With half a century of transport experience under his belt, Frank Fiddy’s career came to an unceremonious end at the age of 65 when he was forced to retire. That was back in the Noughties, when bosses had the right to curtail employment once retirement age had been reached. Feeling he still had plenty left in the tank, Frank wasn’t happy about it, but took his compulsory retirement in good grace. Today, he’s enjoying life with his wife Mary in their Felixstowe home, from where he took time out to reminisce with us
“While I spent most of my working life driving, my first job wasn’t actually in trucks – at 15 I started in the Merchant Navy,” remembers Frank. “After a spell as a bedroom steward for P&O I joined the crew of a beaten-up old tramp steamer called the Baron Ogilvy, which operated out of Ardrossan. On my first trip, we got caught in the tail end of a hurricane just after we’d passed through the Panama Canal. The engines gave up and we had to risk life and limb cutting wires to release into the sea timber which had originally been stored on deck but had shifted and was now hanging over the side. It wasn’t a great start!
“By the time I was 20 I’d had enough and decided to move into road transport instead. I got a job with a small outfit called Eastern Counties Farmers who delivered animal feed around the Ipswich area. I only had a lightweight four-wheeler, but I got the driving bug, and it became my ambition to get behind the wheel of a proper HGV as soon as I could once I had turned 21.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Truck & Driver.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Truck & Driver.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Well forked Daf
Remember, we like to cover all sorts of different trucks here at T&D – like this impressive new CF rigid complete with Moffett Mounty forklift
King of the hill
Moving heavy equipment off road calls for a truck with plenty of power and traction, which is why M&J Plant chose a mighty 6x4 FH16 750
Time Machine 2015-2019
It’s the final part of our series on the history of UK haulage. Let’s look back at those innocent times before that pesky virus turned up
Original and best
There are few trucks which have been customised to the level of the Scania 143, but let’s not forget that the standard product was pretty awesome just as it left the factory, like this rare 420
GOING ALL THE WAY
Simon Rogers got behind the wheel as soon as he was able to, and nearly 30 years later, his company is going from strength to strength, with a striking all-black, top-spec Iveco S-Way 570 the latest addition to the fleet
Abnormal loads
In the distant past, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, truck drivers were a very different breed, made from sterner stuff than us mere mortals
Range change
After a gap of 13 years, Renault trucks have reappeared in the unique colours of MacRitchie Highland Distribution. T&D takes the high road to Inverness to meet owners, Donald and Catriona MacRitchie
Cutting a dash
Freshly showered and munching a healthy egg and cress sarnie in Gloucester North services, Chris has a Foden update
Air we go!
On Saturday 29 May at 6pm, 240 drivers gathered with their trucks at South Mimms Services for a parade to raise vital money for Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance
A Cutt Above
From coal to turf to fencing and loads more, there’s not much the Calcutt fleet hasn’t transported over the years
