Category Archives: International Mega Trucking

Palms from The Beach

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I’m here sitting on a very sunny beach and if we had Palm tree’s on the beach we could be anywhere else but the UK. This has lead me to writing a small blog on one of my favourite company’s from the Truckstar Festival. I would say this year but without checking I’m sure I wrote about KE Palms Åkeri AB last year. The trucks from Schweden are in my all time top trumps truck list as they are timeless. They have Scandinavian style but in a retro way, they look like classic trucks from yesteryear but they are definately not from the 70’s or 80’s. The Scania 144 460 may be slightly older than the R580 Topline but both are styled to perfection. Once again I find myself loving green trucks but who cares! I’m sorry to say my photographic skills have been overcome by the excitement of seeing these trucks, therefore I have failed to get photos that show the trailers and the “less-is-more” livery. The step frame box behind the R580 once again looks like it’s come straight back from the desert but enough lights to make it look simply stunning. As for the tilt behind the 4 Series, I’m not sure I can put down the right words! The only thing that topped last year was the stunning 141 Rigid in proper classic retro Palms livery. This is 100% straight out of the 1970’s, just spot on. As clean as a whistle and restored perfectly. For me a small fleet doesn’t get better than these. I just wish that sitting here the beach, I could sit under these type of Palms, possibly the only way to make my holiday better than it already is!! 

Truckstar Festival 2017

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You will have noticed I’ve been very quiet since the last weekend of July. It just so happens the last weekend of July is the biggest and best truckshow (in my opinion) in Europe – Truckstar Festival. When you get off the ferry in Hoek early and have a good run up through the Netherlands to the TT Circuit at Assen. It’s taken me this long to recover in all respects, so I’m ready to share. When you arrive at the show to check in and the above new Scania pulls up along side, you know it’s going to be a good weekend! Just a note both Scania’s are top of the range for their time. Nearly 40 years apart there is a huge difference between the two, but good to see them side by side to compare. Having checked in and moved on into the oldtimer section in the pit area of the circuit, we are greeted by this DAF 3600. Newly and fully restored truck and trailer, when this is the first truck you see in the oldtimers you know it’s going to be a good weekend! I’ve never got to close to one of these very popular old DAF’s, but although the fridge trailer is now all wooden floors, plush bedrooms and a gorgeous kitchen suitable for any Michelin star chef, the interiour of the cabine was brilliant. I’d never realised there was quite so much space in the first Space Cab. It would pass as a decent twin sleeper today, let alone 30 years ago. The one thing that caught my eye was the gearstick standing in the side of the drivers footwell, not on the engine tunnel. Compared to the 3600 DAF, there were plenty of newborn DAF’s with simple but stunning paint jobs. Perhaps the big DAF cab warrants a “less is more” paint scheme?? The purple on this truck was amazing, it gave lots of different shades depending on the intermittent sun, but overall just stunning. Then further round the show truck area was another “less is more” stunner. The black was just black. If you get annoyed that you can’t get a simple straight red or green as there can be too much choice then this was the opposite. If you just was gloss black then this was it. It’s just black. A few simple accessories such as the American influenced wheel nut covers, then this truck is the ultimate definition of “less is definatley more”. One thing you notice when you get to Assen is that the Dutch are ridiculously friendly and secondly it’s a truck show. It’s not anything else, it’s trucks, owned and operated by truck people, on show for truck people. If you’ve not been, I say it every trip, you’ve got to get yourself along. I’ll leave this blog with a selection of other finds from the first few hours at the show. When you see all these trucks in the first afternoon, you know it’s going to be a good weekend! More to come another day dear readers. I’m off for a lie down. 

Norwegian Holiday Snaps

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It just goes to show we are a reflection of our parents. Everyone asks where I get my obvession with trucks from and I usually say my parents, most tend to think I’m joking. To prove my point this blog is made up of the holiday photos from my parents recent maiden voyage to one of the most beautiful countries in the world…..Norway. If any proof was needed any where my parents go they usually return with some truck photos. Even staying at their best friends holiday home in southern France, my old man happily sits in the town square listening to the old V8 Scania’s heading in and out the hills and quarries en Francais! Something I have noticed about Norwegian trucks is that everyone of them is painted. Even the new white Arocs tipper above has painted plastics and a painted grille. Also (may be not quite right) quite a few are painted a single solid colour as opposed to multicolours. The DAF at the top is black with a few red highlights, the breakdown trucks are solid reds and yellow, seems to be a slight pattern. Once again I think you can see a specific Norway style!Now, the big black DAF is a bit of a beast and I’m sure it sounded a real treat but Ma and Pa set me a challenge…..Can we find the owner or driver on social media within a few days of publishing this blog?? The photo was taken in Bergen and the truck has Bergen written on the sun visor. The company name is Hagebø Transport AS, so come on someone must know the driver……

Immaculate F89 For Sale

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I’ve been emailed with this immaculate 1976 Volvo F89 rigid. Yes it’s just been washed but even so it looks in good condition. The owner is still working it out in Korinthos, Greece but is looking to sell her on. I am told she is all original but you Volvo fans will tell me different. She has a drawbar coupling, which would prompt me to put her back to a drawbar with two tilt bodies to give her the real 1970’s look. 

Just imagine the trip to driver her home. Ship back from Greece and up through Italia over the Alpes and your back. While your down there you might find a trailer, in fact I haven’t asked my new Greek friend if he has a trailer to go with it. I’m loving the exhaust pipe, twin wheel rear lift and best of all the polished beer keg water container! Now get ready, you might be thinking great truck what about the price?? Well between you me and the gatepost I reckon you get it all the way back to the UK for less than £20k. The truck itself is for sale at €12,000……yes you read it right; €12,000. That’s got to be a good price and it has to head back to the UK or Northern Europe surely?! If anyone is serious and wants contact details I can happily buy you in touch. If you just want photos I have a few more I can send you.  Any takers?? 

Special Edition Trucks

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What do you want in a special edition?

If you wanted one thing in a special Edition truck what would it be? Stereo system? Metallic Paint? Alloy Wheels? Top of the range engine or a choice so company bosses can still buy the most fuel efficient? Leather seats? Have a think and comment below. If someone has already answered then perhaps suggest something else. In my book of the trucks on the European market I think Volvo seem to have it about right. It seems that the Special Editions those from Gothenburg offer have minimal options to chose from. I think this is right, right? Why have a special edition if there is a load of options to choose from? Surely then it becomes a fairly normal production truck? Take the Canadian Edition Peterbilt I blogged recently, the options list on that is virtually none existent as it comes with all the bells and whistles and a special paint job. Where as looking back at the Scania Centurion, it was 100 hundred trucks that in the main started out as big power, newest cab but supposedly became a choice of which ever cab and which ever engine. Surely then your just buying a truck with a set of special badges? This little blog does have a purpose so all feedback and comments will be read and taken into account. 

For me it’s a couple of engine options as I don’t think it’s fair just to go billy big power. I think the physical truck itself needs to be all singing all dancing otherwise it’s not special. And finally any options such as paint need to be a minimal number, perhaps two or three choices maximum. I think the specification has to be set and the choices very limited. Now it’s over to you, the drivers and the owners are those who need to respond as your the ones who’ll spend the time and money on such a beast. Please get commenting!! 

Can I have £2 Please??

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I’ve always wanted to try one of these social media experiments. You know the ones where the power of the internet makes something seemingly impossible, possible. I’d love to get back to having my own truck for shows and Sundays out and about as well as it being a source for new blogs. Also I fear that by the time I can fully afford one then there won’t be any left!! So if we were in a truckstop and I came and asked you for £2, not to borrow as who knows when we’ll meet again (some sunny day?!) but “Can I have £2 please?” I’ve had this before when a man in need asked for a couple of quid at Chippenham truckstop so he could get a shower. Of course I obliged as we are all drivers and in days gone by would always help each other when we can. I wondered if the same principle would work on the blog to help by a TB show truck. You might think I’m nuts but I now have the following blog followers; 

  • 1756 on Twitter
  • 3071 on FB page  
  • 4961 on TB email 
  • Total  Followers: 9788

For those capable of simple maths, if I could get every one of you to donate a minimum of £2, then I’d have more than enough to join the classic truck club! If some of you were willing to donate more then even better. What’s more I could put every name of the donators on the truck some how. 

So how about it?? Will you donate £2 or more to the cause? If you are a kind person then I think you’d happily donate to such a social experiment. 

My PayPal account is: ben@truckblog.co.uk

If only we could make this happen, it would become so we’ll known that I might start getting some national coverage! This is a donation and if your willing then it won’t be refunded. Come on it’s only two quid and you’ll have made a huge difference to my life. Come on help me out please driver?! 

PayPal: ben@truckblog.co.uk 


 

Small is Beautiful

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We are now 10 years down the road here on the blog and if there are any of you first blog readers still here, then it’s time you…….no no, then most of you will know that I love a little truck with a big cab and the icing on the cake is one that does international work! For me the perfect example are the two little trucks you see above. A good pal of mine spends many a Wednesday doing what we’d all love to do, he stands on a bridge over the M20 in Kent photographing all the trucks, mainly those heading to or from the UK’s main link with Europe, Dover Docks. All of the photos in this blog are all taken and copyright to Neil Jarrold. Without Neil I’d struggle to see quite so many of these delightful little motors from my office in Ipswich! The little Italian TGL LX above just oozes something that flicks my switch, big cab, smart paint, tidy bodywork, big fuel tanks and foreign number plates! You could get me into that truck and send me to Italy everyday even if you offered me tractor and trailer instead. Bellissimo. 


So it needs a big cab, it needs to be international and the only way to hit perfection is add on a little fridge body. Bingo!! I know the little Pulleyn Ategos used to go far and wide hence the TIR board but once again the little MAN just looks the ticket. Maybe as I had a little MAN 7.5 tonner I’m a little biased but the little German is the best thing in the MAN range by a very long way. 


How about a little DAF? Well the small problem with the LF is that they don’t do their own big cab, you need to look for an aftermarket one. A local company to me Hatcher Components do a marvellous twin bunk “Sky Cab” conversation for the little Dutchman and I have to say it is once again rather splendid. Painted properly the DAF is as gorgeous as it Dutch roots, a real head turner. 

I still don’t really get why I like them quite so much, even a mini artic does the trick and has that certain, Je ne sais pas quoi. The one thing I do know is, every time I see some of Neil’s photos capturing their journeys doing as many miles as any of their bigger cousins across Europe, it always makes me want to get back to it. As I have certainly said before, if I’d managed to stop in my little MAN and actually speak to another now friend of mine, Steve Marsh, then just perhaps I could still have my own little big cabbed truck. I like it when I get talking to some of you lot and I often get the impression we could be talking about any hobby or passion. Some of you like heavy haulage, some tippers, some Foden’s and I guess for me, my “speciality” is little big cabs. But then again as with anything, variety is the spice of life and trucks are no different. I’d be a boring old truck show if we all liked the same thing! Thanks to Neil Jarrold for the photos. 

Peter is Finally Bilt!!

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I’ve finally got my hands on, what is already, my favourite badge to adorn the walls of TBHQ!  Awesome, authentic and straight off the front grille of an 18 wheeler. Knowing it’s been round the USA a few times makes it far better than a brand new  one in my book. I’ve wanted one for ages but you’d be amazed at how difficult it is to buy a Peterbilt grille badge from here in the UK. Luckily for me the one and only Geoff Byford (yes he of Western Star fame!) picked this one up for a snip from a scrap yard in Nashville, Tenesse. I just think it’s brilliant and will be pride of place once the new TBHQ is open. 

#realdeal #americanmetal #needmorewallspace #thanksgeoff #peterbilt 

Special Scania – For Sale!!

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Te Koop – Zum Verkauf – Till Salu – Per la Vendita – Pour la Vente – Para la Venta!!!

This very rare, very unique, very well loved Scania R560 is now for sale, due to a new replacement. The long list of spec is as follows; 

LHD V8 560 euro5

3.1. M wheelbase 

2 pedal automatic with overdrive 

Scania Retarder

Clutch still 100%

Brakes linings

71% 72%. F

70% 67%. M

83% 84%. R

1 owner from new

6×2 twin tag all on air

Special Types 

Front Axle – 8t air. 385/65 

Middle Axle – 12.7t air heavy duty 315/70 , 

Rear Axle – 8.3t air twin wheel 315/70

Alcoa Dura bright wheels centre trims on all wheels

Heavy duty Twin chassis 29t tractor 

Gross train weight 72,000kg

Low air slider 1150mm 

Full infill + between wings 

Rear lockers (easy removed )

Fuel 710ltrs NS 

320 ltrs OS

SB side skirts 

Change over box (exhaust)

Topline cab

Full BWS body work

Computer + 2x pto prep (this is needed if tipping gear/ crane/blower is ever fitted with auto box)

Air horns

Night cooling (not water) 

Twin sets of beacons

Head bored

Deep sun visor 4 spots

Running lights

Fogs 

Rear work lights x4

NATO + split charge 

Engine heater (plug in)

Fuel heater

Rear batteries (new )Cab scania black/grey 

lockers both sides

Both side lux seats

Full leather lux pack including large dash display 

Piano Blackwood/ leather steering wheel

Large bed 

Top bed 

Water night heater 

Microwave 

Fridge/freezer 

Coffee maker 

TV + sat

2din radio

CB

German toll

Side pockets rear (scania)

4 sets of keys 

Full scania service from new 

1 driver apart from 3 rescues bk to yard 😂

Registered Nov 2011

557,000 km

If you serious about this vehicle it comes with a big price tag but is one of a kind! Needs a new home soon but happy to wait for the asking price. Please email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk and title your email “Tasker Scania”

History Won’t be Repeating!

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ACH Library Volvo F12 (14).jpg

Often we get told that not to meet your hero’s as they can turn out not to be the people you hope they are. Recently I got to meet a man who I consider to be one of my trucking hero’s if you like. As I regularly do on the blog I harp back to the golden days of transport which I’m sure most of you will agree was the 20 years spanning the 1970’s through to the 1990’s, but unfortunately for me and many of you this was when I was growing up and not old enough to get behind the wheel (legally!). Reading magazines and spotting when on family journeys across the UK was all I had to survive on. When I think back there were really to many fleets to name that I would look out for but at the top of my list were ACH and the black trucks of Ralph Davies. The men behind both of these iconic fleets are what I consider to be my trucking hero’s, luckily for me I recently met up with one David Fowler. Mr Davies is still on the list!

I run the ACH page on Facebook as back in the 1970’s actually before I was born, my own father worked at ACH for a few years.I blame the County Cream trucks in part for what has become some what of an obsession over the last 37 years, but i have to say a very enjoyable one. I look back and talk about the golden years of UK international transport as I firmly feel that those days are gone and sadly won’t be back. What better place to discuss and relish in what was, than on the www with you lot. Luckily the ACH page on Facebook has grown and grown and I am very happy to say that is followed very much by plenty of fans, ex drivers, employees and also Mr Fowler. Due to the wonders of technology it meant we could make contact and have a few email conversations and finally a meeting. David said he had a huge photo collection which of course I wanted to see, so far i have been allowed to borrow the first box of photos for scanning which I can tell you is awesome! At some point I hope to share more with you but that is dependant on David and of course how things pan out as i have a few ideas.

I think it is vital that photos and documents from the golden days are now scanned and kept in digital form. So often at the moment I hear of people throwing away photo collections and the like and it saddens me to think about it. Photos are an integral part of the UK transport history that we younger ones should be taking on from those who are older and even passed on to the big truck stop in the sky. At my place of work, a whole cupboard of photos from the 80’s through to the 2000’s were skipped as they needed the space for filing and all that remains is one 3 album photo box. I’m gutted to say that this was long before I joined the company, so there was never a chance of me giving the collection a safe home. This makes me wonder what is happening to all the other collections there must be. I have heard of a few up for sale, a few which are constantly being sold off on eBay and I also hear of many, many that get binned. These photos are priceless and tell the stories that the sadly ageing driver pool from the golden years won’t be able to tell and pass on for much longer. If you know of any trucking elders, I urge you to talk to them and ask if they have a collection anywhere that they want to pass on to you. If you don’t ask you don’t get and all that old jazz. I asked Mr Fowler if he would lend his photos to me so I can scan them into the computer, luckily for me he agreed, so for now at least part of the history of the well-know County Cream, red and black trucks that ran far and wide across the UK, Europe and beyond (yes….beyond!) has been saved for hopefully all to enjoy eventually.

dads-ach-photos-7

The photo at the top is Copyright to Mr Fowler and just sums ACH up for me. The photo above was in a small batch my Dad had from his days at ACH in the early 70’s although I have found similar in David’s box. Now the second part of my transport historian quest is the paperwork and items that were used on a day-to-day basis. I have never seen a telex machine in person and never seen a telex note. I found a couple in David’s box of treats, so they too have been scanned as momento of a forgotten era! Along with the telex I found a copy of a GV60 application. For those of you that know what a GV60 is, you probably have seen a hundred of them but for me it was a first. The GV60 was/is the form you had to submit to the Department of Transport to enable your trailer to be given authorisation that you could carry goods under Customs Seal. A couple of photo’s of the brand new trailer along with a description of the build, security measure and of course registered keepers details had to be completed. If the DoT was happy then the trailer could then be used as it was intended. These days I wonder how many trailers are GV60 approved? Probably not many due to the low numbers of you still doing international haulage.

ach-library-scans-gbv1107-5

There will be plenty more to come from ACH I hope, some of the photos are just awesome but there is plenty of scanning to be done first. Please, everyone who is a trucking romantic like me and I know some of you are otherwise you wouldn’t have got this far through the blog, talk to the old drivers of these heady days, ask them the questions and ask about the evidence. Lots of drivers were too busy driving all day to take photos but those that did have captured a time and a place I can only day-dream about. Yes it was hard work, but who minds that if you’re enjoying it, what I would do to go back to a brand new F series Volvo and have to tip and load Rome and back with nothing but running money, paper tachographs and strong flask of coffee! Oh the romance of the road…….