Just sent you a PM rondavies. I just noticed the posting about H&R with the double drive tractors and I think you’re right, someones got their companies mixed up. The only 6 leggers they had were the 2 rigids that Ford had owned, and that they had sent to Kabul for some reason. Didn’t do much France on H&R either!
Rattlesnake Dave:
Just sent you a PM rondavies. I just noticed the posting about H&R with the double drive tractors and I think you’re right, someones got their companies mixed up. The only 6 leggers they had were the 2 rigids that Ford had owned, and that they had sent to Kabul for some reason. Didn’t do much France on H&R either!
So where’s this PM then, Dave?
I’ve just been checking out those photos you posted on the other forum. That old road after Aosta brings back memories. Four of us on the firm had loaded this bottle washing machine for Birra Pironi, Naples. We had to strip the tilts down to flats and load the machinery. They were all wide loads and John Thomas drove a lead van with ‘Convoi Exceptionnel’ on the roof all the way down the old roads in France to the Blanc. They had to close the tunnel to all other traffic and we went through at midnight under an Italian m/c police ■■■■■■. (must have cost a few bob to do that). JT in his wisdom said that we didn’t need him anymore so he returned to the UK and that’s when our troubles started. We were not allowed on the autoroute at Aosta so we battled on down the old road for a bit. We had no wide load permits but It was decided that we would enter the autoroute further down the road and we only kept managing to stay on the autoroute by bunging the police at each pay booth.(there were a lot more of them in those days!). We had nearly exhausted all our running money by the time we got between Florence and Rome. We contacted the office and we were told that we should pool the money and two of us should continue down with it and more money would be transferred down to the remaining two. When we (me and one other driver) arrived at the factory they told us that this order had been cancelled. Laughed my head off. Anyway, they eventually took delivery of the machinery…most probably a ploy to get it at a cheaper rate, methinks! Fun days!
rondavies:
They had to close the tunnel to all other traffic and we went through at midnight under an Italian m/c police ■■■■■■. (must have cost a few bob to do that).
great story! I don’t know about back then, but these days it’s not as much as you might imagine, around Euros 800 for the big loads
Sorry mate, the PM must be floating around in the ether somewhere, I’ve sent another one.
Thanks for the info JJ but I think my days of running wide loads are over, I’m bald enough with stress as it is and it’s probably only about 800 euros if you’ve got all the right paperwork, we never did so it was a matter of bunging every Tom, ■■■■ and Police officer you could. That’s not to mention the customs and border guards and anyone else who thought they could wring a few Francs/Peseta/Lire out of you!
Nice to hear about the bottling machine rondavies, as a coincidence I’m sitting right now with a bottle of Birra Peroni right beside me, going down rather well it is too. I wonder if John Thomas is still about?
Apologies for calling the Italian motorways autoroutes. Aging has it’s drawbacks, eh? They were of course autostradas.
Rattlesnake Dave, I got your PM and have replied.
I’ve only managed to find 3 photos of my days on H&R. they’re a bit non-descript but here they are anyway.
Up at the Blanc (oops!) Italian side so “Bianco”
Same area. Winter of 74/75
Crane was being delivered to somewhere near Rome and I had to stay with it and use my cab as a hotel for the poor driver doing the delivery.
Had just left Cabmont under a grey cloud went to Howells office in Southampton,as I walked in so a guy walked out, “looking for a job” says I, "lucky you just in time"says the guy at the desk,vacancy just appeared. The guy walking out had just been fired. I worked mainly France with an 86 bubble, which I spent my first day there cleaning 
Ran from Southampton to London (near the airport) swop mt trailer for full one then over on TT from Dover to Calais down into France or Italy deliver then back to Southampton London then Soton. Became a regular run.
One day just cleard Cenis when some prat in a farmers vw decided to try to go under the trailer , got it sorted after a lot of shouting and Francs, called London and returned only to be told get your gear your finished 
Park the unit over there in the corner of the small yard. Thought it was because of the accident, 
BUT… no it was as I was told later the banks had forclosed on the company. I had the use of the co van to return to Soton and used it for a week or so afterwards. Although only there a short while about 6 months I never met all the drivers but those I did meet were great guys,very helpfull and seemed allways cheerfull, even going so far as to help out Mick by working for reduced or even no wages when the trouble kicked in. Brill firm. i believe he managed to keep a few trailers and a couple of units,but not sure on that.
Hi Guys, Just been reading the Howells and Reveall post’s, brought back some good memories. I started with Mick & Buster when they had a couple of F86 a few F88’s a lot of rigid trucks and small vans. I think Gordon Knight had an F86 at first off with a made up bunk that folded up. I drove the Dodge six wheeler for a time doing UK work. I remember Harry Long, John Thomas ( nice syrup) Keith Greenfield, Jonny Britton, Brian Knight, Brian took me under his wing, helped me a lot. As I was just a nipper, I seem to remember a Ken Perry, and another guy called Motor mouth, think he had a pilot’s licence. I done some trips abroad in the six wheeler (Kabul) lovely engine shame about the brakes, via Seagull Ferries, I ran with Jonny Bennett a couple of times in an F88 to Italy, then I went into the work shop with Jim and Terry, so if there was a brake down I got a run out.
One of the posts mentioned an F88 six wheeler, there was one, but I seem to recall it was a loaner, wasn’t about long, I think the first driver who used it didn’t adjust the fifth wheel…Ooops. I was with H&R till the last days a North Hyde road till it all went pear shaped, sad. I used to live in Convent way, so that was a handy.
I returned to International driving around 1986 till 2003, goodness what a change.
Good reading, good memories… Thanks Guys…