British Telecom Vehicles

BritishTELECOM._\._\._\. Vehicles
By 1980/81 the 'British Telecom' logo was applied to the yellow vans and superseded, 'Post Office Telecommunications'. In these early days, the extended 'dot-dash' featured as an important part of the logo as can be seen in the photo opposite. The slogan "Who have you forgotten to phone today?" was a typical van advert of the period.
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The Yellow (British Telecom) Fleet

The yellow vans were so colourful and photograph so well, compared with the very bland grey ones that were to follow in later years.


	Rommel's raiders was the nickname given to these Bedford jointers' vans of the 1980s, which had the characteristically wide curved wings and bonnet.
	Maestro Utility

Lift-Off Box Vans

Golden Yellow
This van (with side window) is likely to have been used by Planning or Survey Officers out on site, checking the routeing of ducts on new housing estates and at the site of major roadworks, involving telecom plant.

In the early 1980s, 'Lift-Off' van bodies were designed by British Telecom for use with its 15 hundred-weight vehicles (as above). Previously, vans used on installation or jointing duties could not readily be switched to take on a different job, without the time consuming unloading of tools and equipment from each vehicle. To better utilise the fleet of serviceable vehicles, a plastic lift-off body was developed which could be easily removed from the chassis by fork lift truck.

The revolutionary design consisted of:

A colour impregnated glass-reinforced plastic inner and outer skins filled with a layer of foam.
Aluminium uprights as the main load bearing members.
A plywood/foam based floor.
A single skin translucent roof.
A total weight of only 250kg.
Increase in load space from 5.66 to 9.06 cubic metres, due to design.

Photos: Box van at MKM November 1998
References: Technical Review, Summer 1982

	This van (with side window) is likely to have been used by Planning or Survey Officers out on site, checking the routeing of ducts on new housing estates and at the site of major roadworks, involving telecom plant.