the maoster:
Forces. Passed bike test on a Friday, car test and class 3 the next week, class 1 the week after one morning and in the afternoon I was sent out in an Antar with a Chieftain on the back. I was 17 years old, steep learning curve.
Twoninety88:
Atkinson Borderer day cab with a 38 foot flat trailer all handball loading, unloading and roping and sheeting.
Truck aside, can you imagine the takers if that was offered today? Handballing is where its at though, i must be a masochist, i like it, keeps you fit and strong…
I dont mind doing it now and again. I was given a job out of central london last year, Lincolns Inn fields to be precise, twice a week for fifteen weeks handballing office furniture into a 45 foot Box trailer. A short drive to Stratford east london and empty the ■■■■ thing. Strange how the other two drivers, (both younger than me) managed to avoid it like the plague!
With us its always 20-25kg bags of aggregate (polished stones) mainly for garden centres/builders merchants ect. On a warm day its shorts/trainers and a pair of gloves and get stuck in! A few months back the first one off was 12tonne at a garden centre, that was a workout and a half, the staff all helped though even the senoritas
All you bloody youngsters don’t know what it was like in the old days. I’m so old I never took a test… granddad rights. It was a ■■■■ take though when I came to Oz cos I had to take one out here.
Passed class 2 on a Thursday in feb, was driving a ridgid on the Monday for an agency. Been solid on agency since, doing all sorts for every type of firm. Passed class 1 6 weeks ago, had solid work on clas 1 until this week when agency are struggling to find me class 1 sodone some ridgid stuff
raymundo:
Before I even got my license back from Swansea I was driving fish wagons over the water an frozen chips back for a one man band from near Buckie …
you will be well aquainted with hector brocklebank from hb fash then?
I was working in warehouse for ten years, & it was a complete closure of the business.
Everyone was being made redundant, & as soon as we were notified of our fate, I pursued the path of getting all my cards in order, & using my savings from many hours of hours working overtime , a took my class 2 & class 1 only a few months later.
I started running containers from the warehouse where I was working to Southampton docks, & progressed from there into other types of haulage work.
I got my license through the companies training school as a fitter, two weeks in Pickering Feb 1976, but it was another seven years before I drove full time for them. I do remember a week after passing my test taking a loaded Foden S39 tanker to Derby for its annual MOT and suddenly discovering (a) how differently a laden truck performed compared to an empty one and (b) finding out just how many neutrals the Foden 12 speed gearbox had!
windrush:
I got my license through the companies training school as a fitter, two weeks in Pickering Feb 1976, but it was another seven years before I drove full time for them. I do remember a week after passing my test taking a loaded Foden S39 tanker to Derby for its annual MOT and suddenly discovering (a) how differently a laden truck performed compared to an empty one and (b) finding out just how many neutrals the Foden 12 speed gearbox had!
I went straight into delivering powered access on a 32 ton beavertail and if you can do that you can do anything… the swing out on that truck was ridiculous as a transit van found out on a mini roundabout when he got too close
raymundo:
Before I even got my license back from Swansea I was driving fish wagons over the water an frozen chips back for a one man band from near Buckie …
you will be well aquainted with hector brocklebank from hb fash then?
So long ago I cant remember even who it were for but I know I wasn’t there long before I got offered a much better paying job back at sea so orft I jolly well went …
Passed my class 1 in 89 while working for fedex in croydon,4 weeks later was driving a seddon atki strato with eaton splitter,quite a learning curve that with the box,then went on to night trunking driving an austrian steyer,that was a brilliant wagon,some might not think so but i loved it,great sound system,no speed limiter (although i did keep it at 60 mph of course)the rest is history