Hi Bert. This is Des here from a company formally called Orchard Express now Ebrex Ireland Ltd. As Orchard Express we were the main Transport company for Frans Maas Dublin. We supplied 15 tractor units to Frans Maas Dublin and Frans Maas Waddinxveen. When DSV bought over Frans Maas I joined up with Ebrex.My father was also an owner driver with Frans Maas and Roadspeed Dublin. We have some photos and some old brochures that we would like to send on to you. I think that what you are doing is fantastic and I have spent many hours looking at all the pictures. Thanks a lot and we will be in touch very soon.
Desie:
Hi Bert. This is Des here from a company formally called Orchard Express now Ebrex Ireland Ltd. As Orchard Express we were the main Transport company for Frans Maas Dublin. We supplied 15 tractor units to Frans Maas Dublin and Frans Maas Waddinxveen. When DSV bought over Frans Maas I joined up with Ebrex.My father was also an owner driver with Frans Maas and Roadspeed Dublin. We have some photos and some old brochures that we would like to send on to you. I think that what you are doing is fantastic and I have spent many hours looking at all the pictures. Thanks a lot and we will be in touch very soon.
Regards Des Culleton.
P.S How do I send on the photos??
Hello Des,
It’s great to reed that you spent many hours on this side about Frans Maas. I dont no at all about Frans Maas Ireland off companys who drived for Frans Maas Ireland. I no now the companys Roadspeed, Ebrex and Orchard Express who drived for Frans Maas. I look forward to see the old photos and brochures. The best way like me to send an E-mail to me and then i give you by mail my adres in the Netherlands. My E-mail adres is wolters1954@home.nl
Thanks and i wil wait for you e-mail.
With the DAF 95 XF we had also littel accidents.
In the summer of 2003 i was on the way to Stockholm. By the parkingplace Hollenstedt on the motorway A1 between Bremen and Hamburg i was just to the toilet wen thy cald me back and teld me you truck is hurt by an ader one.
An empty wide heavy loader hurt my tractor when it makes a turn to the left. The end off his trailer came under my tractor and takes everything away.
Afther finnish the paper work i had must wait for about 4 hours to get a other tractor from the company to go on to Stockholm. I lost the ferry from Travemünde and must go on over land. Puttgarden-Rodby and Helsingör-Helsingborg with the littel ferry’s. Also i was back on friday.
End of the trip on saterday and then happend this. You want to wash the tractor and then it go’s down,
Sam more trouble. You get your trailer from Frans Maas Finland at Lübeck and on the way to home with trailer FM 813 driver Luuk Viet ride slower. Look in the mirror and see that de wheels of trailer get blockt. Heavy smook and then fire. Get on the side of the motorway A1 between Hamburg and Bremen. Just by an parkingplace. Put the trailer on his standingwheels, on lockt the pin and get his tractor under the trailer a way. The tractor had no damage.
Afther the fire, looking for groupage.
What a mes.
This machines must go back to Finland.
Rescue off the machines.
Changing the damage machines from the trailer.
The mobilecrane at work.
Loading by the top off the trailer.
The wheels afther the fire.
Cleaning the trailer.
The trailer was total loss and sold for scrap.
The damage machines was going to Groningen and then back to Finland. The pictures was taken by driver Roelof Rodenhuis.
In the end of the 90’s Frans Maas Sweden had in the linehall express line between Gothenborg, Helsingborg and Stockholm special tractors. I dont no of this ar own of sub contractor tractors in the colour of Frans Maas.
Scania 144L 460 tractor at Frans Maas Stockholm.
Scania 144L 460
Scania 144 L 460, Stockholm 1998
Office Frans Maas Sweden in Malmö.
Onloading at the lager by Akka Fragt / Frans Maas Malmö.
Scania 164L 480 on his way between Helsingborg and Stockhom.
wagsie:
Hi bert! what was the extra bit on the back of the cab for?..
Hi Dave,
They teld me she use it for express goods as newspapers, magazines, car parts and other express goods. They did the linehall trip with 2 trucks. One from Stockholm, Helsingborg and Gothenborg and the other Gothenborg, Helsingborg then to Stockholm. A trip about 850 km over the night. Started the trip on 07.00 pm and with now problems 1 2 til 13 hours later on the place for onloading. Put of the trailer and then going to sleep. Before sleeping fist onloadig the express goods in littel vans if they not onloadid on the way on the side of the motorway.
My DAF, Scania and Volvo in the waith at Gothenborg.
Scania 143 450 motortruck. This truck had behind him a trailer from 13.60 meters. Together it was 25.25 meters. This truck did de trip Helsingborg - Stockholm every day. One day up the next day back. Mybe sam one has a picture from this truck with a trailer behind it?
Scania 124G 470 motortruck from a sub contractor from Sundsval.
When we get in 1996 new DAF 95 XF tractors, the 6 olderst tractors DAF 95 330 ATI ar sold to Frans Maas Polen. Some times your see them back in the Netherlands and some times in the U.K.
DAF 95 330 ATI tractor, ex Frans Maas Groningen, on his way in the U.K.
DAF 95 XF 420 Superspacecab from a Polish sub contractor.
Frans Maas Norway had is main office at Okanvey in Oslo. The lager was the same as those from H.S.D. Also H.S.D tracktors did work for Frans Maas.
We came from the Netherlands with groupage. Onload the littel parts at the lager and then did onloading the big of haevy parts ours self. Then we load the bigger parts in the area of Oslo, going back to the lager and full up with groupage for Holland of Belgium.
Mainoffice Frans Maas Norway at the Okanvey with lager.
Lager Frans Maas
Sub contractor Frans Maas Norway wit an Ford Transcontinital tractor.
Bringing the trailer at the ferry from D.F.D.S. in the habour of Oslo. Tractor is an VOLVO F12.
Sub contractor from Frans Maas Norway at Kiel by the ferry to Oslo.
In the early of 2004 we get for the last time 5 new DAF 95 XF Automatic 420 tractors in the dark blue colours. This was for replacing from the 5 olderst DAF 95 XF 380 tractors. Those olderst DAF 95 XF tractors had more as 1.250.000 km driving in 5 years duty. There tractors ar sold to an sub contractor for Frans Maas Groningen.
DAF 95 XF Automatic 420 tractor
DAF XF 95 Automatic 420 tractor
On his way in Germany from Travemünde to Groningen.
In November 1998 Des Culleton started up with one small transit van and named the company Orchard Express. After growing up working with his father in his Transport Company, and then working for numerous freight companies.
Bert,
quite ironic that the last tractor unit in the pictures of Orchard Express was in the livery of Ebrex. When FM was closed down by DSV in the UK, many of its managers went over to work for Ebrex in UK, expanding the company rapidly with people and business from FM.
Dieselcowboy:
Bert,
quite ironic that the last tractor unit in the pictures of Orchard Express was in the livery of Ebrex. When FM was closed down by DSV in the UK, many of its managers went over to work for Ebrex in UK, expanding the company rapidly with people and business from FM.
Hello Dieselcowboy,
Indid you had the same by Frans Maas Groningen wen thy closed it. Also the same the managers ar going to other company as N.V.O., Boonstra Transport and Wim Bosman. Most work from Belgium, Netherlands to Sweden and Danmark. Those managers taken plenty of work away by D.S.V. The same you had from own drivers. They pulling now for N.V.O. and Wim Bosman to Swedem and Danmark.
