TruckNet UK members share their memories

Rikki Chequer, community manager for TruckNet UK, enjoys memories of trucking in the 80s - and beyond. One topic on TruckNet UK that shows no sign of slowing down is 'Trucking in the 80s'. The discussion thread has achieved an amazing 111,000 page views and now consists of more than 37 pages of old photos and tales of running long-distance 20 to 30 years ago. It is amazing seeing all those photos of old companies, many now long gone, running what were top-of-the-range trucks for the day.

For a slightly different set of memories, a member asks about 'Negotiating Kimbolton A45 in the 1970s and 80s'. That certainly struck a chord with me as I remember the tight turns through the village very well - and so do quite a few other drivers from the period, as their reminiscences on the thread show.

Do you remember roping and sheeting? It seems it is a dying art. A relatively new thread of recollections relates drivers' tales of cracked fingers and struggling in high winds, and also the sense of satisfaction on a well-sheeted load.

There are on the forum many other topics on our industry's history covering most areas and types of work. It is memories such as those already posted that give the forum its unique ability to preserve small snippets of the past for future generations. Without the first-hand input of those who were there, and their personal photos - many published on the forum for the first time - it would be impossible to build such a huge and wide-ranging archive.