Apart from Astran and DT,
Whittle used to be a major freight forwarder to Turkey and the Middle-East during the 80’s and I remember often bumping into and running and cancelling with plenty of the Owner Driver subbies.
The biggest job I remember Whittle doing was the Ankara pipe job.Everyone was pulling Whittle trailers !
Let’s see some Whittle pics.
I used to think that those tilts looked great.
There should be some good stories too.
GS
To add to GS Thread does anyone know the O/D with the 111who featured in the book Juggernaut .He was on for Whittles and seemed to be living “hand to mouth”.Wonder how long he lasted ? what he’s doing now ? .Agree with GS the livery was distinctive.
I am sure Gavin that a lot of people who ran with some of Whittles subbies cancelled on many occasion’s. You couldn’t go for a week without cancelling at least once somewhere down the track and if you met up with people like Dave Chamberlain then it was often compulsory. 
Other Whittle’s subbies that spring to mind were Mick Eckersley, Richey Thorn, Graham Davies, Bob Hannah, John Robert’s, A great guy called Dave from Retford and I seem to remember a Scot’s man call John Luckston Paxman. ?
I did my first load to Greece with a Whittle’s load from Cobble’s Engineering near the Roman Road Industrial Estate in Blackburn and it had to be delivered to Volos Dock’s where I also had to clear customs. It was the first week in January 1981 and Greece had just become a member of the E.E,C.
On arriving there on the Saturday morning the Volos Syria Ferry had just docked and I spent the day with three English drivers, one of them spoke with an American accent and another one worked for Expo Freight, ( I wonder if it was Bestbooties ). I remember that they had been playing cards on the ferry and the one with the American accent had won a lot of money off the other two.
Do any of you remember this company, Trans Arabian Freight at Cherry Hill, Northampton.
I loaded there once for Ankara and the manager wanted me to stick three of their stickers on the trailer and one on each of the cab doors. 
I put one on each side of the trailer and one on the back but I refused to stick them on the cab doors and I have still got them.
mushroomman:
A great guy called Dave from Retford and I seem to remember a Scot’s man call John Luckston Paxman. ?
MM - the guy from Retford now works for me who would he know you as?
the other bloke you mention was based in Upwood near Huntingdon, just round the corner from where I live now - small world eh * edit just remembered it was john yorkton paxton, had a daf 2800 at one point
I remember Trans Arabian Freight (or TAF Shipping as I knew them) but only as we used to load containers oout of there
Weren’t they something to do with Knights of Old ■■
I remember a long distance diary in the Truck magazine in the early 80’s that featured a Whittle’s convoy going IIRC to Saudi Arabia. It was over 3 issues and i couldn’t wait for the next month’s publication to read of the journey. I know some of these have been posted but i haven’t seen this particular one yet. On another matter, I remember watching the BBC news in about 1980 with my dad and I think it was at the beginning of the Iran - Iraq war. The BBC had a reporter on theTurkey - Iraq border and they stopped a British Truck and interviewed the driver. The company was called Duxbury’s (anyone got any info. on them?) and I think they had green livery and came from Lancashire. I remember saying to my dad (I was 21 at the time) that I’d fancy driving out there for a living and he said “don’t be so bloody daft”! I must have taken his advice as the furthest I’ve ever got with my removal van is 5 trips to Greece! I’ve got a few pictures of my European trips since the early 80’s - I’ll try and publish some on here when I work out how to do it!
Moonraker:
The company was called Duxbury’s (anyone got any info. on them?) and I think they had green livery and came from Lancashire.
others will have more info, but it was david duxbury, i only know dave richmond (dwang) who worked for him and iirc had a 4 axle stepframe tilt - mr duxbury sold up in transport to start a pet cemetery/crematorium, maybe one of the first in the UK i think
you should change your user name jj to the trucknet enclopthingy i cant spell it but you know some stuff you 
Hi jj 72,
I think that you are right ,it was John Yorkton Paxton. ( or was it Yorkston 
)
Many thanks for letting me know that Dave is still around , I have sent you a p.m. so please check your inbox.
As regards David Duxbury, I think he was from somewhere near Chorley and I heard that he was a brilliant mechanic. All his trucks looked very smart in Davis Turner colours green and white, with green tilts and the words David Duxbury in large letters down the side and yes I can remember his step frame trailer… The drivers that I met who worked for him, all seemed happy enough and spoke well of him and I am not sure if Mick Eckersley worked for him at one time.
All his trucks were well kitted out with trailer boxes, belly tanks, tow bars, snow chains etc and were also very distinctive.
Regard’s Steve.
mushroomman:
Hi jj 72,
I think that you are right ,it was John Yorkton Paxton. ( or was it Yorkston
quote]Yes,it was John Yorkston Paxton.
Thanks for that Ian, can you ever remember him pulling a fridge .
B.T.W. did you ever play cards with a driver, with an American accent who drove an English truck on the Volos Ferry.
jj72:
Moonraker:
The company was called Duxbury’s (anyone got any info. on them?) and I think they had green livery and came from Lancashire.others will have more info, but it was david duxbury, i only know dave richmond (dwang) who worked for him and iirc had a 4 axle stepframe tilt - mr duxbury sold up in transport to start a pet cemetery/crematorium, maybe one of the first in the UK i think
David’s son Ian runs a transport company at Red Scar Ind Estate ,Preston.He calls by my office from time to time and tells me tales of his Dad’s exploits on the Saudi Run. My favourite was of a driver of an Atki Borderer fitted with the chicken coup sleeper. He was parked up in Turkey on a bitterly cold night when
all the bolts and rivets snapped and the whole of the sleeper unit fell onto the chassis regards Big Al
I found this picture of one of David Duxburys trucks not a good one im afraid it was taken at the telex motel in Ankara he had a step frame with a backhoe digger on which was moving about and as it was wider than the trailer he was open TIR which is another problem
The Dayson truck was mine and the camel waggon coloured daf was driven by John Jenkinson with a Charlie Prior load of Chocolate bound for Qatar
Moonraker:
I remember a long distance diary in the Truck magazine in the early 80’s that featured a Whittle’s convoy going IIRC to Saudi Arabia. It was over 3 issues and i couldn’t wait for the next month’s publication to read of the journey. I know some of these have been posted but i haven’t seen this particular one yet.
This one 
. Gorgeous trucks
used to know a guy on ach who worked for a long time on whittles dave williams anyone know what happened to him
Nipper:
Moonraker:
I remember a long distance diary in the Truck magazine in the early 80’s that featured a Whittle’s convoy going IIRC to Saudi Arabia. It was over 3 issues and i couldn’t wait for the next month’s publication to read of the journey. I know some of these have been posted but i haven’t seen this particular one yet.This one
Nipper, have you got the full story , if so can you post it on here, I think Dreva, Klunk and myself would love to see it. I am fairly sure that by the time the magazine was published Harry was working for Dayson’s.
Regard’s Steve.
Here you go boys 
Only got parts 2 and 3 from National Hotel ish onwards. Probably the best bits anyway 
dreva:
you should change your user name jj to the trucknet enclopthingy i cant spell it but you know some stuff you
yeah? 99% of it effin useless though 
Thanks for that a great read,keep them coming,I’m just going outside to tip the sand out of my boots!.
regards derek
jj72:
dreva:
you should change your user name jj to the trucknet enclopthingy i cant spell it but you know some stuff youyeah? 99% of it effin useless though
jj quality