British Livestock Lorries

BKS SB

Long before motorised transport,
movement of animals was by means of
walking individual beasts, or by
herding or droving. Much of the road
system around Britain evolved from the
routes taken by the drovers and their
herds. With the coming of the
railways, animals for market went by
train. This type of traffic was a good
income for the railways, with their
mass or bulk transport facility.

In the early twentieth century,
livestock haulage was slow in
starting, mainly because the lorries
of the time were small and couldn’t
compete with the railways. However, by
the 1930s larger and stronger lorries
were available and local livestock
haulage became a viable proposition,
eventually taking over from the
railways entirely.

Livestock road haulage was usually
done with a basic platform lorry and a
demountable livestock container. These
could be anything from home-built to
coachbuilt types by specialist
builders. The construction was usually
in hardwood, until the advent of steel
and aluminium. In more recent times,
much larger and more powerful vehicles
have evolved to cater for animal
welfare and driving time.

With the diverse range of appearances
and colour schemes seen on these
vehicles over the years, Bill Reid’s
terrific array of photographs will
fascinate lorry enthusiasts and
agriculture enthusiasts alike.

• 96 Pages
• Softback
• 165 mm x 235 mm