Well once again the magical world of Manton European has reared its very interesting head. In fact this is an additional line, as since this blog was planned to be published, last night, another Manton blog was created and will be published soon enough. Back to this one…..
I had an email from a Alasdair Cowan, who has recently bought a classic race motorbike to restore and get back to its glory days (much the same as MEFF Part 12!). Alasdair is trying to find old photos and any information on the bike as it was in the above photo so he can get it back to how it used to be. If anyone knows the current where about’s of Dave Manton, would they mind of ask Dave he minds getting in contact with myself and I can pass on Alasdair’s details. Interestingly, when I was sent a load of photos from Rich Tilford, there was one of a Scania rigid, painted up in race team colours. Not unusual to have a company supplying transport or a vehicle for a race team, so I didn’t ask any further questions. As was the nature of Manton’s livery, the green and yellow stands out from the crowd, where ever it goes. Did you see the race team anywhere, are you secret biker?! I wouldn’t worry I’m not about to change to Bikeblog, this only gets on to the blog due to the Manton connection.
This years must have Christmas gift for all of you, must also be the first stage of becoming a European mega trucker. The one and only Grace mate Poppy, best known as just a Poppy Air Freshener. If you go to a European truck show then these little beauty’s are in all the show trucks and for good reason. They are long lasting and smell good. Depending on your favourite, there are a load of flavours to choose from, my favourite is the very subtle Vanilla.
I’d never been able to find them for sale anywhere apart from Holland, but now you’ll be very pleased to know that they have been in stock in one of the UK’s leading truck accessories companies, KUDA Automotive, for the last 4 or 5 years. KUDA may not be the official importer but they have been selling Poppy’s the longest. Yep here in the UK you can buy your own Poppy and not have to order and wait for it arrive from Europe – awesome. Not only can you buy the normal glass jar version but KUDA also stock a good selection of the card versions. If you want a decent gift or want to give your loved ones a decent idea for a gift this year, then click the following link to go straight KUDA’s Poppy page, where you can order online.
My driving career was short lived by some standards, 10 years just about, from the age of 18. I worked hard, did the miles and certainly did the hours. 7.5 tonner then onto a 40t tractor unit, England, Wales, Scotland, northern France, Belgium, Holland and just into West Germany that was my lot. That said as a boy that’s all I wanted to do, so here I am 14 years off the road and I still miss it when I get the chance to reminisce. To be fair the reason for the blog was to fill the void life on the road left, hence using you lot and your quips to get my daily fix. Good days and bad days, long days everyday, punctures, cancelled jobs, debtors and traffic delays, all the downsides that are enough, on a bad day, to make you want to give up being an owner driver or small haulier. The next day you get up, clean pants, brush your teeth, start a fresh and try again. The day goes well, some money made and no broken light lenses. Rose tinted glasses are not something I relate too, but being on the road is a lifestyle not a job. A lifestyle I lived and loved but totally appreciate the hardship that adding in a wife and kids would bring to the party.
Matthew Johnson’s first new truck holds some special memories as “firsts” often do. Another Actros friend, Dominic Newby, would be heading for Hellas as his memory lane.
For those who are still on the road perhaps plenty more years service than I have, maybe it brings some form of closure and perhaps you do feel like you’ve had enough and want a change of lifestyle. I can fully understand your train of thought, but take one piece of advice, coming off the road is not easy and for some staying on the road must be easier. Much like a member of the armed forces coming back to civvy street, it doesn’t matter if you’ve served a minimum 3 years or 25, you still get help returning to “normal” life, this could be something I can relate too. There is much to be said about being your own boss and being able to do your own thing to a degree. As an employed office worker you are in the same place at the same time pretty well everyday of your working career and that for me is hard to comprehend. Luckily these days I do get to move around East Anglia daily and pretty much at my own discretion. I do still get further afield as well and that is always welcome and if I’m really lucky a night or 2 in a hotel. It’s still not the same as being out and about all week (or two) in the lorry and I Mrs Truckblog will agree, I still very much miss it. Life off the road is no easy journey, trust me.
Tom Bloore would very much like one last trip to Espania in his old MP1 Actros. Kermit can’t decide, but I’d suggest which ever stops still long enough for you to get onboard!
All that said, it got me thinking about the rose tinted days and how much I’d like one more trip out in my old Actros. Perhaps a trailer out to Meer (B), reload for Frechen (D), reload for Oostende (B) and then another trailer back to B, NL or D and another reload back to the UK. If I could, I’d happily take Claudia (the Actros!) and I know I’d thoroughly enjoy it. Who doesn’t like getting back inside onboard an old flame for one last hurrah!?!
Luke at Tudor Services would like another go in his first truck, this gorgeous MAN. Paul Creggan opted for his beastly F16 as it made him smile everyday he drove it.
If you could have one more trip in one of your favourite trucks, which one would it be and where would you go?? A few good old boys (need some girls if there are any reading) have sent a few photos already and I have to say they are spot on in matching the thinking behind this blog. Please comment below and post a picture, we all love the romance of the road at some point in our careers otherwise we would never have got out the yard for the 2nd time. Whether it was a form of escapism, for the adventure, the money or even just that you loved cracking on to Macon, even you will have a favourite steed that reliably (or not!) took you up the road. Now get posting and let’s enjoy the trip down Remembrance Avenue as we reach for the flowery sunglasses, we are allowed to enjoy the good times you know, not just dwell on the bad ones.
Stuart Bell would take his DAF. They covered most of Europe and spent weeks away together. Happy days.
Briefly! I managed to log back in to a very old email account, that to be honest I thought was somewhat obsolete. I found an old folder full of old picture messages I had emailed myself, while out and about in my truck around the UK and Northern Europe. Long before the days of doing everything on our phones we had to keep things simple and send photos via email rather than download, upload, ping, Tweet, Facebook, MySpace or what ever else you can do these days.
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I think I have seen them before and perhaps I should have been bothered to look through my Flickr photos to see if I have them already as they do look familiar. Not to worry though as these were very happy days and we all love a blast from the past. Even though these were 2004-2007 I can remember where they were all taken as I’m sure we all can, funny how I can remember everywhere I’ve loaded but struggle to remember the neighbours names!
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So starting from the top, photos as follows;
1) Boughey Distribution in Deeside. A full load of detergents. Bloomin heavy but a good tip and would happily tip you early if they could. Shower available.
2) Although I can’t remember the name, this was the big roll place on Trafford park. Loading 5x 1 ton toilet rolls. A great load once it was on although usually had to wait a fair while to get loaded. What’s the name of the place people?!
3) Unloading a full load of scaffold boards at Beaver 84 near Small Heath, Birmingham. I remember loading this myself out at Wurselen, Germany. The Germans weren’t impressed that I wouldn’t load dripping wet timber to the roof at the front of the trailer as it meant leaving 2 packs off.
4) Parked up solo outside my sisters old house, no idea why or what the occasion was though, Claudia had a shine on though.
I have no money and certainly can’t afford another truck, so unless by the phrase “auction” they actually mean swap meet, I’m sadly out of this one. I was sent a link to this auction on Friday and I have been dreaming ever since! Some really nice motors here for auction and I’m sure some will go for big money. Plenty of Volvo and Scania but also a couple of nice English trucks and some lucky dip cupboards from the workshop that you can bid to win all the contents. The auction will be held onsite in Burnley, Lancashire and bidding is open until 11am on the 23rd September. It’s all online and you can visit the website by clicking the link – HERE.
Its not very often i get an email that makes me go “Is that the actual…..” – in this case the actual Chris Kelly, current Chairman of the largest independently owned Scania Distributor in Europe. Now, we do have a mutual interest and Mr Kelly actually came to me in regards to the Centurion List, but if i scratch his back, he will try and scratch mine. Next year, 2023, Keltruck will be turning 40 andthere are plans a foot to celebrate this with lots of media coverage and retro trucking references, etc. Really a celebration of the last 40 years and how they got to where they are today.
Mr Kelly has asked the following: “Could you post on your blog that Keltruck Scania is approaching our 40th anniversary in 2023 and we’re collating as much archive material as possible for potential inclusion in our anniversary celebrations? We’d be particularly delighted with any photos of Scania vehicles in Westmid livery. Westmid was a transport & truck rental company founded by my father, Chris Kelly, prior to founding Keltruck Scania in 1983. Westmid was a Scania operator and purchased many new Scania vehicles during its existence which is what led to the relationship between my father and Scania (Great Britain) Limited and Scania AB (Sweden), ultimately leading to the award of the Scania franchise and therefore a significant part of our company history. We’d therefore be delighted to receive any Westmid Scania photos and any Keltruck Scania company history photos as well.”
The above is followed by the offical bit, you may well see this in other other media channels or online over the next few months as we head towards 2023;
Keltruck Scania will turn 40 in 2023 and as we prepare to mark another major milestone we’d be delighted to receive any Keltruck Scania history photos. In particular we’re interested in receiving any photos of Scania vehicles in the Westmid of Wolverhampton (‘WESTMID’) livery (Westmid was Chris Kelly’s company prior to founding Keltruck in 1983). Below is a recently restored 142, back in the Westmid livery.
Please post any photos/negatives, along with your details, to:
Ria Kelly, Keltruck Limited, Kenrick Way, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4JW.
Please e-mail any scanned photos, etc to info@keltruck.com using subject ‘Keltruck Scania company history’. We’ve been sent this (below) screenshot of a Westmid Scania but can’t find the photo online anywhere in order to download it. We’d be really grateful if someone reading this website is able to point us to it:
Always happy to help anyone find photos or info on old trucks of any marque. I am sure that everyone who has ever had any dealings with Scania in the UK will at some point have come across the Keltruck name. Myself, i seem to remember my dads Business Post trucks coming from Keltruck…. Anyway i await my Keltruck’s goody bag or even better Centurion number confirmations!
J727 TRO – 113M 360J606 UOE – 113M 360J5 LOS – 143M 500J949 EDS – 113M 400
So what will come first 100 trucks on the list or a publisher??!
In the mean time we are now down to 4 confirmed Centurions we don’t have numbers for and amazing we have 4 empty spaces on the Centurion list. Is it a coincidence or have RP and myself (and all our informants) just about got 96 other trucks right?! Well there is a good chance as all the others are based on plenty of evidence, each number backed by at least 2-3 facts on the truck.
The above 4 trucks are all genuine Centurions, we know that for sure. Amazing we can’t get anyone with any concrete evidence on what number they were. I have even been having contact from Chris Kelly at Keltruck and even he can’t find any evidence of what number J606 UOE was and he drove it out to eastern Europa on an aid mission!
J727 TRO in Cambrian Pet food livery, but it does look a little tired in that photo.
J606 UOE. Well photographed and was a demo, but what happened to it after? Did it end up with a repaint and on the SEAS fleet after they parted company with #100? Just a thought.
J5 LOS. Perfect looking 143, we know a lot about it and have original photos from the owner before and after sig writing but no number!
J949 EDS. Had quite a few owners including Thomas Douglas Haulage from Glasgow. Still no one knows the number.
The remaining 4 numbers in the Centurion list we can’t allocate to a truck or a reg number are: #037 / #043 / #054 / #068.
No need to go over old ground but if you know anything on these 4 trucks or a Centurion number rings a bell as you’ve seen a certificate from Scania in a transport office, please, please let us know. Comment below or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk
Sadly I found this release in my junk mail box from way back on the 1st of June so it’s not really new news, but I do like a bit of American news. As I read it the 567 is the fleet motor of the Peterbilt range, now available with the huge (by European standards) Ultraloft sleeper.
The workhorse of the Peterbilt product lineup, the Model 567 can be spec’d for virtually any application, from vocational to on-highway and regional haul configurations. With the addition of the UltraLoft sleeper, the Model 567 now offers a more spacious, integral sleeper option for customers that enjoy its traditional signature pod-mounted headlamps, durable Metton® hood and stainless steel grille.
By optimizing the space available, the UltraLoft sleeper includes industry-leading storage and comfort, including 8 feet of headroom and 70 cubic feet of overall storage. The UltraLoft also gives drivers the largest upper and lower bunk mattresses, best-in-class headroom in both bunks and creature comforts of home with space to accommodate the industry’s largest microwave and enough room to fit a 32-inch flat screen TV.
Interior updates to the Model 567 are highlighted by the class leading 15” Digital Display with a fully customizable user interface (UI) that delivers easy-to read information and full PTO integration so operators can fine-tune the Digital Display information to suit their individual preferences, additional new driver comforts found inside including more cabin storage, two permanent cup holders and options for 12V or USB charging ports.
The Model 567 is available with the latest advanced driver assistance systems fully integrated into the Digital Display, including lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with auto resume, speed sign recognition, side objection detection, safety direct integration, multi-lane emergency braking and highway departure detection.
“The launch of the Model 567 UltraLoft is another example of Peterbilt’s drive to continually innovate our product line to deliver industry leading comfort and performance for our customers and truck drivers alike,” said Jason Skoog Peterbilt, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. “There is no question that 2021 has been the most exciting year for Peterbilt and our customers, with more new product hitting the road than ever before.”
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