Hi everybody. Just found Truck Net. Fascinating stuff for me. Brings it all back. I haven’t driven a truck since 1991 when I was on Russell Davies at Tilbury. So boring and had to pack up when the wife got breast cancer (she’s fine now).
I never did ant Middle East or anything at all exotic, although I once met a Frenchman who had been to Beijing with a couple of vintage citoen cars in a tilt.
I had about 12 years on “continental” (as we used to call it). Was on Eurohaul out of Southampton(thier 1st driver with the first Scania imported into the UK). It was the first Scania after the old Scania-Vabis. Had a separate lever for the splitter, almost as big and long as the gear shift
Then onto SCA Express out of Stepney. About 1967 as I recall. Terrific job at the time. Heavily unionised. All Italy with the occasional Germany. SCA became Europa who, I am told, are very big now.
Packed it all in around 1992 when I took job as a County Court bailiff in Lewes so that I could be at home when the wife was ill.
Now retired and more than happy to be so.
If there are any of the old SCA boys around still, give me a visit on sholman@f2s.com please.
I once came back overland from India, hitch-hiking and local transport. Kerala-Bombay-Lahore-Kabul-Ghazni-Mashad-Teheran-Istanbul Vienna-Dover. 50 quid. Took 5 weeks. I saw a German-registered truck on the border between Amritsar and Lahore, it had a German plate, the letters SU, for Siegburg, but I read later that the driver had been shot by the Afghans because they thought SU meant he was Russian. There are still some backpacker companies doing Katmandu and the like in old Bedfords. Bumped into one in Spain the other week who’d just done Ghana overland there and back, using GPS to find their way. The regular freight work to Pakistan is all done by Iranians, according to a driver from Teheran I met in Como last week. A normal job for them, he said.
I later worked for a Dutch firm, Van der Wal, in Utrecht, who go all over Russia, as far as Tashkent, places like that. They even have a daft trailer saying 'To Turkmenistan with love" on the side. And now I come to think of it, there’s a German firm that does Mongolia, I can’t remember the name though. Would make a pleasant change from doing Milan every week.
rexyu:
. About 1967 as I recall. Terrific job at the time. Heavily unionised. All Italy with the occasional Germany. SCA became Europa who, I am told, are very big now.
Now retired and more than happy to be so.
.
Welcome Rexyu,
It’s nice to see another old git on here. If you were doing Italy in the sixties you most know the Bakehouse at Macon well. What a rip roaring place that was. Just before I retired a couple of years ago I made a short detour to eat there. Still in existence but much quieter then. Mainly due to the Blanc being shut but also because it is by-passed by the autoroute. Hope he (the grandson of the bloke that ran it in the 60s) can make a go of it now the tunnel is opened again. Trouble is the continuous link which keeps drivers going back to (good) by-passed restos is broken by that tunnel problem.
Well, to give the place a start Spardo, how about directions to the Bakehouse. That way those of us who go that way now can drop in and give it a try■■?
Three hundred years ago we were the sort of blokes who conquered the unknown and built the empire.
Tonight I’m doing two runs for Tescos in Snodland. All the way to New Malden or Lewisham, one hit, pedal to the metal…the glamour… the fun…
I think next year I’m going to go and find a new frontier, somewhere different. Life’s too short to be bored.
Simon:
Well, to give the place a start Spardo, how about directions to the Bakehouse. That way those of us who go that way now can drop in and give it a try■■?
Simon,
Only too pleased to hand the baton on. This is how so many by-passed restos have survived in France but sadly also why so many transport caffs haven’t in England. They weren’t good enough to be talked about.
Leave the A6 at J?(the one after 28 southbound) onto the A40. Leave at J3 and follow down to the N79. Turn Left and the Bakehouse is on the right on the crest of a hill in about 7kms at St. Cyr sur Menthon. You can rejoin towards the Blanc again at J4 which is an eastbound only slip. The Bakehouse is a nickname, can’t remember what the proper name is, probably Relais de St. Cyr or something. There is not much parking and when I revisited a couple of years ago I couldn’t believe how we all got in. Suppose it was because we all used to leave at the same time after the weekend ban that we packed ourselves in like sardines. 8pm Sundays there was a great pall of smoke over the place as we all revved up ready for the off.
It used to be closed Sunday evenings and Mondays, wasn’t much point, we were all gone!
If you make it raise a glass for me and all the old Italy hands. The ghosts are all around you.
Oh yes, I remember the Bakehouse very well. Can’t quite remember the guy’s name though. Was it Armand or Robert? Smashing bloke and very friendly and helpful.
If you’re an old hand from my time, you may also remember Jeanette’s in Bellegarde. Jeanette was a very, very beautiful woman who loved the English. Her parents, so the story went, were very active in the French Resistance but were sadly murdered by the Germans. Don’t know how true that is. I wonder if she is still there. She’d be in her seventies now. Patsy Brennan, a General Express driver, moved in with her about the time of my last trip down there. That would have been about 1973 or so. Is that around your time there? Who did you drive for on your Italian runs?
As it happens, I am going by car to Florence around Easter to visit relatives there. I shall definitely go the “old road” to the Blanc and will be sure to drop into the Bakehouse for a quick cuppa.
Was THIS the link by any chance
This link is to the Transport section of an enormous index. Its a Saudi magazine which seems to have all the articles from several decades of publishing, in the index. A bit of cross referencing in there will give you all the info you could want, I expect
'73 was a bit early for my Italian adventures.
I rolled for Cheverall’s of Luton and C.H. Howse’s of Cheltenham in the mid to late 70s, then in the early 80s for Micky White (Whitetrux, Aylesham).
I don’t remember the bloke’s name at the Bakehouse but as I said earlier I think it is his grandson in charge now (2 years ago anyway).
As we all stopped at the Bakehouse as the last stop before Italy I didn’t visit the other one you mention at Bellegarde, bet you will though, just to satisfy a curiosity!
I love a bit of nostalgia, trouble is the memory plays tricks, but still fascinating like the smallness of the parking at St. Cyr. But if you remember the heyday of the Bakehouse and it’s national fame on British TV at the time, you will understand how sad it was for me to see it as the only driver in for lunch. I hope now the Blanc is open again it is enjoying a rebirth. Be sure to let me know your impressions at Easter.
My most enduring memory? Showering together with the present Mrs. Spardo, with whom I was eloping, in the back of the flour store (which gave it its name) and dodging the gigantic 'roaches streaming in to slake their thirsts after a hard munch at the white stuff!
I remember WhiteTrux very well. An old school pal of mine worked for them for many years (at least I think it was WT). Would you remember a Roy Simons?Very cheerful, pleasant, round faced littler feller. Used to meet him very occasionally all over the place. Still see his sister, Anita, occasionally in Haisham wher I live. Roy moved to Maidstone and I was recently told that he is semi-retired now and just does a couple of days a week agency work on Tescos and Safeways.
You’re right about the parking at the bakehouse. Very small indeed. Does my memory play me tricks or did we used to park in thr village square if the bakehouse was full?
Blimey, those showers!!! They can tell a tale or two. I was caught coming out of them with one of the girls who worked in the caff. Trouble was, it was her brother, who did the baking. He never said a thing, just walked away.
I really miss the camaraderie of those days. In fact I miss the whole haulage scene. Didn’t renew my license when it ran out around 1990. Wouldn’t mind doing a trip or two just fro old time’s sake. Had a double heart bypass in 2003, so wouldn’t get it back now, anyway, although I’m fitter than I have been for years.
Wheel Nut:
Most folk go off to Gretna Green to elope not an old transport cafe half way up a mountain
I worry about the cockroaches, they may have been embarrased
Gretna’s common as muck. Italy shows class, just like the roaches, these were very blase ones - seen it all before, ask Steve!
Steve,
Wouldn’t know where the village square was, we always managed to pack in somehow. Just asked herself and no, don’t remember Roy. Doesn’t take much to miss someone in this game though. As I said earlier, I’m renewing my licence today for the last time I think. Two more years. Haven’t done any driving in the 2 years since I retired. As I receive a French state pension I am barred from working for my last employer, Gauthier, and there isn’t much more locally. Just missed out on those high roof MANs though. He’s got about 20 now.
Hey Biggles…its the same egg we are talking about…his name is kenny Bowkett from Charlton…its where i live…and sometimes we used to run together from the A13…Roy Bradford was the firm and we used to park in the truck park where sainsburys are today… his dad died a few years ago and then about 5 years ago his mum died and left him the house…he sold it and went to Thailand…got married (poor girl) and i heard a couple of weeks ago that hes living on the isle of sheppey in a caravan with his new bride. i remember i was in the bakehouse in macon a few years ago and kenny rolled up…well we went on the wine for the weekend and i decided to move the truck across the road behind his…anyway i hit the wall next to the bakehouse and someone started to fire a shotgun at my trailer…so i had to do a runner up the road and came back a few hours later …after my sleep…and we carried on where we left off…but what a character he is…all 34 stone of him…i often wondered how he managed to get behind the wheel…but he did…just one of the many tales i have to offer…
have a nice day
Talking of truckstops…just outside louisville on the way to swiss was a great stop called Charlies at a place called luneville (looney ville) a great place…i remember once i was given some Les-cargot in garlic butter from a previous tip and charlie cooked them for me…we shared them together witha couple of bottles of wine… great times are in the past…maybe in the future too…
have a nice day
robinhood_1984:
As far as I’m aware foreign trucks, or atleast Western trucks have been banned from Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which is why the overland Pakistan work came to a sudden halt. For anyone who has read the Willi Betz website, they will know that Betz ran to Pakistan in those days. I seriously doubt that if a truck did get to Pakistan it would be able to cross the border into the desert of Baluchistan in Pakistan. Its usually closed off to Indians and Pakistanis so a bunch of British vehicles dont stand a chance. Any attempt to get to India by land would probably have to take you though Russia and Kazakhstan and into China (if you’re even allowed into China?) and then down into India (avoiding Kashmir ofcourse!) but that would have to be the most ridicious and unrealistic transport route on earth and it more resembles something of a long distance endurance trek a landrover would have trouble completing, nevermind anything else.
Your only hope would be containers by sea, which would most probably be faster anyway. Container ships can easily get from European ports such as Felixtowe and Rotterdam to Karachi and Bombay in 15 or so days, though most do stop off in the Med on the way. It only takes a modern container ship 25 days to go from Hamburg to Hong Kong or Manila.
well robin hood you are wrong as i was doing iran in the 80s
bullitt:
I met “the Egg” AKA “egg on legs” or “Kenny The Egg” about 12-14 years ago, early 90`s, he was a mate of a mate of mine who lives in Charlton.A “large chap” to say the least!!! How he got behind the wheel amazed me, apperently sometimes he used to sleep sitting up (allegedly)!!
Seemed a real character though, heard some strories about him, one in particular was about being stuck in Rumo/Bulgaria with a trailer load of wine (did he roll it or something?), when my mate went down to Turkey he was there and when he was comeing back, the egg was still there minus a good deal of wine!! (allegedly)
I think they were both doing turkey for a guy running out of a yard just of the A13, plain blue step frames with belly tanks.My mate was running down there in a beaten up old Iveco.!
Cheers, Bullitt.
hey bulliet get in touch send me a pm am now in thailand the egg
truckyboy:
Talking of truckstops…just outside louisville on the way to swiss was a great stop called Charlies at a place called luneville (looney ville) a great place…i remember once i was given some Les-cargot in garlic butter from a previous tip and charlie cooked them for me…we shared them together witha couple of bottles of wine… great times are in the past…maybe in the future too…
have a nice day
yeh good times at charlies when worked for smithy had 4 days to get to pavia oh dear all that wine you had to drink in case it went bad the egg
of cross referencing in there will give you all the info you could want, I expect 
