ramone:
Bring back the Bewick thread he will bow under pressure just like his old Atkis did , now where’s my tin hat
I’ll have you know young man that none of our Atki’s ever blew ! But 2 or 3 ■■■■■■■ engines started “breathing” heavily after many '000’s of miles ! 
Cheers Dennis.
I would be on here 2-3 times everyday but don’t always post or comment because if you do post something or comment then sometimes you get absolutely slaughtered by all the so called experts on here.
This used to be a cracking site for advice, help or even telling a few yarns etc etc but nowadays the keyboard warriors are waiting to hammer you, so that’s why as I say I very rarely comment. Tbh I’m sick of the arguing on here which has ruined more than one great thread.
Bewick:
ramone:
Bring back the Bewick thread he will bow under pressure just like his old Atkis did , now where’s my tin hatI’ll have you know young man that none of our Atki’s ever blew ! But 2 or 3 ■■■■■■■ engines started “breathing” heavily after many '000’s of miles !
I was only after a reaction Dennis i knew you would come up trumps 
the fub:
I would be on here 2-3 times everyday but don’t always post or comment because if you do post something or comment then sometimes you get absolutely slaughtered by all the so called experts on here.
This used to be a cracking site for advice, help or even telling a few yarns etc etc but nowadays the keyboard warriors are waiting to hammer you, so that’s why as I say I very rarely comment. Tbh I’m sick of the arguing on here which has ruined more than one great thread.
Can’t say I feel beleaguered by keyboard warriors on this forum. Perhaps it’s worse on the UK Drivers forum, where I rarely post.
Les Sylphides:
the fub:
I would be on here 2-3 times everyday but don’t always post or comment because if you do post something or comment then sometimes you get absolutely slaughtered by all the so called experts on here.
This used to be a cracking site for advice, help or even telling a few yarns etc etc but nowadays the keyboard warriors are waiting to hammer you, so that’s why as I say I very rarely comment. Tbh I’m sick of the arguing on here which has ruined more than one great thread.Can’t say I feel beleaguered by keyboard warriors on this forum. Perhaps it’s worse on the UK Drivers forum, where I rarely post.
AKA The UK ■■■■■■■ forum
prolific for idiots and trolls all they want to do is argue nit pick and slag off absolutely pathetic
A lot of the very interesting threads get completely ruined as soon as carryfast starts spouting stuff he’s just googled which is a real shame-
Then he has this thing with another poster,that they just completely argue the toss and ruin the thread completely[zb] boring……
andrew.s:
A lot of the very interesting threads get completely ruined as soon as carryfast starts spouting stuff he’s just googled which is a real shame-
Then he has this thing with another poster,that they just completely argue the toss and ruin the thread completely[zb] boring……
That may all be true, but it’s still the responsibility of the offended not to bite. Being offended by CF is a life-style choice! Being [Zb] ed off by the ensuing gormless rows is arguably one too - but you’re right in that it really does ruin a good thread in two minutes flat; and there must be thousands of good threads thus ruined on here. 
ERF-NGC-European:
andrew.s:
A lot of the very interesting threads get completely ruined as soon as carryfast starts spouting stuff he’s just googled which is a real shame-
Then he has this thing with another poster,that they just completely argue the toss and ruin the thread completely[zb] boring……That may all be true, but it’s still the responsibility of the offended not to bite. Being offended by CF is a life-style choice! Being [Zb] ed off by the ensuing gormless rows is arguably one too - but you’re right in that it really does ruin a good thread in two minutes flat; and there must be thousands of good threads thus ruined on here.
+1
Normally have a quick look on the "professional drivers " forum but very rarely post on there anymore as it seems to have more than its fair share of people who i doubt are drivers at all
andrew.s:
A lot of the very interesting threads get completely ruined as soon as carryfast starts spouting stuff he’s just googled which is a real shame-
Then he has this thing with another poster,that they just completely argue the toss and ruin the thread completely[zb] boring……
Come on carryfast, come and defend yourself let’s have your view
robthedog:
andrew.s:
A lot of the very interesting threads get completely ruined as soon as carryfast starts spouting stuff he’s just googled which is a real shame-
Then he has this thing with another poster,that they just completely argue the toss and ruin the thread completely[zb] boring……Come on carryfast, come and defend yourself let’s have your view
Here you are Rob! Get yourself settled…
Bewick:
vwvanman0:
Well Steve my post certainly has generated some interest and thanks for the kind comment ! It would be quite a daunting task to write a book although I will acknowledge that in my case the trajectory from trailer mate to 100 artics over 30 years was certainly not for the faint hearted but no doubt I am not unique as I’m sure there are others from a bygone era with similar tales to tell. However from what I can see and hear from todays transport industry I would guess it is nigh impossible to replicate what I did back in the day !
I have always enjoyed my involvement on TN over the past 12/13 years as there have been many knowledgeable contributors over the years but sadly many have passed away not to be replaced. You mention “Saviem” real name John Goodried who sadly passed away due to a silly accident now there was a guy who I would suggest had been the most knowledgeable member on TN as he had in his previous time operated at the very top of the french heavy commercial industry as well as running his very successful contract hire business until retirement and becoming a farmer ! Cheers Dennis.
Dennis, thanks for the reply, i agree about John “saviem” which is why i feel things should be written down somehow to be saved once the person passes.
Once the person goes the knowledge to go with photos or even the photos themselves are lost, as you say there can’t be many who have done as you did, especially as you seem to have a great photographic record of your vehicles and yards during your time in the industry.
Steve
I log in most days looking for new posts, I have only been a member for around three years but really like looking back, I started driving hgv’s in 1972, from 1976 to the end of 78 I did Middle East, then when I got married and bought a house I became an owner driver having three vehicles at one time, I finished driving in the mid 80s so lost touch with the haulage industry until I retired at which point I started uploading photos onto the computer when I came across a few from my middle east days, this got me thinking about my old boss from them days, it took me a year to track him down and it was well worth the effort thanks in a small way to this forum, my interest are mainly the middle east posts as they keep bringing back so many fond memories and I post when I have something worth posting, as I am from Bakewell I also like the Peak District thread, a long and worthless post from me but I hope this thread has made us all think how we would miss this site if it did dwindle away, keep posting lads we need you.
Steve
Like “Roping and Sheeting” it is inevitable that interest in the old days will dwindle.
However - with the likes of Buzzer, Bewick et al we can prolong this thread.
Stick with it chaps. Jim.
I look in every day and comment where appropriate.
Having lived in Peak District,Sheffield,Isle of Man,Thirsk and now Ashbourne there’s plenty to interest me.I’m not very technically minded,I drove em not repaired em,so I don’t comment on owt like that.Long may the forum continue as we need to find a photo of the back of a Big J with a 240 Gardner… 
One thing that I am pleasantly surprised about is that this thread has not ( yet) been consigned to Bulleys ! 
Cheers Bewick.
Several thoughts.
People like myself who are still youngsters compared to some of you, ahem, now of retiring age but still happy in my full time still driving work tend to look and post more on the main forum, yes i know many of you can’t stand it.
As i’m still full time on the road i notice that so many other drivers still at work are in my age group, certainly in my sector of the industry and associated parts, ie not in a giant logistics sector where everything is box ticking with electronic spying/monitoring becoming standardised, i’d retire tomorrow if that was my lot.
Those in my age group still on full time are in my opinion more likely to be found on the main forum as well, assuming they have any interest in lorries at all once they get out of the cab.
When i started on the road in the 70s there were lots in my young age group, lads who always wanted to be lorry drivers from when we were kids and have stayed in wagons all through our working lives, you don’t see this so much these days, 21 year olds or even under 30 olds itching to take their class 1s and learn the art, most in that age group are former east europeans who again won’t usually be on a UK lorry forum.
Many are now into middle age before they start thinking about lorry driving, these are typically 3rd or 4th career changes, generally these types won’t have that enthusiasm and interest in lorries that might span back from when they were barely out of nappies, chances are even in their 60’s+ many of these would never have driven a manual box of any description lket alone roped or chained a load down and will have little or nothing in common with this old timers forum.
The world of lorries is no longer attractive in many ways to the likes of myself, if i was a youngster now would i want to start lorry driving, lets see…
Fleet wagon, automatic select d and press resume on the cruise and thats it for 90% of the day on supermarket or rdc type work, so our budding driver thinks at least io can select manual and be in some form of control, er no you can’t matey because the accountant who specced the vehicles ticked the eco auto only gearbox mode, and don’t you dare think about doing anything othyer than how we showed you on your induction because with the vehicle is fitted with all sorts of micro managing tech and you’ll be carpetted when you get back because you let it tick over to warm up a bit so have exceeded the allted tickover period by 30 seconds.
You’ll sit there stitched into your perma hivis bored out of your skull and when you get to the rdc you’ll hand in your keys and sit in a holding pen with a dozen identical bored souls while someone else unloads the vehicle for you, then we’ll return your keys to you and you can resume sitting on your arse at 53mph for two hours back to the yard.
Do you like to keep your lorry clean, er no can do, no washdown facilities available but once a week we’ll allow you do get someone else to wash it for you at a truckwash site.
The new generation of real lorry drivers aren’t attracted to the new age of trucking, i wouldn’t have signed up to steer some fully automated pile of electronic junk with no mirrors but festooned with cctv cameras including one pointed at my ugly mug for every second of my working day, where i am they stil value old school, trust us with respect to get on with the job without all the micromanaging garbage, and not one vehicle fitted with blasted cameras instead of mirrors, together with that respect ethos goes a healthy bit of mutual ■■■■ takinh along the way and long may that continue.
Lorry enthusiasts are not only dying off, the new blood that in my day replaced the previous generation simply arn’t being recruited because the industry has changed and not sadly for everything that’s better, many babies have been chucked out with the bathwater, lack of real lorryiing ehthusiasts means fewer bods likely to grace these pages.
The main forum doesn’t have many young real lorry enthusiasts either, so they won’t generally be migrating here either.
One of the reasons i stay on the main forum is to try and encourage young drivers away from these micro managing logistics giants or to at least not take all this electronic score board rubbish quite so seriously and to fight against driver facing cameras, if complete spying/monitoring becomes the standard the whole industry will be destroyed as far as lorry drivers are concerned, no real lorry drivers will stay and the country as a whole will be worse off if that happens, have you seen the general standards of driving from the perma hivis crew?
Just my tuppence, sorry to have waffled on so long.
PS, in summary this forum reflects the state of the industry itself.
JUDDIAN ,in my view you have nailed it, excellent post.dbp.
peggydeckboy:
JUDDIAN ,in my view you have nailed it, excellent post.dbp.
+1
Thanks chaps, dunno if i’m right or wrong or teetering on the edge of lunacy meself after the last 3 years watching the world eagerly jumping off the cliff face.
As for this forum in particular, where are the next generation of real lorry people able to fill the shoes of the many knowledgeable posters here, the big players in the transport industry seem to do their best to eradicate enthusiasm and skills progression instead of encouraging with sadly few exceptions, ask for a manual gearbox (if the maker still offers such a device) you’re met with looks of incredulity followed by a swift refusal.
ERF-NGC-European:
peggydeckboy:
JUDDIAN ,in my view you have nailed it, excellent post.dbp.+1
