Nice stories there, Gavin, i too worked for Smiffy out of ferry lane…used to run empty via swiss to pavia, usual stop at charlies Luniville…sad thing is…i had to change motors…so i ended up with one that had been parked in the field opposite ( still had the grass growing out of the roof when i left ) 
anyway this trip i was running spares for the Rover plant in italy somewhere and bird cages back, it was a small scania road train, cant remember series or whatever me memories going, anyway, just as i left the rover plant with a another driver, there was an almighty bang, and a knock…knock…knock…knocking noise…so pulled over …turned out the compressor had blown, lost all its oil, and wondered what to do…so the other driver ( ted ) went to the birdcage factory, dropped his trailer on the bay, then came back and towed me there, we put the hanger on the bay and me next to it, as it seemed smiffy got paid once we were loaded…so we got loaded, managed to park outside the gates, and went on the ■■■■ and pizza as you do for the weekend…However…this was friday night, so on the sunday, cab up to look at the damage…and decide that we may get away with a change of compressor…so got on the blower…he wasnt so happy…even though that was the reason it was parked in a field, cos it wasnt building up air…so he said he would send one out with the next trailer…so half a week goes by, and another driver arrives…with a compressor…of course…it was the wrong one…but io thought i could make one from the two, as the head from the damaged one was ok, just that the bottom half had a con rod through the side lol…eventually by the end of that week, i managed to convert and fit the new one on. topped up with oil ( [prior to this the other driver had to leave for the uk after the weekend we spent together) now i was on my own…so started the old girl up…no good, the big ends were rattling, not too loud, but rattling non the less…so on the blower…there was a garage just down the road, and smiffy decided to get me towed to there ( lorry only ) where they stripped it down, sump off, and told him a stupid price, so he told them he wasnt paying that, and to leave the bits in the back…but although they looked after me, by letting me have a bed on the upstairs flat within the garage, they wouildnt let the truck go, until the money had been paid for stripping it down…another week goes by, then i get towed back to my trailer, and parked outside the birdcage company once again…after the weekend goes by, on the tuesday a newboy turns up in the company van, he was the new mechanic, and set about fitting a compressor he had brought with him…then sets about rubbing down the crank with emery cloth, and refitting the bearings, and everything else…this took a few days, until he fired it up, sounded not too bad, and as he said after running it for an hour, that will get you home, i had been there 3 weeks, so setr about going back swiss as we ran very light, all was going well, till the swiss border, i done all the paperwork from every office i could, until i reached the last gate into swiss…then i saw the guy with a tape measure ( you know whats coming dont ya lol )…no matter i closed the hanger as far as i could, he wasnt gonna let me through, i was millimetres over length…in the end, i had to traverse to whole of the compound, cancelling all of my paperwork, and finding an alternative route into france…well what a trip that was, i got it back to rainham, to find the mechanics whole set of snap on tools and boxes had been nicked ( poor sod ), and smiffy paid me £100, and told me to do one, blaming me for his heaps of crap he put on the road…he wasnt gonna get away with that i thought, , his office was above the fuel bowser, and boy, does it burn, i got more than my satisfaction back that day, as i trundled down ferry lane to where my car was parked. now thats Karma!!
… Old School! 
Ha ha…Nice one Bobby. 
carryfast-yeti:
i knew a bloke who drove for ‘The Shoe’,for years,Geoff Underwood.he used to love his TK Bedford
i heard he has retired somewhere oop north.
Hi Carryfast-yeti. Yes I did 20 years on the “Shoe” and the old TKs were brilliant but I have to say the Leyland Freighter was a better truck.
Buzzer:
BSC in Leicester and have fond memories of that place and IIRC the foreman’s name was Ken very nice bloke, only trouble it was a union place but if the right unloading crew you were allowed in the back to help if directed by Ken, this usually speeded up getting empty especially with there telescopic elevator which extended into the shipping container as you went down the box in my case. Special memories of that place as it was where when I phoned my Mrs when unloaded and she told me she was pregnant with our first son and you don’t forget that sort of phone call ever, Buzzer.
Hi Buzzer. BSC wasnt a union place but they had a lot of rules for visiting drivers probably due to security or fire regulations. Ken Garland was the foreman and you are correct, he was a great bloke.