Yeah Dodds were out of Acton/ Shepherds Bush McFarlane road I think? Runcorn Tspt. were in Willesden Junction. head office Runcorn doing ICI contract, went up there to do ADR. Also worked for Hanson Haulage Near the Angel, Islington, in about 1974/5 are they still about? Went out to Australia in1980 and worked for Ansett Freight Express in Sydney, anyone heard of them? Long shot. Still keep the Aussie Class 5 licence going, never know when you might need it! Fell out of love with hgv driving in UK but still facinated,weird eh?
Remember Sam Anderson,mid scotland somewhere ran red and tartan stripe scanias. Firms running strictly legal(such as BRS?) were complaining about scotch firms running Glasgow area to south coast ports in one shift,said it couldn’t be done legally.
one of the television co,s put 3 drivers and camera in a car and followed Andersons driver down from Scotland down to Liverpool area tip and reload,they lost him for a while and then picked him up on the M5 and followed him to one of the south coast ports.
They made a record of the distances travelled,breaks taken and speeds driven which I seem to remember weren’t very legal. they made a big thing about having 3 drivers taking turns but by the end of the trip they were all exhausted!
At the time I was doing household furniture deliveries UK and delivered to a house in Scotland with a Sam Anderson unit parked outside,yes it was the driver who was on telly,he told me the police and ministry did have him in court but they took a long time and seemed very reluctant to do anything about it,I think he was fined about £40!
Does anyone remember this?
regards derek
Yes Derek, I remember it well. That was many years ago. It sticks in my mind because after it all the TV people couldn’t conceal their admiration for his feat of endurance.
Salut, David.
Anybody remember Rooksdale Haulage (or Transport)? Out of a little yard underneath the Canning Town flyover.
About a dozen 110s and F88s pulling fridges. Rowntrees chocs out to Bologna and fruit back. Quite a nice little number really with some great lads on there.
Only trouble was that the boss, Terry (littlelegs) Regan was obsessed with fuel costs and would give you just enough money to do the trip if you didn’t exceed 55mph. Taught me how to drive economically, I can tell you.
Littlelegs’ wife was one of the Merzarios. Very big Italian freight agent. They had a ghastly son about nine years old. He was always asking us drivers how much our motors would do to the gallon. We always imagined that mpg was the only topic of conversation in the Regan household.
How about Pierrepoint and Halpin from Sarf London somewhere? They did the Prato run. Rag out and cloth back. Very quickly too. Transcontis and 140s. God, they could go. Rumour had it that the Pierrepoint of P&H was related to Albert Pierrepoint, the hangman.
Steve
rexyu:
Anybody remember Rooksdale Haulage (or Transport)? Out of a little yard underneath the Canning Town flyover.About a dozen 110s and F88s pulling fridges. Rowntrees chocs out to Bologna and fruit back. Quite a nice little number really with some great lads on there.
Only trouble was that the boss, Terry (littlelegs) Regan was obsessed with fuel costs and would give you just enough money to do the trip if you didn’t exceed 55mph. Taught me how to drive economically, I can tell you.
Littlelegs’ wife was one of the Merzarios. Very big Italian freight agent. They had a ghastly son about nine years old. He was always asking us drivers how much our motors would do to the gallon. We always imagined that mpg was the only topic of conversation in the Regan household.
How about Pierrepoint and Halpin from Sarf London somewhere? They did the Prato run. Rag out and cloth back. Very quickly too. Transcontis and 140s. God, they could go. Rumour had it that the Pierrepoint of P&H was related to Albert Pierrepoint, the hangman.
Steve
yes p/h wereout of bermonsdy then moved to erith all best egg
rexyu:
Only trouble was that the boss, Terry (littlelegs) Regan was obsessed with fuel costs and would give you just enough money to do the trip if you didn’t exceed 55mph. Taught me how to drive economically, I can tell you.Littlelegs’ wife was one of the Merzarios. Very big Italian freight agent. They had a ghastly son about nine years old. He was always asking us drivers how much our motors would do to the gallon. We always imagined that mpg was the only topic of conversation in the Regan household.
Steve
Micky White (White Trux) was the same Steve. But he would give us a £20 bonus if we did Italy and back within his laid down mpg limits. He had worked out exactly what each different motor (F89, F10, or MAN) had to run at to achieve this. Normally it was around the 55 mark. Amazingly, because everyone else was flying down in those pre-limiter days we still did the trip as fast as the rest. I think it was because we were less stressed just plodding along. Real tortoise and hare syndrome. Of course it’s different now, everyone is doing 55 so all are bunched up and stressed out again. Glad I’m out of it now, can’t help thinking these limiters are a bad move. If not, how come all vehicles don’t have them?
Salut, David.
That Sam Anderson programme was around 71or 72.The TV crew did go on about it needing three drivers to keep up with him which I thought amusing at the time but had’nt done any driving myself then,at least Andersons are still going, bringing those slabs of steel down.
The Sam Anderson programme was in 1973 .
I used to work for Smith of Maddiston at the London Rd depot Glasgow in the mid 70’s, the official company motto was ‘Smith for Service’, the un-official one was ‘The only thing that will pass a Smiths lorry was another one’ , they were all flying machines, on night trunk it was job and finish so believe me when I say the un-official motto was the right one!
I used to change at Stainmore with Stirlands, we used to run solo (bobtail for the yanks!) to Boots the chemists factory at Airdrie for our trailers, run to S/more c/o and return to A/ie and run solo back to London Rd.
McKelvie was part of the TDG group and has vanished into the mists of time, last time I passed the Paisley depot it was up for sale.
I also worked for the old BRS back roundabout '69 , I was at the Douglas Group, Glasgow, not to be confused with the Glasgow depot although that was where we ended up, sadly.
Alex
Alex
back in the mid 1950s (1955) I used to tramp up to Scotland, from London I would empty out at Glasgow then find what I could going up to the Granit City, Aberdeen I would some times load Automotive parts out of “Smiths” yard up to Dundee, then dead head up to Aberdeen and load back to London for BRS steel or paper. ( I would always give the traffic manager a couple of quid and he would always try to load me back ) I liked to load for BRS because they did not “■■■■” you on the rates. tell me is the Salvation Army Hostel on London Rd Glasgow still around? I would always stop there when going north. eat and get a good nights kip. take care John T.
50’s 
Christ John how many stops did you used to make for coal and water 
John T
I believe the hostel is now closed and has been for a number of years, in any case there is nowhere round there to park a truck anymore, new houses everywhere , the yuppies have moved in!
In the City of Glasgow it is illegal to park a truck anywhere other than designated places, needless to say if you parked in these out of the way places and left your truck their would be no guarantee it would be there when you got back (it might fall victim to Edinburgh folk on a day out!) I used to stop at the Sally Army myself years ago in Liverpool and Warrington and they were good digs.
You keep safe in California and dont stay out in the sun too long.
Alex
Hi Pat, I said the mid 1950s, and put in brackets 1955, thats when I got out the Army and started Trucking. I do remember the old steam lorries. though when I was a kid during the war I used to watch the old steam lorries rake out the cinders under the lorries and put in coke, then the old fly wheel on the side of the lorries would start turning. and of they would go then the dust carts would come along and pickup the old cinders. I guess they had special places to dump the rake outs. glad to see you are still alive. take care, John T
Hi Alex, I know what you mean about the Edinburgh folk. N.Y. city is as bad if you got a flat and walked to a phone to get help, when you got back your tyres would be gone. when I drove Trucks I used to haul Produce to N.Y from California, and the little kids had it down pat. when you came to a traffic light they would have your back door open enough so you could not see them in your mirror and one would get inside and hand down the boxes of Grapes or what ever you had on, to his mates close the doors and by the time you could see 'em in your mirrors they would give you the finger and they were gone.locking your doors did not help they all had bolt cutters, they would cut those locks like clipping your nails. little gits. I retired last Xmas ( 70 years old ) so I don’t have to go through that agro, any more. take care John T.
Pat Hasler:
50’s
now they were the days.Had3 years firing steam loco,s.Did quite a few stops for coal & water.
alexsaville:
I used to change at Stainmore with Stirlands,
Maybe we met a time or two Alex, although with Stirlands I was normally on the Bristol run. Do you remember George Milner, an old mate of mine who I’d known in many firms since I started driving? In the eighties he was running to Stainmore with Johnnie Lambert.
Salut, David.
the guy driving in the sam anderson tv prog was called Sneddon his son still works for anderson ,there is a tape of the programe about but his sons are very reluctant to lend it to anyone, it’s worth a few quid they reckon.
Spardo:
John T:
Hi KitKat. Mcelvy if he is still in business he has hung on real well, when I used to tramp I have had many a load of steel from him, going back to London he used to have a big fleet I used to see them all the time "Mckelvy ‘s of Motherwell’ there used to be another big outfit up that way, I can’t think of the name right now. I guess I will think of it when I am in bed. take care. John TStrathclyde?
Salut, David.
In the mid 60’s McKelvie was taken over by TDG, and the powers that be decided to spit the company into two divisions.
Paisley, Manchester & London depots remained as McKelvie, Motherwell & Birmingham became Strathclyde.
I worked for Strathclyde from 1966-1970.
davemackie:
In the mid 60’s McKelvie was taken over by TDG, and the powers that be decided to spit the company into two divisions.
Paisley, Manchester & London depots remained as McKelvie, Motherwell & Birmingham became Strathclyde.
I worked for Strathclyde from 1966-1970.
They used to specialise in long steel. I often used to backload from them as well as McKelvie.
Salut, David.