nobby dentrassangle

[Frankie]

I neither worked in the yard or an office boy ....There was a Mark who along with Eric ran ND Fridge...now, that Mark was indeed a little s##t. He was one of the reasons I left. At least ACH paid you what you worked, unlike the said Mark...anyway to cut a long story short, I knew what he was doing so, I kept copies of all my tachos then when the time came good ol Mark never let me down, he did me short big time

I got on to ND head office..sent file thus, I was paid in full, no qualms. That was in 97. I'd heard not long after that he got the heave ho.

Most of the regular drivers didn't fancy going straight on at Macon, the truth beknown..alot were happy doing the predictable Kodak run, knowing full well that would take them 5 days although, one or two would get two kodak runs same week...goodness knows how they managed that legally

Like what been pointed out, most of these drivers weren't spring chickens and didn't fancy being weekended in 'God forsaken Spain'....all thanks to the ND amalgamation

Most didn't like the change and who could blame them, they were in there twilight years and wanted to be home with the good lady.

[Frankie]

My story as follows....I actually worked for Gilles Letard at first then being farmed out to The Norbert Dentressangle depot at St Loubes 33...Jean and Eric were the main men there...great guys to work for...I enjoyed working there...mainly Southern European work with the odd foray upto northern France to get me 'home'..which didn't happen often.

Unfortunately like most good things, it came to an end...Mr Letard got me posted to there Metz depot..same work but not so nice countries..my suntan certainly faded..it was run by 2 women who also knew there stuff....strange as it was, they always insisted I used the National roads to save money as opposed to ACH instructing you always to use the auto routes....obviously margins were thin at Metz...even so, a throughly good outfit to work for.

Then again something changed at ND Aylesbury..the British drivers were being pulled out of the French depots...Mr Letard got .me a interview with Mr Fowler..I was offered a job starting the following week..I turnt up as planned but, was assigned to ND Fridge instead..obviously people had come and gone during my rest period so I was, in my eyes, handed the short straw.

.Again, as with the other 2 French depots I worked for, it was most enjoyable. With Fridge you rarely got home...I knew a guy called Craig who hadn't been home in 3 months..anyway, as I explained in a previous post, it didn't work out.

I then went onto work for the supermarket chains..ill tell you, I had more social life being up the road than ive ever had working for these.

[deckboypeggy]

HI Frankie alot comes back to me,as iwas there when the takeover came about ,no one belived it..nobby wanted his KODAK and AVON WORK..
Iwill say you had to be good at driving,and custom paper work.. they were the only company that had PERIOD PERMITS FOR SWISS FRANCE,GERMANY and ITALY. but all the runs had been done a hundred times,they never did SPAIN or DDR,fridges only in the summer for the KODAK AcH were a well known haulage company run by a tw-t.
as you mention the french depots we all thought it was great able to diesel up at nobbys depots,at the start,main ones BEAUNE,CHAMBRY,it is all water under the bridge.
well you sound like me you have the t shirt so all the best ..

[Frankie]

Funny how life turns out...back in those days, it was known you had to be 40 years plus to be taken on by ACH.....I was in my early 30' s at the time..we'd call them the old pensioners..hahaha..as they say, 'what goes around, comes around' ..thats if your lucky

Apparently this thread got started by a member wanting to know the whereabouts of Mr Fowler..id heard he went hand in hand with another outfit in Leighton Buzzard..that was many years ago. Whether he's still in the trade, ive no idea.....I still got a soft spot for both ND and ACH ....I regularly deliver to the 2 superstore in Aylesbury and in Leighton Buzzard...they were great days for me....driving was a joy back then.

[deckboypeggy]

Hi FRANKIE pleased somone is still pushing them old trucks around,well they are still lorries as far as im concerned,i remember swindon well i used to go to the old BRSdepot.before them silly roundabouts, are they still there ?
a pub called the moonraker springs to mind,,do not know where it was in swindon area...the PHILLIPINES FLAG has got me thinking..being nosy, it must be a-partner,i was there in the 60s not the safest places but the most adventerious. The polce were all dreesed like the yanks-you no mess with them. dod you remmeber DENNIS, FOWLERS right hand man/wan--r .in the office.another nice Tw-t.

[Frankie]

Hi Deck boy.

Yes, I remember Dennis..he was the portly one with the thick rimmed eye glasses and greasy black hair....I cant speak ill against Dennis as he did me no harm but, you're right , he was David's right hand man and like most clerks, they try to emulate there superiors in whatever guise they are ..unfortunately for some, David was what he was.

The Philippines flag is to do with my wife my and family...strangely enough it was to do with my first wife the reason I stopped this type of driving..I was hardly home..the kids were becoming teenagers and my then wife was finding it hard to cope with them so, that spelt the end of my trucking adventures...the said marriage didn't last anyway..I'd spent too long up the road and the wife was also used to her own independence...I was just encroaching in her manor.

I remarried and never been happier....I actually intend taking up Philippines residency in the near future then coming back here 4 to 6 months of the year to work..thats the plan.

R oundabouts still here unlike the brs depot..thats now a retail park.

The Moonrakers is in the Penhill area of Swindon..its not a rough pub like it was back in the 70's and 80's but, its not a place the God fearing hang out

The trucks I drive now are somewhat different to the ones I drove back then although, Ralph Davis for one was using the technology at the time..the dreaded iso track systems and fleetboard card..you cant break wind without they knowing about it in the office..honestly, its a different ballgame now. The upside, they pay us good ..no complaints there which is after all, all what matters.

[Frankie]

Hi Deck boy.

Yes, I remember Dennis..he was the portly one with the thick rimmed eye glasses and greasy black hair....I cant speak ill against Dennis as he did me no harm but, you're right , he was David's right hand man and like most clerks, they try to emulate there superiors in whatever guise they are ..unfortunately for some, David was what he was.

The Philippines flag is to do with my wife my and family...strangely enough it was to do with my first wife the reasohin I stopped this type of driving..I was hardly home..the kids were becoming teenagers and my then wife was finding it hard to cope with them so, that spelt the end of my trucking adventures...the said marriage didn't last anyway..I'd spent too long up the road and the wife was also used to her own independence...I was just encroaching in her manor.

I remarried and never been happier....I actually intend taking up Philippines residency in the near future then coming back here 4 to 6 months of the year to work..thats the plan.
Yes, a lot of gun touting guards and police and for good reason..alot of extremes of wealth and poverty there but, its not like that everywhere there...the Americanism is thanks to the Jap invaders...its a shame, in my opinion that the then Goverment of the day didn't take up American offer to become an additional state of the Americas.

R oundabouts still here unlike the brs depot..thats now a retail park.

The Moonrakers is in the Penhill area of Swindon..its not a rough pub like it was back in the 70's and 80's but, its not a place the God fearing hang out

The trucks I drive now are somewhat different to the ones I drove back then although, Ralph Davis for one was using the technology at the time..the dreaded iso track systems and fleetboard card..you cant break wind without they knowing about it in the office..honestly, its a different ballgame now. The upside, they pay us good ..no complaints there which is after all, all what matters.

[billyboy]

Hi Frankie. I been out here in the Phils 12 years and loving it. Best thing i ever did. we are down south on Mindanao.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by billyboy

Hi Frankie. I been out here in the Phils 12 years and loving it. Best thing i ever did. we are down south on Mindanao.

Good for you Billyboy...we looking for a house at the moment in Paranaque, Manila..next to my wife's sister.

They will be moving out there next summer full time while I'll be flitting back and forth from uk...not ideal situated but, needs must.