Ex Welsh fireman, I moved to France back in 1979/80. I moved back to the UK for about a year and then back to France. I worked for many British companies but mostly French ones. I have travelled extensively throughout Europe, North Africa and did a longish stint in Arabia.
I thought it might be fun to see if some of the mostly great people I have met, during my long time in transport, are still around.
Being a bit of a freelancer, In the UK I worked, sometimes not for long such is, or was, the nature of the transport industry:
Barrie Williams - Llanelli
Owens - Llanelli
Morfa Transport - Llanelli
Mat - Cardiff
TD Williams - Ammanford
Cadwalladers - Oswestry
N&A James - Nantageredig
Some more, but . . .
In France:
Vin des Rochers
Jean Claude Decaux
CNM Nantes
ABLO Nantes
Kuhne & Nagel
Lumineau - Mortagne
Pollono - Pornic
Charpentier - Le Pallet
Antoine - Cholet
Lactalis - Bouvron
Terrena
and quite a few more
In France a driver who has completed 25 years of long distance work can retire at 55. I have had my 25 years for some time now, but there are financial advantages in not retiring, si I now work for 6 months a year, mostly in transport, but sometimes in agriculture. This complements my first love - my 70 acre farm where I breed - what else? Sheep!
I have spent some wonderful years in transport and in both the UK & France. I would love to read memories of other people who have followed this road and see if we have ever met, or if we know other in common.
To kick things off:
This was one of my first trucks, initially I had a Berlioz with LHD and inverted non syncro 5 speed gearbox, wrong side of the road it was a complete nightmare.
When I got my first job in France I had not managed to change my Brit HGV but the RAC gave me an international driving license. I drove this Mercedes 1213 around Paris for around 3 years delivering wine. 6000 litres per day, 25 drops a day and picking up empties. An amazing time - work started around 4 am and deliveries finished at 12 noon, when everything closed until about 16.00. At 18.00 we went back to the depot and loaded up for the next day. We generally finished a bit before 20.00 in the cafe “Le Royal” in Ivry. I don’t know how we managed it but sometimes we went from there straight on to deliver the next day. We worked a 4 day week and were well paid. There was very little turnover of staff! It was hard but good. I was made redundant after 3 years when the company was sold to Castell Vin. In the photo the trucks are not just close together but attached: part of my job was to often go to Lille and tow broken down trucks to Paris for repairs - totally illegal even then. We would load up with Jupiler beer in Belgium for the return trip.
We drove like lunatics and were drunk more often than not, the police never, ever bothered us, but then they were as drunk as us!
The “Chef de Transport” would sell us beer in his office while we were waiting to load.
We would sell our empties back to the company and would take the truck home with us in the week, loaded. I can’t imagine doing that in Paris today as we would park on the side of the road and nothing was ever stolen, mind you, the wine was pretty rough stuff!
I met loads of Brit drivers who delivered and loaded in Paris Bercy.
Until a few years ago the ex drivers kept loosely in touch, but with most retired / dead now and the café sold, things have now come to an end. Still, whenever I pass Ivry on the periph. and see Carrefour (on the right going up), which took the place of our garage, I get a lump in my throat. . .
I remember amongst very many:
Daniel Gallois, JJ Verbeq, Michel Le Chat, Micheline et Robert, Serge . . .
Hi DAIDOG,
Intresting history,you have been around the block,why dont you write it all down and self publish on Amazon, some of the books you read on there have no way of touching your history .even my own and i must have followed you, A BIT, just wondered why france ,you must have known the lanquage,or mixed parents ,in the year you went it was not the fashionable place to go,we all hated the french police and customs, and the Rungis gang…V2p -ANKERS.
I seem to be having trouble sending photos 
I first came to France in 1963 with my parents - 4 kids 4 adults (2 honeymooners) in a J4 (J5) minibus type van. During the disembarkation from Free Enterprise 2 in Calais the starter motor was damaged (It fell off) and we (My father) spent the rest of the holiday cranking the motor. It was great! The country was so different! No motorways, priority to the right, etc. we drove night and day, for a six year old it was amazing. No cornflakes, everything so different. I suppose that it wasn’t that long after the war and France was still recovering. We drove down to Tossa in Franco’s Spain - remember that the border was closed to everyone and everything until 1960. We took 4 days, the honeymooners flew straight back, who in their right mind wants to spend their honeymoon with 4 kids? We stayed 7 days and spent 3 days driving back. 2 weeks holiday finished! This holiday changed the rest of my life.
In 1974 I walked from Avignon to Barcelona - great!
In the late 70’s I cycled from Caerphilly fire station to Villejuif close to Paris for the fire service in-house charity, saw France v Wales (we were thrashed) and I stayed!
It is true that France was not popular with everyone, the customs, police and customers were corrupt! However, it was generally done with charm!
I took to it like a duck to water.
If the photo I have uploaded arrives you will find a Renault of some sort. It was the very devil to drive. 260 hp, 5 speed, non syncro box. No heater, radio but impossible to hear (You had to stop to listen!). Bed too small (172 x 30) I measure 184 (6 feet). I would take scrap down to Spain twice a week and, rather strangely, often bring scrap back. I was well paid (we all were in those days). One strange thing with this truck was that sometimes it would start backwards - you then had smoke coming from the air filter and five reverse gears - the mecanics just said “C’est normal”. Oh, Well!
Latest news.
I start a new job tomorrow!
I shall be tipping and loading Spanish trailers coming of the Gijon ferry in Saint Nazaire and running Irish trailers up to Roscoff and Caen during bad weather. I shall be home most nights. This will probably be my last job.
Should you cross the bridge at Saint Nazaire, going up, look down and think of me I may be underneath, don’t throw anything out of the window!
Still can’t post photos
daidog:
Latest news.
I start a new job tomorrow!
I shall be tipping and loading Spanish trailers coming of the Gijon ferry in Saint Nazaire and running Irish trailers up to Roscoff and Caen during bad weather. I shall be home most nights. This will probably be my last job.
Should you cross the bridge at Saint Nazaire, going up, look down and think of me I may be underneath, don’t throw anything out of the window!
Still can’t post photos
Good luck with the new job!
Thanks for that 
I have just finished my second day - 25 hours in 2 days 10+ Euros an hour plus overtime rates, I won’t be able to afford to stop if this keeps up! They have just announced that they are opening an Irish boat from ST Nazaire, from this week - more work!
I will try to upload the famous photos
Cheers!
That’s a fine Renault, but I hope you haven’t just done 25 hours work in that 
! (and to think that some of my TFE colleagues complain about driving 460hp Premiums)
Sounds like you’ve had an interesting life working in France, hope the new job goes well.
Bonne route
Craig
Thanks for the reply.
No, I haven’t seen the old girl for some years though I am told she is still working, like me! Another Renault I drove (circa 1983) was a GH 260, which was the Renault version of the volvo F7 (I have some photos somewhere). I was told that it was the first one in France and I believe it still runs for ABLO (Fleet No. 100) out of St Etienne de Montluc.
I worked traction for TFE (or TFO) occasionally but in Nantes they were called Canal Froide, for union reasons, I thought you were all called STEF now?
I sold beer (Double Dragon) at the “Foire de Pin” in Agen (2 weeks every September since the 12th Century) for a number of years until it (The Foire) disappeared around 15 years ago.
I know loads of people in and around Agen it must be a great place to live!
Dave
PS I would complain if I had to drive any size of Premium!!!
daidog:
Thanks for the reply.
No, I haven’t seen the old girl for some years though I am told she is still working, like me! Another Renault I drove (circa 1983) was a GH 260, which was the Renault version of the volvo F7 (I have some photos somewhere). I was told that it was the first one in France and I believe it still runs for ABLO (Fleet No. 100) out of St Etienne de Montluc.
I worked traction for TFE (or TFO) occasionally but in Nantes they were called Canal Froide, for union reasons, I thought you were all called STEF now?
I sold beer (Double Dragon) at the “Foire de Pin” in Agen (2 weeks every September since the 12th Century) for a number of years until it (The Foire) disappeared around 15 years ago.
I know loads of people in and around Agen it must be a great place to live!
Dave
PS I would complain if I had to drive any size of Premium!!!
Nice one Dave,
The GH260, wasn’t that like the special trucks built for Swiss with a narrower width? It doesn’t surprise me that the old bonneted Renault is still running, the smaller French businesses tend to use trucks as long as they run well, instead of just trading in for a new one every three or five years. There’s an old Scania 81 rigid still in daily use with a builder’s merchant just outside of Agen, not a spot of rust in the cab.
You’re right, TFE is now called STEF, it’s just force of habit as I first started pulling trailers for TFE back in the 90s and all the old boys at our place still refer to the firm by the old name. We’ve got a new depot at Carquefou, perhaps you know it. I’ve not been there yet, but that may change soon.
Let’s see some more photos pardner 
Yo,
Do I know the depot in Carquefou - I built it - to be more honest the foundations came from the quarry I worked out of and I carried a hell of a lot of them, as coincidence would have it I laid my “Stabule” on the farm at the same time.
More news and photos later, I have just come in after another 12 hour day and leave tomorrow at 4! I have a neighbourhood watch meeting in 30 mins.
Speak soon
Dave
Hello Daidog, welcome to the Ex Pat website.
Being a valley boy myself I love the bit about Nantes (France) being greater Wales. I guess you mean Brittany as opposed to the whole country. Nantes iirc is Cardiff’s twin city.
Back in 1990/91 I ran to Brittany regular, taking lambs, pork and beef from North Devon Meats outwards and fresh and frozen chicken and turkey back to the U.K. most of it for Bookers cash & carry and Ready Roasted Chickens in Aberdare. The Britons were very friendly and the beaches superb.
Mostly ran Poole/Cherbourg and Roscoff/Portsmouth.
I emigrated to the States in 1991, but must say I have a soft spot for your part of the world.
Regards Paul.
Thanks for your message.
This part of the World is very much like Wales. The people in the South don’t really like the people in the North, the coast is similar, in short it is Wales with sunshine.
After running around in the long nosed Renault and starting to get serious back problems, I decided to put my foot down, be firm and get a newer truck with a better bed. I went to see the boss, Leroy, and pleaded with him to give me a F88. He said “I’ll do better than that” and he gave me the keys to brand new Renault. He told me that it was the first in France as a result of a merger between Renault and Volvo (What happened to that?), it was exactly a F7.
I went down to the park and being a observant sort of chappie spotted almost straight away that something was missing, it took me a short while to work out what, but suddenly it hit me, NO BED! I turned looked back up to the office and saw the boss standing at the window waving at me and laughing. Later when I complained he said “What do you need a bed for?” I drove that truck for a few years and I believe it is still running for ABLO, park no.100.
I have a few photos and will post them “Goute à goute”. One thing that was horrible was that there was a big box in the middle and I had to carry 2 blocks of foam to put on the seats and a mattress to cover all. Not much room for the driver after. About a week before leaving the company someone pointed out to me that the box was removable! 
Another great victory for Welsh education!
Where are you in the States?
Barrie Williams had the F7 version and he cut a hole in the back of the cab and fixed a box on to make a bed, it was very well done and very comfortable.
Hi Dai, I live in Central Florida south of Orlando and east of Disney World in a town called Saint Cloud.
It was a small town when I built my house here eighteen years ago and very friendly with many Floridians living here. Over the past ten years we had tremendous growth and have transplants from everywhere in the States, and a growing Hispanic population which unfortunately is changing the whole concept of southern living.
Like yourself, I’ve been in road transport all my life and was brought up on a sheep farm so tractors and trucks were an important part that operation.
That cab on the Renault was known as the group of five cab iirc as Renault, Volvo, Magirus, Mack and someone else used it. I drove a 4x2 ridged Mack box van with that cab on a local U.S. Mail contract, the only cab-over I drove here.
Paul.
Sounds nice. Photo of some of mine - X finnish landrace
Hi DAIDOG AND PAUL JOHN,
Good reading from both your posts,you both have done what a lot of us Drivers wanted to do in the 70s .moved on,however pleased i did not, it is good being here in the good old uk no matter what some say…nice NHS,you need a lot of tablets after a life up the road ,free!!..good pension…all payed for by our National; insurance, as you know…no hispanics…we have our own version though,nameless…Daiog you sound as if you have a busy job welll done,you must be near retiring age…you will love it…after time you do get over pushing trucks up the road.
paul, i know a uk family who have a trucking company in SALT LAKE CITY. is that near you?i think they do house moving boxes.i know they are away from home a lot …
deckboypeggy:
Hi DAIDOG AND PAUL JOHN,
Good reading from both your posts,you both have done what a lot of us Drivers wanted to do in the 70s .moved on,however pleased i did not, it is good being here in the good old uk no matter what some say…nice NHS,you need a lot of tablets after a life up the road ,free!!..good pension…all payed for by our National; insurance, as you know…no hispanics…we have our own version though,nameless…Daiog you sound as if you have a busy job welll done,you must be near retiring age…you will love it…after time you do get over pushing trucks up the road.
paul, i know a uk family who have a trucking company in SALT LAKE CITY. is that near you?i think they do house moving boxes.i know they are away from home a lot …
Salt Lake City is not far from Florida, only about an inch . I am using the same map as one of my ex bosses used to use!
Must be one of those universal maps that bosses have, 
ray
Hi Guys, off the top of my head Salt Lake City is about 2000 miles from Central Florida.
The company I work for have a place out there and Colorado Springs also. I wouldn’t mind visiting either of them.
I think we have all had a boss or two with that, its not far mentality!
Regards Paul.
