running sheet (was it an “Ops 2”?). The sheet would be stamped in the same way as fuel and would be debited via the usual paper trail to your home depot.
Yes, Dennis, subsidised to a greater or lesser extent by the good old British taxpayer, but, as a young chap in my early twenties, it was a fantastic job- decent pay & conditions, state-of-the-art vehicle, load for wherever took my fancy. What more could a single chap ask for?
And if young Larry can afford to throw 25quid bottles of Scotch down his neck I am tempted to think that the lot of a self-employed haulier wasn’t as hard as he likes us to think!
Aye but Larry didn’t receive any “subsidy”,he only had to pay “through the nose” for everything required by his business so if he has managed to put “a bit by” for a bottle or two or three “ad-infinitum” for his senior years,good on him I say,at least his consienous ? is clear and he’s supping his own “hard earned” No offence,just speaking my mind,Cheers Dennis.
I’m just jealous that I’m having to enjoy a bottle or two of Banks’ bitter regularly. I do successfully hint at a bottle or two of Glenfiddich at Christmas and birthday though!
As to the “investments”, I foolishly followed the advice of your friend Maggie and ended up worse off than if I’d gone my own way. Never mind, can’t change what’s gone before- just have to be grateful for what we’ve got.
well done ROF . I agree with u m8 . we put in Just much as any private enterprise driver and did it legaly . it was a good learner job . we all had to go on to private and run bent as an esshook . what let nationalized industry down was lazy bs and get rich quick . bring back nationalization . whos MAGGIE ■■? lol . -otto-
Surely you haven’t forgotten her already?
Who’s Maggie ? she’d be the one that sold all the family silver for a fast buck, including BRS for the knockdown price of £52 mill. to her Tory friends who sold £110 million pounds worth of property from it within the first year 
Well “Otto” it seems obvious to me that you would be totally opposed to any reasoned argument I could forward on behalf of “Free Enterprise”,however I do take exception to your assertion that all private hauliers “ran bent”,I for one such Haulier did not,and never would,require our drivers to “run bent” although I do acknowledge that there was many who did,unfortunately,but by the same token we (Bewick Tpt) did work hard and on occaisions when our customers required service above and beyond that which was normal,we did perform “the immpossible”.We always had a good relationship with the Dept.of Transport and recieved many compliments from them over the 30 years we operated.We were only a small player within a large industry and there were many other private hauliers who also operated impecably and who would also be affronted by your claim,the main difference between us and the nationalised operation was we had to"balance our books" we didn’t have the “good old british taxpayer” to bail us out when required.Oh! and as private hauliers we were much more flexible in our operation and therfore could run rings around BRS/British Rail etc.I would add that I do not reckon much to to-days transport business and I’m glad I’m no longer involved,so I will away and “crack” open another bottle of Grouse and raise a toast to Transport of yesteryear,Cheers Bewick.
Bewick:
Well “Otto” it seems obvious to me that you would be totally opposed to any reasoned argument I could forward on behalf of “Free Enterprise”,however I do take exception to your assertion that all private hauliers “ran bent”,I for one such Haulier did not,and never would,require our drivers to “run bent” although I do acknowledge that there was many who did,unfortunately,but by the same token we (Bewick Tpt) did work hard and on occaisions when our customers required service above and beyond that which was normal,we did perform “the immpossible”.We always had a good relationship with the Dept.of Transport and recieved many compliments from them over the 30 years we operated.We were only a small player within a large industry and there were many other private hauliers who also operated impecably and who would also be affronted by your claim,the main difference between us and the nationalised operation was we had to"balance our books" we didn’t have the “good old british taxpayer” to bail us out when required.Oh! and as private hauliers we were much more flexible in our operation and therfore could run rings around BRS/British Rail etc.I would add that I do not reckon much to to-days transport business and I’m glad I’m no longer involved,so I will away and “crack” open another bottle of Grouse and raise a toast to Transport of yesteryear,Cheers Bewick.
I have to agree with you Dennis, I have never made a habit of “running bent” I will not deny occasionally stretching the log book or the tacho card to help out a customer or a decent boss but it was the exception not the rule. Regards Kev.
Trev_H:
Who’s Maggie ? she’d be the one that sold all the family silver for a fast buck, including BRS for the knockdown price of £52 mill. to her Tory friends who sold £110 million pounds worth of property from it within the first year
She set this Country into a downward spiral when she did that Trev. And the rest of the governments have kept doing the same.
Cheers Dave.
Bewick:
Well “Otto” it seems obvious to me that you would be totally opposed to any reasoned argument I could forward on behalf of “Free Enterprise”,however I do take exception to your assertion that all private hauliers “ran bent”,I for one such Haulier did not,and never would,require our drivers to “run bent” although I do acknowledge that there was many who did,unfortunately,but by the same token we (Bewick Tpt) did work hard and on occaisions when our customers required service above and beyond that which was normal,we did perform “the immpossible”.We always had a good relationship with the Dept.of Transport and recieved many compliments from them over the 30 years we operated.We were only a small player within a large industry and there were many other private hauliers who also operated impecably and who would also be affronted by your claim,the main difference between us and the nationalised operation was we had to"balance our books" we didn’t have the “good old british taxpayer” to bail us out when required.Oh! and as private hauliers we were much more flexible in our operation and therfore could run rings around BRS/British Rail etc.I would add that I do not reckon much to to-days transport business and I’m glad I’m no longer involved,so I will away and “crack” open another bottle of Grouse and raise a toast to Transport of yesteryear,Cheers Bewick.
opps sorry . I said we all went to private hauliers I did not say all privates were bent . I had some good bosses 100% straight . and all had big houses on the hill and a RR on the drive . all MAGGIE done for us was free collective bargaining . and all that did was make u change jobs when joe blogs paid more down the road u went for it . yours -OTTO-
Anon 1.