OHS Transport

[jazzandy]

I was with OHS from 1974 to 1978, first as a driver and then as transport manager. When I started, the company had one UK registered Mack F726 and I picked up a brand new GMC Astro from Antwerp docks. When I left we had two GMC’s and about thirty Macks, mainly F786’s

The main contracts were with BMC Izmir Turkey carrying parts for truck manufacturing from British Leyland and suppliers, and Genoto Istanbul also with truck parts from Bedford.

Return loads were mainly cotton, mohair, and on the refrigerated trucks, crayfish and snails!

[gerlof]

Hi Andy,
That was a big growth for OHS in those few years! And later they even grew bigger.
Those were interesting loads! Didn’t the catfish and snails smell a lot? i didn’t know that so many parts for the trucking industry in Turkey came from UK. I guess it must have been great times to be on the European roads in that period. Did you see a lot of other American trucks at that time?
Gerlof

[nazmi_ozcan]

Hi Gerlof,
Uk Shunter motors.: First had 2 x F86 (one blue one in red colour) then 3 Dustbin Mack added (in white colour) to shunting fleet.Middle east Boom.: When OPEC ( Oıl products exportıng countrıes) have decıded to ıncrease the oıl prıces ( Petrol crısıs fırst one ın 1973 and the second one ın 1979) then wıth a huge ıncome fm oıl M/East countrıes started to spend most thıs ıncome ın buıldıng rams,electrıcty plants , roads etc.etc, and most of the equıpments were bought fm Western Europe countrıes, plus at the tıme the Turkıch Economy was not ın good order ,
most transporters & forwarders were engaged ın M/East movements.
Especıally Shah was ımportıng almost everythıng - Meat & Cheese & Butter , even perrıer water.

as OHS Group , maın exports fm Europe were.: Choclate (Mars and Rowntree Mackıntosh goods ) , spare parts for automotıve ındustry ,Hangıng Meat , Feta Cheese , French buttger&cheese , Sausages (fm Egeturk/Cologne) etc.
Imports ınto Europe.: Mostly fm Turkey , mohaır , cotton yarn , haselnuts , donkey&horse meat , escargot , crayfısh and ıf thre ıs not enough export loads fm Turkey ,then wıne fm Bulgarıa , furnıture fm Romanıa , choclate & onıon fm Ex Yugoslavıa , photocopy paper fm Austrıa etc.
regards
Nazmi

Gerlof:
Hi Nazmi,
Once again, thank you for this great information. It seems that Sahara trans was a very decimed run off from OHS/United. Is it correct that al least one of the Shunter trucks (the small MC Macks in the UK) was transformed in the Compex colours, but was also in a red colour before?

Can you, or maybe Andy explain me why the M/East trucking was so booming in the seventies? Did it have to do with the prices of transport, or maybe the reliabilty or speed of transport, or did it have another reason.

I read somewhere that the company transported chocolate and Mohair wool. Was that the main transport, or did you transport other goods as well?
Kind regards,
Gerlof

[nazmi_ozcan]

Hi Gerlof,
as fas as I recall There were not so many Amerıcan trucks on the road.
regards

Gerlof:
Hi Andy,
That was a big growth for OHS in those few years! And later they even grew bigger.
Those were interesting loads! Didn’t the catfish and snails smell a lot? i didn’t know that so many parts for the trucking industry in Turkey came from UK. I guess it must have been great times to be on the European roads in that period. Did you see a lot of other American trucks at that time?
Gerlof

[jazzandy]

The Dutch, French, Belgians and Spanish all had American fleets, mainly Macks but there was TAF in France with a fleet of GMC Astros, Friderici in Switzerland with a fleet of Kenworths and there were also quite a number of White Road Commanders.

[gerlof]

Hi Andy,
That must have been a very interesting period to be on the road. I guess with the Mack and GMC you got a lot of attention on the road! I haven’t heard from TAF before. Such a shame that the American trucks were allready a bit outdated then and were not able to compete with the European trucks later. But still I think they did a hell of job in that period and a lot of people have nostalgic feelings for that period.
Gerlof

[peggydeckboy]

HI Gerlof T.A.F. large french refrigerated company were based outside CALAIS still going in the 1990s.did a lot of MEAT from uk TRANS -ARTRO-FRIGO,probly wrong spelling.

[robert1952]

IIRC, the main reason for UK having so little yankee hardware was their mismatch with our Construction & Use regs vis-à-vis brakes, lights, steering etc. Those who were determined to import them usually paid a lot to convert them.

Here’s one of those TAF Astras mentioned by Jazzandy:

Robert

[robert1952]

And one of the ‘dustbin-lorry’ Macks mentioned further up the page:

Robert

[gerlof]

Hi all,
Thanks for the information and great pictures of the GMC’s. I wondered why the dustbin Mack has two different licensplates.
Gerlof

[robert1952]

Gerlof:
Hi all,
Thanks for the information and great pictures of the GMC’s. I wondered why the dustbin Mack has two different licensplates.
Gerlof

Because the red one is a trade-plate. A trade-plate belongs to a person or company, rather than to the vehicle. It can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle and used only temporarily; for example if it is being tested by a garage, delivered by a manufacturer or demonstrated by a dealer. The white one is the vehicle’s own registration plate (called license plates in America). Robert

[macadam-woman]

Not many however Belgium counted some of the ‘dustbin-vehicles’ like Stallaert
who had the largest fleet on Mack when it comes to tippers.

Luc

[jazzandy]

May I wish a very Happy 90th. Birthday to Orhan Hakki Sertel, the founder of OHS Transport!

[stevejones]

some newer macks lok nice seen them while tipping in vineland new jersey

[macadam-woman]

The picture doesn’t belong here but at least it deals with Mack. Ziegler had quite some
for their heavy transports. The majority had Mack-engines but also (like Van Driesche)
had preferences for ■■■■■■■ what depended on the contractor, like Komatsu, Krupp etc

[deanb]

Found these on the net,hopefully they havent been on here before.

[nazmi_ozcan]

Dustbin Lorries…Boss went to US during 1981 after an invite fm Mack Trucks , before he went had a discussion on what we need, anyway after 3 days later phone rang , Boss on the other side informing me that had purchased 3 shunter trucks,and ETA antwerp is …,well had to organise everything , and also bought 20 odd Mack Trucks & Freuhauf Reefers,these are second hand, all of a sudden fleet increased to 150 trucks…, beleive me had to be on the online 24 hrs a day and was not very easy, one of my gırl frıend after havıng so many calls at home,you better play with your toys am gone!!..Thats’'s life.
Love to everyone…

robert1952:
And one of the ‘dustbin-lorry’ Macks mentioned further up the page:

0

Robert

[robert1952]

Nazmi Ozcan:
Dustbin Lorries…Boss went to US during 1981 after an invite fm Mack Trucks , before he went had a discussion on what we need, anyway after 3 days later phone rang , Boss on the other side informing me that had purchased 3 shunter trucks,and ETA antwerp is …,well had to organise everything , and also bought 20 odd Mack Trucks & Freuhauf Reefers,these are second hand, all of a sudden fleet increased to 150 trucks…, beleive me had to be on the online 24 hrs a day and was not very easy, one of my gırl frıend after havıng so many calls at home,you better play with your toys am gone!!..Thats’'s life.
Love to everyone…

robert1952:
And one of the ‘dustbin-lorry’ Macks mentioned further up the page:

0

Robert

Thanks for the background info Nazmi! Robert

[robert1952]

[robert1952]