Trucks in the 1980s: The Photos of David Wakefield (eBook)

1.1 A ERF C Series twin steer unit of Montgomery at rest in Dover, accompanied by a Seddon Atkinson and an Iveco.

1.2 There is so much to look at in this picture, from the Italian Iveco Special, to the Marina pick-up behind that is the lead in a procession of classics – Vauxhall Cavalier, Alfa Romeo, Mini Clubman, Triumph Dolomite and, lastly, a Citroen 2CV. Notice also the brand new Peugeot pick-ups being imported into the country on the transporter.

1.3 A handsome Volvo F12 6X2 unit, possibly an owner driver. David had photographed this before with a flat-bed trailer with steel coils on board so perhaps that was its usual work.

1.4 A tidy Willsher Bros., Volvo F12, twin steer unit. An additional ‘saddle’ tank has been fitted across the chassis for extra mileage between fills.

1.5 Since 1849, and with its first office in London in 1910, LEP Transport were involved in air and sea freight as well as road transport, and had some 50 offices in the UK alone, and nowadays are known as Agility Logistics. This Volvo F12 was based at the Dover depot.

1.6 A regular visitor from Malta was this Leyland Marathon decorated with roof marker lights and Scania style stripes on the side of the cab.

1.7 A heavy duty looking Turkish Scania. This Istanbul registered R112H 6X2 is resting at Dover and sports Trilex style wheels on the front axle.

1.8 A visit to the Aylesbury depot of Aston Clinton Haulage enabled David to photograph most of the fleet that was there on the day. Amongst the Volvo and Scania units he also found some smart looking Mercedes 1633 tractors.

1.9 An attractive F12 of B.W.R Transport of Essex. Ex G.L. Baker driver, Brian Rogers, ran around eight trucks from the Coward Industrial Estate in Chadwell St. Mary and had a couple of trucks in Interbrit colours.

1.10 Carters of Woodbridge, Suffolk bought six DAF 3300 tractor units numbered A580–585 HRT. They were bought from Ben Cooper, a DAF franchise in Norwich Road, Claydon. All the trucks had a name on the front with the prefix Deben; this was after the River Deben. The second part was named after warrior themes and latterly mythological characters.

1.11 A very smart P.C. Howard ERF C Series being shown off at the Newark showground. In 1939 Percival Charles Howard purchased his first lorry and diversified from farming into haulage. In 1966 the main source of work was from ‘London Brick’ and later British Steel at Corby. Howard’s was a founding member of Palletways, and now has depots at Peterborough, Northampton, Corby and Swindon.

1.12 Pristine Volvo F10 from the then very mixed fleet of Knowles. Today Knowles runs a predominantly Volvo fleet from its large site in the heart of the village of Wimblington, Cambridgeshire, where it offers warehousing and distribution services, and also has a number of trucks on container work.

1.13 Febland Europa stopped trading in 1986, but the Febland Group of companies is still in business and is a successful importer and retailer of Italian furniture. The company had a base in Novara in Italy as well as Folkestone and the head office in Blackpool.

1.14 South London firm A & J Bull used to have a very large operation involved in the transport and disposal of waste products, from skip lorries to articulated refuse trailers. Today, trucks with a similar livery can be seen but with the name Taurus on them, a reference to the once mighty name of Bull. Belgian owned United Waste bought Bull’s out in 1998 and continued to run it alongside its existing UK waste company Lancashire Waste Services.

1.15 Founded by Arnold Kunzler in Switzerland M.A.T grew to be a major force in International freight forwarding. MATDAMAR (MAT Distribution And Maintanence And Repair) was set up to run the trucks and perform the maintenance function within MAT Transport. The name was changed in the mid-1970s to MAT Fleet Services. Presumably, this day cab had an occasional bunk fitted as it is furnished with curtains.

1.16 A Volvo F12 from the U.F.O. fleet. Dewsbury based Universal Freight Organisation had as a slogan on their trailers – Transport Of The Future – and used to specialise in transport to Italy and Spain.

1.17 Looking in desperate need of a wash is this McKellar Scania 111. David reports that this unit belonging to the well-known Purfleet company was towed in to the services where he spotted it, which would explain the grime covering the front, especially if it had been towed in from Europe.

1.18 Formerly in the yellow livery of Ollins Overland and used on the Middle East run, this Scammell’s ownership then passed to Dennis Anderson. The Crusader has had a custom grill fitted, West Coast mirrors and a neat diamond shaped sleeper window.

1.19 Henry Smither & Son, taken over by P&O Road Services in 1968 to operate container services, was at one time all ERF. In 1973 Smithers took delivery of its hundredth ERF A Series and had yards at Southampton and Orsett in Essex.

1.20 In 1930, brothers Wallace and Frank Turner bought their first vehicle and began delivering loads from their father’s farm in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Eighty years on and Turners of Soham have become one of the UK’s biggest haulage companies, with services such as storage and warehousing, container and tanker haulage and cold store operations.

1.21 Proudly displaying the fact it is an owner drivers’ truck, this Mercedes 1628 is bristling with the extras of the time including a rather nice pair of exhaust stacks. Handy to know also if you ever needed to contact the driver you could go onto channel 19 and call up ‘Skinhead’.

1.22 Seen in the yard of timber haulier Ken Peckham in Norfolk is this lovely little Volvo F86. Mr Peckham, as he was known, had a mixed fleet of Volvo and Scania, including one prizewinning 142 formerly belonging to Dave Miller which had been featured in trucking magazines in 1986. Fitted with a HMF crane it sits next to the company’s other F86 of the time.

1.23 Peter Gilder was a livestock haulier from Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire and he used to import trucks, mainly from Holland, to use in his transport fleet and to sell. This lovely Scania T112H has an Estepe high roof conversion fitted. Interestingly the truck started life in Germany as a normal cab tractor unit which Peter bought from his old friend, Pym De Vriss.

1.24 David visited the yard of D.A. Garnham in Diss to see his latest editions to the company – the pair of Scania 142M units. Parked behind is a gorgeous 1966 Scania Vabis LB76 fitted with the DS11 turbocharged engine that David Garnham planned to run for at least another 10–15 years. The two 142Ms replaced a 141 and a 140.

1.25 Santa Fé of Cheltenham ran a fleet of mixed trucks in its striking livery. Apart from six Ford Transcontinentals, the rest of the fleet was either Scania or Volvo. Named after a railroad in the U.S.A. the company was founded in 1971 and in 1982 was bought by the Oldacre group which included Oldacre Services, a Mercedes dealership. Wincanton subsequently bought the company in...