Old school means wearing a black vest even in winter. Usually driving with an arm of of the window in all weathers.
(Like old Peter that drove for Stevensons for years)
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If you have done at least two of these in your time as a driver…
Driven a truck with strips of rag tied to the mirrors to keep them clean.
Slept across the engine cover on a levelling board and piece of foam.
Or on the parcel shelf of a Bedford TK with your feet out of the window, or in summer under the sheet with a couple of pallets. (tent style)
Woke up in a morning and had to scrape the ice off the INSIDE of the windscreen in winter, as a matter of routine.
Parked overnight in London at Aldgate roundabout, The Ramp at Bishopgate, or Sheperds Bush, …and witnessed the antics of the stripppers there 
Sheeted 2 30x20s and a drip/fly over the top and roped it.
Used an old style AM CB radio bought off a Paddy on the ferry, and everyday made a ■■■ of yourself by speaking in all the Yank/Convoy jargon on it all the time…‘Yeh 10 roger on that good buddy what’s your 20 ? Come on’’ 
While doing the above…driven a truck (again looking a ■■■ 
) dressed as a cross between The Rubberduck out of ‘Convoy’ or Burt Reynolds out of ‘Smokey and the bandit’ complete with padded bodywarmer and high stacked cowboy boots that you could not walk in…ok fair enough, maybe that was just me at the time. 
Pulled down a dwang (now illegal afaik) with a 4 foot pipe and watching it launch like a rocket through the air nearly killing a fellow trucker iif you let go.
Used a blue suzie line or a ratchet trailer brake.
Had the almost obligatory 80s strips of flags and pennants in numbers on your windscreen, topped off with a ‘Riding on Bandags’ or ‘TGB Trailblazer’ sun strip at the top virtually blocking your entire view out of it.
Driven something with a split windscreen, Foden or Atki Borderer, and managed to avoid a bad back.
Used Air operated windscreen wipers.
Found yourself regularly lying under the front axle greasing king pins to obtain some ease on the non Power steering.
Used ‘Easy Start’ in the air intake or made a fire under the diesel pipes/tank to thaw it and get away.
Changed a trailer wheel on the hard shoulder.
Filled out and/or fiddled a log sheet.
Thumbed it home ‘On a dodgy’ showing a log book at passing truckers.
Young cocky and extremely ■■■■ stupid …enough to come out of a night club (maybe Park Hall across the field from Charnock Richard MSA) at 2/3 am with other truckers, have a coffee and straight ‘down the road’ (should have had our young arses kicked btw )
Pulled a tri axle trailer with 12 wheels on instead of 6.
Managed to survive every working week (with no serious injury ) even though you were not wearing a hi viz.
Rang your boss (maybe only once a week or so) bto say you are tipped…in a red phone box not a cabphone.
Only then can you call yourself ‘‘Old School’’
Put the ‘Uncle Albert’ on before some other smart arse did. 
robroy:
If you have done at least two of these in your time as a driver…Driven a truck with strips of rag tied to the mirrors to keep them clean. Check…
Slept across the engine cover on a levelling board and piece of foam.
Or on the parcel shelf of a Bedford TK with your feet out of the window, or in summer under the sheet with a couple of pallets. (tent style)Woke up in a morning and had to scrape the ice off the INSIDE of the windscreen in winter, as a matter of routine. Check…
Parked overnight in London at Aldgate roundabout, The Ramp at Bishopgate, or Sheperds Bush, …and witnessed the antics of the stripppers there
Sheeted 2 30x20s and a drip/fly over the top and roped it. Check…
Used an old style AM CB radio bought off a Paddy on the ferry, and everyday made a ■■■ of yourself by speaking in all the Yank/Convoy jargon on it all the time…‘Yeh 10 roger on that good buddy what’s your 20 ? Come on’’
While doing the above…driven a truck (again looking a ■■■
Pulled down a dwang (now illegal afaik) with a 4 foot pipe and watching it launch like a rocket through the air nearly killing a fellow trucker iif you let go.
Used a blue suzie line or a ratchet trailer brake. Check…
Had the almost obligatory 80s strips of flags and pennants in numbers on your windscreen, topped off with a ‘Riding on Bandags’ or ‘TGB Trailblazer’ sun strip at the top virtually blocking your entire view out of it. (I humbly submit my collection of country bumper stickers on the side of the cab as supporting evidence. .
Driven something with a split windscreen, Foden or Atki Borderer, and managed to avoid a bad back. I’m not that ■■■■■■■ old…
Used Air operated windscreen wipers.
Found yourself regularly lying under the front axle greasing king pins to obtain some ease on the non Power steering.
Used ‘Easy Start’ in the air intake or made a fire under the diesel pipes/tank to thaw it and get away.
Changed a trailer wheel on the hard shoulder.
Filled out and/or fiddled a log sheet.
Thumbed it home ‘On a dodgy’ showing a log book at passing truckers.
Young cocky and extremely [zb] stupid …enough to come out of a night club (maybe Park Hall across the field from Charnock Richard MSA) at 2/3 am with other truckers, have a coffee and straight ‘down the road’ (should have had our young arses kicked btw
Pulled a tri axle trailer with 12 wheels on instead of 6. Check…
Managed to survive every working week (with no serious injury
Rang your boss (maybe only once a week or so) bto say you are tipped…in a red phone box not a cabphone. Check…
Only then can you call yourself ‘‘Old School’’
0
Put the ‘Uncle Albert’ on before some other smart arse did.
Hello…
My name is Nodding, and I’m old school…
Robroy ^^^ that post is bloody brilliant, scored 17.
Few more to add.
Pulled up and removed the engine bonnet (between the seats) in order to get a little heat into the cab to thaw your frozen limbs out.
In summer drivers window open all the time, that engine that doesn’t warm up all winter is pumping as much heat as the sun out all summer 
,driving side arm tanned many shades darker than the other, also now nearly deaf in that driver’s side lug 'ole.
Toughened windscreen shattered at speed and the whole lot blowing in on you, hands and arms bleeding from dozens of places.
Driven a fibreglass cab.
Stuck reels of spongey gaffa tape over the gaps in the inside of a fibreglass cab to try and cut down the gale howling through.
Part of picking another trailer up, whip round with a 9/16th ring spanner and small hammer to adjust the brakes up.
Fed some air into a trailer to put the brakes on before you dare try to pick it up (seized handbrake cable or more likely wrapped off the spool or rusted away)
Parked with trailer wheels on your sheets so no bugger nicked them.
Removed your Rubbolite round lenses and bulbs when parked overnight cos good possibility they might vanish.
Polished the solid brass radiator cap and fuel cap up to a shine you could see your reflection in.
Wedged a cut to size length of wood between dash and throttle (Gardner throttle stupidly heavy) as a primitive cruise control in order to get it up to its full 48mph top speed.
Screw a wedge of wood on throttle lever to lessen he stupid angle your ankle would have to reach to get full throttle.
In traffic eventually having to use both feet to hold an unassisted clutch down.
‘Played’ with the pump/rack/throttle levers or cable to get a bit more throttle or fuel.
Used Irish overdrive (out of gear) to get it up to stupid speeds downhill, then been in situations out of cog where you wished you hadn’t done so
Been stood on top of a load of steel tensioning a chain when the tensioner slipped and you go straight off the side.
Loaded the vehicle deliberately arse heavy simply so you could steer it (no power steering)
Loaded reels out of Sammy Williams at Dagenham Dock and moved out the way to sheet up without securing the back scotch
That’ll do for now, got some work to do on the cars at home.
And I bet the likes of Truckyboy and my mate Trunker08 (who does not come on here enough) with more experience than us could add a lot more of stuff we have never done.
robroy:
And I bet the likes of Truckyboy and my mate Trunker08 (who does not come on here enough) with more experience than us could add a lot more of stuff we have never done.
Stoking the fire up, and i don’t mean not looking at the mantlepiece when poking the fire after a night out got ‘lucky’, or maybe not so lucky, if a visit to the willy doctor resulted
Yeah i hope some of the old soaks put their tuppence in
Robroy…
Genius post! (round of applause smiley)
I’ve done 18 of 'em…+
Memories of the whole yard and a large part of the village, disapearing in white clouds as I deezystarted my DAF3300 for three months of the year.
Wondering when truck builders would give us mirrors that didn’t vibrate so badly on tickover that you couldn’t see anything in them.
Nearly slicing the top off my thumb on the handbrake of Mercedes 608 diesel van.
Jamming bits of wood in to stop your windows falling down.
Pulling the trailer brake lever in the cab to come down steep hills.
■■■■■■ coupling trailers when you realised there was no air in them. Rather than ratchet up the handbrake you’d chase it in reverse til you hooked it.
the nodding donkey:
Hello…My name is Nodding, and I’m old school…
I think you’re just a Donkey 
dri-diddly-iver:
the nodding donkey:
Hello…My name is Nodding, and I’m old school…
I think you’re just a Donkey
I’m not JUST a donkey…
I have feelings you know.
yourhavingalarf:
■■■■■■ coupling trailers when you realised there was no air in them. Rather than ratchet up the handbrake you’d chase it in reverse til you hooked it.
Yeh it was like a game chasing trailers around the yard, a bit like football dribbling, without the ball I got quite skilful doing it.
Finding that the hand throttle (cruise control for the new Skool) won’t go back in because you’ve pulled it as far as it will go
Plus:
Dipping the engine oil from inside the cab.
Slamming the gear lever against the bonnet to get reverse.
Hand balling on bricks and roof tiles.
Hand balling off bricks, kerbs, paving slabs, roof tiles, animal feed, crazy paving . (Remember the 10 bob note joke? The driver/labourer who picked up the last brick, tiles sometimes found the 10 shilling note the loaders had put there?)
■■■■■■■ Atki with the can of ether fixed on the outside back of the cab, apparently it could be reached to give a boost on hills? Not double jointed so never tried it myself.
Juddian`s “Irish Overdrive” AKA “Silent Seventh”. Used it on an Atki coming past Watford Gap with 21tons of concrete on the trailer and no power steering. Brings me out in a sweat now, remembering how indestructible I thought I was.
Moving bags and boxes from the bunk to the seat, to go to bed, and vice versa in the morning…
Another one
You are oldschool if you remember when ‘Agency’ only meant the means of getting your diesel tank filled, and nothing at all to do with arse holes in offices who think they can treat you like ■■■■ and have parasitic tendencies.
(I never let go an opportunity to knock agencies )
the nodding donkey:
Moving bags and boxes from the bunk to the seat, to go to bed, and vice versa in the morning…
Bunk ■■
Franglais:
Bunk ■■
We…
Used to live in a shoebox in 't middle of road.
there was only one place left to go after that
You were lucky.
We used to dream of a shoebox…
Franglais:
the nodding donkey:
Moving bags and boxes from the bunk to the seat, to go to bed, and vice versa in the morning…Bunk ■■
I’ll see your ‘plank over the seats’ , and raise you a ‘day cabbed Ford Cargo with a top sleeper’…
the nodding donkey:
I’ll see your ‘plank over the seats’ , and raise you a ‘day cabbed Ford Cargo with a top sleeper’…
Seeing as we’ve got into…
‘My dad’s bigger than your dad’ territory.
I once slept on the FLOOR of a Leyland Clydesdale whilst the driver had the luxury of the bench seat and drivers seat. Bearing in mind the engine hump stuck out halfway across the cab.
yourhavingalarf:
I once slept on the FLOOR of a Leyland Clydesdale whilst the driver had the luxury of the bench seat and drivers seat. .
I took my wife (then girlfriend) away with me in a Ford D Series with a double passenger seat day cab.
I slept across that, and SHE slept on the floor.