hiya,
I never lost my Ops6 but what would have happened if you did?
on the day I started in 1958 I was told to “look after it” as if it
was a member of your family, I never did find out what would
have happened, I did knock a cup of tea over it once but there
was nothing said as it was still readable after the heater blew
it dry, one depot did send the office boy out to check if I was
driving a BRS vehicle.
thanks harry, long retired.
[/quote]
Showing my ignorance or my young age! what was a Ops6?
TIDDERSON:
hiya,
I never lost my Ops6 but what would have happened if you did?
on the day I started in 1958 I was told to “look after it” as if it
was a member of your family, I never did find out what would
have happened, I did knock a cup of tea over it once but there
was nothing said as it was still readable after the heater blew
it dry, one depot did send the office boy out to check if I was
driving a BRS vehicle.
thanks harry, long retired.
Showing my ignorance or my young age! what was a Ops6?
[/quote]
hiya,
The Ops6 was your weekly sheet which you filled in on a daily
basis, tonnage carried from where to where, mileage per day,
fuel drawn and from which depot, overnight money drawn and
where from just a total record of everything you did from Sun
to Sat there was also the logsheet/book which had to correspond
with the mileage on the Ops6, “written in pencil” altered to suit
in ink before handing in.
thanks harry, long retired.
Ooooooooooooooooooh Harry, how could you possibly suggest that any BRS driver would have falsified his records?!?!?!
I was shown the ins & outs of fiddling the paperwork in my first week on the job. By the shop steward. By some coincidence I found that one day I had no work. I was hanging around the workshop, making a nuisance of myself & trying to cadge a bit of “bling” for the radiator grille of my AEC, when the shop steward stuck his head around the door and tells me to come with him for a day’s ride. Thought it was a bit peculiar, but always up for a laugh, I spent the day with him while he patiently explained what you could do, what you were expected to do and, most importantly, what you could get away with.
This advice served me well during my time with the company but it came as a bit of a shock when I started my next job and had to return to doing a proper day’s work!
I never worked for the BRS & Im glad I didnt, I allways worked for free enterprise hauliers, who in some cases had their vehicles taken off them when Nationalisation came into force , I allways believed in free enterprise & still do, Nationalising the haulage industry was a total flop IMO, Too many chiefs & not enough Indians, Regards Larry. PS I think they reallised this in 1953 when it was decided to sell the motors & licences back to the rightful owners.
Lawrence Dunbar:
I never worked for the BRS & Im glad I didnt, I allways worked for free enterprise hauliers, who in some cases had their vehicles taken off them when Nationalisation came into force , I allways believed in free enterprise & still do, Nationalising the haulage industry was a total flop IMO, Too many chiefs & not enough Indians, Regards Larry. PS I think they reallised this in 1953 when it was decided to sell the motors & licences back to the rightful owners.
Well said Larry !! Go on my Son tell 'em like it was !! I think you deserve another “large” one before you turn in and sleep “the sleep of the just” ! I do believe I will join you in a toast to “free and un-subsidised road haulage of yesteryear”.Cheers Mr L.S.D. Hic! Dennis.
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
I never worked for the BRS & Im glad I didnt, I allways worked for free enterprise hauliers, who in some cases had their vehicles taken off them when Nationalisation came into force , I allways believed in free enterprise & still do, Nationalising the haulage industry was a total flop IMO, Too many chiefs & not enough Indians, Regards Larry. PS I think they reallised this in 1953 when it was decided to sell the motors & licences back to the rightful owners.Well said Larry !! Go on my Son tell 'em like it was !! I think you deserve another “large” one before you turn in and sleep “the sleep of the just” ! I do believe I will join you in a toast to “free and un-subsidised road haulage of yesteryear”.Cheers Mr L.S.D. Hic! Dennis.
hiya,
Bloody pair of stirrers, 
and if you two can imbibe so can I.
thanks harry, long retired.
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
I never worked for the BRS & Im glad I didnt, I allways worked for free enterprise hauliers, who in some cases had their vehicles taken off them when Nationalisation came into force , I allways believed in free enterprise & still do, Nationalising the haulage industry was a total flop IMO, Too many chiefs & not enough Indians, Regards Larry. PS I think they reallised this in 1953 when it was decided to sell the motors & licences back to the rightful owners.Well said Larry !! Go on my Son tell 'em like it was !! I think you deserve another “large” one before you turn in and sleep “the sleep of the just” ! I do believe I will join you in a toast to “free and un-subsidised road haulage of yesteryear”.Cheers Mr L.S.D. Hic! Dennis.
Well Dennis I will certainley toast to that, LSD, Eh AKA, Large Single Dram, Pound shillings & pence, & of course the dodgey bloody stuff which I wont mention, Im on the Glenlivets to-night a 12 year old one a bargain from Waitroses at £19.odd, , its going down a treat, have a nice night Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well Dennis I will certainley toast to that, LSD, Eh AKA, Large Single Dram, Pound shillings & pence, & of course the dodgey bloody stuff which I wont mention, Im on the Glenlivets to-night a 12 year old one a bargain from Waitroses at £19.odd, , its going down a treat, have a nice night Regards Larry.[/quo ?
v7victor:
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well Dennis I will certainley toast to that, LSD, Eh AKA, Large Single Dram, Pound shillings & pence, & of course the dodgey bloody stuff which I wont mention, Im on the Glenlivets to-night a 12 year old one a bargain from Waitroses at £19.odd, , its going down a treat, have a nice night Regards Larry.[/quo ?
? 
? 
Hellow Lawrence Dunbar, i tottaly agree with u it was a bad and sad thing to have your fleet taken from you,BUT from a driver’s point of veiw it was a fair to good job, wages allways there, no galloping about, but then that was in the yester year?? look at whats on the road to day lorry wise and roads to day?? lets be fair a driver is just a number? and the other favorite, so and so, did that hour quicker than you?? i never had that on brs, x,spect i was lucky? absolutely no offence, just my thoughts
truncker08
nianiamh:
BIGRIG:
I think there was a BRS Depot in Liverpool by the Dockers Club i think its Townsend Lane.It was by the railway bridge there was a steep drive to get top it,anyone confirm this
When i started with BRS at Warrington depot in 92 the only Liverpool one then was on Gt Howard street but there was`nt much else there apart from the truck rental side of things.
liverpool depot was studholme st . i know had all my windows put in at arden house sally army digs . and paid 2 bob when parked up . stuck there all day . ( down the pub ) .
trunker08:
Hellow Lawrence Dunbar, i tottaly agree with u it was a bad and sad thing to have your fleet taken from you,BUT from a driver’s point of veiw it was a fair to good job, wages allways there, no galloping about, but then that was in the yester year?? look at whats on the road to day lorry wise and roads to day?? lets be fair a driver is just a number? and the other favorite, so and so, did that hour quicker than you?? i never had that on brs, x,spect i was lucky? absolutely no offence, just my thoughts
truncker08
None Taken, The private firm that I first started driving for was a family concern & if you did a fair days work you got a fair days pay, & they allways asked the drivers to do something , never told them, Plus you could take your wagon home which was a saving on bus fares & of course you could have another 1/2 hour in bed, The good old days when the gaffer knew all the drivers by their first names, I dont think that is the case now, a number as you say & thats it, Regards Larry.
spot on lawrence dunbar, i agree whole heartedly with you, after brs and later in life i got a job with a family firm, and it was just as you said. ime well past retireing age, and dont miss it a bit cheers, trunker08, mick
This is just my own opinion having been a “private” haulier for nearly 30 years ! No doubt BRS was classed,by drivers,as a somewhat (not in every instance) better job generally.However,BRS was a Government owned operation and could never “go bust” even if it it was losing money,why? well it was the tax payers that would keep it afloat,BRS didn’t have to face their Bank Manager to explain why they needed another few grand to tide them over for a few months,or ask for a loan to buy a new motor ! The good old taxpayer would always provide,no questions asked !!This is why that in some areas when BRS was in severe competition on rates with the local hauliers they (BRS) could quote as low as required ( even lower than “the fast one” would!)to secure a particular seam of traffic,whereas a private haulier could only go so far ( if they were sensible) and then the job became uneconomic.I know for a fact that from the mid 50’s to when BRS packed in with General haulage they were mainly used by customers to force down rates in general,and keep them there,thus making it difficult for private hauliers to get a reasonable return for their efforts.There was also that group of private hauliers who subbed off BRS continuosly and thereby helping to keep BRS looking competitive.The only redeeming feature for these “turncoat” hauliers was at least their earnings were secure,no problem,who would pick up the tab if the customer went “■■■■ up” with BRS,why the poor tax payer of course !! I know my opinion will go down badly in some quarters,but never-the-less thats how it was years ago from a hauliers point of view,not of course,the BRS driver ! Cheers Bewick.
I know an ex BRS driver who was South Coast based (back in the Bristol days) and whenever he loaded for Scotland or the North East would be told to “phone in from Doncaster on the way back for a return load”. This he did, and found that as often as not he would be heading back up to Scotland empty for his back load! A private haulier would arrange things better than that dont you think Dennis? Still it made no difference to him of course so why question it, he was only paid to drive!
Pete.
windrush:
I know an ex BRS driver who was South Coast based (back in the Bristol days) and whenever he loaded for Scotland or the North East would be told to “phone in from Doncaster on the way back for a return load”. This he did, and found that as often as not he would be heading back up to Scotland empty for his back load! A private haulier would arrange things better than that dont you think Dennis? Still it made no difference to him of course so why question it, he was only paid to drive!Pete.
Quite right there Pete ! money no object when it’s comming out of the Public ■■■■■,nothing much has changed over the years has it ! Cheers Dennis.
windrush:
I know an ex BRS driver who was South Coast based (back in the Bristol days) and whenever he loaded for Scotland or the North East would be told to “phone in from Doncaster on the way back for a return load”. This he did, and found that as often as not he would be heading back up to Scotland empty for his back load! A private haulier would arrange things better than that dont you think Dennis? Still it made no difference to him of course so why question it, he was only paid to drive!Pete.
hiya,
Pete I never came across that one I too was driving in the days of the Bristols
and our instruction was always to report to the nearest depot for your return
load or on occasion outward load which could be further North or South or to
anywhere the host depot decided to send you, they weren’t all morons though
and tried if they could have you heading towards home if possible, as for offices
being overstaffed not so, Blackburn depot where I did my first stint’s never had
more than about five and that included the Depot Manager Consett where I was
at the end had four which also included the depot Manager they also was a very
busy yard with a large amount of their work subbied out a lot of paperwork for
the office staff, Not blowing my own trumpet here but when on for the BRS I did
what was expected of me and on occasion a bit extra the same when working for
the private sector both the BRS depot’s I worked at had quite a few vehicles and
have worked for privately run hauliers who had a lot more office “bods”, by jove
I’m going to get myself another large one before I retire to bye bye’s.
thanks harry, long retired.
Any of you brs men seen ‘‘atkinson wagon & drag traler’’ on ‘‘u tube’’■■ also there are other brs snipits on u tube, might be of interest to some one, cheers trunker08
trunker08:
Any of you brs men seen ‘‘atkinson wagon & drag traler’’ on ‘‘u tube’’■■ also there are other brs snipits on u tube, might be of interest to some one, cheers trunker08
hiya,
Thanks (trunker08) had a good look on “u tube” some of the stuff I’ve seen
before some the first time, thanks, very interesting mate.
thanks harry, long retired.