heres a photo of dad and joe corbett lenny taken about 1983-84. he still has the michelin men
some of the 111 here aswell Loaded for prudhoe
LVT:
The white and green Seddon belonged to Douglas Brass Transport of Northallerton who was and still is one of LV’s subbys.Bender:
I was looking through some old photos, and I found these, they were all taken at Northfleet Carnival, and I believe it was in 1978.The three Guys were all ■■■■■■■ powered, RKT479G was the one Len drove for Bill Wallis, which I believe was the first one that Len ever had from new. The white and green Seddon was (I think) later painted in Len’s colours, and I’m not 100% on this, but either this one or a Bewick Seddon caught fire coming up Bluebell Hill towards the M2 junction.
I’m sure Dennis could confirm whether or not it was one of his, I seem to remember it was a ‘G’ plate, so quite an old one at the time…
Ah right, it turns out I was getting it confused with a G reg Bewick Seddon.
I believe Dave Patrick from Chatham was driving it when it suffered from a bit of internal combustion!
There were strong connections between Len’s wagons and Northfleet Carnival for a number of years.
It all started when I suggested to my dear old mum that we (the neighbours in the small group of houses where we lived) should build a float, and when Len agreed to provide the unit and trailer we entered the first one, which must have been 1973. We won first prize at our first attempt, and many more followed, first with Bewick wagons, and later with LVT.
This carried on for many years but for reasons I’m not sure about stopped a few years back. I believe LVT are once again participating, maybe LVT can shed some light…
Dave Patrick drove for LV for the best part of 25 years, but has now sadly passed away.
Bender:
LVT:
The white and green Seddon belonged to Douglas Brass Transport of Northallerton who was and still is one of LV’s subbys.Bender:
I was looking through some old photos, and I found these, they were all taken at Northfleet Carnival, and I believe it was in 1978.The three Guys were all ■■■■■■■ powered, RKT479G was the one Len drove for Bill Wallis, which I believe was the first one that Len ever had from new. The white and green Seddon was (I think) later painted in Len’s colours, and I’m not 100% on this, but either this one or a Bewick Seddon caught fire coming up Bluebell Hill towards the M2 junction.
I’m sure Dennis could confirm whether or not it was one of his, I seem to remember it was a ‘G’ plate, so quite an old one at the time…
Ah right, it turns out I was getting it confused with a G reg Bewick Seddon.
I believe Dave Patrick from Chatham was driving it when it suffered from a bit of internal combustion!
LV are participating in the Carnival again. Health & safety and insurance issues made it complicated to be involved in these sorts of events a while ago but things seem to have relaxed slightly now. It would be a shame not to be involved after nearly 40 years. The local Sikh Festival is also one which LV participates in regularly now.
Bender:
There were strong connections between Len’s wagons and Northfleet Carnival for a number of years.It all started when I suggested to my dear old mum that we (the neighbours in the small group of houses where we lived) should build a float, and when Len agreed to provide the unit and trailer we entered the first one, which must have been 1973. We won first prize at our first attempt, and many more followed, first with Bewick wagons, and later with LVT.
This carried on for many years but for reasons I’m not sure about stopped a few years back. I believe LVT are once again participating, maybe LVT can shed some light…
LV still use a flat wage for a set number of hours per week, but if there is weekend overtime the drivers are never penalised by losing any of these wages whilst they are having their time off during the week. I will say, the drivers never tend to rush off at the end of the day even when told to. They are quite often still in the yard helping each other out as was always the way.
The only bonus system I can recall at LV was, basically, drivers received the bonus unless they had an accident that was shown to be their fault. Then only was any of the bonus deducted on a ‘pro-rata’ basis dependant on the value of the claim.
As for washing down on a Saturday for no money, this was always paid overtime (time and half on Saturday mornings and double time Saturday afternoons and Sundays). Can’t remember anybody not being paid for coming in on overtime or can’t believe anyone would offer to!!!
As for £1 for a 15-20 hour shift, at that rate Len and Dennis would have had an army of kids working at those rates !!
Bender:
marcus 22:
hi bender
i knew len from the early 70,s when i used to go with my dad it was a regular backload out of his yard, then when i started driving mid 80,s i loaded of him a couple of times aswell, he was good friends with my dad and never seen the freeway drivers or any other drivers stuck for anything he,s a really nice guy,thanks
markI never had any problem with Len Marc, but I think Veronica ruled with a rod of iron!
I’ve been in management now for about 15 years, and like to think I’m firm but fair, but while the working conditions at LV were OK (apart from that horrible old D Series) there were things in place there that make me shudder when I think about them.
I don’t know if it’s common to pay a flat wage (however many hours you worked) but if you got back early (i.e. earlier than 5pm) you had to help out in the yard or rope and sheet other people’s trailers, the favourites of course went home whenever they liked.
The wages were apalling, the only sniff of any extra cash was through a ridiculously complicated bonus system which inevitably meant that you didn’t get anything, and you were expected to come in and wash down on Saturdays purely for the privelige of working there. The other drivers seemed happy enough, if you got back early enough on a Friday Len took you all down the local social club.
I may be wrong, but I felt that after working maybe 15-20 hours a week as a kid for £1 a week when Len was working for Bewick, I thought I might get my reward when I worked for his company, but if anything I felt penalised by Veronica for knowing Len most of my life and being friends with him.
I guess I only really lost touch with him after my wife spelled things out to me when I left LV.
I went straight to work for a local agency (driving both artics and rigids) and pretty well doubled my earnings without really trying.
.
Bender:
Two or more hours after school each day, washing trailer wheels, sign boards and rears bumpers & lights, winding landing gear, pulling pins and breaking/connecting airlines and suzies, swapping number plates, checking and topping up the oil, screenwash and coolant on up to three units and then 4-5 hours washing down behind Len’s house on Saturday morning. £1 a week.When I started my first full time job in late 1975, I was earning £16.50 for a 40 hour week.
I bet there were many a lorry mad schoolboy who would’ve done this for free 
My dad used to drive for Darbishire and Horabin and used to get backload from LV If my memory serves me right when i went with him we used to eat at a pub near or next to the yard always used to think it was great being in a pub at 13/14 years old.
newmercman:
Bender:
Two or more hours after school each day, washing trailer wheels, sign boards and rears bumpers & lights, winding landing gear, pulling pins and breaking/connecting airlines and suzies, swapping number plates, checking and topping up the oil, screenwash and coolant on up to three units and then 4-5 hours washing down behind Len’s house on Saturday morning. £1 a week.When I started my first full time job in late 1975, I was earning £16.50 for a 40 hour week.
I bet there were many a lorry mad schoolboy who would’ve done this for free
I was, pretty well… 
Thing is, it was back in the days when £1 were a lot of money. You could go and see George Formby at t’Palace theatre, buy half a dozen gobstoppers and still have enough change for the tram fare home…
Len had a vintage Seddon and I believe one or two other classic vehicles, I wonder if we’ll be seeing some pics here (also of the LVT fleet) in the near future?
I do hope LVT makes a return here. So many pics to see, so many questions to ask!
.
I have discovered that Len Valsler is less than happy about some of the posts I have made here, which may explain why LVT’s posts suddenly stopped so soon after they had started.
It has never been my intention to cause any upset or offence to anyone by my comments, and I would like to publicly apologise unreservedly to Len and anyone else who has been affected for any distress, grievance or bad feeling caused.
I’m probably guilty of getting things out of context due to some of the ‘banter’ on this forum, and that some of this has caused me to post negative comments about either Len or LV Transport is something I am not proud of, and for that reason I would like to get a few things into context:
- Working for LV Transport: I appreciate that Len risked his company’s profits and reputation by letting an extremely inexperienced driver work for him. Of course I was aware of the wage structure when I started, I accepted the T&Cs when I stared work for LV. All the other drivers were happy, and many stayed with Len for the rest of their working lives. This is the kind of testament any company could envy.
- The Ford ‘D’ Series: As previously mentioned, it was a looker and 100% reliable. It was a little tired inside, but I was a beginner, on reflection things could have been a lot worse.
- The ‘Bewick’ years: I was a kid when I started helping Len to wash and polish his lorries, I never asked for any payment, I got a great deal of knowledge from those years and enjoyed the involvement. The whole ‘£1 a week’ thing had started off as a bit of banter with Dennis — a.k.a. ‘Bewick’- I’m sorry if it got out of hand.
I was pleased when LVT registered on this forum, I was looking forward to the photographs and the stories, along with a bit of fun with some of the regulars, but I am very sorry to have caused any upset or problems which have resulted in bringing a halt to the proceedings.
LVT has so much more to offer the Trucknet forum than I do, so with this message I am stepping down from active participation, and hope that LVT returns and makes many posts in due course.
Martin (Bender)
WORK OUT OF NORTH WALES CABLE DRUMS DONE TO AEI GRAVESEND .THEN BACK LOAD DRUMS BACK UP TOP FIRM LV THEY HAD THE CONTRACT OUT OF THERE . ALWAYS GOT ME A LOAD .SHAME THE DAYS HAVE GONE WERE YOU COULD TIP/RELOAD AND BE ON YA WAY!!! 
i have be having a look at some old photos and found this