Bonnie Scottish Trucks: A Celebration of Scottish Style (eBook)

Introduction

My book is a celebration of Scottish road haulage liveries, which were well known up and down the country, and still are, through the travels of long-distance lorries in past times, or the truckers of today.

I have a life-long interest in road transport, having grown up among lorries, and had an indirect connection with haulage through my adult life. That indirect connection saw me amassing a vast number of photographs of working lorries, and of vintage and classic exhibits at events across the country. My photo collection, of good-looking vehicles, which in the main were traditionally painted with a pleasing livery and were well lettered, inspired this book. Plain white, or self-coloured lorries do not come into my scope. Similarly, those with vinyl lettering pulled off do not work for me.

Scottish road haulage was severely restricted in the late 1940s and early 1950s because much of it was nationalised into British Road Services (BRS). This changed from 1953 when much of BRS was sold off and many of the pre-nationalised businesses were resurrected, alongside new haulage businesses starting up. This change brought about a host of distinctive liveries to differentiate haulage companies, and at the time, most of these new companies took to painting and lettering in the traditional fashion.

Although BRS relinquished much of its grip on UK haulage in the 1950s, building up a fleet of lorries was by no means easy. Carrier’s Licences, unless bought with a secondhand vehicle, had to be applied for, and a need for licences and vehicles had to be proven. BRS and British Railways were vehement objectors to new licence application, as were other hauliers, and any other interested parties. Carrier’s Licences were not always granted, or were granted with restriction in use, which held back the growth of many haulage fleets, until the change to Operator’s Licences after 1968. Fleets expanded quickly and more new businesses were created, thus ensuring that the road haulage scene became more competitive, with many companies adopting new styles to stand out in the crowd.

The traditional style was a reflection of the pride felt by haulage operators in having their name and business presented to the public. It is a form of advertising, and, as I always think, a smartly turned-out lorry will be much more noticeable than a drab, unlettered example. The modern practice of customised painting, or vinyl wrapping, carries on this means of attracting attention.

Much of the style in the liveries was down to the craft of the signwriters, who could letter a vehicle to perfection, showing off names and details, such as phone numbers, telex numbers, etc. To me, the signwriter’s art is all about the detail. Many Scottish fleets were adorned with tartan bands or scrolls, sometimes with a fleet name included. These swirling scrolls had to be symmetrical across the front of the cabs, or identical on each side. Other Scottish motifs used by signwriters were thistles, bagpipers, flags, horses and cattle. Some signwriters would incorporate small details to fill out otherwise vacant panels. It can be interesting to look for the variation of signwriting skills between two vehicles of the same company.

Since lorries have been coming off production lines with cabs pre-painted in factory conditions, to the buyer’s choice, there has been a move to applying company lettering on adhesive vinyl. This can be achieved in the traditional style, or to any modern design. Vinyl lettering can be applied much more quickly than a signwriter can paint it, and there is a secondary advantage in that it can be pulled off when the vehicle is sold. A step forward is to cover the entire cab with vinyl wrap, incorporating the fleet colours and name. This again has the advantage of the cab being any colour and the vinyl can be peeled off when the vehicle is sold, leaving a virtually unmarked cab. This can be seen in any commercial vehicle dealer’s adverts, which takes me back to the number of plain white or self-coloured lorries seen on our roads.

The use of plain-coloured lorries and vinyl suits the needs of corporate company fleets, where uniformity is required. The former Transport Development Group was a good example of this. The entire fleet was in a shade of green, with only lettering to distinguish the different operating divisions.

The new methods using vinyl can look just as attractive as the old paint and signwriting did, but I believe there is a dullness in the vinyl after a time, due to weathering, which affected a paint job as well, but the modern use of vehicle washes probably hastens the process. There again, there were many lorries out there that never had a decent wash, painted or in vinyl, but did that stop you, the enthusiast, from looking at them? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

It is my hope that you will enjoy studying the traditional liveries in my book, many of which come from an era well before corporate liveries were thought of.

1. Anderson of Newhouse began in the 1930s when Sam Anderson set up a haulage business in central Scotland. General and heavy haulage for local industry was the main work undertaken, with maximum-weight lorries. Anderson also ran a large fleet of tippers on coal haulage, their 8-wheelers becoming a common sight throughout the Scottish coalfields. The fleet colours have been virtually the same red and maroon over the years, modified to suit modern cabs as they came along. ‘Anderson for reliable service’ has been the company logo for well over 60 years. Through acquisition and development, Anderson of Newhouse is now part of the Anderson Group, which is involved in vehicle dealerships, buses and property.

2. David M. Reid started in business in 1946 with a single Austin lorry for livestock and agricultural haulage. When a second lorry was put on the road, it was painted green over red and these colours remained a constant, as seen on the pictured MAN at the new Ayr Cattle Market.

3. Ian Craig set up business as an owner/driver at Cumbernauld in 1972. Since then the fleet has expanded greatly and is employed in brick and block haulage, along with timber transport. The fleet livery has remained for many years in this traditional style of blue, white and red. The business is now in the hands of the second generation of the family, who can be seen regularly at vintage vehicle events with their restored lorries.

4. James A. Killoh was founded in 1974 at Fraserburgh, and is operated as a refrigerated haulier, with some vehicles doing long-distance tipper haulage. Early lorries were Atkinson and Mercedes Benz types in a green over red livery, which later changed to all-over white with red lettering and highlighting. A throwback to the green can be seen in some of the lettering. The ERF marque became a significant factor in the fleet.

5. Robert Addison set up his haulage business in Torphins, Aberdeenshire, and traded locally until 1957 when he sold the business to the Arbuthnott family. The Arbuthnotts decided to retain the Addison name for the business and have traded as such ever since. There is a fleet of around 20 lorries and trailers, many of which are equipped with demountable livestock containers, running in a traditional green and red livery, with bold lettering and lined panels. A tartan sash is usually prominent.

6. Patrick Gillooly was a haulage contractor based in a village near Airdrie, Lanarkshire. Tipper and lowloader work was undertaken throughout Scotland. The fleet was painted as seen on this DAF 3300 with few embellishments. Those attached were probably fitted by the driver. The business is now closed, but a family member started a new tipper business, perpetuating the old style of livery.

7. Alex Anderson has been established for many years in Bo’ness, or Borrowstounness, on the south bank of the River Forth estuary, dealing in woodchip and sawdust all over Scotland. To service the business, a fleet of Volvo lorries and bulk trailers are operated. They run in a traditional dark blue over red livery, highlighted with gold lettering and coach lining. The company is represented at truck shows and vintage vehicle events by a fleet of preserved lorries, mainly in the company livery.

8. R. & J. Milne was incorporated in 1984 as a haulage contractor based at Turriff, Aberdeenshire. General goods and bulk tipping haulage is carried out throughout the country. The fleet livery is a smart bright red with traditional lining and lettering, offset by a white front panel. The MAN pictured was probably travelling to Wm. Grant’s distillery at Girvan, in Ayrshire, with grain.

9. The JGB Group dates back to the Barrack family’s involvement in Aberdeenshire steam road transport in the early part of the 20th century. Motor transport began in 1927, and built up over the years. Part of the business involved the importation and selling of Mercedes Benz lorries in the 1960s and ’70s, which saw many haulage companies in Aberdeenshire using the long-bonneted LPS1418 types. The Barrack business went through several changes of ownership, and subsequently the family re-emerged as JGB (John G. Barrack) Transport. The fleet colours are white with minimal lettering relieved by green stripes.

10. Barr Construction, at the time of the photograph, was a substantial civil engineering company which had its roots in a joinery business at Barrhill, in south Ayrshire. Over the...