My Life as a HGV/Tanker Driver by Ron Egerton

Personal memoirs by contributor Ron Egerton of Liverpool.

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"My name is Ron Egerton I was born on the 5th October 1941 in the city of Liverpool. I started my lorry driving carer at the lean age of just 14 years old in 1955 off road of course in a large railway coal wagon depot. Working on Saturday’s with a friend who’s father owned a small coal delivery business.

So at the age of 17 years 1958 I was well trained as a driver and passed my driving test first time. However I didn't start my HGV career straight away as I was at the time employed by Dyson Trailer Manufacturing Company again in Liverpool. Dyson Trailers made some very impressive trailers for The MOD amongst others. I watched their onsite driver move some monster trailers with a Diamond T 6 wheeled mammoth truck.

I left Dyson Trailers and started my driving career in earnest at the age of 20 years old and worked as a driver for Lockheed Hydraulics Company based at Speke Liverpool driving one of the first TK Bedford's flat bed truck doing long distance work delivering aircraft parts and ship actuators very interesting.

At 21/22 years old I joined a company called A. S. Jones this was a tanker contractor company based very close to my home in Liverpool most of their traffic was 8 wheeler bulk tankers. If I remember they had 8 wheel Fodens with single and multi pot tanks mostly working on heavy black oil - a good tool to train on.

I only spent a short time employed with them as I was offered a job with Regent Oil Co. At the time I thought a job for life...

On joining Regent in 1962 I was given 4 weeks training on various types and makes of tankers and trained to deliver thier products and just as important trained in documentation. I then was issued with an 8-wheeled tanker which was an Atkinson 7 pot 4000 gal 8 wheeler built in c1957. It had a wooden cab powered by a Gardner 6 LW engine which could be cranked with a starting crank handle by flipping off the engine compression rack bar that allowed the man cranking an easy time and then throwing the rack bar back to compression when the engine was rolling it fired up amassing really. I only saw it happen a couple of times. Times were hard then. The Atkinson truck had a top speed of just 28 MPH and had only 6 wheeled brakes, vacuumed powered (terrible). The second stirrer was a floater. Our wage was very good at the time, £3.40 basic old PSD, plus overtime running time was 16MPH loaded and 18MPH empty. As time went by I graduated up the fleet driving some really advanced trucks such has a Leyland Octopus 680 power plus top speed 41MPH; then to an Atkinson Boarders artic with 220 Cummins Engines - well they could really move and would do 65MPH. Of course by this time Regent Oil Company had changed names to the now Texaco Oil Company and the M ways were up and running.

I was also privileged with driving from time to time a Guy Invincible 8 wheeler. This truck was powered by a Meadows Engine of immense power. Also a Guy Warrier 6 wheel rear steer 6 pot tank with a cap of 3400 gals. It was a handy tool for some of the petrol station sites but it felt a bit wobbly when driving. In fact I had the fright of my life when one day being issued with one that had just been painted and serviced after checking the the truck out I loaded 3400 gals of five star petrol I left the depot and had driven about 1 mile when there was a loud explosion. I stopped the vehicle thinking a tyre had blew only to find I had a engine fire caused by oil soaked rags left on the rocker cover which had fallen off and lodge between the engine block and the manifold the rags ignited the explosion was a plastic brake air line which had burnt threw. I, with a great deal effort removed the engine cover and some how with a fire extinguisher , extinguished the fire. I must point out the oil dip stick was located under a small hatch in the cab after checking the oil level on the dip stick and satisfied my self no oil was required to top up there was no need to remove the engine cover this was required to locate the oil filler cap. These rags were not seen by me. I'm sure the rags business was an over-sight by the engineer fitter. I knew the guy personally.

I spent 12 years with the now Texaco Oil Company.

I moved to Texaco’s new Manchester depot when Texaco closed the Dingle Liverpool Terminal. Having moved over with them on a six month trial I took my terms and left Texaco in 1974. I have still got my drivers instruction guide books given to me by Regent Oil Company when I joined them in 1962.

In 1974 I worked for Schreiber Furniture Ltd driving an articulated furniture van. Fantastic company to work for - did about four years with them. Economic financial climate saw the company close, how sad that was.

I later drove demountable tanks for a while hauling some real nasty products, also hauling tilts for Norfolk Line Shipping Company. I stand just 5ft 5ins tall and stripping out a tilt was the heaviest and hardest job I have ever done. Goodbye to them.

While working for a local company called Williams Transport, I was nominated to represent them at a very important seminar at ICI Wilton Castle Tee-side with transport directors from all over Europe. This was all about tank transport 'Hazard Labels', that are now seen on the side of tankers and on the back, which identify the product in the tank. I like to think I played a part in who was responsible for the product and the labelling. ICI management would have liked the the drivers to carry lots of different hazard labels on their vehicles and to be responsible for matching the cargo with the label. I stood my ground and blocked that has humanely a risk not to be considered and it was agreed the product manufacture would be responsible for labelling every tank. I like to think most tanks are dedicated to certain products today labelled accordingly.

I joined Wincanton Tanker Transport, Trafford Park around 1985 and started driving petrol tankers again on contract to ESSO Petroleum at Trafford Park driving some really decent trucks. Most were ERF, some were a bit old, but well looked after. Wincanton then won the contract with ESSO Logistics nationwide and taking over all of the ESSO traffic. However these are timed contracts and I don’t know if Wincanton is still with Esso but they did win a contract with Texaco and I think they still have the business.

I did a stint on delivering Jet-A1 fuel to Manchester Airport for ESSO and really enjoyed that. Then halfway through my career with Wincanton, I was transferred to the CPC /Carastar contract Driving an ERF delivering liquid sugar. The truck was new - a ERF with a E 320 Cummins and 8 speed gaer box - a lovely motor. We hauled single barrel stainless steel tanks lagged and outside panel in white. They looked so good and Wincanton had 43 on that contract. What’s more, the one I had was more or less mine so it was well looked after. I’m proud to say I achieved top score on most occasions on the maintenance charts. The only major repair to the tractor unit was when returning from holiday some of the bell housing bolts had sheered. Sorry to say I am lost with this one, however no blame was proportioned to me.

In late 1997 I developed Arthritis in my knees and found driving and operating the trucks were very painful. Unfortunately my time with HGV world came to an end and early retirement was on the cards. Wincanton presented me with a large die cast replicated model of my Cerastar Tanker which I treasure.

I have to say on one hand I envy the boy’s driving these high tech trucks today. I take my hat off to them.

Thanks for reading just part of my life story I am 74 years old now and would love to get my hands on one of the new rigs.

Sincere Regards Ron Egerton

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