There’ve been some " Transgo What happened " questions on the forum.
I set up Transgo in 1992. I’d hoped to move to France and asked TFE in Vannes, Brittany for a job. They went one better and said get a tractor and we’ll run you at least twice a week to the UK. Didnt even have an O licence but within 2 months we were up and running. Never did move to France but stayed in my job teaching special needs kids and did the weekend run to France while friend Paul did the weekday run.
It seemed a blur as we went to 10 trucks in 5 years’ working for TFE bases in Vire, Paris, Nice and Vannes.
At our peak, reckon we did a good job but lots of reasons led to our demise. I count all the drivers as friends but you are judged by your worst man, not your best.It was impossible to find 10 top men.
It became a 7 day, 24 hour a day nightmare, to be honest. One guy who’d " Been there, done it" had 2 serious crashes on his first run to Paris. I wasn’t on top of the job either, lost the plot.
The French were, understandably, getting racked off and then came Paul’s crash. Full tilt into the Senlis toll booth support pillar and the friend who’d been driving with me from day one was dead. Time to finish.
Hi Gerry,
thought you might like sight of these;
Paul & Simon at SOPADI, South Paris
Wilfs Scania in Rouen during French drivers strike
Martins’ Scania at Rozet st Albain
Pauls’ Magnum somewhere between Cherbourg & Vannes
Crick artic parked at Ashby
geebee45:
Crick artic parked at Ashby
Is that the two-circle logo of Ronazur?
If so, that takes me back a while. 
Dave, I think the answer is ‘yes.’
Ronazur appears to be linked to STEF which is linked to TFE (Transports Frigorifiques Européens). I cannot remember the precise nature of all the holding companies, mergers etc bit like trying to work out who owns who in the motor industry.
The trailer in the picture was actually a TFE trailer from either their Vannes or Vire depot. There was the artic pictured and a rigid (3 axle I think) that did UK work, mainly around North West and North East. The site at Crick was within the Baker Bros or Midland Meat Packers depot just at the back of the Ministry weighbridge. The depot was run as a UK midlands distribution / consolidation hub. TFE vehicles, UK and French subbies would swap and consolidate loads there. Seem to recall Transgo, Garry George, some of MMPs guys, Scott from Worksop way (cannot remember his surname) and Barry (memory again fails on surname) from Ibstock all being there at various times. There were others as well.
I don’t remember any of the guys, but IIRC Ronazur had a depot just North of Bourg-en-Bresse.
I think there was another French company who also used the two-circle logo, but memory has deserted me. 
I just got to thinking about what I was driving and who I worked for at the time…
No wonder I can’t remember, it’s 27 years ago!! 
dieseldave:
geebee45:
Crick artic parked at AshbyIs that the two-circle logo of Ronazur?
If so, that takes me back a while.
the building under construction in the background was the ashby depot of mrs,so this pic must have been taken about 1992/3ish,where it is parked we had permission to park trailers there for a few weeks,because at the time the bypass was only part completed and not finished for about another 2 yrs.we used to have a security man sat in a caravan on the exit off the roundabout.i think gerry also had something to do with ashby council as well.
Thanks for the old photos. Wilf wasnt driving the 113 blockaded in Rouen. Wont mention names but it was there for a week at some cost. Looks to me, Gerry the owner, that even my lads rabbit could have driven it out of that.
Most of you are fairly accurate on your TFE STEF facts. Peter Rimmington drove 113 parked on the unopened Ashby bypass. Security man?!!! There was Kidda Cabins snap van, if thats what you mean.
Sad to see Paul in front of the blue Space Cab in which he had the fatal accident. I sometimes think that if Id stuck to a couple of motors, Paul and I would still be on the road to Vannes and the Routier de Luscannan.
Gerry
Good afternoon Gerry,
I remeber the DAF SSC and the 124.400/144 tractors, but I have a vague recollection that you ran an Actros from Cossington Commercials for a while, am I right or has senility caught up with me?
Ed
Edshark said;
I remeber the DAF SSC and the 124.400/144 tractors, but I have a vague recollection that you ran an Actros from Cossington Commercials for a while, am I right or has senility caught up with me
Quite correct. It was a demo unit. If I look hard enough I’ll find a couple of photos of the turquoise (launch colour) monster, it replaced one of the Magnums for a short time. The Magnum (one with a Mack engine) was eventually replaced by a 430 model. The 420 Magnum in the fourth photo had a ‘moment’ on the A614 coming back from Driffield was replaced by the 124.400 and then by the SSC.
Hello Ed, hello Geebee45, whoever you are!!
Got to get to work so will post more details later but, yes, we had the Actros which ■■■■ drove. It had a personal reg which I should have changed to the original. Well, I didnt seem to do much else that was legal, according to my ministry friends.
One inspector told me I scored 12 out of 10 on the scale of illegality. Felt most proud! Be good to know who Geebee is, Im gerryorme@sky.com if more private.
Hello there Gerry,
I would never have said that you were 12 out of 10 for illegal operation, bearing mind some of the companies I have had dealing with. What I will say is that in all the dealings i had with Transgo and with you personally, you were totally professional , and I was truly sad to see Transgo disappear.
It seems that it is now frowned upon in this industry to work hard and push the boundaries to the limit, better to be a “mouse” and do only the minimum required!!
Anyway rant over, I would love to see some pics of the Actros, and any others of the Transgo fleet - bring them on!!
Ed
Hello again Ed. Really appreciated your comments - remember having a sausage sandwich with you on a Coventry industrial estate when I’d gone to see Transfleet. Cant recall why you were there, prob getting me to sign something!!!
Yes, I tried to do things properly but I was guilty of not realising how I was losing the plot and letting it slip. Not their fault, but my French friends saw a driver out of time in Carlisle as my prob and if it had to be on the Poole ferry that night, end of. One driver was letting owner drivers fill on my cards for a cut and two others were shipping in more booze than Allied Breweries. Mobile phone bills were 60000 a year, again I should have sorted that.
It was a relief to break free but I miss the days when we were humming nicely along.
All the best and take it steady
Blimey - Transgo certainly brings back some fond memories for me. Stumbled on this thread only recently by chance… I have some photos of the relatively early days… a very bad one of E71 SAH which I’m sure you remember well Gerry. it had a few hundred thou on the clock and I’m sure it had already been round once… Anyway if anyone is still interested in this thread I’ll post pics and reveal more…