Nottingham bus firm( middle east work

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
761

Only joking Norman :smiley: :smiley:

That was one of the jokes going round the time if you rememberā€¦ :smiley:

I also seem to remember that it was Bill Thomas or Terry Taylor. One of their wagons rolled down an embankment and blocked the Orient Express line in Yugo, or is my memory playing tricks Norman :smiley:

Youā€™re quite correct about the way Overland was supposed to have been set up. If you remember we were promised that everything was set up between Flushing and Iran and we could stop at several places and get the trucks serviced or whatever. Of course there was nothing. It was only blokes like you and Bob Howes that kept them going.

My Marathon spent more time in the workshop in Lodge Farm than it did on the road. And yes like you I suggested Scanias or Volvos or even Dafs, but British Leyland it had to be. I think the unit weighed about 8 or 9 tons then without the extendible trailers for going on the train. :unamused:

Bearing in mind the weight limit was 32 tons then, it didnā€™t leave much for your load. A lot of agencies then would only deal with 20 tons cap load.

So the majority of the time if we backloaded to the UK, we were overloaded. :unamused:

Although I can remember one time when we backloaded timber in Austria and when we got to Felixstowe, you were over and I was under.

What to doā€¦So you gave me your wallet and that made things squareā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

True story thatā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Johnā€¦

762

Desert Rat:
Only joking Norman :smiley: :smiley:

That was one of the jokes going round the time if you rememberā€¦ :smiley:

I also seem to remember that it was Bill Thomas or Terry Taylor. One of their wagons rolled down an embankment and blocked the Orient Express line in Yugo, or is my memory playing tricks Norman :smiley:

Youā€™re quite correct about the way Overland was supposed to have been set up. If you remember we were promised that everything was set up between Flushing and Iran and we could stop at several places and get the trucks serviced or whatever. Of course there was nothing. It was only blokes like you and Bob Howes that kept them going.

My Marathon spent more time in the workshop in Lodge Farm than it did on the road. And yes like you I suggested Scanias or Volvos or even Dafs, but British Leyland it had to be. I think the unit weighed about 8 or 9 tons then without the extendible trailers for going on the train. :unamused:

Bearing in mind the weight limit was 32 tons then, it didnā€™t leave much for your load. A lot of agencies then would only deal with 20 tons cap load.

So the majority of the time if we backloaded to the UK, we were overloaded. :unamused:

Although I can remember one time when we backloaded timber in Austria and when we got to Felixstowe, you were over and I was under.

What to doā€¦So you gave me your wallet and that made things squareā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

True story thatā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Johnā€¦

hiya,
Normanā€™s wallet ehā€™ John Iā€™ll bet you needed a forklift to tranship that
from his motor to yourā€™s, it does I believe contain his first pay packet.
thanks harry, long retired

763

harry_gill:

Desert Rat:
Only joking Norman :smiley: :smiley:

That was one of the jokes going round the time if you rememberā€¦ :smiley:

I also seem to remember that it was Bill Thomas or Terry Taylor. One of their wagons rolled down an embankment and blocked the Orient Express line in Yugo, or is my memory playing tricks Norman :smiley:

Youā€™re quite correct about the way Overland was supposed to have been set up. If you remember we were promised that everything was set up between Flushing and Iran and we could stop at several places and get the trucks serviced or whatever. Of course there was nothing. It was only blokes like you and Bob Howes that kept them going.

Hi boys John I did find one of your Leyland agents once. It was in Tabriz down a back street. It was one of those bodge it up shops you would see on the side of the road but it did have a leyland agents sign in the window :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: so there was back up :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: maybe they had a warehouse somewhere with all the spare parts in that BRS said were out there :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

regards Keith

764

harry_gill:
hiya,
Normanā€™s wallet ehā€™ John Iā€™ll bet you needed a forklift to tranship that
from his motor to yourā€™s, it does I believe contain his first pay packet.
thanks harry, long retired

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

John

765

Outside my house getting ready for a trip to Esfahan with Keith Shirleyā€¦

John

Pan Express stuck in the sand. Anyone remember them. Some nice lads on there.

Me, Terry Taylor and Bob Howes ( and the lovely Pat :wink: ) weekended in Austria on the way to Izmir. The Atki non - sleeper was going to Tehran. :unamused:

Nearing Izimr.

The late great Terry Taylor making me a cup of ā€™ chi 'ā€¦Note the flairs which all the Sandmen had to wearā€¦ :smiley: :smiley:

766

:unamused: :unamused: :unamused: Nice photoā€™s John, Yes it was Bill & Terry In Yugo, I was in Londra Camping, and they called in, Bill was giving me his usual load of guff, saying if he was manager he would not be paying me after damaging a unit! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: Not long after a Austrian came in and he and he knew me, but only spoke german, he told me my workmates had had a accident, a Marathon and trailer had ran on to the railway tracks, I asked him which one, the big blonde driver, or the older man, he replied definitively the older man. He had witnessed it, a car had hit bills lorry and the driver was demanding money, it was at the border crossing, bill started to chase the driver, when a look of horror was on his face and he was pointing, bill turned around, his lorry was rolling back slowly towards the railway, there was thick tree posts to protect the railway,his trailer went neatly between two of them,blocking the line below, panic to warn the train due, :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: damage was severe, needed new air tanks , pipes,etc. Once they got a crane to lift off the lines, bill was towed all the way to Germany by Terry and got it repaired. Myself was still in Londra Camping after my accident, I think it was 9/11 weeks altogether what with going to court to sort customs problems. Bill returned afew weeks later, not a word was said, :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: I just came out with it, Bill they done a lovely repair on your unit, he played it cool, oh sorry Bill I mean the accident in Yugo on the border, when your lorry rolled on the railway! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Terry burst out laughing, Bill went red in the cheeks, how the hell did you find out, Bill I knew the next day, and a lot told me later, you forget I am even more well known since my accident. Bill itā€™s a good job Iā€™m not manager , I might have to sack you! :wink: :wink: :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Didnā€™t mean it Norm only joking,you
know sometimes it is really sweet. :unamused: :unamused: :unamused: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

767

Someone had forgot the parking brakeā€¦No wonder Overland went bust Normanā€¦ :smiley: :smiley:

I think Overland was one of the few companies in those days that paid an hourly rate for Middle East runs. The majorty paid trip money. I had my own truck doing M/E before Overland and everything was based on trip money.

Unfortunately the pay structure was abused by some of the drivers. Not by the original Sandmen of course because we helped set the company up if you remember, but by some of the others that followed.

Also the average journey times were, providing you had no problems, Istanbulā€¦2 weeks. Baghdadā€¦3 weeks. Tehranā€¦4 weeks. Rhyadā€¦4 weeks. Quatarā€¦4/5weeks. Dohaā€¦4/5 weeks. etc.

But when youā€™re being paid by the hour, youā€™ve no incentive to get your finger out and get on with the job. I know of one Overlander who took 4 weeks to Istanbul and back. Another one took 5 weeks for Baghdad :unamused:

I can remember picking up carpets in Nottingham with Bob Howes and taking them to a factory in Munchen. We tipped on one side of the factory and reloaded carpet tiles on the other side of the factory straight back to Nottingham. We knew things wereā€™nt going too well for Overland at the time so we got our fingers out and did the trip in double quick time, meaning we didnā€™t stop. :unamused: When we got back to Northampton, Bernard told us that the job didnā€™t pay :unamused: I said thatā€™s not possible, me and Bob havenā€™t stopped for 24 hoursā€¦ :unamused:

John

768

John that was because of the BRS system, they never spread cost of tyres etc, they put full cost, because I pulled them up on it, I told them you might fool the tax man, but not me, Saudi in five weeks, including a week delay in custom clearance Ā£5976 plus expenses, and Ā£1,500 back load x two lorries, and was told we never made a profit. I told them the way they fiddled the figues we would never be in profit! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

On Bob Howes and Pat, I told the lads on here the Tale of when Colin Wright & me travelled together and it was Bobā€™s birthday, we pull up in Czechoslovakia in a small town and parked on the square, me in front, bob parked to the right, and Colin behind me, I went exploring and found a restaurant all in the dark, I knocked, and ask if he spoke German, he repied Ja, I asked what time he would be open, and if he would take Deutschmarks, he said soon, and yes yes. Went back and got washed and changed, we entered the place, he treated us like royalty, I ordered three steins of bier and Pat wanted a Martini, we was chatting and Pat said I want dry martini, I said tell him, so she did, he nodded and came with a tray, three large biers and a large brandy glass full of martini.
This happened many times during the meal of soup, steak egg mushrooms chips, fruit and icecream, halway through the meal Pat snuggled up to me and said Norm will you take me to the toilet, I said ask Bob, she said he donā€™t know which is which,as John knows Pat was a ā– ā– ā– ā–  eighteen year old jet black hair, pure white skin, wearing a sleeveless red top which showed all her assets, skin tight black shorts, legs that seem to go on forever, and black high heel shoes, There I was trying to tell myself its a mates girlfriend, and guide her to the toilet, she said do you want to come in and help me, I said I would love to, but your boy friend would not like it. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: and went back to the table. I paid up and Colin ask me how much, I told him and he said thats only about a fiver each in english pounds.because we was paying for the treat for his birthday, Back at the lorries Pat was getting fruity, and kissing both Colin and me, then as she was climbing in the cab, she said " Who is first!" Bob lost his cool, and shouted get in that cab. :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

769

Now the crunch It dawn on me, when I told Pat to tell the owner, she wanted dry, he gave her drei, which is three in German, so evertime we was drinking a beer, she was having a triple martini, she drank drink for drink. :astonished: :astonished: :astonished: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

770

Norman Ingram:
Now the crunch It dawn on me, when I told Pat to tell the owner, she wanted dry, he gave her drei, which is three in German, so evertime we was drinking a beer, she was having a triple martini, she drank drink for drink. :astonished: :astonished: :astonished: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Dreiā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: Hope Bob doesnā€™t read any of this Norman, although nothing untowards happened.

When me, Terry and Bob were returning from Izmir, we stopped in Kanakale as usual. But discovered heā€™d left all his paperwork in Ipsala and had to go all the way back to get it. Pat didnā€™t want to go so she stayed with us. :unamused:

The familiar story Norman, we all went out for dinner and she got ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  as usual. She went to the toilet and she seemed to be taking a long time. I went to look for her and caught her and Stavros ( the owner of the bar ) in the toiletā€¦just in timeā€¦ :unamused:

We bundled her back to the trucks and Terry bunked in with me and she kipped in Terryā€™s motor. I went to check on her after about 30 mins and caught her creeping out of the cab. So I done no more and got some rope out of me trailer box and tied the cab up so she couldnā€™t get out till the morningā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Of course when Bob got back we kept a gobs shut. :smiley:ā€¦You couldnā€™t make it up could you. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

John

771

No Terry told me that they had to tie her in the cab, he reckon she was getting fruity with bill. Well you probaly donā€™t know they got married and got divorced,and I was told she got ever so fat, they was very friendly with Janice & Dave over at Wellingborough, that how I know. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

772

Bill wasnā€™t with us on that trip so it must have been another time :smiley: :smiley: Dave Strouds wife was called Janetā€¦ :wink:

Women do tend to put on a bit of weight as they get older, whereas us men stay nice and slimā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

John

773

Janice is still in reasonable condition, saw them at Ritaā€™s funeral, dave has hardly no hair, we had quite a chinwag, they was laughing about my parties, and how after one of them , :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: they stopped in a layby on the way home to Wellingborough and their only son was concieved. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: they did ask if I had ever heard from you. Me and Anne went to Torquay for four days and met up with Keith & karen, that must be about four years ago, but he has got a lot worst since then. Geoff Lovell son has been in contact and told me his dad lives in Spain, Joe Baker has wrote to me a couple of times, Me & wink used to call him Joe 90. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Norm

774

Iā€™ve hardly any hair left myselfā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: . I remember the story about the layby after your party. :smiley: :smiley:

John

775

I see John Bland ex -wife each week, at the pensioners club, where I play dominoā€™s with two bowling mates, I never let on that he left her. he was 62years old, Terry was 55, Colin was in his 60+, Martin chambers was 52 and Mick Brent was only 60, Eric Nightingale was 64, all left us. :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: I am comming up next birthday 76. You remember the times we had at Gretna hall hotel, I was up that way about 6 years ago on a touring holiday, and I called in and talked to the manager and said we stopped there a lot in the late 70ā€™s and 80ā€™s up into the 90ā€™s and spoke about the manager, and was told he left when the Swallow group took over, and he was about to open his new hotel in Dumfries, called in the hotel at Annan, the daughter is running that, spoke to the owner he was 80, sent his regards to all the lads. Norm

776

Norman Ingram:
I see John Bland ex -wife each week, at the pensioners club, where I play dominoā€™s with two bowling mates, I never let on that he left her. he was 62years old, Terry was 55, Colin was in his 60+, Martin chambers was 52 and Mick Brent was only 60, Eric Nightingale was 64, all left us. :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: I am comming up next birthday 76. You remember the times we had at Gretna hall hotel, I was up that way about 6 years ago on a touring holiday, and I called in and talked to the manager and said we stopped there a lot in the late 70ā€™s and 80ā€™s up into the 90ā€™s and spoke about the manager, and was told he left when the Swallow group took over, and he was about to open his new hotel in Dumfries, called in the hotel at Annan, the daughter is running that, spoke to the owner he was 80, sent his regards to all the lads. Norm

Yes I remember Mr Philips the managerā€¦ :smiley: I also remember one winters morning there were about 4 of us parked in the grounds of the hotel . We had Seddon 180 Gardners and we all started up togetherā€¦ :unamused: :unamused: Well the biggest cloud of smoke lifted up and drifted across the A74ā€¦Iā€™m sure there must have been some near accidents. He banned us parking there again. :smiley: :smiley:

I also remember someone putting some dummy dog ā– ā– ā–  behind the bar and Mr Philips going absolutely mad. He saw the joke in the end and only banned us for a few weeks :smiley: :smiley: . I seem to remember one of our drivers serving behind the bar till all hoursā€¦ I think it was Tommyā€¦ What about the grab a granny nights in the dining roomā€¦ :wink: :wink: . Of course when we started working longer driving hours, we could get to the Carlisle Truckstop. Then we transferred our amorous attention to the grannies thereā€¦ Not me and you of course being happily marriedā€¦:smiley: :smiley: . Good old days Norm. :smiley:

Do you remember Graham Corkhram. Heā€™s passed away Iā€™ve heard. We went to Erics funeral in Milton and that was probably the last time we saw you. I haveā€™nt seen Tony Vernon or Wendy for about 5 years. He promised to call me and he never did. Mick Hooper was very ill with cancer and has lost a lot of weight. Heā€™s skin and bone now. We saw him about 2 years ago and I walked right past him.

Iā€™m 67 on Friday by the way and I donā€™t look a day overā€¦ 67ā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: I play in a band here in Torrevieja and drink lots of brandy.

Iā€™ve sent you a Skype message to became a contact . John

777

Well lads I got on Skype with John (Desert Rat) not bad for 67years old, :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: almost as goodlooking as me! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: And please no quips about I should have gone to Spec savers. :wink: :wink: :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Harry you would like him, he beats you in the marriage stakes, I think he only got married for the ā€œGreenshield Stampsā€, but he wised up in the end! :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

778

It is nice to know that old work mates are still around, and when people google about old firms, some our threads are put in front of them, with photoā€™s and comments we have made. it makes you think our names will live on after we have reached the Truckstop in the sky, and they say them old fellows had a ball, :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: when they drove lorries. :wink: :wink: :wink: :sunglasses: :sunglasses: :sunglasses: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

779

Too true Normā€¦Bit delicate at the momentā€¦It was my birthday on Friday and our anniversary on Saturdayā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

We had some friends over from the UK and they went home this morningā€¦Itā€™s been one long party and I canā€™t party like I used to. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

John x

780

Nice to see the old BRS wagons. I remember the first trip they all did when they travelled in convoy, I first saw them in Europe on the way to Tehran. By the time I was on my way back I saw them at Mocamp. Next trip out they were parked in Roosevelt parking in Tehran. After I had delivered down to Abadan and then reloaded rice for Tehran, I found most of the trucks had been abandoned!