RICHARD READ (TRANSPORT) LTD
(^34) August 2019 Truck & Driver
O
ne name dominated
the haulage industry in
the Forest of Dean and
that name is Read.
Brothers Richard,
George, Harold and Ivor all ran
trucks over the years and were at
their height back in the 1960s
and ’70s. For today’s transport
End of
an era
The recent closure of Richard
Read (Transport) Ltd marks
the demise of a Forest of Dean
family transport dynasty that
has been around for a century
Words & images by Peter Davies
Richard Read in 1997enthusiasts, the most
recognisable name will be
Richard Read, so the news that
Richard Read (Transport) Ltd
was to close at the end of March
this year was received with a
mixture of sadness and dismay.
Read’s headquarters is a
familiar landmark on the A4136A 1980 B-series: many of the fleet were ERFsOne of numerous Rolls-
powered ECs on the fleetat Longhope. Founder Richard
Read died in December 2014
since when his son, Richard Jnr,
had been running the business,
but the present difficult economic
climate has forced the company
to cease operations.Sailing solo
Following wartime service in the
Royal Navy, Richard Read briefly
took up driving for his brother,
George Read of Mitcheldean,
but, aged 22, decided to branch
out on his own in 1947. He
bought his own lorry and
specialised in sinking wells for
water. In the first few months of
operation he transported 1350
tons of stone to help build the
Gloucester ring road.
New contracts followed and
he began to add to his fleet.
According to the official story he
bought his first new lorry – a
Bedford – in 1952. At that time
Bedford was still marketing the
O-type. However, the writer
recalls photographing a
1948-registered ERF, HDF 817,
at Longhope in 1964.
The business expanded and
in 1957 Richard bought his first
ERF artic, TDG 689, marking the
start of a long and successful
relationship with the
Sandbach manufacturer.
During the 1960s RichardRichard Read (Transport) Ltd