forty years ago 26& drove big j fleet no 26 then marathon fleet no 36 when I was 36
About to start School in September, so I’d be in my last summer pre school.
hi was driving gibbs trasport out of a pub in peckham london
Wasn’t even thought about being made 40 yrs ago. 
Hullo,
I’d just bought my first Lorry. A Seven and a half ton Bedford TK, and was sub contracting for MAT in Hull. 
Cheers, Archie.
Eight-wheeler Atki, 150 Gardner, 6-speed DB, bulk tipper ex Hanson’s. Running South Wales to Eastern Counties with coal & coke, returning with scrap metal for South Wales. Easy day in Wales followed by long day running East, mainly London area, but sometimes as far as the Norfolk coast, Suffolk, Kent or Sussex.
“Of course you can do it in a day- start early enough & you can get back from anywhere in a day”. Sound familiar?
Retired Old ■■■■:
Eight-wheeler Atki, 150 Gardner, 6-speed DB, bulk tipper ex Hanson’s. Running South Wales to Eastern Counties with coal & coke, returning with scrap metal for South Wales. Easy day in Wales followed by long day running East, mainly London area, but sometimes as far as the Norfolk coast, Suffolk, Kent or Sussex.
“Of course you can do it in a day- start early enough & you can get back from anywhere in a day”. Sound familiar?
I had one in '62 for Fred Chappell at Batley, fireclay (for the furnaces) down from Leeds fireclay, Phurnacite back to Nth. East area. Only problem with the smokeless fuel job was explaining where the couple of cwts. had gone. The bloody stuff used to dry out on the way up from Wales.
Oops, that’s 50 years ago. 
working for air products and driving aec mammouth majors artics on liquid tankers ie oxygen and nitrogen . then we got erf and sedden atkis 400 and 401 if i remember right .easy life in those days as we only drove 8 hour and worked 11 hours a day not like today where its all rush and tear max hours i,m retired now and glad of it.
I was driving this 40 Years ago , Just like it was yesterday, Great times, making a bob or two, Regards Larry.
You would be King of the road in that Foden outfit 40 years ago Larry.What was the payload at 32 ton gross ? 21 ton at a guess.
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
You would be King of the road in that Foden outfit 40 years ago Larry.What was the payload at 32 ton gross ? 21 ton at a guess.
Cheers Dave.
22.Tonnes Pay Load 10.400. MT. A great machine powered by a Leyland 680 PP, & Of course the old 12 speed box, I wish I had kept it , but of course in those days I sold it to finance the next one, very happy mems of it though it made me some real money, All I spent on it was a water pump, wich was peanuts to buy in those good old days, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dave the Renegade:
You would be King of the road in that Foden outfit 40 years ago Larry.What was the payload at 32 ton gross ? 21 ton at a guess.
Cheers Dave.22.Tonnes Pay Load 10.400. MT. A great machine powered by a Leyland 680 PP, & Of course the old 12 speed box, I wish I had kept it , but of course in those days I sold it to finance the next one, very happy mems of it though it made me some real money, All I spent on it was a water pump, wich was peanuts to buy in those good old days, Regards Larry.
Also in real terms,you would earn what half a dozen artics would earn on tipper work these days.
Cheers Dave.
40 Years ago I was crawling around the living room probably pushing a toy truck about.
fast forward 40 years I’m still crawling around (some motorway) pushing the big boys toys around from inside the truck these days.
Dave the Renegade:
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dave the Renegade:
You would be King of the road in that Foden outfit 40 years ago Larry.What was the payload at 32 ton gross ? 21 ton at a guess.
Cheers Dave.22.Tonnes Pay Load 10.400. MT. A great machine powered by a Leyland 680 PP, & Of course the old 12 speed box, I wish I had kept it , but of course in those days I sold it to finance the next one, very happy mems of it though it made me some real money, All I spent on it was a water pump, wich was peanuts to buy in those good old days, Regards Larry.
Also in real terms,you would earn what half a dozen artics would earn on tipper work these days.
Cheers Dave.
Aye I did all right with this Foden, & when tipper work was slack I just did flat & container work , I never stood about much in those days , The best paying job was The fish up to Fraserburgh & down to Hull & Grimsby, I used to run back MT, the rates were tops, & of course the firms that I worked for paid weekly, no hassel at any time, the money was there on the dot, How things have changed nowadays Eh, & not for the better IMO, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dave the Renegade:
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dave the Renegade:
You would be King of the road in that Foden outfit 40 years ago Larry.What was the payload at 32 ton gross ? 21 ton at a guess.
Cheers Dave.22.Tonnes Pay Load 10.400. MT. A great machine powered by a Leyland 680 PP, & Of course the old 12 speed box, I wish I had kept it , but of course in those days I sold it to finance the next one, very happy mems of it though it made me some real money, All I spent on it was a water pump, wich was peanuts to buy in those good old days, Regards Larry.
Also in real terms,you would earn what half a dozen artics would earn on tipper work these days.
Cheers Dave.Aye I did all right with this Foden, & when tipper work was slack I just did flat & container work , I never stood about much in those days , The best paying job was The fish up to Fraserburgh & down to Hull & Grimsby, I used to run back MT, the rates were tops, & of course the firms that I worked for paid weekly, no hassel at any time, the money was there on the dot, How things have changed nowadays Eh, & not for the better IMO, Regards Larry.
Forty years and two recessions later,hauliers are struggling with artics costing well over £100,000 trying to break even.A totally different day and age.
Cheers Dave.
Well Dave,not wishing to “pontificate”,which of course I never do !! The Industry has screwed itself IMO and no one else is to blame,if they had just stuck to the simple “rational” of keeping,say,% of fuel costs to earnings of something like 20/25 % the industry would still be fairly viable,but being a much fragmented industry this hasn’t happened so we now have the “race to the bottom” !! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Well Dave,not wishing to “pontificate”,which of course I never do !! The Industry has screwed itself IMO and no one else is to blame,if they had just stuck to the simple “rational” of keeping,say,% of fuel costs to earnings of something like 20/25 % the industry would still be fairly viable,but being a much fragmented industry this hasn’t happened so we now have the “race to the bottom” !! Cheers Dennis.
Dennis, from the bottom of a very deep glass, and totally immersed in another industry, farming, that is seeking to destroy itself, on the alter of "best for the “end user and let us all produce cheaper”, I could not agree more with your sentiments.
Road Haulage was in its death throes when we both knew it, now…oh dear, I cannot find words to articulate its demise. Mrs Castle was the first knife, then it has been a steady decline, and what is more sad, the industry “voice”, the RHA, has been the biggest contributor to its demise, what a bunch of self serving no hoper`s, …and you can count in the dead heads… at the T&GWU as another self serving bunch of nobodies!!
You know the thing that I loved about the French Industry, (and believe me it had its faults), but the participants had a modicum of business knowledge, gained through their education. Here…6spotlights, a cab mural, and you are in!!! …Oh spare me!!
From manufacturers of vehicles, to the end user, you have all, through your fragmented efforts destroyed a great industry, race for the bottom is apposite, ney, now all are seeking to tunnel below the bottom!
Wish to dispute what Dennis and I say…well I`ve the boring figures at my finger tips, but they tell the true picture, and 40 years ago I had just sold a Rolls Powered Borderer, and made £1200 clear profit, 25% margin, what have the current sellers made on a new chassis in % terms■■?
Now I must leave you, to check if my good lady has completed all the bobbles to go on my caps…then I can look like Victor Meldrew as well as sound like him!!!
Cheerio for now.
1000
.
Well “Saviem”,you are far more knowledgable and articulate than I ever could be(why you are now involved in farming passes me by at this time,maybe you have managed to wangle “french” size subsidies !!)However, we did,both,grow up in a very differnt World and it’s attendant parameters i.e. margins circa 25%,I recall that in my third year of operation I cleared £6000 net on a £24000 T/o,hard work but enjoyable and totally unachievable to-day.I realise that the numbers are miniscule in to-days terms but the percentages are,never-the-less,relevant ! I am at a total loss to understand how to-days “Logistics” industry can operate when 50/60% of their running costs are swallowed be the Exchequers fuel taxes,they have no chance! But,I commend their efforts as the exhorbitant tax are paying is going toward my “enhanced” State pension that I am now in reciept of.Well I had many years of paying roughly 50% of my salary in taxes and NHI and the state of my health idicates that I will not be drawing said pension for the same number of years I paid,without avoidence,in to the Exchequer !! How are Aviva doing ? as long as they don’t go “■■■■ Up” I think we’ll survive!!Cheers Bewick.