Tipper lorries have been part and parcel of road transport since the beginnings of the age of motor vehicles. In fact their roots are in horse-drawn carts, which were built to tip by balance and gravity. For many years, and probably still today, the tipper lorry was seen as a dirty, well-worn, poorly maintained, and overloaded aspect of road haulage, not particularly beloved by the general public. As they are used in all forms from lightweight four-wheelers to maximum capacity artics, carrying almost any commodity that could be loaded in bulk, tippers lorries could be said to be the backbone of British industry requirements. All makes of lorries have been used as tippers, with no exceptions, providing a great variety for the road transport enthusiast. Many endure short, hard-worked lives, while other soldier on to greater longevity, perhaps engaged in long-distance work. As time passed, lorries were allowed to carry more weight, become larger, and as a consequence, more powerful. For the transport enthusiast this brought an even bigger variety of types, up to 44 tonnes gross weight, which Bill Reid, with nearly 200 unpublished images, endeavors to show.

Bill Reid is a lifelong lorry enthusiast, having been brought up among working lorries in southwest Scotland. He did not pursue a career in transport, but his working life was never far from lorries. He is the co-organizer of the well known annual Ayrshire Road Run for vintage and classic vehicles.