Fifty Years Behind the Wheel is more than a collection of transport memories. It is a personal and historical record of the Rudd family’s life in British road haulage, told through the experiences of John Rudd Senior and preserved by his nephew, John Rudd Junior.

The book follows a working life shaped by military service, nationalised transport, wholesale markets, factory deliveries, industrial disputes, vehicle breakdowns, dangerous roads, and the eventual move into independent haulage. Alongside the personal story is a detailed account of how Britain’s transport industry changed, from basic lorries and handwritten logbooks to modern vehicles, stricter regulations, container transport, and international operations.

Illustrated with family photographs, classic commercial vehicles, military transporters, agricultural machinery, trailer conversions, and fairground vehicles, the book preserves an important part of British working history that might otherwise have been lost.