.Hi Tony,you have a great memory,I,ve been wracking my brains out to remember these people!!!
I recall Spud,now there was a character and as you say a drinking man.I had a few bevies with him at the pub in Sheperds Bush,cant recall the name of that boozer either…He used to go on holiday every year to places like Yugoslavia,when he returned he,d say come look at my holiday pics…No beaches,no sun,no beautiful women ect…Just snaps of all the bars,clubs ect that he drank in…2 weeks on the ■■■■,just like being at home
Hi Tony,George Campbell Mmmm The great military logistics expert…I have another name for him■■?
The guy that knew everything and did not have a clue about anything resembling civilian transport…
I put manners on him when himself and Jimmy went on a trip around my East Anglian run!!!
Change the routing Ha Ha…My ambassador dealers soon put a flea in his ear.After that trip I was back to normal service.
I recall that you had many a run in with him,And as for Curries,you kept them waiting awhile to load,Dodds priority.
Stay Lucky Mick
mickthebrush:
Hi Guys,Off thread,I know but heres a pic of my Anglian Windows motor/drag/demounts.She was about 6 months old when i got her,had her for 6 years.Did about 800,000 kilometers in that wendy house Volvo FL10
Stay lucky Mick
Mick, do you remember Rich, the Shunter at Anglian? He’ll be down at the small caravan site behind my place next week. I’ve asked him to come to a local Steam Fair with me in my Wolseley 16/60 on July 1st.
You’re right about Spuds holiday pix. All Bars & Boozers. One of the pubs was “The Bush Tavern”. Did you ever come down to “George’s Cafe”? (Actually called the Cafe Rest) Full of drivers from the lorry park on Wood Lane, and we nicknamed the cook Egon Ronay.
(Sorry gone off thread again with the pic!)
Cliff
Hi All,returning to the DB103 tale.I used to park the truck at L.G.Perfects premises in Great Yarmouth and one morning pulled out to start my run upto the Peterborough area.Rouud the corner from Perfects was a crane hire company,E.H.Clarke.As i was passing there main gate,one of there cranes was about to pull out of there yard,the chap stopped at the entrance OK but forgot he had a bloody great jib poking out of the front.
the jib went straight thru DB103 like a spear,nearly had the truck over,I had the drag on at the time,rekon that kept me on an even keel.The jib ended up between the 2 boxes.took a great slice out of nearside of the box and pushed the offside right out so i was about 1 1/2 feet wider on that side.The shutter took a hammering too but the tail lift was ok.I had freight on DB103,them fridges we used to (remember the white goods)luckily they were on the front and were OK.I delivered the goods with the truck in that state,that was an eventful trip!!!But the show must go on,as they say.I thought i,d done a great job completing the trip only to be confronted on my reurn to Hayes,by Trevor having hysterics…Jims reaction!!he thought my accident reports were entertaining!!!this was after the flying 3pc suite event.Another entertaining read!!
Stay Lucky Mick
Hi Cliffy,yep remember Richard.Please give him my best regards.
Love the car.I was a Wolsely owner in my younger days.
Gegards Mick
Mick,
I must have a better memory than you!! I think the Hayes bloke your on about was called Simon ■■. He took over after George left. George was the one who seemed to be really anti- Dodds for some reason, tall loud dark haired bloke. Think he went to work in Avonmouth for a container company.
Another name I thought of at Doddds was Jim Finiss?? ( don’t know how to spell it ). Think he was a good Buddy of Pete Bennetts.
Gents, and I my be really wrong on this, But was C666 Sll the first Dodds lorry to be painted in 21st “green” colours ?
Tony
Tony,i think your right about Jim Finnis,i do recall him now and yes a good buddy of Petes.
you are also right with C666.
You know i cannot recall this george bloke…seems i got my wires crossed…So Simon was the ex army bloke then?
As i have said earlier,you have great recall for all these people and when you thow out a name it sets of the ol brainbox but i seem to mix them up.Although the only mistake i think was george/simon.
Senior moment!!!seriously how do you remember them all??
Keep Lucky Mick
Hi All,I believe the first bought in 21st century vehicle was a Mercedes 6x2 tractor unit.It was painted in the Heineken green and was part of the brewliner(think that was the name).I think various hauliers put vehicles on the Courage Reading Brewery work.But i stand to be corrected on this…i dont think i,m far off the mark though.Was there not some DAF,s on 21st,4x2 rigids…1800,s??
Tone you remember the Parker haulage motors…white with red stripes??were they in West Drayton??Seem to recall Mike Parker a rather large gent,
Do you recall Dave Pink? I knew him long before i worked for Dodds.I worked for Roy Bowles Airfreight Carriers based in pump lane Hayes.Pinkie worked for Maywood Haulage who had there yard next door to Bowles,s. When i started with Dodds i was on Quakers and Maywood were in there as well.There motors were a chocolate brown colour if memory serves…
Remembering Quakers…I recall Alan Taylor RIP.Started with him,a real nice bloke.George Clapp,the shunter…the rest cant remember names but i can see them i my mind!!!
recall some of the hauliers that used to backload from Quakers Southall…Bayliss,Deveraux,Blackpool Van Transport…theres more they will come tome later,
Stay Lucky Mick
Hi Mick & Tony,
I can’t remember a Simon at Hayes, but there was a bloke I’m almost sure was called Simon Baker at Hitachi (Worldfleet) at Stone. Can’t think what his tjob itle was, but he used to walk round like the Duke of Edinburgh with his hands behind his back. He and I became the best of enemies 'cos I don’t take too kindly to blokes telling me how to do what I’ve been doing for years, especially when they’ve NEVER done it themselves. I once told him when he said something to me on the loading bay, “…you load the bloody motor if you think you can, then I’ll come back and do it properly.” He was not best pleased and reported me to Jimmy. (Please Jimmy, one of your drivers swore at me!!) J.D.reprimanded me by saying “Why can’t you keep your F------ Mouth shut, Shagger Boulton?” and that was it. (He still calls me that, dunno why.)
I don’t recall C666 SLL being in 21st Century colours, though I did drive it myself for a while. Was that out of Hayes before the Cruisers? I bet my Paul (PCB) knows!!
Mick, do you remember Jock Davidson on Quaker who was out-based at Bedford? Typical Scotchman that J.D. swore could get a lighted ■■■ out of his pocket rather than hand them round. He used to stitch the loaders up at Quaker, if you know what I mean. They used to call him “chore waller” if that’s how it’s spelled. What about the old “foreign” bloke loaading that we called “Pop”? He drove his forklift on a lorry one day, and as he was backing out, the driver pulled the lorry off the bay. He was lucky, he went backwards down in the yard and came out virtually unharmed.
Dave Pink “got together” with Jane Dodd. They bought a big gaffe down here in Kent, and both worked at Dodds Sittingbourne depot. I’m not sure if they married, but it all went wrong, and they’re seperated now. He had car reg P 1 NKY
Good Luck All, Cliff
Hi Gents,
Simon Baker sounds right. A tall Ginger bloke who didn’t have a clue! I do remember him as he’s the man who sacked me from Hayes!!! Still sure C666 ended up green! I think they brought some Ex Maywood Daf’s for 21’st. Seem to think Mark drove one on Neff for a while. ( H151DGS/ 152/153) Dave Pink was a Ex Maywood man as I was lead to believe. I think 21’ st was his little baby from the start.
Bugger, your memory’s good Tony. I forgot Mark did Neff for a while, in fact I forgot Neff. I did one load out of there and said “No Thanks” after that. Poxy job!
Yeah, Simon Baker was Ginger wasn’t he. That was another thing in his favour!! Didn’t know he got you sacked though, but he was the one that said I couldn’t do the West Country out of Stone anymore if I lived in Kent.
Pinky I fell out with at Southall Yard. It was just before Xmas and I was going back to Hayes when he threw a bundle of post on the counter and said “Southall Post Office”. I said “Yeah it’s by the traffic lights on the cross roads before you go over the railway bridge” .
He said he knew that and I had to drop the letters in there.
I said I wouldn’t be able to park, he said I’d have to if it was a delivery.
I said it wasn’t a delivery and he should deliver his own bloody mail.
Ian King jumped up and said “Cliff, do me a favour and deliver these letters mate.”
"OK, Ian, I said, "You ASKED, not like that ignorant “T–t just throwing it at me”
I dropped the post off, but took out 3 or 4 Christmas cards Pinky had mixed in with Dodds official stuff.
Another good friend I made in the management side of things. Why couldn’t they all be like Roy and Jimmy?
Gone again for now, Cliff
C666 SLL last road tax ran out in June 1995 and at that point the colour was logged as Green, so it would seem that TC is right.
You’re also right that Mark had a Daf on 21st Century. I wouldn’t know the reg number but sure Mark would.
Pop, I vaguely remember that Jock fella from when we came with you as kids.
Also, do you remember the time that Quaker loaders(?) went on strike and you had to go and load somewhere else? I think it was in Chatham or somewhere. And the main thing I remember there was a bloke called Tiny who seemed to be thrashing the arse off his lorry and leaning out of the window screaming “Loading Chunky!” 
Hi guys,Yes cliff i do recall Jock and Pop at Quakers.I recall Jock loading Sugar puffs,handball not on pallets,verylight stuff,so no prob but on day he was in a hurry and pulled of the laoding bay without closing the doors,hence boxes of Puffs al over the yard!!!I seem to remember the laison with Jane and Pinky.Tony i think you are correct re Maywood/21st logistics,I know the had DAF,s on Maywood,in the brown colour and is probable that they were painted in the green…
Simon Baker!!!we must all have fell out with him!!Hopeless at the job.so you got lumbered with him at Stone then Cliffy…
One friday on my way up to Norfolk.I was running up on the M11 and on one of the many pulls up the hills,I passed a CDV(car derived van)with a big boxy load on a roof rack.On the way down the hill,this CDV passes me out,he must have been doing all of 70mph.As he pulled in in front of me,the whole lot comes off,load,roofrack,sheeting and straps!!!Hits the front of the truck just below windscreen level,What a bang!!it explodes all over the carriageway,pieces everywhere.By a miracle all the other vehicles miss all the debris.I slam on the achors and pull up on hard shoulder.There,s a big piece of debris in the outside lane still covered with a bit of the tarp,i runs over an pull it off the road.This is when i discover what he was carrying!!
A 3pc suite,brand new,however by now its firewood!!
The driver of the CDV,who was at the time on the hard shoulder about a quarter mile away,reverses all the way back to where i am .He starts ranting and raving at me about his furniture,being ruined,at that i,m to blame!!!So i politely!!!point out to this idiot that he should me grateful that a truck hit his load and not a car,as the impact would have probably took the roof off,who knows what would of happened then…Anyways i pick up the phone in the truck and start to call the police…Different bloke then!!!all apologies…So i says ■■■■ off and take all this crap of the road with you…
Damage to the truck…The lift up panel under the screen was a bit bashed and a bit of paintwork…I think the truck was C460 NPU.
The accident report,was as Jim said an interesting read…
Stay Lucky Mick
DId we not have a truck C555>>>think it was in Dodds colours.It was a Frieghter…I am sure i drove this for awhile,whilst my Quaker motor was VOR…
Hi Gents,
Was reading some of the earlier posts, and noticed Mick metioned Parkers. They were from West Drayton. I remember going to thier yard with Mark Taylor. And yes Mike Parker was a “large lad”. Not a very nice one tho!! So with that in mind, do you remember Paul Wincup?? He took over at Hayes when Trevor “left” , he was a Parker bloke. Bob Ayres was the other one, he had D817, think he was on Varta Battries for Parkers.
Mick, me you Bob and another warehouse lad did the ■■■■■■■■■■ Hotel one year. We parked up and as they were not ready for us, someone said " lets go for a beer" ( you can guess who that was!!). But Bob refused cos he would not leave " high value loads"… He was a t**t. I believe he got sacked for trying to nick a video player they day Hayes shut?
Tony
Hi Mick, I don’t remember Jock’s Sugar Puffs, but I do remember Eddie Lobjoit “loading” 20 cases of Sugar Puffs, after which it was “Bye Bye Eddie”. That was my cue after 14 years on Quaker, Mark Taylor wanted off Milupa, so I told Jimmy I’d do that. Great job that. 1 - 3 drops Glasgow/Edinburgh was 3 days, one to get there, one to deliver, one to come home. Any more than 3 drops was 4 days. I moved to Plymouth while on there and used to drive up to Uxbridge on Monday and home again on Friday. I was looking for a job down there but no luck.
One night I was at “The Bush” on a night out and got asked to do a chauferring job. Pick up Roy and Jimmy and take them for a meal with two other suited and booted chaps,then pick them up again about 10 to go home. When I got there, Jimmy came out, slightly the worse for wear, and took me in and introduced me to 2 “Big Noises” from Hitachi. They said I should stick with Dodds, because within 6 months Dodds would be delivering Hitachi in the South West, the lorry would be out-based, and the job was mine. They lied, it was 6 months 1 day. What were the bosses names out there? (Come on Tony!!)
One name someone got wrong, it was CYRIL Delaney I’m sure. Liked the Happy Baccy I think.
OK. I’m gone again. Got my Saturday work at Lenham tomorrow.
Cheers All, Cliff
I’ll try Cliff,
The only one that comes to mind was a tall scot bloke, Dave Ramage. He other man I can’t think of ( may be before my time). Hope that helps. And yep, It was Cyril, if you read my first post, I got right!
Hi Cliff/Tony,Yep it was me who mixed up Cyril,s name…slapmy wrist…just like the old days…nothing gets past you lot!!!
Dave Rammage rings a bell with me…
I remember the englishman who was bossman at Hitachi.a really nice chap he used to flash his headlamps,when driving the car,when ever he saw us on the road.He had the company Jaguar HIT1.I often had a chat to him when I had a night out in Hayes.That was in the days when I kipped in the motor inside the yard,but then they had that incident when someonne climbed over the back fence and slashed open a tautliner trailer and tried to nick some stuff(VCR,s i think).Thereafter I had to leave the motor outside the back gate.Thinking of the security at Hayes.I remember the Scots chap who was the senior guard.What about the 2 Geordie security guards,used to come down the western with us,could have been brothers■■?
Stay Lucky Mick
Hello all.
I was trying to think of Paul wincupp. He was another nice bloke who would leave you alone to do the job, he only wanted a call at the end of the day to say you were ok and to let him know of any problems. Seem to remember he liked his game of golf. I also remember that bob ayres too. He did do varta batteries before dodds. He did not seem the sort to be a tea leaf though.
Do you remember the “gob on a stick” Eddie bucannon. He was a noisy bloke, but I think he meant well and he used to give me tips and help on how to do things. Not sure everyone would think the same. Did he not do a few weeks at Hayes too.
I did do a short time on the neff Job. I can’t remember the bloke in charge up there but he gave you no help or chances. You had to count every item on the load before you loaded on lorry. Nobody told me I had about 10 boxes of brochures next to my load to put on. He made me count it about 6 times before I snapped. Then he said had I counted the brochures because that’s how many you are short. (prick). I got away very late going to Manchester area, where I’d never been before. It chucked down with rain and I only did about 3 drops the 1st day and he went loopy saying I should be half way through. I only lasted a short time before giving in. I was so cheesed off on there after hitachi I wanted to leave dodds. Kingy saved the day putting me back at Hayes on holiday cover. After that on general haulage. I did have a green 21st DAF 1900. A good motor but not as good as the cruisers.
Bye for now, Mark.
mickthebrush:
DId we not have a truck C555>>>think it was in Dodds colours.It was a Frieghter…I am sure i drove this for awhile,whilst my Quaker motor was VOR…
I did a bit of checking and C555 SLL is indeed a Freighter and was last listed as being Blue & White. It was exported in 1992. You never know, it may still exist somewhere 