I’ve put a note on trucknetuk.com asking for stories of yesteryear. This is a good one from Willie Roadstar of Stoke on Trent. All yours Willie;

Must post this story from my travels, and this is a true one !!

I was pulled at Dunkirk scales Canterbury on my way back from Berlin with a full load of non alcholic beer (sacriledge I know !!), I had an F10 4×2 with the then new 13.6 m tilt on, because I’d topped up the tanks in Zeebrugge, I was 1200 kgs over on my drive axle and got done for it, had to go to an haulage firm in Canterbury to get load shifted about.

While waiting for a police escort to take me there, an Irish 141 4×2 with Tri axle fridge was pulled in, the most cracking peice of kit you have ever seen, gleaming from front to back, anyway, they rolled him over the dynamic at 56,500 kgs, they pulled him to the side and read him the riot act and asked him to produce his tacho, which he did, I was standing next to the attending memeber of her majesty’s boys in blue at the time and could’nt beleive my eyes !!(and Ive done my share – but thats another story !!) – the tacho was completly black, on questioning, the driver stated that he only kept it in to keep the red light off on the head – as it irretated him while driving !!!!

He then was asked to produce his licence, at which point, he selected one from a batch of 4 and said that they could use that one, me and the copper where starting to get the giggles at this point!!

He was asked by the ministry man where he had driven from last, he stated Naples, the reply was “no – where have you started from this morning” – “Naples came his reply, I started yesterday at 2 am, I need to catch the ferry in Stranraer tonight!!!”

The officer then cautioned him and asked him to wait in his truck, at this point he asked if they had finished checking everything and they replied, “Yes, you will now have to wait, while we sort out a court sitting tomorrow” – OK he said – See Yeh Then !! ” and started the truck and drove away.

The ministry man had a dicky fit and started running after him, screaming to the copper to get on his bike and go after him. – The copper turned to him and said

“No way, there’s no point, I’ll radio on up to the boys in Essex and get them to stop him” !!!!!!!!!

Never saw the driver again, but boy, I had to admire is style !!