This picture is of Ron and FOO 160T or Lottie as we knew her 
This one is of two Promotor drivers on their way to Baghdad. The older one is Trevor but we can’t remember the name of the other. Has anyone got any idea who he is please?
M&C Jamie:
I recall first meeting Steve Smith at Spielfeld. I think it was in January 1977, the Yugo’s had just changed the rules without warning and caught quite a few hauliers out. Prior to then you could buy your transit permit on the border pay your transit tax and go on your way.On that trip I and several others were sent back into Austria to await permits arriving from Newcastle. Mamma’s Resthauf done some very good trade over the next couple of weeks. So that is why I got to know Smiffy, he was very keen on the Goons as i recall as were a few of the other brits stuck their. We used to get some very funny looks from other customers during some of our sketches. There was also a record in the juke box that steve used to play over and over so that even now thirty years later when i here it i remember steve. It was Mississippy by Pussycat.
If I remember he was driving a Scania 140 for Promotors and i was driving a Daf 2800 for Frank White.
In the 80’s I used to do Quite a lot of promotor work when i drove for Mervyn King, they had lots of good work then and varied from Poland to Baghdad and many places in between.
There was another driver was it John Preece??Regards Jamie
A scot Lost in the Valley’s
I got caught out on that as well with the Yugo permits.
I was working for Simon International at the time and when we couldn’t get into Yugo at Spielfeld,we did the usual and ran through the lanes and tried the Radkersberg crossing,as you could uaually pull a stroke at the smaller borders.However,the Yugo’s would have none of it and refused to let the two of us in.
When I rang Jeff Litwin,he always had an answer,“Drop your trailer,drive bobtail down to Belgrade and they’ll give you permits at the British Embassy!”
Did so,no joy,returned to Radkersberg.
Told the Yugo’s we were going back into Austria.They said they wouldn’t have let us into Yugo anyway as we did not show an Operators Licence!!!
So,we used another page of our TIR carnet to get back into Austria,then we drove right through Austria into Italy.Got into there using “Own Account” permits!
We then drove down to Ancona and caught the ferry for Patras.
That was one long trip to Baghdad!
Hi Guys
Any one remember little Davie who used to be on for Promotors. Last time I saw him ( many years ago) he was on his way to Egypt for them, somewhere well south of Cairo. We had some good night at the National and at the Pudding Shop.
He used to drive a Scania 95 wagon and drag.
GS
WELCOME NIGHTOWL
i have photo of umu 935S a volvo F89 when promotor had it,i brought this unit in 1987 for £3000 and run it myself ,the volvo started life with leggets, i brought it of another owner who got it from jeff gardner
the last time i see jeff he had his own tipper but that was 20 yrs ago.
if you pm me i can sort photos for you, im not sure how to post them on here yet.
the flying foden:
Ben9:
the flying foden:
some of Beresfords old drivers are trying to sort a reunion do out .don’t know all the details just yet but if any body is interested i can find out for themDon’t think that there will be many Beresfords drivers left. If I happen to see any will direct them to this site. It might be worth setting up a seperate thread so as not to hijack this thread too much.
not trying or wishing to hi jack this thread ben9.i know about 20 ex beresford lads so theres stil a few round .
Sorry did’nt for 1 minute suggest that you were trying to hijack the thread, sorry if it come across that way.
I think it would be a good idea to start upa thread on Stoke on Trent international companies now off the top of my head I can only think of 3 or 4 international firms. If you have any pics etc etc of Berrisfords please do start up a thread I for one would be most interested.
Ben9:
the flying foden:
Ben9:
the flying foden:
some of Beresfords old drivers are trying to sort a reunion do out .don’t know all the details just yet but if any body is interested i can find out for themDon’t think that there will be many Beresfords drivers left. If I happen to see any will direct them to this site. It might be worth setting up a seperate thread so as not to hijack this thread too much.
not trying or wishing to hi jack this thread ben9.i know about 20 ex beresford lads so theres stil a few round .
Sorry did’nt for 1 minute suggest that you were trying to hijack the thread, sorry if it come across that way.
I think it would be a good idea to start upa thread on Stoke on Trent international companies now off the top of my head I can only think of 3 or 4 international firms. If you have any pics etc etc of Berrisfords please do start up a thread I for one would be most interested.
no problem ben9.i started one a while ago on old companys from stoke
Trev
Ron said that after Jeff Gardner came off of the tippers he moved to Norfolk and started a shop there. That was a long time ago though.
Have sent you a pm
Sorry this post is not on Promotor, but I’m not sure which thread to put this on.
Can anyone help please?
I need help in finding one of our old drivers who was ill. He moved to Milton Keynes about a year ago and was working for DHL on a night run to Hatfield. We haven’t been able to contact him and are worried about him. We have tried ringing DHL but they haven’t been able to help us. The mobile number we had for him isn’t going through either.
His name is Colin Tostevin, but he’s always been known as “T”. He is English but spent a lot of time in America, and has a broad American accent. He’s medium height with white hair. He originally came from the Bournemouth area. We just want to know that he is okay as he had been very ill.
Another picture of truck and trailer taken in Avignon
Hi chaps bob i in the years i have known you i did not know you worked on promotors. i know billy heath very well and terry weeks they both come from
the south london area where i was born and bred i saw terry about july last year i have a phone number for him somewhere stevie smith (smudger) has
moved from canvey island to spain dont know where, he worked with us on
robinsons in the mid 80s and god is that guy one man you dont want to upset
was with him one weekend at the monastry (PUIG) in spain and we fell out with some southern transport guys and stevie said to me Bobby just stay put and drink your beer got up and cleared the bar out on his own i think they
based the rambo films on him HAHAHA. aint seen billy for years his boy
young billy had a near fatal car smash in the late 70s left him badly scarred
but where they are now i dont know next time im out for a drink in Penge
i will try and find out. 
Hi Nightowl: Just joining in on the Promotor thread. Heres a couple of photos.
ps: you have a PM
GS OVERLAND:
… he was on his way to Egypt for them, somewhere well south of Cairo…
Out of interest, anyone know which route would you use to get to Egypt then Cairo?
Im guessing a ferry from either the south of France (Marseille?) or the bottom of Italy to Alexandria and then overland down to cairo!!
Hell of an interesting drive though. I remember loading out of a company in Germany in the 80`s and them having pictures on the walls of some of their vehicles with the pyramids in the background.
In the early 80’s there was a ferry service from Regio Calabria to Egypt via various ports en route, never took it myself but a few drivers from the firm I was working at used it a few times on their way to Suez to store a ship called the ‘Petrogas’.
Hope this helps.
Ross.
bullitt:
[
Out of interest, anyone know which route would you use to get to Egypt then Cairo?.
Guessing myself also, but if given the job and told sort out your own route I would think first in terms of shipping out from Latakia in Syria or Beirut to Port Said or Alexandria.
Overland all the way through Israel would not be allowed of course and Jordan down to Al Akhbar would not be a good plan, given the distance and trackless desert in Sinai.
Truckerash
Thanks for the pictures
Spardo and bigR250, thanks for that…hell of an interesting trip which ever way you went!!! I remember hearing about a ferry service from the foot of Italy direct to Egypt (maybe via Malta) but that was in the 80`s sometime (i think!! 
)
I know Salamis Lines used to go to Port Said from Piraeus via Cyprus but that was a few years ago, dont think they run that route anymore.
Anyone on here actually done it though?
Bullitt, it may be worth checking what ships from Venice, IIRC I saw a sign for a service to one of the Egyptian ports, cant remember which, I’ll have a look through me old pics
SUPERCUBE:
hi nightowl, i was on promotor 1974-1978, when i first started the office was in shawfield park in bromley, it was in the back of peter calderwoods fathers house, peter ran it with his wife liz and his dad, george, who did all the accounts.
after a year or so we moved round the corner into the old nat west bank building, a driver was then made up to transport manager, bob charlton. he lasted about 6 months.
it all moved to west kent cold store around 76, that is when dave stagg arrived in the office, he was an o/d before that.
drivers at the time that i can remember were.
billy heath
steve smith
mick mitchell
john the australian
billy tooke
george fardell
jimmy conlan
sue ashworth
roy"cannonball" o/d
john mcfall o/d
carl ?
jeff douglas
oh yes and me, bob heath
joe 90 started off as an o/d but had a bad accident in france after falling asleep, killing a hitch-hiker, which apparently qualified him to sit in an office giving drivers orders.
i parted company after a falling out with dave stagg over something which i cant remember now, but it must have been his fault.
somewhere, in the loft i expect, i have some photos which i will dig out and post on this thread.
hi supercube,
a couple more names on for pro motors
Roger Graber last i saw of him trying to sell me an Iveco in exchange for my 142 mid 90s.
Jeff Gardner (Motorvation) exhib work
Mick Martin subbie in Scania 110 VGF891M super maroon and silver owner driver, also put a Ford Trans JBK 50P on with them doing Spain for Fords (for the Feista production line)
the reason my dad stopped doing any more Fords at the time were only paying every 6 months, a lot of outlay for 2 tractors for six months.
I think Dad was doing quite a bit of Yugo for them early 70s met a lot of old m/e hands and still didnt want to do it.
74-77 subbed of c-tran to iran in VGF891M.
At the time do any of you remember Liz used to be a model for Pretty Pollys stockings!
Mick Mitchell bless him (RIP) was a problem,Mick was runnig down to Spain and he had all the paperwork every bar he spotted wanted to stop!. Before that he got Dad to fill his bottom bunk up with beer from the duty free shop on the boat.
remember Alan PRICE formula one driver, a driver who was on fire and the marshalls were trying to extinghish the flames, along came Alan Price down the straight, the marshall steps back alan hits him and is killed. The next season that team was known as the shadow team all in black. Well Pro Motors asked Mick Martin to bring it back cannt remember where though!
Last time i saw Dave Stagg was in Tun Wells around 92 soon after that they moved Brentwood way.
Another pro outfit that has gone!!!
Sorry about my waffling Regards Tim