Category Archives: International Mega Trucking

All About Me

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There’s been a lot of new recruits to the blog this year, on the www, Twitter and through the Facebook page so I thought I better tell you my credentials as I’m not just a wanna be trucker (although I do wanna be one again!), I have been there and done a bit. It goes something like this. Now this is a story all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down, and I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, and I’ll tell you how I became trucking nerd…… Oh no hang on that doesn’t rhyme!!

At the beginning of 1997 I was tasked on a college course to formulate a business plan that would or could work. It turns out the plan worked and the bank were keen so before I finished college I got a DAF 45 on order and started looking for work. In October ’97 I started as a Subbie for DFDS distribution in Coggeshall, Essex. I was soon covering….. 

 On a daily basis with anything between 15-20 deliveries and collections. What a way to learn my way about (no Sat-Navs then younger readers just a box of maps!) maps I hear you say?? Yep read THIS BLOG.  I still use some of the short cuts now! A year or so later and DFDS moved to Purfleet and I didn’t follow. Local business soon started giving me work and I was soon UK wide with loads of virtually everything and anything. The poor little DAF couldn’t keep up and 2-3 years after getting her I traded her in for possibly my favourite truck from the BJS fleet, an MAN 8.163 with a Hatcher Space cab.  

 This little German served me very very well and in our prime we were doing Braintree, Essex to Larkhall, Scotland 3 times a week even now and again with a reload of lead rolls from David Park Transport in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 3 pallets just over 3 ton. From day one I had done the odd run to the Continent but never enough. I was so busy running round the UK that I only ever got to wave as we passed to Steve Marsh as he was also the owner of a smart Hatcher canned MAN. A massive if only, but I believe if only we had stopped for a cuppa I could have still been doing the Continental with a little Tonka you. Along with, tail lifts, computers, baseball hats, Chinese menu’s, supermarket light fittings, industrial door fixings and 50-75kg sacks of hand loaded hessian sacks of malt to name but a few commodities I took on a driver and put the real show truck of the fleet on the road and passed the MAN onto my only ever employee Steve Shackle.  

 The Atego was awesome and again worked hard across the length and breadth of mainland UK. She was well recognised and got in quite a few magazines. This lead to the start of some Mercedes-Benz friendships that continue to this day. A very big customer went pop with no warning and I was literally in the proverbial dirty river with no oars. So goodbye to the MAN, the Atego and Steve. At the same time I was offered traction work although I didn’t have a class one license at the time. I ordered a Mercedes-Benz Actros of the same man that sold me the MAN and the Atego and two weeks before it went on the road I passed my class one with no minor faults.

  
I can safely say that living in this Actros (Claudia), turned me from boy to man. I lived in her virtually for the three years I had her and the long distance lorry driver life was what I hoped it always would be. Bloody hard work, great friends, some crazy trucking about and much to my delight a lot more continental. Nothing silly by most of your standards but, Belgium Holland and just into Germany on a very regular basis. Amazing the things you see and the situations you can find yourself in, some good some bad, some exciting and some ‘kin scary and eye opening but none the less it was awesome! I bought and restored a Scania 141 the same age as me and had agreed with the people I was working for that they’d give me trailer with no more than 15 ton on so for odd weeks I could run the 141 on the continent. Sadly it never happened. The 141 did, the work didn’t and not long after I had to make the hardest decision I’ve ever made and had to give up BJS International. 

  
The 141 got me going and the pinnacle was taking her to the Truckstar Festival in Holland. In the real world I got a job with a local firm driving an 8 wheeler around Essex for GB Finch. A fun job and I’m told I still hold plenty of fleet records. Drifting an 8 wheel tipper in wet mud is always good for morale.  

 I landed a job at HC Wilson Transport in the office and this was close to being what I wanted to do. Great people, great job and a great fleet. Routing trucks and securing loads all over Europe, Scandinavia and where ever the customer would pay, there’s a lot to learn in the world of international abnormal loads but it was rewarding. Oh the romance of international trucking! 

Moving on from Wilson’s having sold the 141 to raise a family, I went to Kersey Freight as fleet manager and holiday relief driver! Long days and on call 24 hours a day was rewarded with the odd spell back on the road doing two trips to Paris a week. Good times although I have to say back then crossing the channel was a breeze. 

 
Once again I got itchy feet and have now changed to the other side of the desk if you like and I have great job, spending my time talking about trucks to hauliers. Although not long after starting this dream job I did get offered the chance of being an owner driver again with a mini artic moving flash cars all over europa but age brings a certain amount thought and reality over what your spontaneous side wants to do. Funny old game, but I am a firm believer that once you get diesel in your veins you can’t get rid of it, hence the reason I’m trying to encourage my son to continue with his love of the local zoo and animals, but that’s the start of another hot topic in the press this week #lovethelorry. I now have friends across the UK and a couple else where in the world  through the blog and I find myself taking a big interest in driver friends daily trucking exploits to satisfy my never ending urge to go back on the road. I’ve not been a truck owner for a few years now and I feel like I have to say that in an AA meeting style! Hopefully in the next year or so I can get another retro show truck to help my marriage and stop me annoying Mrs Blog every weekend!! 
Anyway that’s me. Happy to talk trucks with anyone and I always question those who spend every day and night involved with trucks but still say that hate them.

“Ever see a duck that couldn’t swim?!”

Actros: Roadsharks Special Edition

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This gorgeous Dutch Mercedes-Benz 2563LS GigaSpace Roadstars Special Edition is on its way to the UK!! What a gorgeous beast although some would say I’m a little bias! It may have been the star of the MB stand at the RAI Show in Amsterdam this week and it might be left hand drive and it may have 630hp but I reckon it’s going to be some ones pride and joy and I can’t wait to see it in action. Look out for it from next week wearing UK plates!!

  

The Photos of David Wakefield

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A photo book by Nick Ireland celebrating the amazing photo collection of truck spotter and Driver, David Wakefield. So many of these amazing photo collections that have captured the golden years of trucking must get chucked out in house clearances and big clear ups it doesn’t bear thinking about. If only I had had the time and patience to photograph everything I saw coming in and out of Braintree during the 1980’s I would have a fair photo collection myself! Thanks to Nick Ireland we can all enjoy some of the best photos taken by David Wakefield. Don’t just think it’s a pure photo album, it’s not. The author has done a lot of research into each of the photos included in the book. Researching the truck, the photo, the driver or what ever could still be found, it really is a little masterpiece of UK haulage companies as well as the comings and goings of Dover docks.   It’s pretty difficult for me to write too much about this one or perhaps I mean show too many photos and images to tempt you as that would just take away the enjoyment of sitting down with a cuppa and thumbing through the book. It’s so nice to see that finally there is a publisher in 5M Publishing the owners of Old Pond Publishing who have realised that there is a lot of interest and popularity in books about trucks and all of those who are and were involved in the industry that keeps everything moving. Congratulations to the publishers, Nick Ireland and David Wakefield for a thoroughly enjoyable book and hopefully what I’d like to the first in a couple of books perhaps. 

If you want to buy a copy of the book then please just click HERE. 

Alternatively go to the Old Pond website and have a look at everything by clicking HERE.  

Wilson Wednesday 

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  A little Wilson Wednesday just for a change. It was a bit of a last minute one but even so a few photos to keep you all on your toes. The bright red trucks of HC Wilson from Elmswell spend their weeks pounding the roads of the U.K. and Europe. For those who might be unfamiliar to WW, it’s a feature I’ve run since I once worked for said red trucked haulier. So starting us off is a photo from one of the Wilson brothers themselves. Simon Wilson is a secret truck spotter and I’m sure he has a vast collection of photos that he keeps to himself most of the time. This picture is of R60 HCW loaded in the yard with a chunky-spud of an excavator. This load looks like a UK job rather than an export/import.    First up on the road is driver Slim Godfrey and Doris DAF. Above is the export, an extendable load out to the Netherlands and then below is today’s reload and import from Germany back to the UK.

  
Next is top Wilson Subbie Mike Tasker and his delightful Scania R560. A true owner driver machine, all the bells, whistles and creature comforts and I would stake a claim that it is probably one of kind here in the UK. The spec list is huge and uses Scania’s vast experience of heavy transport to produce a truck that gives  Mr Tasker a truck capable of any job that HC Wilson give him. This is a fairly modest reload from the Middle East….sorry the Middle East of Germany!

It’s not all Germany UK work, although reading this blog you could begin to think so. Driver Geordie and his truck, European Charger, have been on UK work today, running about delivering new CAT machines from Purfleet to Cannock. Looks a treat!  

Thanks to all the drivers who took part, we mustn’t leave it as long next time!!

 

Corrr-Fu’ Trucks ere Ba!

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  That’s Suffolk speak by the way. Every summer holidays I receive a motley selection of photos usually from the various port towns around the Mediterranean. My old boss man, Simon Wilson, often spends his holidays taking my kind of holiday snaps. Sorry my 2nd favourite kind of holiday snaps! This year I received a few emails from Mr Wilson and I have to say once again the standard of trucks is still very impressive. Perhaps even more impressive is that all of these old buses were found on just one Greek island, Corfu.    

   This year the Wilson family holiday was a static one on the Greek island of Corfu. I know the Greeks love their trucks and it’s evident that Corfu is no different to the mainland. Lots of old glory still turning a wheel in sunnier climbs. One thing I have noticed is that quite a few of the tractor units appear to be on Bulgarian number plates, have a look at the two trucks below.

   Both trucks have Greek names or livery on but are still bearing, what seems to be Bulgarian plates. We are know the distinctive small, yellow Greek style number plates and these are clearly missing on these two trucks. May be its just a batch of ex Bulgarian trucks that have been exported to Corfu, or may be there is a bigger connection that I’m missing. What else is still evident is the Greek love for V8’s and big horsepower trucks. A good selection of 500’s, R164’s and a lovely silver 610 Volvo FH.    

 Its always a pleasure to see a line up of old motors still in daily use. It’s also a pleasure to receive emails with such photos. If you find something on your holidays then please feel free to email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk and I will happily post them up on the blog. Just make sure it’s not the other sort of holiday photos! Thanks to Mr Wilson for the photos and as always I will look forward to seeing next years!   

American in Suffolk 

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In the last two weeks I’ve had my morning commute slightly enlightened by something big, American and making a fair old noise. As I queue northbound on the A12 Ipswich bound at the Copdock roundabout I have twice in two weeks stumbled upon a big American tanker. Both have been foreign registered, the one above being French, but both pulling what look like food grade tankers as neither had any HAZ markings. I’m guessing that as they are on tanker work our French friends have decided that they can have something a little more exciting as the tankers are short, it allows more length for a decent tractor unit. Personally I think my choice would be a European truck such as the Volvo VN’s or a Tcab Scania as the ride is far better than the American metal. Saying that there is still something very enjoyable Bout motoring along with a big Kenworth on British roads.    

 You might just note in the photo above I had my window slightly ajar. The reason being is that these lovely old Americans still have Jake Brakes in full working order, so trickling along in the morning traffic jam means you get a fairly lengthy tune from the Jake as the tanker rolls down towards the roundabout. Beautiful. I would have to assume that these tankers jobs are paying pretty well as the MPG can’t be up to much. While watching another Big Rig Videos rolling CB interview the other day, the driver seemed pleased with himself that on a good run when trying, he could get his MPG all the way up to 5.5mpg!!! Anyway I’m not fussed as long as the job they are heading to continues I’ll keep enjoying their soundtrack instead of the usual drivel on the radio in the mornings. 

   
 Below is the other Kenworth I saw a few weeks back. Now that big exhaust sounded even better than this weeks, both going forward as well as with the Jake. 
 

Over Your Head

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I’ve been to a few truck shows over the past year in both the UK and Europe. What I have noticed is the increasing number of roof mascots..weather it’s the Michelin Man, Flipje (the Dutch jam maker), Convoy Duck, or even home made ones as the black Scania below. Can anyone tell me who the guy with steering wheel is giving the Dutch salute ??

With The ever popular retro style of low roofed cabs comes the roof racks with the beer creates and the Danish headboards. I think these are an improvement on the 4 spot lamps we have seen for many years in the UK.

   
    
 
Written by James Cartwright.

Gathering of The Griffin 2015

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  Griffin Gatherings come round but once a year, well down in Ipswich they do anyway. For those of you who have been hidden under a rock for the last few years, you’re probably the only people who are unaware of the worlds largest gathering of Scania’s and as far as we know it is the only single marque truck show in Europe. Whether you’re a Scania fan or not it is an impressive sight to see 110+ trucks all in the same place wearing the same badge.   The show is held at the Orwell Truckstop on the A14 at Ipwsich on the last weekend of September. The gathering of trucks is open to anything manufactured by Scania, last year was a first in that there was a truck from every generation of Scania production from a 65 to a 0 series right through to a brand spanking new Golden Griffin R Series, definitely a one off event. This year the plan is the same as normal, more trucks than the year before as this shows the word is spreading and the interest is growing, this year will also see the first Dutch truck at the show, so clearly the word has crossed the North Sea.    

 This year the show has grown well beyond last years number and is still rising. So far there are more than 55 first time entrants so they will be plenty of new Swedish metal to look at. There are some well known trucks coming too, the gorgeous blue Tcab from Longthornes will be making a welcome return, the stunning moving memorial that is Afgan Heros will be there as will the huge, brand new, red Longline driven by Phil Lane from Stuart Nicholl Transport.   

 Officially the closing date to get your Scania entered for this years show is the last day of August so you haven’t got long. The reason for the early closing is that the organisers arrange the parking so that all trucks are parked with others of the same generation, i.e. All 2 series together parked in a row. This is good for two reasons, it’s great to see all of them parked with the others of the same age and also it means you can’t all park with your normal group of mates which makes for a far more social event! The idea behind the show is  If you want to enter it will cost you £10 that’s it. All I ask is that if you enter then please make sure you come!! If you do want to enter please ask for a form on the Griffin Gathering Facebook page or email gotg37@hotmail.com or leave a comment below with your email address and I can send you a form myself, so hurry up, more the merrier. What’s my involvement? I love old Scania’s that’s what, 143 and before are just awesome. My own opinion and plenty won’t agree but as a boy growing up there was nothing I wanted more than a 2 or 3 series V8. So now I have the pleasure of Sponsoring the Best 3 Series in show. See you there people!

  
 

Trucking In Deepest Peru

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No sign of an old hat or a battered suitcase, no blue duffle coat, no wellington boots, no marmalade sandwiches or any little brown bears, it would seem deepest darkest Peru is just full of hard working trucks! Please don’t think I have been off on another jolly half way round the world, but my cousin Tim Andrew is the lucky one. Some of you may or may not know my cousin and his work as world wide professional photographer. Now and again Tim and myself have a chat and invariably its to do with vehicles of some sort usually what ever he has been photographing most recently. I always remember reading Trucking International magazine when I was a boy and rushing through it to see if Tim’s name was attached to any of the articles inside. I was always very proud or pleased to see his photos in the magazines and these days I’m even more pleased to see people’s reviews of his work online such as on Tim’s LinkedIn profile. Once again I find myself wishing I could have some of Tim’s prowess and talent. 
      

I knew Tim and his family were travelling around South America some where, so when I saw Tim’s email come in I was intrigued to see what it was all about, especially as it was titled “Peru Trucks!”. Now Tim is a professional photographer I know and with more experience than most others in the same game, but even so when some one says “These photos are mainly shot through bus or train windows.” It makes me at least, think they might be a little fuzzy, blurred, have reflection from the windows etc etc. what a fool I am, profession through and through, the photos are great and better than any of mine with a tripod and my little skill! There are 35+ photos and I am gutted to say that I can’t use them all on here. What I did notice, apart from a mix of US and Europe trucks, was one particular Volvo FH Globetrotter that I’m guessing was a European based truck at some point, due to the green “L” low noise plate on the front. 

  
 
Over to Tim and a few words about the Peru trip and a little about himself too;

High Andes, Peruvian trucks.

“I found myself in Peru for a few weeks this summer. There weren’t necessarily roads were I travelled, but when there were, they were full of vehicles of varying size and shape. Motorised rickshaws, tuk-tuks, minibuses crammed to the hilt, cars, pickups busses and large trucks. As a specialist car photographer, I was looking out for unusual Peruvian variants, but was mostly disappointed with the variety and quality of cars; boring Hyundais, Kias & Toyotas dominated. What really stood out were the colourful US style trucks. I seized the opportunity to snap them. Most of them were shot during a few bus/train rides through the high Andes plains. This area between Puño & Arequipa is mostly above 3000m. and is a sparsely populated area, surrounded by 6000m volcanoes where vegetation is minimal, lamas, alpacas and wild vicuñas graze on the sun parched grasses. The Carretera Interoceanica (34A) links the low coastline to the high Andes towns of Juliaca, Puño & Cusco, and beyond to Bolivia and eventually the Amazon. It’s a vital lifeline and so carries all sorts of goods. It also forms the backbone of the mining industry, with countless spur roads or dusty tracks leading off into the void. I cannot give you any specific information about the trucks themselves other than the convoys were well organised, proceeded by pickup trucks announcing the number of trucks involved. These were mainly mining carriers ploughing down the main road. Every so often there is a toll booth, as the Peruvian government decided to subcontract road building to private companies. As a result the surfaces are good and sound and carefully managed. The truck stops are almost the opposite. Overtaking is easy with the long straight roads, but when it gets twisty in the mountain passes, better close your eyes and cross your fingers as a passenger.”      

About my cousin Tim Andrew:

Tim Andrew has been photographing cars and trucks for 30 years for various magazines and companies such as Trucking International, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Nikon cameras, Car Magazine, Octane, Classic Cars, Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Peugeot. You can see more of his work at www.timandrew.co.uk Recently he has added aerial filming to his skills go to http://www.pixauto.com and see his work. 
Email: tim@timandrew.co.uk

Web: www.timandrew.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tim_andrew

Facebook: www.facebook.com/timandrew.co.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/timandrew

   
    
   

NEWS: EU Drivers Hours Relaxed 

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EU Drivers hours laws have been temporarily relaxed for drivers heading to Eurotunnel or Dover for a crossing to Calais. For the full release please click HERE.  Please read the following from The Department of Transport;

The industrial action at the Port of Calais and incidents at the Euro Tunnel terminal and Channel Tunnel has caused major disruption to cross-Channel commercial vehicle traffic through the Tunnel and to some ferry routes to and from Kent. This has resulted in Operation Stack being invoked on the M20.
The Department for Transport has, pursuant to Article 14(2) of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, agreed to a temporary and limited, exceptional relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules. The temporary relaxation applies only to drivers whose journeys are delayed due to the industrial action or disruption at Calais and who:

– have used a cross channel ferry or Eurotunnel to reach or leave Kent

– are waiting within Kent for departure to mainland Europe

– are driving a commercial vehicle operated from an operating centre in Kent and whose journey has been disrupted

This relaxation is not available for other commercial vehicle drivers in Kent and is not available for international journeys that do not pass through Kent.

This temporary relaxation applies from 00:01 on Thursday 30 July 2015 and will run for a period of 30 days at the times when Operation Stack is in place. Up to date information on the status of Operation Stack is available from Kent Police and Highways England.

The department reserves the right to withdraw or suspend the relaxation earlier if circumstances change. This relaxation is under constant review and may be withdrawn or suspended with less than 24 hours’ notice.