Pennod 5 Loriau Mansel Davies a'i Fab

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-Mansel Davies is one of the

-most familiar names on our roads.

-You'll inevitably get stuck behind

-one of their 150 lorries.

-But have you ever wondered

-how milk reaches your Cornflakes?

-It's 28,000 litres

-which is more than I could stomach!

-That's only one full load.

-But it isn't the only thing

-they transport.

-It's bye, bye to Holland

-and hello to Belgium.

-Mansel Davies?

-The company is decades old and if

-Mansel wasn't holding the pencil...

-..he was certainly at the table

-when the first wheel was designed.

-Take pride in tailing

-these kings of the road...

-..because this series will prove

-that Mansel Davies was there first.

-Keeping 150 lorries on the road...

-..24 hours a day, seven days a week

-all year round...

-..is far from easy.

-They need an experienced workforce

-to keep the wheels turning.

-We have some great lads

-who we have trained ourselves...

-..and have been with us

-for many years.

-They are at the top of their game.

-Our technicians

-walk around carrying laptops.

-They plug them into the lorries

-and run diagnostics.

-We can do everything you need to do

-on a lorry in-house.

-If there's a problem, it's best

-to take the lorry to a garage...

-..but when that isn't possible,

-you take the garage to the lorry.

-What's wrong with it, Mark?

-What's wrong with it, Mark?

-

-A spring has broken.

-The axle has moved

-and blown an airbag.

-I need to remove everything

-and replace the spring and airbag.

-It's an awkward job because

-everything on a lorry is heavy.

-I need to get everything off.

-We all need a Mark in our lives.

-Someone who turns up with a vehicle

-in pieces in the back of his van!

-I've got the new parts to put on.

-At call outs, we ask the driver for

-a rough idea of what has broken...

-..so that we can bring everything

-we might need.

-I think it started to break

-yesterday or last night...

-..but the other has broken

-and is full of holes...

-..and it's stuck here!

-It sounds like quite a blow.

-How do you ruin the suspension

-of such a large lorry?

-Hitting a few potholes

-can cause them to crack.

-I was going from Haverfordwest

-to Caerphilly and back to Kidwelly.

-Mark's a bit of a magic spanner!

-He's been doing it for years.

-Would you like to try it yourself?

-Would you like to try it yourself?

-

-No, it's alright.

-Not now anyway!

-I'm too old for it.

-That's it.

-It's wear and tear.

-If you happen to hit

-a pothole or something awkwardly...

-..and there's an extra impact

-then they can break easily.

-It's worse in the frost

-and cold weather.

-But...

-It happens.

-One of those things.

-Mark changes the suspension of

-a lorry on the side of the road...

-..and makes it sound

-as if he's just made a crumble.

-The Mansel Davies lorries

-don't just cross the Menai Straits.

-They are often

-on the other side of the Channel.

-We started delivering steel

-to Dublin.

-The milk deliveries

-have been running for 20 years.

-They bring back orange juice

-and various oils.

-We get edible oil from Europe

-for the factory in Felinfach.

-It's mixed

-so that they can make a powder.

-It's five hauls a week

-so about one a day.

-Alan George is an old hand

-at driving on the Continent.

-He's just crossed the water.

-We've arrived in Holland

-and Europoort.

-Europoort is a manmade port

-near Rotterdam.

-It's one of the busiest ports

-in the world.

-In order to feed this beast...

-..it's surrounded

-by a massive industrial zone.

-How can I explain

-the size of Europoort to you?

-Port Talbot is about a mile long...

-..so you could fit

-Port Talbot 28 times...

-..into the whole of the Europoort.

-It's quality not quantity, Alan!

-Today, he's collecting

-vegetable oil...

-..but needs to scrub up first.

-I need to put this on.

-I don't know what to call it

-but it's like white overalls.

-These go over my clothes

-before I can take the load.

-I need to put on the cap too...

-..to stop any hair

-getting into the tank.

-And I'm ready.

-I'm ready to fill the tank

-with vegetable oil.

-Hygiene is important

-when transporting food products.

-Everything has to be tagged.

-We'll go and check the tank...

-..to see whether it's dry or not

-for us to load the oil.

-That's OK.

-That was simple enough, Alan.

-Off you go!

-I've got a bucket underneath it

-so that there isn't any spillage.

-Next, I need to drag it over...

-..to the tank.

-I bet you're a king

-of purity and hygiene, Alan.

-Well done, lad.

-The microwave meals industry

-relies heavily on this oil.

-The pipe goes into the top.

-I'll leave the bucket over here.

-The next task is to press the button

-to get us started.

-BEEPING

-It's good.

-It's starting to fill up.

-I hope to be out of here

-in about 15 to 20 minutes.

-Heaven help you

-if you mix milk with oil...

-..so the tanks need washing

-between every load.

-We wash the inside of every tank and

-this is CIP or Cleaning In Place.

-It's a mechanized system.

-Every milk tanker has to be washed

-within 24 hours...

-..or it's washed between hauls

-if it's a different product.

-Some are washed

-at the end of the day.

-Others are washed in the morning.

-We have two washers.

-You can wash

-two lorries at a time here.

-There's another in Letterston

-where we can wash one at a time.

-There's a process so you don't need

-to climb inside with a toothbrush!

-It's rinsed with cold water...

-..to remove all the residue.

-There are three rinses.

-Next, there's a hot water cycle.

-The water is 60 degrees Centigrade

-with 2% acid or caustic.

-This process

-lasts for about 20 minutes...

-..before it's rinsed

-with clean water.

-It takes 30 minutes in total.

-What happens to all that water?

-We recycle most of the water

-and there's little waste.

-All the hot water is recycled.

-We keep the water from the last

-few rinses that cool the tank.

-It's used for the first rinse

-in the next wash.

-We don't use that much water

-and recycle most of it.

-Alan is still loading.

-There's no pressure

-but he doesn't have all day!

-I'm loading vegetable oil.

-It's loaded as hot oil

-at 50 degrees Celsius.

-The tank is like a massive flask.

-It can keep things hot or chilled.

-It's a race against time to be back

-in Felinfach within 72 hours.

-If I'm not back in 72 hours...

-..it could have fallen

-a few degrees...

-..and it'll be difficult to get out.

-That's the difference between

-pumping it out and digging it out!

-The route home is important.

-I plan to travel back

-through Holland...

-..into Belgium and then into France.

-I'll cross using the Eurotunnel

-and land in Folkestone.

-It should take four and half hours

-to five hours to reach France...

-..so I hope to be on the train

-to go through the Eurotunnel...

-..somewhere between

-4.00pm and 5.00pm.

-As soon as I can secure the seal...

-..the clock starts ticking...

-..and I've got 72 hours

-to get back to Felinfach.

-And he's off just like Usain Bolt!

-That's good, Alan.

-Try moving up to second gear.

-Good boy.

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-In Europe, they always ask

-if Wales is Angleterre.

-I always say, "No Angleterre!"

-"It's Pays de Galles."

-"Oh, Cymru," they say.

-Their attitude totally changes.

-They seem to be a bit more friendly.

-The Dutch are very laid back.

-Nothing is a problem for them.

-There's no telling if they put

-something stronger in their coffee!

-If I didn't know any better,

-I'd say the same about you, Alan!

-Forget the spaghetti.

-You have a load to deliver

-before it turns to lard!

-That isn't the only problem

-when crossing the Continent.

-Most of it's the same

-as it's all European legislation.

-The driving hours

-are exactly the same...

-..but in France, the weight limits

-are slightly different.

-In Holland, they have

-a different combination of trucks...

-..but our lorries conform

-to the regulations of every country.

-The lorries might be legal but

-do the rules change for the drivers?

-In Holland, you can travel at 80mph.

-You're not allowed to overtake...

-..between the hours

-of 6.00am and 10.00am...

-..and between 3.00pm and 7.00pm.

-We're entering Belgium now.

-The speed limit is 90km or 56mph.

-That's on a two-lane

-dual carriageway.

-You're not allowed

-to overtake in the rain.

-In the dry weather...

-..you're not allowed to overtake

-between 6.00pm and 7.00pm.

-So you could say that

-the rules change with the weather!

-The biggest difference

-for travellers in Europe...

-..is the lack of borders so traffic

-can move from country to country.

-It's like crossing

-from Wales into England.

-Is this going to change

-because of Brexit?

-I don't know.

-Who really knows?

-Nobody knows about the restrictions

-or what they plan to do.

-I'm not overly worried about it

-if I'm honest.

-The addition of border controls

-won't be a problem.

-It won't be an issue as long as

-you conform to what they ask of you.

-They won't close ranks...

-..because they want to buy our

-produce and sell to us as well.

-Everyone will just

-have to work together.

-In the meantime, Mark is

-still working on the roadside.

-The finish line is in sight

-but he's hit the wall.

-He thinks

-that he's got the wrong part.

-It would be an issue

-for anyone else...

-..but Adrian is on

-the end of the phone.

-TELEPHONE

-Hello?

-Alright.

-Hang on, I'll check now.

-I think you've got the right one.

-It's the one listed

-unless it's the wrong part number.

-Can you make it fit?

-Let me know.

-Thank you, ta-ra.

-That was Mark.

-The U-bolts I'd given him

-weren't long enough.

-They were half an inch too short.

-He had the right ones

-from what I can see...

-..so he'll have to grind things down

-to make them fit.

-That wasn't a lot of help, Adrian!

-It's up to Mark

-to get his magic spanners out.

-Alan has found third gear and is

-on the road from Dunkirk to Calais.

-It's become dangerous recently.

-Illegal immigrants wait here

-and try to board the lorries...

-..that are crossing

-the Channel to enter Britain.

-There's a lot of immigrants now.

-The biggest problem

-is this free movement...

-..and they want to travel through.

-There's nobody there

-to check their identity.

-I've had two run-ins.

-I was parked in Calais one night

-in a secure lorry park.

-I thought that I was safe.

-I got up at about 3.00am or 4.00am

-on the Saturday...

-..and was preparing to go home.

-I was doing my daily checks...

-..and spotted a man lying between

-the two axles of the trailer...

-..in the wind and rain.

-I had real difficulty

-in getting him out.

-He kept saying, "You go to England.

-I want to go to England."

-But I got rid of him

-and he didn't get to England.

-They are getting more desperate

-and will try anything.

-They throw bricks

-and even bottles...

-..to try to force us to slow down

-so that they can jump inside.

-They are even using children

-so that we take pity on them.

-By allowing the children...

-..the next step

-is to take the parents...

-..and you might end up with

-all the generations of that family.

-Border protection is clear

-on the approach to Calais.

-There is a structure in place

-to protect the driver from attacks.

-This is the last section

-before we reach England.

-I enjoy the train...

-..because it's a quick way

-to travel from France to England...

-..but I prefer the ferry.

-I get to sit down, have a meal

-and I might read the paper...

-..and it gives you time to relax.

-Whilst Alan puts his feet up...

-..Wayne Delve is polishing

-the Sunbeam in the parts department.

-It's another important member

-of the family fleet.

-Mansel owned the bike.

-He won the hillclimb in Birmingham

-and is the only Welshman to do it.

-He started racing motorbikes

-after that.

-He won the first open race on a

-motorbike at Pendine Sands in 1918.

-The bike has two engines.

-There's this engine

-and he also had a race engine.

-His brother worked with Humber

-in Birmingham.

-He would change the engine

-and use it for racing.

-The bike has been back

-with the family for many years.

-I wouldn't want to race it.

-Mans raced pushbikes

-before racing this engine.

-He said that there wasn't an art

-to motorbike racing.

-You just rode it flat out!

-Pushbikes were far more strenuous.

-He'd go flat out on this

-and didn't find it difficult.

-I think there was

-quite an art to it.

-There's more classic vehicles

-around the yard.

-Some of the workers

-enjoy renovating classic cars...

-..and get to exhibit them

-on Barley Saturday in Cardigan.

-I've had a wash today

-so there isn't a spot of dirt on me.

-I'm surprised you recognized me!

-He's unrecognizable

-but what about the car?

-It's a 1959 Ford Popular.

-I bought it from a gentleman in Bath

-about a year ago.

-It was more or less

-ready for the scrap yard.

-I've spent the last year

-cleaning and painting it...

-..and doing all that was needed.

-Today was it's first journey

-on the road since 1981.

-It'll be very embarrassing

-if it doesn't start today.

-The lads have been teasing me

-and offered to push the car around.

-It doesn't matter if I need a push

-because it's part of the fun of it.

-You know a man with a lorry

-to pick you up.

-And I've got a trailer at home.

-He was prepared for trouble

-but didn't need the trailer.

-It's good to have a break

-and do something else.

-You'll have this

-for many years to come.

-I can look at it in 50 years

-and know that I rescued it!

-As well as running

-a massive fleet of lorries...

-..they are the biggest

-Volvo dealer in the area.

-Wayne Delve is the sales manager.

-I get calls from customers

-in the local vicinity...

-..in Cardigan and Aberystwyth.

-They want a lorry

-for a specific purpose.

-We try to sell

-up to 60 lorries a year...

-..but that depends

-on the needs of the customers.

-If they have enough money and

-we can sell them a Volvo or Isuzu...

-..we offer

-a great after-sales care plan.

-Wayne is a born salesman.

-He never misses an opportunity

-to sell a lorry.

-This lorry is the FH model.

-It's one of the biggest lorries

-that can carry up to 44 tonnes.

-This is a new lorry

-that has just arrived.

-It will join

-the Mansel Davies fleet.

-There's a few things to do on it...

-..but it's 500 horsepower

-so has plenty of welly!

-It arrived yesterday

-so we need to prepare it.

-We'll give it a coat of paint...

-..before it goes on the milk runs

-to North Wales and London.

-It has years of work ahead of it.

-After hours of travelling

-across Europe...

-..from Holland to England...

-..the Land of Song

-is on the horizon.

-I travel around Europe

-and all over the world.

-It doesn't where I go...

-..the Severn Bridge and Wales

-is always a welcome sight.

-Alan encounters his first queue on

-what has been a trouble-free drive.

-This is the final

-border control of Europe.

-It's the most expensive border

-control in Europe to get into Wales.

-And it's worth every penny, Alan!

-There's a price to pay

-for perfection.

-It's a lesson that Mark the mechanic

-knows only too well.

-The sun is setting and he's changed

-the pieces to fit the hole.

-There's just the small matter

-of putting it all back together.

-All that's left to do

-is to replace the wheel.

-That, in itself,

-is beyond the ability of most of us.

-You can park it here unless they are

-panicking about getting it back.

-It's fine now anyway.

-Thank you.

-Everything is fine so

-it's Swansea West for the night...

-..and I'll have a McDonald's!

-HORN

-Charlie is free to go and

-it's the end of a busy day for Mark.

-Everything goes back in the van.

-He has a quick wash

-and away he goes.

-The shop is shut!

-To infinity and beyond.

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