Truck & Driver August 2019^49
A LIFE ON THE ROAD
Second day on the road for the new truckSecond Daf 95XF, when employed by Highland Haulage LtdFirst Daf 95XF Willie had at Highland Haulage Ltd“The camaraderie that once
existed is no longer evident,
partly because the present-day
driver is under many pressures
such as compliance issues,
health and safety and just-in-time
deliveries. If I break down now, I
have to phone a man who comes
out with a laptop.
“There have been many other
changes, too. The volume of
traffic now is so much greater, so
much so that in some areas the
road system can barely cope.”Handballing
Willie can recall many
experiences of how most loads
had to handballed on and off thebusy junctions. Today, the police
and VOSA [now the DVSA] are
more intent on issuing on-the-
spot fines. The respect that many
had for the Knights of the Road
is gone,” he says.Limited value
Willie views the introduction of
the Driver CPC as of limited
value to his generation as he has
seen for himself most of what is
being taught, although he does
admit he is interested in health
and safety modules.
While more than happy with
his latest Mercedes-Benz Actros
in terms of comfort, power and
visibility, one gripe is the high
climb in and out of the cab; he
says he wouldn’t want to do
multidrop work with it. Pulling a
moving-floor trailer, usually
loaded with waste materials, he
still – despite his age – clocks up
close to 3000km each week.
Looking ahead to his second
retirement, what are his plans?
“I would like to travel more
with my motorhome,” says Willie.
“I’ve been all over Europe and
Ireland but there are still a few
places I would like to see.
“Plus, Steven [Barclay] has
already said there will always be
a job for me should I wish to
continue working on a part-time
basis or if I get bored!”had to get on with it – it was the
way of life back then. Now you
are not allowed to lift anything in
excess of 25kg.
“While doing heavy haulage
with Tulloch Transport, often a
police escort would be required
for over-width loads. Sometimes
the police would take
photographs when coming round
a corner, which they would then
circulate round the schools,
educating kids not to stand close
to the edge of a pavement atlorry. Potatoes were carried in
sack bags and each one had to
loaded by hand, neatly stacked
and roped and sheeted, and the
same had to be done in reverse
order at the end of the journey.
“One day I had a load of
several tons of animal feed to
take to a remote farm,” he says. “I
was greeted by the farmer’s wife,
who said: ‘My husband is at the
market, could you put the feed
into the shed behind the byre?’
“These bags weighed in at a
hundredweight [112lb, about
51kg] each, so after 100 trips or
so back and forth to the shed the
job was completed. It was just
one of those things, you simplyFirst week on the road with new Scania R500 Topline in September 2007