Keep 'em coming Meirlad,enjoyed reading that
You’re welcome Pete. Seeing your name reminds me of the names of the two fitters on Vic Wild’s. They were Roy and Fred Smith. Just been looking at another thread on here about the Comart boys. The BigJ on that thread was (I think) the same one I drove in Smith’s colours. I remember Clive Smith as being the brains at Smiths even though he was young at the time. I always got on well with him. I was so cold one night driving a chinese six upbank that I phoned him up at two in the morning and cussed him because there was no heating and I was having to scrape ice off the inside of the screen. He didn’t lose his temper at me phoning him and waking him up, and when I next went upbank, he’d fitted four heaters all over the place. The only problem was that they blew cold air. But it was warmer than the freezing air that came in through so many holes in the cab. LOL.
Meirlad:
Welcome to the forum mate! What a great start: one of the best ‘first posts’ I’ve read - a refreshing change from ‘who’s got pictures of this that and the other?’ - a proper contribution! Cheers. Robert 
Thank you Robert. Nice to have a chat about old times, sometimes. Having read through this entire thread and having thoroughly enjoyed it, I was hoping just to fill in a few holes with facts I know. Here’s a couple more that will add a bit of meat to some bones.
Carr and Hodgkinson. Carr and Hodgkinson started off as a two-man band from Bill Carr’s pub, The Red Lion, at Checkley. They ran Albion Reivers - 4 and 6 leggers - and a lot of their work was for BRC at Stafford. Then Hodgkinson decided to leave the company to live in Cornwall. For some reason, it must have been agreed that the name would stand. Most probably, Hodgkinson had a small part in the company too. They moved to Fole and expanded. They still did a lot of work for BRC, but also did a lot of work for a brewery in Burton and ran directly out of Creda. That was a good job, and I had a new Ford in Creda colours and did the south-east run for about two years. Bill Carr was a very clever bloke. Then, when they’d got about a dozen motors, they moved to Stramshall near Uttoxeter. I discovered that Bill was a member of the Uttoxeter lodge of the Secret Handshake Brigade, and so was Joey Bamford. 2+2=4? As most will know, Bill never looked back once they’d got the contract for JCB. I didn’t work for him then, but my mate Don Beddows did from when he left his job as a car body repairer at Barker and Shenton at Checkley until he died some years ago. Bill went to live in Switzerland and his sons Royston and David ran the place from Cheadle. Not sure how it all fell apart, but it did. It was all sort of a Checkley clique, and I knew all of them, including Bill Brash who owned Brash’s Transport Cafe at Checkley. Most of your older truckers will remember it being on the old road between Blythe Bridge and Uttoxeter.
Ernie Owen ran out of the old railway yard at the bottom of Audley Bank, on the left.
A&H Daveys ran out of Vernon Road in Stoke. (Behind the railway station.) They also had a permanent building in The Mich for the management and loaders on the Becket’s side of their company. There was often friction because everybody was paid trip money, and some drivers were ‘teacher’s pets’ and were always getting the plum runs. The Becket’s side did days and nights. Nights were to Ford factories. They had specially built trailers for car tyres, and the run to Fords at Dagenham had to be by a strict route because the trailers were so high. I remember that some bright spark decided to come back via the old road off the A5 via Rugeley and took the top off the trailer. 
From what I can remember, The Wild Group consisted of the depot in Stoke (Whieldon Road - opposite the canal and on the Stoke Victoria ground side of the bridge), a depot in Exeter (Tancocks), one in Newark, and one in Newport South Wales. There may be more, but I can’t remember any. Vic lived in a big house on the right hand side going up Windmill Hill at Meir Heath. If he was mowing his lawns, he would most definitely have been able to see if somebody else had got one of his beloved Gardners. He would have been able to hear it as well, because that drag up the hill would sort a 180 from a 240. I’m chuckling here thinking of the look on his face if that really happened. LOL.
Now some of you will probably laugh at me, but Vic sent me out one day in one of his DAFs. I hated it. Even when I got back from the trip I couldn’t use the damned gearbox. It was completely alien to everything I knew, and if any of you have ever driven a Gardner 240 with a Fuller 12 speed box, you’ll probably understand. That combo was the sweetest thing ever invented. Well, for me it was. Compared to the DAF outfit, it was like playing a Steinway Grand Piano as against sit-up-and-beg plonker. You may disagree if you like, but only if you’ve driven both. All arguments on a postage stamp please, 
A bit of history of some of the Stoke based hauliers. Quite a few had their roots of success planted during the war, hauling meat. Black market? No comment, but they wouldn’t make any money queuing for three days on the Dock Road at Liverpool. The docks at Liverpool. I could write a book about that place as well. A five pound note would keep you in oranges or tins of corned dog for a year. A hundred quid would get you 20 ton of copper. LOL.
Another firm that I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread is Northern Ireland Trailers who had a depot at Hanchurch Crossroads. The wages on there were the highest in Stoke, and you couldn’t get a job there for love nor money.
Perhaps more later when I’ve changed my incontinence pad.
Keep safe you young 'uns.
Hi,Meirlad,Checkley cafe what a cracking place that was,guessing Bill was Barry and Stuarts Dad? I worked for a brummie lad who subbed to Pandoro i seemed to cop the trombone trailer with 65’ railway lines as a return trailer from Liverpool and as that yard was’nt the best,had to reverse it off the lights down the yard,their own drivers were on good money then (mid 90’s) keep it coming please mate,catch up with you on friday as i’m on nights out rest of week,ta,Pete
Hi again Pete. Yes, I can imagine the difficulty you would have with a 60 footer in that yard. I recall NIT ran mostly short runs to their depot in Preston. As I say, they paid about twice as much as anybody else.
Stuart and Barry were Bill Brash’s two sons. They were just little kids when I knew the Brashes.
Compared to what we lugged about in the old days, I know you lads have trucks like Rolls Royces, but I wouldn’t have your job for a state pension now. Too many rules and regs, and idiot car drivers on the roads who haven’t got a clue why there are three lanes on a motorway.
Stay safe.
Meirlad:
You’re welcome Pete. Seeing your name reminds me of the names of the two fitters on Vic Wild’s. They were Roy and Fred Smith. Just been looking at another thread on here about the Comart boys. The BigJ on that thread was (I think) the same one I drove in Smith’s colours. I remember Clive Smith as being the brains at Smiths even though he was young at the time. I always got on well with him. I was so cold one night driving a chinese six upbank that I phoned him up at two in the morning and cussed him because there was no heating and I was having to scrape ice off the inside of the screen. He didn’t lose his temper at me phoning him and waking him up, and when I next went upbank, he’d fitted four heaters all over the place. The only problem was that they blew cold air. But it was warmer than the freezing air that came in through so many holes in the cab. LOL.
Hi Meirlad,
Great stories - keep them coming, I started the Comarts thread in memory of my Dad, don’t know if you remember him “Wheeler” ? He had that Big J when he started there, he also drove on Vic Wilds, Bersefords and Davey’s You also mentioned Geordie Taylor his son drove on Wilds, I worked with him when he was running with Alfie Taylor subbing for Phil Durose, I also drove worked with his Grandson on Lee Durose Int, who along with his brother now both are driving for Brit on the tanks
Regards
Ant
melandmel:
hi all has anyone got pictures of PJM mossfeild rd Longton . I was on there in 1995 seems like yesterday ! Here’s there F12 400 close to home . regards Mel
Hi Mel , I was on PJM also … I have a couple of photo’s somewhere I will submit later. I’m scratching my head trying to put a face to your name… Lol.
Hiya…oooorrr some new blood… welcome to truck net uncle monty, hopefully some new stories which
will jog a few memories…
John
Meirlad,
Welcome to the site.
I also worked for Vic Wild on and off for a couple of years, my uncle Harry McBeth got me on there.
At the time that ■■■■ of a transport manager Clive Hitchen (RIP) was there and he knew it was best not to get too near the drivers window in the traffic office as I know several drivers who would have dragged him through it!
I was one of the owner/drivers along with a few others, and when the 240 Atki’s came out, several were delivered and I was due for the next when Gardners went on strike and the new motors dried up. In his frustration that what few 240’s were coming out went to Herman Tideswell, a dedicated AEC man, so Vic ordered a pair of new DAF’s and young John Taylor and I had them from new.
It’s good to read your stories about the firms in the Stoke area you’ve worked for, I don’t suppose you made a contribution to the books by Ros Unwin called North Staffs Hauliers and Staffordshire Hauliers 2, many of us locals gave some info on firms we had worked for and there’s a lot of history of many of the old firms, but it’s always good to get someone else’s perspective on a firm.
Keep it coming!
Ron bates past away on the17th September who worked on comart and moorlock R.I.P dad will miss you
R.I.P Mr Bates 
gaz
BIG RON WAS ONE OF THE BEST, ALL HIS MATES WILL MISS HIM
BUNCHY 1:
BIG RON WAS ONE OF THE BEST, ALL HIS MATES WILL MISS HIM
Phil,
Welcome to the site, hope you are well.
Meirlad:
Thank you Robert. Nice to have a chat about old times, sometimes. Having read through this entire thread and having thoroughly enjoyed it, I was hoping just to fill in a few holes with facts I know. Here’s a couple more that will add a bit of meat to some bones.Carr and Hodgkinson. Carr and Hodgkinson started off as a two-man band from Bill Carr’s pub, The Red Lion, at Checkley. They ran Albion Reivers - 4 and 6 leggers - and a lot of their work was for BRC at Stafford. Then Hodgkinson decided to leave the company to live in Cornwall. For some reason, it must have been agreed that the name would stand. Most probably, Hodgkinson had a small part in the company too. They moved to Fole and expanded. They still did a lot of work for BRC, but also did a lot of work for a brewery in Burton and ran directly out of Creda. That was a good job, and I had a new Ford in Creda colours and did the south-east run for about two years. Bill Carr was a very clever bloke. Then, when they’d got about a dozen motors, they moved to Stramshall near Uttoxeter. I discovered that Bill was a member of the Uttoxeter lodge of the Secret Handshake Brigade, and so was Joey Bamford. 2+2=4? As most will know, Bill never looked back once they’d got the contract for JCB. I didn’t work for him then, but my mate Don Beddows did from when he left his job as a car body repairer at Barker and Shenton at Checkley until he died some years ago. Bill went to live in Switzerland and his sons Royston and David ran the place from Cheadle. Not sure how it all fell apart, but it did. It was all sort of a Checkley clique, and I knew all of them, including Bill Brash who owned Brash’s Transport Cafe at Checkley. Most of your older truckers will remember it being on the old road between Blythe Bridge and Uttoxeter.
Ernie Owen ran out of the old railway yard at the bottom of Audley Bank, on the left.
A&H Daveys ran out of Vernon Road in Stoke. (Behind the railway station.) They also had a permanent building in The Mich for the management and loaders on the Becket’s side of their company. There was often friction because everybody was paid trip money, and some drivers were ‘teacher’s pets’ and were always getting the plum runs. The Becket’s side did days and nights. Nights were to Ford factories. They had specially built trailers for car tyres, and the run to Fords at Dagenham had to be by a strict route because the trailers were so high. I remember that some bright spark decided to come back via the old road off the A5 via Rugeley and took the top off the trailer.
From what I can remember, The Wild Group consisted of the depot in Stoke (Whieldon Road - opposite the canal and on the Stoke Victoria ground side of the bridge), a depot in Exeter (Tancocks), one in Newark, and one in Newport South Wales. There may be more, but I can’t remember any. Vic lived in a big house on the right hand side going up Windmill Hill at Meir Heath. If he was mowing his lawns, he would most definitely have been able to see if somebody else had got one of his beloved Gardners. He would have been able to hear it as well, because that drag up the hill would sort a 180 from a 240. I’m chuckling here thinking of the look on his face if that really happened. LOL.
Now some of you will probably laugh at me, but Vic sent me out one day in one of his DAFs. I hated it. Even when I got back from the trip I couldn’t use the damned gearbox. It was completely alien to everything I knew, and if any of you have ever driven a Gardner 240 with a Fuller 12 speed box, you’ll probably understand. That combo was the sweetest thing ever invented. Well, for me it was. Compared to the DAF outfit, it was like playing a Steinway Grand Piano as against sit-up-and-beg plonker. You may disagree if you like, but only if you’ve driven both. All arguments on a postage stamp please,
A bit of history of some of the Stoke based hauliers. Quite a few had their roots of success planted during the war, hauling meat. Black market? No comment, but they wouldn’t make any money queuing for three days on the Dock Road at Liverpool. The docks at Liverpool. I could write a book about that place as well. A five pound note would keep you in oranges or tins of corned dog for a year. A hundred quid would get you 20 ton of copper. LOL.
Another firm that I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread is Northern Ireland Trailers who had a depot at Hanchurch Crossroads. The wages on there were the highest in Stoke, and you couldn’t get a job there for love nor money.
Perhaps more later when I’ve changed my incontinence pad.
Keep safe you young 'uns.
Now Carr and Hodgkinson.I remember calling on them at Fole and eventually they bought an ■■■■■■ van from me and ordered a D800 artic with an Albion to come in P.ex.His mate Jack Pattinson bought a couple and was happy with them but Bill cancelled the order but I did find him a nice Riever from F.C.Billings from Hilton.
Yes they did run on J.C.B.with Sid Carnwell from Alton ( Ray’s dad) and Reg Birks at Uttoxeter.
One customer I had in The Potteries which was a fair way from Derby was Wm Newton in Hamilton Road Longton.( John Bedson) They bought a D800 tipper and I took a Thorneycroft Mastif in with a Boalloy cab.Going back the gear stick broke and I was stuck in 4th up the bank in Stramshall Hollow.No problem with that,she’d go any where in that gear.
The Carr family were and still are I think involved with Checkley Cricket Club and the first match I played in was against them.Bill Carr bowled and that was a different experience.
Tony
My dad used to do the trailer work mot,s and some creda runs about 1980 when he left E&E for Vic wild and bradburys who ran out of whieldon road I remember they had sk Mercs then I think.
Carr and hodge were one of my customers when I worked at City brakes as a rep…nice bloke Dave…