British road Services

I never worked for BRS but I’ve picked plenty of BRS drivers up when on dodgys. :laughing:
One of the best jobs out of Staniforth Road BRS depot in Sheffield in the 60s was on the Steel Peech and Tozer contract. Two loads a night from Buxton to SPT (BSC) Rotherham with limestone and this would have been your wagon for the shift:-

A good tool in the early 60s,the Octopus.IIRC there were two located at Staniforth Road double-shifted 6 days/nights a week.Years later Sam Longson from Chapel-en-le Frith did the job I think.

At one time Sheffield Staniforth Road was the busiest depot in the UK so I read somewhere but most BRS depots were busy.It may have meant trunks or tonnage as there was a lot of steel moved by BRS in Sheffield,particularly to the Birmingham area.
I found BRS Corby a good place to backload out of - Lancashire Steel and Stewart and Lloyds were next door and BRS only took 10% of the rate or was it 5% ? Come on,help me out. :laughing:

hiya,
always tried to avoid nottingham depot what with boots ( those who died waiting ) and raleigh bikes for shipping via liverpool awful traffic, carbon black to the tyre factories was rubbish as well used to get it through phil blacks brs by any other name bristol area not so happy days.
thanks harry long retired.

Chris, I can not remember, but overland would have taken 20 percent of middle east loads. Harry, the worst places for me, was catalogue firms, one near Bolton, took from monday to friday to tip, you would queue, then they would come out after a few hours, and say, up to here are OK, the rest come back tommorrow, this happened twice to me, I informed the office, they said stay until you are unloaded. Well I gave them my phone number in Bolton, and said give me a call when you can do me, they did at friday dinner time, I was around in 10 minutes, they let me back into the bay, with my doors open, after a couple of hours, they came and gave me my paperwork, I just got back to Watford Gap, had a dodgy, and ran in saturday morning. The manager, called me over on the monday, on my way out up north, and said you have a glowing report from the last drop you done, you was ,polite, calm, and the most patient driver, they have had the pleasure to meet. ha ha ha, I thought I was about to be on the carpet, for taking so long, but he said well done Norman, keep it up, good old BRS, they was one of the best I worked for. Sandman Norman

hiya,
once got a loaded tilt from felixtowe had dropped one off for italy for a pal of mine who did the continental side and it was his trailer that i had to deliver to the lancs yorks area three drops,had been tipped off that the loads normally were jeans in compressed bales and sometimes there was a buckshee bale amongst the load sure enough an extra bale and three clear signatures, had to pass my house on the way back to the yard got the bale through the front door and after work got the tin snips and cut the bale open the thing filled the living room from floor to about dado rail height with bright orange nylon shirts,just about everybody who lived in my part of the world was out on saturday night wearing one of the things including me, couldn’t give the things away finished up putting them in bin bags and putting them in skips and layby litter bins took me weeks to get rid of them, so dishonesty doesn’t always pay.
thanks harry long long retired.

Harry, you will never go to BRS heaven, when I was on the camping gaz contract, whenever, I was parked up, I would be asked by truckers, if I had any gaz cartridges for sale, or any other equipment, well I replied no, but if you tell me what you want, I will get it for you, and it will be cheaper than you can buy it, so they gave me their phone number, their handle on the CB, and when I got them, I got in contact, but I got so many, that I could’nt get them from the gaz depot, so when I used to go up to Macro’s a cash & carry up at Sunderland, washington, I asked if I could have a card, to by things, they said do you want a account, I said no, pay cash, the manager said, Oh, just get a trolley and pay at counter three, and I will tell them to give you staff dis-count as well. I loaded up with several cases of gaz cartridges and the all the appliances, I had on order plus a few extra’s, this I done for a few years. Then Later a driver mate who worked on “Baxters a meat firm” wanted me to get him a lamp & stove, which I did, I told him to take it out of a bag in the hall of my house, and I would see him later for payment. But before I saw him again, he was arrested for knocking off some meat, he had a couple of freezer full at home, the daft sod had took my bag, with his goods & someones else as well. He phoned me from the club, and said he hoped he had not got me in trouble, I said no, but you are a idiot, you took more than you ordered, and my bag, where is it, at the police station, they took it, and they want you to contact them. So I phoned up, and was asked to meet this detective, so I went to the station to see him, when I sat down, he put a bag on the table, and shouted what is this, a bag i got in Ireland, and you do not need to shout, I am not deaf, and if you are polite, I will answer all your questions, sir I want to know about whats in the bag, so I opened the bag, and said two camping stoves, two lamps, and six gaz cartridges, where did you get them, and why did this other driver had them, well I replied, he wanted a lamp & stove, which I got for him, I told him to take it out of my bag, but he mis- understood, and took the bag, the other things was someone else. But where did you get them, he smirked, from a cash & carry, I hope you have proof, yes I have, may I see, yes, here it is, and by the way, I have copies, he looked at the invoice, and his face was a little white, thank you sir, you may take goods, so I took a lamp & stove out of the bag, and placed on the table, and said I can not take these, it would be stealing, not all drivers are tea leafs, I have never been short in my loads, I know, the manager of camping gaz told me, you even had some over and returned them.

hiya,
well norm am in no rush to get to brs heaven, don’t think i’ll be at peterborough either the health isn’t brilliant at the moment i seem to catch everything going these days something to do with my immune system and the effects of previous chemo sessions, ah well maybe next year personally i would take a chance but my good lady says NO and i daren’t disobey i’m no hero and what she says goes, was looking forward to it as well having never been there, i thank everyone who gave me information on buses and best time to visit.
thanks harry long retired.

Hello Red and Rust fans
Harry , sorry to read your of your health probs Im sure youll be abe to get internet info on Peterborough , thats how I catch up here in France . Ive got a tale of my own based in 1972 on BRS I was told to take a 30ft single axle trailer to Southern gas , load 16t of scrap brass and copper to deliver to London . when I got there I was asked to weigh off MT , but this guy pops up and says , " want to earn some money Driver , there should be 16t but I know theres a lot more than that so what we have over that tonnage Ill split with you " . too good to miss I weighed MT and went round the back and we was all day loading bags of old imperial gas fittings , as I roped and sheeted I thought that trailers got a bow in it , when I went round to weigh off loaded this guy says " they wont notice if you miss the weighbridge with your nearside wheels " and was there to line me up , I thought your joking , Nope I weighed off about 24ton . Well , off we went with this guy in his car behind , parts of the M3 were newly open as was the brand new Fleet services , he bought me a slap up meal before carying on somewhere in west London at a scrap merchants , it felt heavier than 24ton sure but when we off loaded and everything that came off that trailer was weighed carefully there was an extra 8 tons of fittings making me 32 ton wih a single axle trailer , the old Mandator was a 32 tonner sure but no wonder the trailer bowed , I made a cool £100 pounds out of it and as a nipper worried for that Knock at the door for some time but it never happened . Sounds like a tall story , nope , Southern Gas at Botley had been stuffed and I was £100 better off.
Best regards Frenchy

Bloody hell Frenchy, i was living in Botley in 1972. ( well Hedge End anyway )
Now i know why the gas bill was so high that year. :unamused: :unamused:

hiya,
tell you what frenchy weren’t we little angels back then i had a pal who worked with me at blackburn brs it would be mid 60s, reckoned he had enough wheels on his eight wheeler and trailer to have a couple for himself he must have had some fiddle going, he always had plenty of money and none of us knew how, but he reckoned he ran a pair of wheels for himself, iv’e had the odd bit of freight in the passenger side to earn a little bit of cash barely enough for a nights digs but he was always loaded and i knew exactly what his pay was because brs payed the rate for what you was driving and i was driving an identical outfit to him,still best of luck to him i was only jealous.
thanks harry long retired.

Harry my old mate, sorry you have not been in too good of health, but with the problems you have suffered, you have stood up to the highest degree. This good weather, I have been in the garden, and my bowls, so I have not been on the laptop much, but this week, the club is shut for four days, due to new carpeting, and at this very moment it is pelting down with rain, so I am keeping in contact. Also I must do a few pages towards my book, but I have always other things, more important to do, time goes so quickly, when you get older, but when I have time to day dream, memories will come back to me, of my time on the highways and things that happened to me on the old " Red & Rust" , B.R.S. forever. Sandman Norman

hiya,
norm no bowls for four days thats as bad as doing two days local on the trot, i was looking forward to doing the peterborough thing this year but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, i’m not bedfast or anything like that just a virus thing just seem to catch everything going these days i’ll just have to try and fight off all the georgeous girls just in case i catch something, ah well there’s always next year, might manage a more local show there may be some red and rust on show it’ll have to be one where i can drive too and back from, does anybody know when barnard castle is on or has it been on? or is it on this year? well out of touch with things these days, any info would be greatly appreciated, on the plus side my old lady might be prepared to let me do a bit of local, whos’e under the thumb?.
thanks harry long retired .

Ho Harry, I have got the withdrawals, I only play on mondays, tuesdays sometimes twice, wednesdays, fridays sometimes twice, bowls gives me exicise and keeps me fit, it is only tuesday, and it seems a week already, I have been potting my plugs, what with them, and my seedlings, I have done almost a thousand, my garden should look extra special this year, if I am unlucky and don’t live to see it Harry, at least I should have enough flowers for my funeral, you always look on the bright side ha ha ha. Why don’t you do like I do, sort out a few cheap travel lodges on the net, break up your journey, and you and your wife share the driving, make it a 3 or 4 day trip to the show, life is so short, enjoy yourself while you both can, if you do go, I would try to meet up with you, and take you out for a meal, and even show your wife & you my little bungalow, and of course my kew gardens, ha ha ha, or you can travel by train to wellingborough, and I would pick you up and take you to peterborough, it is only 40 miles from here,remember at our age, tomorrow may never happen. This is the reason, on the 24th July, I am taking my daughter & grandaughters, 5 & 8 to Paris on the Eurostar, and hotel for 3 nights, and Disneyland for two days, for I may not be around next year, who knows, do things while you can, see you buddy. Sandman Norman

hiya,
thanks for the ideas and kind offers norm but it’s a no go zone this year iv’e left it a bit late, all the trains are booked up by now, i look after my two grandchildren up to friday evening so really theres only sat & sun free in my case, my old lady isn’t very good with the walking at the moment either knee problems so not able to drive much at this time she doesn’t think much about wagons anyway she could spend the wages which came from me driving them though, only kidding she worked as a carer in the mobile area herself so had her own money she’s still on the books of the company she works for and hopes to go back to it eventually at 66 she’s crackers some of the people she looks after are younger than her, maybe we’ll meet up one day norm, as for the bowling i’d need a crane to lift me back upright after i’d let go of the thing, enough for now norm.
thanks harry long reired.

Does any of you remember balderton depot.My dad Raymond Hunt drove out of there in the 1950s.I started lorry driving in 1976 and
sometimes parked my lorry in their yard.At that time a lot of british sugar six wheeled ford tankers where based their.I believe they
lost the sugar contract to tankfreight.

Nigel, I have a faint memory of a balderton near Newark, but sugar beet, I always pictured near Wisbech to Bury st edmund area, but I was in the army from 55to58, and thinking about norfolk,sussex area, when I first started on B.R.S. in 1972, I was sent to Felixstowe to pick up a trailer at the docks, when I found it, the length was over 75 feet long, it was a dutch extenting trailer with metal tubes on, it was a saturday job, I phoned up the office, they said what is the problem, one it is too long, you need a mate with you, two you will need a police ■■■■■■. In those days, you go through Bedford, St neots, Cambridge, bury st edmunds, stowmarkrt etc, some of them in the offices had no idea. Sandman Norman

hiya,
have got balderton listed only ever been in for fuel, don’t think there was much general traffic out of that one never got booked in for a return load if round that way nearly always sent to nottingham but i’m going back to the mid 60s and i dreaded nottingham for reasons given previously.
thanks harry long retired.

More memories of working on BRS, one time I was waiting for a load to Kuiwait, and the sugar foreman ask me if I woul do him a favour, and drive a seven ton sugar wagon, with three drops on for Hemple hemstead, watford, St Albans, when I got to the last drop, it was up several steps, about 20 yards from my wagon, I went into the shop, and this brown gentleman, told me where he wanted the sugar, and I asked him, if there was a back entrance, no he replied, you will have to bring it in this way, no I said, you will have to bring it in , tail end delivery, the insurance, only covers me for that, if you want the load, you had better start to bring it in, he blew a gasket, I will get you the sack, hang on I said I will get the chap on the phone, I did, Jack, I explained the problem, and then passed the phone over, he was told, there is a sugar shortage, also a driver problem, I was doing him a favour by doing this delivery, if he could not take the load from the end of the truck, I would return back to the depot with it,and he may have to wait months. Well he went back into the shop, and out came 15 asians, and I was on my way home. Sandman Norman

hiya,
tipped aberdeen very early. into the depot take your trailer to blackburn (the aberdeen one) and come back here your trailer will be night loaded and roped and sheeted for back home in the morning have spoken to your depot and you can put a day in with us, take that trailer, never seen such a short thing, go to such and such whisky bond back onto the loading bay there’s some box vans coming from the north and they are too high to back onto the loading bay they will back onto your trailer instead job solved, the tm added you’ll see why i can’t send my own drivers, the first thing was a scouse voice asking for a ciggie it was the bond manager inviting me into his office for a drink this is half nine in the morning and handed half a tumbler of best whisky to which he added just fill it up to the top with water this went on all day long by five o’clock i was just about legless aberdeen depot sent as if by magic s driver to take my outfit back to the yard and when i got there the tm said now you know why i didn’t send my own lads they would need the day off tomorrow,round to the digs no supper straight to bed and had the best nights sleep ever, funnily enough i felt pretty good next day, good old scottish breakfast, just had to pick up my trailer and go as promised, aberdeen depot to home base too far make it so a dodgy as well, very happy days
thanks harry long retired.

Another red & rust tale, just had a few days off at home, got a phone call, from the manager, I know you have just got back from Saudi, and you soon be going to Turkey, but will you help my mate out at Rugby, it will not take long, Ok I said, drove there in my car, was promised M/E rates, I was given a big guy& trailor, I delivered the load, and told to bring back pallets, and any extra pallets I could find. Well when I got my paperwork, and the same amount as I took, there was no extra’s, so I went to a firm, who was moaning to me, that he had room in his yard, because he had so many pallets in the way, I was promised 50p per pallet, so I phoned up, before I went there, and he begged me to come with a empty trailor, and he would give me a very good tip. They loaded me in quick time,and a tenner in my pocket, back in BRS rugby yard, I fetched the manager out to count the pallets, he nearly fainted, over 400, he said thats over £200, yes I replied, if there is any problem, I can take them back, but I knew a few places, at that time, you could get a pound or two for a pallet, no he said we will unload them, and you will get paid, but at this moment the kitty is low, so I said its not far to the bank, so I got my money, he was praised by the head office, because it was costing the company £5/£10 to replace new, when I saw my manager later, he told me his mate told him, he thought I was a asset, no it was not a ■■■. Sandman Norman

Harry and Norman:
You lads have got a few years on me I guess, but I was around late 60s to mid 70s, and your stories are the best part of this forum to me - you sound just like the old hands (the ‘carters’) that gave a young gun like me such a hard time. Of course I loved every minute of it. We still did sheeting and roping (checked in and out of the yard) and slept in fleapits (Salvation army hostels anybody?). Please, please keep it up guys.

Just in passing, when would you say curtain-siders became the norm? The only ones I remember from my time were 30’ jobs used for empty beer kegs. They seem to be everywhere now, but when did they start to become really popular?

PS BRS Lister St in Glasgow was a regular call. In those days we called it BRS Heavy as opposed to BRS Parcels at Dixon’s Blazes.