that was always the case with the cocoa powder and wrappers for bagdad, 20 tons of powder on the bottom in sacks, 10 tons of wrappers on top, all handball in the yard at hackney 3 loads on two trailers, 30 tons no problem, that was until it all went wrong on the boat to zeebee 30 tons in a ex ferrymasters box, force 9 gale and nowhere to chain it down, oh dear you should have seen the mess took 4 days to clear it all up in zeebrugge!!!
When we were just "Tidying "things up here in Stoke after Jeff had gone on holiday,we had two loads of corrugated culvert sections to go to Baghdad.
We put both loads on a tandem spread axle trailer,it had an adjustable king pin,and I moved it right back so the trailer would sit well over the tractor we used,the old old FB 88 Volvo 240.
We had Jimmy McPhail,(AKA Whiskey Jim or Sweet Pee),to drive it.
To keep the road milage down,after an overnight trip to Dover,he went on the train in Germany,where did it go to in Yugo ?was it Maribor?
From there he made for the ferry at Koper.
He did tell me he was pulled by the old bill in Yugo who asked why he was going so slow and Jim told them he had a diesel problem.
When asked why the springs were so low,he said it was an old truck!
Anyway,he did make it.
This was the old girl we used.Who remembers Rinty the guard dog??
When we were just "Tidying "things up here in Stoke after Jeff had gone on holiday,we had two loads of corrugated culvert sections to go to Baghdad.
We put both loads on a tandem spread axle trailer,it had an adjustable king pin,and I moved it right back so the trailer would sit well over the tractor we used,the old old FB Volvo 240.
We had Jimmy McPhail,(Also known as Whiskey Jim or Sweet Pee),to drive it.
To keep the road milage down,after an overnight trip to Dover,he went on the train in Germany,where did it go to in Yugo ?was it Maribor?
From there he made for the ferry at Koper.
He did tell me he was pulled by the old bill in Yugo who asked why he was going so slow and Jim told them he had a diesel problem.
When asked why the springs were so low,he said it was an old truck!
Anyway,he did make it.
This was the old girl we used.Who remembers Rinty the guard dog??
I’ve already mentioned this horrible step-frame trailer that I had for one trip which I had a lot of tyre problems with.
Here’s a photo that I’ve posted before of it sporting a double blow-out in Austria on the outward leg of my journey…just to jog your memory.
There were a couple more incidents on the trip that I haven’t told. Firstly, in Bulgaria, still on the outward leg, I suffered yet another blow-out and I was under the trailer undoing the retaining nuts so that I could wind the spare down when the open ended wrench I was using slipped off the nut and caught me full in the face. It knocked me out! I don’t think it was for very long but it took me a moment or two after I came round to realise where I was and what I was doing laying on the ground under my trailer. 
Still, nothing more to do but to carry on where I’d left off and complete the wheel change. When I inspected my face in the mirror I could see that I had a gash on my cheekbone and it had swollen right up. I have a photo which was taken of me sat in the restaurant at the Londra when I got there where you can see the cut but for the life of me I can’t locate it. I’ll keep looking.
I can’t remember where I was tipping on this trip but it is of no importance. I do remember however that I ran back empty to Austria and got a load off the agent we used at the Spielfeld border. Remember those agent’s offices on the right after you had entered Austria from Yugo? Anyway, I was to load drums of chemicals at a factory in Klagenfurt. Had a look at the map and could see that there was a road just north of Spielfeld that ran west towards Klagenfurt, so off I set. Should have taken the longer route on bigger roads i.e. up to Graz and then westward but hindsight is a great thing!
About 2/3rds of the way there the road got a bit narrow and twisty and there some low bridges. I got under the first couple and then I came round a bend and there was this bridge that was lower than the rest and I thought “I ain’t goin’ to get under this one”. I drove slowly up to the bridge and stopped. Opened my door and stood up hanging out of the cab and looking up could see that the trailer was an inch or so too high. Having vented my anger verbally, I then considered my options. There was nowhere to turn round and how many miles would I have to go in reverse on this twisty road before I could do so? Forward seemed the only way to go. Do I strip the trailer down? A long and rather difficult job to undertake especially being on my own. Being empty I thought that it was possible that the trailer sitting on the turntable was higher at the front than the back and that if I could get the front down a bit maybe the whole trailer would go through. It was worth a try so I wound the legs down and uncoupled unit from trailer. Then I wound the legs up bringing the trailer down on it’s knees, so to speak. I then drained all the air out of the tanks on the trailer. Using some rope I tied the trailer to the back of the chassis of the unit and started to pull the trailer forwards. Luckily the landing legs had wheels not plates.
Fortunately it was a quiet road but the little traffic there was had started to build up as I was blocking the road. Some tipper drivers had pulled up behind me in the queue and had wandered down to see what the delay was. On seeing my predicament they wanted to help. Eventually the police arrived and they were not happy chappies and wanted to fine me for causing an obstruction but what ever the tipper drivers said to them was enough for them not to carry out their threat of fining me. I managed to get most of the trailer through but it wasn’t low enough at the back. I considered letting air out of the tyres but to do that on all eight of them and being only small wheels, a lot of effort for little result so I dismissed the idea and kept dragging the trailer through and although it was scraping the underside of the bridge which damaged the tilt cover it seemed a small price to pay.
Success, I’d got through!! I coupled back up again. I was extremely grateful to the tipper drivers for their assistance and for sorting the police out. They were also able to inform me that there weren’t any more low bridges ahead. I asked them if there was a “watering hole” down the road where I could buy them a drink. “Follow us” they said. It was early evening by this time but I spent the rest of it in the “pub” they had taken me to and got slaughtered on the local ale. Can’t remember much else from then on during the evening except I do recall at some stage dancing with an old biddy (well, she was perhaps only about 50 odd but old to me at the tender age of 29) and she said that the last time she had an “Englander” (more likely a septic) in her arms was at the end of the second world war when their country was liberated!! 
Shame I didn’t have air suspension. Nowadays one could just dump the air out of the bags to lower both unit and trailer, eh? When did air suspension in the UK become common-place? I remember the first time I had air ride was on a “Y” reg. “Y” reg would be about '82 wouldn’t it? Oh well, another day on the road…surely beats working in an office. As I’ve always said, long distance lorry driving wasn’t just a job but more a way of life! 
Now THAT is a proper truck driving tale!! love it 
You must have some memories like that stored away, get em posted Ron 
rondavies:
About 2/3rds of the way there the road got a bit narrow and twisty and there some low bridges. I got under the first couple and then I came round a bend and there was this bridge that was lower than the rest and I thought “I ain’t goin’ to get under this one”. I drove slowly up to the bridge and stopped. Opened my door and stood up hanging out of the cab and looking up could see that the trailer was an inch or so too high. Having vented my anger verbally, I then considered my options. There was nowhere to turn round and how many miles would I have to go in reverse on this twisty road before I could do so? Forward seemed the only way to go. Do I strip the trailer down? A long and rather difficult job to undertake especially being on my own. Being empty I thought that it was possible that the trailer sitting on the turntable was higher at the front than the back and that if I could get the front down a bit maybe the whole trailer would go through. It was worth a try so I wound the legs down and uncoupled unit from trailer. Then I wound the legs up bringing the trailer down on it’s knees, so to speak. I then drained all the air out of the tanks on the trailer. Using some rope I tied the trailer to the back of the chassis of the unit and started to pull the trailer forwards. Luckily the landing legs had wheels not plates.
Funny you should have a tale like this.
I found exactly the same in Austria,once you’re off the beaten track,beware!,low bridges are the norm.
I was backloading at Amstetten in North Austria coming up from Graz,so I checked on the map and there was a much more direct route to where I needed to be.Follow the usual route up to Liezen,then turn right and head for the hills.
It’s not so bad if you meet an obstruction after a short distance,but when you are over halfway you are loath to go back.
I was lucky it was late at night and there was no traffic about at all,so when I approached this bridge,it was only 2" too low.If I’d been loaded it would probable have gone under.
Again,it was a good thing in those days to have wheels on your landing legs,it didn’t take me long to drop the trailer onto it’s legs,use my tow rope to pull the trailer under the bridge,couple up and be on my way again,took about 20 minutes in all then just hoping there were no more similar bridges on that road,fortunately there were not.
Don’t forget to mark your map for future reference!
Do any ex simon int drivers remember a proper gobby 0 1ner named john caurana[told us his nickname was budgie]and he came from a maltease back ground.He told us when working with us he was ex simons int driver and knew geoffrey litwin well.He also said he set up as O"D saying he traded as a company called TW ASIAWIDE.He told us he also worked for ORYX FREIGHTLINES.Be intresting if anyone can recall him or was he B"S IN
Got thru the Austrian / Yugo border one horrible Winters evening on my way to Greece. Took what seemed to be a short cut on the map. Somehow ended up on a by-road.About midnight in a blizzard came to an old wooden bridge ,just wide enough to squeeze thru. Only trouble was 3T limit & I was fully freighted. No choice but to go over -& got away with it! Didn’t do me much good because next day broke down for a week outside Lubiana football stadium.
"bestbooties:
Again,it was a good thing in those days to have wheels on your landing legs,it didn’t take me long to drop the trailer onto it’s legs,use my tow rope to pull the trailer under the bridge,couple up and be on my way again,took about 20 minutes in all
All done in 20 minutes? 
That was quick, Ian. Ever thought of changing your handle to Speedy Gonzales? Took me more like an hour and twenty minutes 
Still, I remember on my school leaving certificate it said that I was “slow and over methodical”
europleb:
Do any ex simon int drivers remember a proper gobby 0 1ner named john caurana[told us his nickname was budgie]and he came from a maltease back ground.He told us when working with us he was ex simons int driver and knew geoffrey litwin well.He also said he set up as O"D saying he traded as a company called TW ASIAWIDE.He told us he also worked for ORYX FREIGHTLINES.Be intresting if anyone can recall him or was he B"S IN
I seem to vaguely recall a Maltese driver on the firm “Maltese John” 
A fat greasy bloke! I’ll ask Mike Sargent if he remembers him as he’s the only other driver on this site that was on Simons at the same time as me.
rondavies:
europleb:
Do any ex simon int drivers remember a proper gobby 0 1ner named john caurana[told us his nickname was budgie]and he came from a maltease back ground.He told us when working with us he was ex simons int driver and knew geoffrey litwin well.He also said he set up as O"D saying he traded as a company called TW ASIAWIDE.He told us he also worked for ORYX FREIGHTLINES.Be intresting if anyone can recall him or was he B"S INI seem to vaguely recall a Maltese driver on the firm “Maltese John”
Mike informs me that the Maltese bloke was called Joe (Joe the Malt) and used to drive one of the F89 road trains. He left and that’s how Mike got the job…driving that motor ( see photos previously posted on this thread). So, it might not be the same guy that you’re talking about. Any other Maltese drivers either worked there before I started or joined the firm after I’d left at the end of '76.
Great to read these tales of when a driver had to make the decisions to get the job done.
Bestbooties, the train you put the trailer on to yugo surely would have been to Lubijana but then did’nt the trailers have to built with angled top corners if they were 4mts high because of the tunnels and consequently named Lubijana Tilts . Mind you with the amount of weight in it the height had probably dropped enough anyway.
chazzer:
Bestbooties, the train you put the trailer on to yugo surely would have been to Lubijana but then did’nt the trailers have to built with angled top corners if they were 4mts high because of the tunnels and consequently named Lubijana Tilts . Mind you with the amount of weight in it the height had probably dropped enough anyway.
Right on there Chazzer! I thought the furthest you could go on the train with a standard tilt trailer was Munich but reading bestbooties post, it could have been a stripped down trailer…so back to you Ian
Hi boys
Chazzer you mean one like this one we had on for Chapman and Ball in 1976
Regards Keith
Exactly like that, I remember someone from around the Purley area having a couple built by Cooks of Rainham about 75/76, can’t remember his name though but I did buy a Jag and a motor bike off him.
SGH international had a few of these trailers,we called them kangeroo tilts.They had a large ball hitch on the front for conecting on to the railway truck if they went unaccompanied. 
dessert driver:
Hi boys
Chazzer you mean one like this one we had on for Chapman and Ball in 1976
Regards Keith
When I worked for C & B I was led to believe that C & B had designed these trailers?
we
rondavies:
chazzer:
Bestbooties, the train you put the trailer on to yugo surely would have been to Lubijana but then did’nt the trailers have to built with angled top corners if they were 4mts high because of the tunnels and consequently named Lubijana Tilts . Mind you with the amount of weight in it the height had probably dropped enough anyway.Right on there Chazzer! I thought the furthest you could go on the train with a standard tilt trailer was Munich but reading bestbooties post, it could have been a stripped down trailer…so back to you Ian
It was a normal square tilt trailer,and from memory I’m sure he went by train to somewhere in Yugo,then there was a ferry from Koper I believe,never used it myself.
With the weight he had on I didn’t think we could risk sending him through Austria.Our traffic man up here at the time was a young lad by the name of Chris Philips who would have arranged the routing.I wouldn’t know where to find Chris these days and I don’t know if Whiskey Jim,the driver,is still alive.
Just after he was shipped out,I left the firm and went to work for Expo Freight.A few weks later,I did a run to Baghdad and who should I meet up with on the customs park sitting by a burning tyre?Whiskey Jim and Pat Seal.
Tell you more later.
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yeah i done a couple of rund out and back with lee chase when i was on simons .we had some laughs he was aright . im mike yates