Category Archives: International Mega Trucking

Special Polish MAN

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No jokes please, we are all the same never mind where your from!! Last week i had the pleasure of loading 5 Polish tilts in the yard. I have to say that all 5 restored my faith in Polish drivers. They were all helpful, knew what they were doing and offered me beer! I have no idea what the standard of driving was like but at least the cargo was well lashed to the trailers before they left!! This truck in particular caught my eye. My Polish isn’t great I’ll be honest, but this looks to me like some sort of special edition. The paintwork, stickers and interior had all been jazzed up from your normal MAN and the stereo was some thing else, i had thought about taking it down to Southend seafront to show all the Corsa and Saxo drivers how to do it!! Does any one have any info about this possible special edition? any jokes?? email me at ben@truckblog.co.uk

Manton European Freezer Freight Part 2

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After asking if any of you out there had any info about this relatively unknown to me company, as I’m beginning to find i can trust in my readers! I had this cracking response from ex Manton’s driver Tim Speight.
The email read as follows;
Hi Ben,
I worked for Mantons in 1993 to ’95, as a fitter. I am also a close friend of the family. They operate from just outside Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Was run by two brothers until about 2000 and ran approx 30 trucks and trailers including a couple of tankers. Most of the fleet were Scanias, moved on to a couple of Renault Magnums too! They also had a cold store next to the A1 near Knaresborough. Think they only have 3 or 4 on the go now and only one brother running the outfit. If my memory serves me, I actually double manned this unit to Moscow in ’94, with frozen dried egg powder for a bakery out there, this run was done once a month, 17 day round trip and in those days, Russia was just splitting up and was full of bandits, hence the double manning, not stopping once over the border. Brings back memories and I still see the other brother quite often. Thanks for a great photo,
Regards
Tim

Tim you are a top man!! Now here’s a challenge can any one provide more pictures and for a big old pat on the back, can you furnish the UK’s top truck blog (view of Mr Ben Sheldrake not necessarily of any one else any where!) with a picture of a Mantons Renault Magnum???
My only picture response was from Neil Jarrold of www.euro-wheels.com . Neil has a picture of every truck that has ever driven on a UK road (well…..so it seems!) these 2 were snaped in Dover back in the late 80’s early 90’s i should think. If you have a spare day or 2 head over to www.euro-wheels.com and see what you can find.
www.euro-wheels.com
Picture is Copyright of Neil Jarrold.

That DAF Tanker?

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Open your brains, cast them back a few years and set to DAF. This tanker was always going the other way, it always seemed to be one step ahead. I think i only ever had the pleasure of following it the once, when i took this picture, usually i had to enjoy the work of art in my mirrors! This was a 4×2 DAF Super Space Cab, a bulk liquid tanker with polished tank, hazchem boards and general international sticker/signage. The picture on the back was of some sort of industrial scene, with silhouettes of factories and chimneys. Ringing any bells yet? I am hoping that one of you will be able to shed some light on this ‘ere truck, if you know any thing or have more pictures, then please email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk
That Tanker Take 2

Geoff Gilbert comes to Truckblog

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I’m hoping this wont be the one and only photo i get to put on here of this classic haulier. They must be on he list of well known international hauliers, sadly no longer with us. I remember keeping an eye out for them as a boy and also used to enjoy a  the odd chat with a driver or 2 on the Euro Tunnel. I think the last chap i spoke to was nearing retirement and often took his wife with him. I remember the meeting as he had reloaded 24 ton of chocolate from Switzerland, now that is a tasty reload! This picture comes courtesy of one Colin Waters an ex GG driver. I asked him to have a hunt about to see what he could find in his loft and this is all he could find, but he is hoping some of his old GG colleagues may come up trumps. This was GIL 8217, Colin’s regular steed, this was a local delivery out to Schipol Airport, excellent timing with the plane going up, i never realised Mr Waters was such a David Bailey!!
GIL 8217

From Big Trev Himself

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Having a few emails from Trevor Dodwell on other matters so i thought i’d give him the wonderfull opportunity of contributing to the best truck blog in the world (this one not BigLorryBlog!). He says he will send more but sent this cracker to start with. Trevor’s legendary 143 Streamliner, one of the best and last fully Astran liveried trucks. Not only was the truck a beauty to drive but Trevor say’s the trailer had all the bits and bobs you need for driving the long dusty roads to the Middle East. He say’s “The trailer’s extra accessories included: Angle fridge, full fitted kitchen with running water and diesel capacity on the whole vehicle is 2,100 litres to fill it up in Saudi cost less than a hundred pound.!” Thats a £100 total not per litre like it is here currently!! Great pic Trev, keep sending them…….
Trevor Dodwell

Delamode International

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I remember a few years ago in Braintree, this company started expanding rapidly with their own fleet of vehicles. I think they ended with 5 or 6 Iveco Eurostars all with matching stepframe garment trailers. Mainly running to Romania the trucks always appeared after a few weeks filthy dirty. As my dads warehouse was opposite and he had tractor units sat all day that were used on night trunk duties, Delamode used to borrow a unit for shunting duties, unless one of these Iveco’s were back. I often used to wander over to watch them being loaded and unloaded. The loading bay was on an old warehouse and not a proper bay at all there fore it wasn’t easy to get square enough to get the garment loading rail into the trailer, so one day at the age of 16ish i was challenged to get the truck on the bay. This was my effort, not great but it was square enough to get it loaded. Yes i was chuffed!!
Delamode
I know i have never been much of a fan of Iveco, but these Eurostars did have the “Well Worked International Truck” look about them. They seemed to suit the TIR stepframes or the rental tilts (proper tilts Rich!).
Delamode
Eastern European Express!! Indeed it does look like that. I know i never used to hear great stories about people working for Delamode or subbies pulling for them, but i used to love these trucks coming in, wondering where they had been and what they had been upto (glad i didnt know!) but they deffinatly had the old fashioned Romanace of the long distance lorry driver!! Nowadays as you’d expect all the trucks that come to Braintree are Romanian registered. I seem to remember Delamode having a lovley old Scania 143 that was only in town once a year, does any one have a picture? i seem to remember it being in a magazine once. Email me at; ben@truckblog.co.uk
Delamode