Free Love

A driver’s dream is having free rein with the choice and spec of your truck. Gary Hindmarsh is the lucky man, Kelvin Parker the kind boss, a superb Scania the wagon

- Bob Beech

Maybe it’s just part of getting older, but consistency does seem to be in short supply in our modern world; life is subject to continuous change, often at very short notice and for no apparent reason. This is particularly so within the transport industry. Companies get taken over, lose their identity and frequently disappear completely, drivers move on to other careers, trucks are changed frequently and vehicle liveries change, often becoming bland and nondescript.

With all of this in mind, it was particularly reassuring to return to Somerset and visit Parker Transport, based in Chilcompton, near Radstock, in the middle of the Mendip Hills. It’s a part of the country where, thankfully, a great many operators and their drivers still love their trucks and take huge pride in the appearance of their fleets. Bland and corporate is not an option; striking and memorable is very much the way they do things.

Parker’s tasteful red livery is a perfect example of this. Instantly recognisable, the fleet is invariably immaculate, which generally says a lot about the people who run the company and the staff they employ.

Humble beginnings

T&D last visited the company over five years ago, when they were celebrating two anniversaries. It had been 30 years since founder Kelvin Parker took the plunge and purchased a 7.5-tonner from his previous employer and started out in transport; and long-serving driver Gary Hindmarsh had been with the company for nearly 25 years, having joined Kelvin just before his 19th birthday for his first driving job, at the wheel of a Bedford TK 7.5-tonne flat. The well-used TK had previously been owned by a scaffolding company.