Sheffield lorry driver Brian Wilson, 90, passes health MoT
- Published
A 90-year-old lorry driver from Sheffield is set to carry on trucking for another year after being given a clean bill of health by his doctor.
Brian Wilson has chalked up more than 70 years on the road, and could be the UK's oldest HGV licence-holder.
Like his 1993, 'L-reg' lorry, Mr Wilson also requires a full health check each year, which he said he passed just before Christmas.
He told the BBC his GP was "very pleased" with him.
The BBC caught up with Mr Wilson, who turns 91 in March, at 09:30 GMT on Tuesday as he completed his second drop of the day in Doncaster.
"I started at 7 o'clock today," he laughed. "I'm just taking a rest."
He said he plans to take stock in December when he may then finally apply the handbrake on a remarkable career.
"We'll see how I feel then," said Mr Wilson. "At the moment, though, I feel fine and the doctor is very pleased with me."
Mr Wilson said if and when retirement does eventually come it will likely involve a lengthy trip to Thailand.
"Me and the wife would eventually like to spend some time out there," he said. "We have a son living out there. Unfortunately, because of Covid, we have not been able to get over there recently to see him."
Mr Wilson, though owning his late father's haulage company E. Wilson & Son, occasionally completes work for Ember Transport.
Manager Matthew Hibberb describes Mr Wilson as "fit as a fiddle", adding he doubts his friend will ever retire.
Mr Wilson previously told the BBC he shuns sat-navs and even road atlases, insisting the nation's road network is committed to memory.
He conceded a lot had changed over the decades, not least the cost of fuel. When starting out, he paid just under two shillings for a gallon of diesel, he revealed.
According to Guinness World Records, the oldest male HGV licence-holder is the UK's Jack Fisher, at 88 years and four days, as of 27 January 2021. Mr Wilson has long been encouraged to make his own claim on the record by submitting proof of age and occupation but has yet to do so.
"I don't really think about it," he previously told the BBC. "I just go out to work."
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk, external.
Related topics
- Published20 October 2022
- Published28 May 2020
- Published13 April 2022
- Published3 September 2021
- Published4 July 2022
- Published24 August 2022