How did the "bomb shell " of the 1968 Transport Act impact on the industry so have any of the members on TNUK memories of that momentous occasion ? The only recollection I have personally was an Albion 4 wheeler I ran got down plated from the previously 14 ton gvw to about 11:5 ton ! which made what was an hitherto economical motor totally uneconomic end of ! Cheers Bewick.
As an apprentice mechanic at a BMC dealership I remember us completely overhauling a lot of old and rather knackered trucks to get them through the test as nobody really knew just what it would involve so we stripped down steering boxes and replaced a lot of things that in hindsight didn’t really need doing! A K Series Ford Trader that a farmer owned sticks in my mind, all four front wheel cylinders were seized solid (you could stand on the pedal with the drums off and nothing moved!) so there were no working brakes on the front axle, yet he had been using it for hay and straw haulage and was amazed at how well it stopped when we repaired it. 
He might have carried on for years with no brakes if testing hadn’t come in. 
Pete.
My father ran a rather battered 1957 BMC FFK140 i think it was it was full of rust and would not go through the MOT so he bought a new Seddon 13/4/354 as a replacement
Was the Albion downeated due to the 1968 act Dennis? I remember my dad saying his 8 wheeler MM8 went into the workshop for around 3 months to get ready for the new m.o.t . Wasn’t totally refurbishing lorries in those days the norm ?
ramone:
Was the Albion downeated due to the 1968 act Dennis? I remember my dad saying his 8 wheeler MM8 went into the workshop for around 3 months to get ready for the new m.o.t . Wasn’t totally refurbishing lorries in those days the norm ?
Yes Ramone it was the 1968 act so when it was the Albion’s turn to be tested and plated in 1970 IIRC it got dropped down the weight scale so to speak. It still was an economical little motor even down plated but IIRC I sold it eventually as we were becoming more articulated. But the 1968 act sure cut a swathe through many “long in the tooth” fleets even if they were 100% reliable at the previous gross weights. Many old established fleets struggled to re finance their rolling stock at the time and some were determined to soldier on with what they had which caused even more problems down the line when they were forced to confront reality ! Cheers Dennis.
ramone:
Was the Albion downeated due to the 1968 act Dennis? I remember my dad saying his 8 wheeler MM8 went into the workshop for around 3 months to get ready for the new m.o.t . Wasn’t totally refurbishing lorries in those days the norm ?
IIRC the first of our vehicles to be tested was a LAD cabbed Dodge four wheel flat and yes it was totally refurbished, king pins, shackle pins, track rod ends all renewed. Also had to replace most the body floor planking as the cattle box had not been off for about three years and all the effluent and water would seep through the box floor joists straight onto the body. Most of the boxes at that time were wood.
Tyneside
ramone:
Was the Albion downeated due to the 1968 act Dennis? I remember my dad saying his 8 wheeler MM8 went into the workshop for around 3 months to get ready for the new m.o.t . Wasn’t totally refurbishing lorries in those days the norm ?
I worked at Ballidon quarry with a chap, no longer around alas, who had been a fitter with Ellis’s Transport of Hartington, Derbyshire, who were later absorbed into BRS. There is a pic of one of their ERF’s in Pat Kennett’s 1st World of Trucks ERF book. They ran two ERF’s and a Foden, every year (this was in the late 1940’s/early 50’s mind) they were taken off of the road and the platform bodies removed, the chassis and suspension overhauled and painted plus their Gardner engines dismantled and rebuilt. Even at Tilcon’s Ballidon quarry in the 70’s and 80’s we allowed almost a week to get a truck ready for annual test, with over fifty we had at least one every week. I doubt that happens with fleets nowadays though?
Pete.
In 1968 when Millom Iron Works suddenly closed it was a near fatal blow to a number of tipper hauliers in our area but one operator W Keith & Son of Flookburgh cut down a number of 8 wheel Guy Invincibles into twin steer units to pull flat trailers mainly working for the forestry industry. I’m not just sure if they ran at 30/32 ton as I don’t think they were air braked . But Billy ( Kruger) Keith didn’t give up as he had a useful sort of engineer who could turn his hand to anything ( I think he was Polish). Keiths even fitted Leyland 600 engines into D1000 units now that’s ingenuity for you ! Cheers Dennis.
Like Windrush I was also an Apprentice Fitter then and recall how firms had to buy Steam Cleaners as vehicles being tested had to be spotless or so the grapevine went, many simply took the chance to repaint, especially trailers, beforehand not as well maintained as the vehicles and even that wasn’t great, but the place I worked for had a couple of older ex drivers as trailer men and they did a superb job leaving the Fitters to concentrate on the units and rigids. It also spelt the death knell for a lot of older Scammell Coupling and Vac assisted outfits as they struggled to reach the required brake performance, and I recall larger diaphragm brake chambers were fitted to help pass testing. There is no doubt it did the Industry good in many ways fleets were maintained much better and tyres that before had run around with no tread had to be replaced although there were many tales of places swapping good for bad once tested. The Test Stations themselves were revered, very strict at first and some soon got a name for the ones to avoid mainly by the more scrupulous outfits. However it worked both ways after a while if you turned up with good vehicles that had first time pass rates and you got to know the Inspectors they did give a little leeway. The imposing of a GV9 was always a black spot for both the management and the workshop staff and nobody liked that. Franky
In March 1968 I started work as an apprentice diesel fitter, I remember 2 ERF 8 leggers, (both 1938 I think) and asking why they were parked up, ‘‘never pass the new test’’ was the reply. We did total rebuilds, the first one I remember was a 1957 (I think) Leyland Octopus tipper, we took the body off, all the wings, doors etc. Everything was repaired, replaced and hand cleaned, a filthy job, so give it to the apprentice! Then the whole truck, after hand cleaning, was hand painted. We had a set of ‘test tyres’, only fitted when the vehicle went to Darlington for test! I remember a visit from the Traffic Commisioner, (who had the same surname as me and the boss was convinced we were related) we spent all weekend getting the workshop clean, vehicles clean etc, this was because of the number of GV9’s we were getting. We had some right old knackers which saw the gas axe before 1969 but we also got some good motors and in early 1970 had a new F88 delivered, we also had about 12 Big J’s, a different world when it came to cabs.
Although the 1968 Transport Act came into being almost 3 years before I left school , I remember my father saying it would rid a lot of overloading because of the new Gross Weights relevant to individual braking systems .
My father had been a mechanic in the Army ( specialising on A.E.C. Matadors ) , and consequently did much of his own mechanical repairs , apart from major work which was carried out at Hudson Engineers of Sandside ( sorry , Dennis ) . He would not overload his lorry - even refusing to purchase a 3 deck livestock body .
Coward Bros. of Sedbergh were winding down their business , and were operating an early 1960s A.E.C. Mercury , - I think it came second-hand from Binks of Leyburn , North Yorkshire. When it was to be platedat the now-legal gross vehicle weight , old Tommy Coward said that the A.E.C. used to carry the payload at which was to be its new G.V.W. - because of its mediocre braking system . Yes ,.... the A.E.C. was doomed to be unproductive ! This would be the samedeath knellfor many older lorries that had previously been carrying excessive payloads . Either to upgrade braking systems and road springs were two expensive choices . A new 16 tons G.V.W. for 4 wheelers was a Godsend for those who could afford the new lorries ! Yes ,.... themen in white coats at Milnthorpe G.V.T.S. looked intimidating , and frightening to me as they scrutinised my fathers Austin 7 tonner on its first visit . I was allowed to remain in the cab while the white-coated stranger fiddled around with all the switches , and pumped the 3 foot pedals like a 5 year old kid ! A failure was because the rear reflectors were not positioned close enough to the outer edges of the platform body of only 76" . These were factory build fittings , and my father remonstrated with theofficial` , but without any success .
That is my recollection and experience of the 1968 Transport Act as a 14 year old lad .
Cheers , cattle wagon man .
windrush:
ramone:
Was the Albion downeated due to the 1968 act Dennis? I remember my dad saying his 8 wheeler MM8 went into the workshop for around 3 months to get ready for the new m.o.t . Wasn’t totally refurbishing lorries in those days the norm ?I worked at Ballidon quarry with a chap, no longer around alas, who had been a fitter with Ellis’s Transport of Hartington, Derbyshire, who were later absorbed into BRS. There is a pic of one of their ERF’s in Pat Kennett’s 1st World of Trucks ERF book. They ran two ERF’s and a Foden, every year (this was in the late 1940’s/early 50’s mind) they were taken off of the road and the platform bodies removed, the chassis and suspension overhauled and painted plus their Gardner engines dismantled and rebuilt. Even at Tilcon’s Ballidon quarry in the 70’s and 80’s we allowed almost a week to get a truck ready for annual test, with over fifty we had at least one every week. I doubt that happens with fleets nowadays though?
Pete.
Would it be fair to say that vehicles, with proper maintenance, are capable of much greater mileage before major overhaul. By the time that point arrives the vehicle is past economic repair/obsolete?
When did the minimum bhp per ton come in , would this be after 1968 ?
I believe the 6bhp per ton was legislated for in 1972 but iirc it came into being in 1974
The Act also spelled the end for the Scammell Scarab and Townsman, much beloved of the railways.
fodenway:
The Act also spelled the end for the Scammell Scarab and Townsman, much beloved of the railways.
What was that down to?
essexpete:
fodenway:
The Act also spelled the end for the Scammell Scarab and Townsman, much beloved of the railways.What was that down to?
The braking system regarding trailers didn’t meet the new C & U regulations.
Pete.
joeshell:
I believe the 6bhp per ton was legislated for in 1972 but iirc it came into being in 1974
That would have upset many 180 Gardner users , did they have to downrate them to 30 tons?
ramone:
joeshell:
I believe the 6bhp per ton was legislated for in 1972 but iirc it came into being in 1974That would have upset many 180 Gardner users , did they have to downrate them to 30 tons?
IIRC all new Gardner 180LXB chassis registered on or after 1st Jan 1973 operated at 30:5 tonnes gvw. Cheers Bewick.
PS this is a b/w shot of one of our Big J’s which was 1973 reg and is shot here standing at Dunstable loaded with 20 ton of core board ex Reeds Tovil Mill bound for the Bowater Scott mill in Barrow -in- Furness. Even though the 180 LXB Chassis were reduced in GVW they were still capable of carrying 20 ton payloads which still suited many operators at that time.
ramone:
joeshell:
I believe the 6bhp per ton was legislated for in 1972 but iirc it came into being in 1974That would have upset many 180 Gardner users , did they have to downrate them to 30 tons?
All of our K reg Foden eight wheelers with 180 Gardners ran at 30.50 tonnes, although I believe they were only 28 tonners when originally built.
Pete.