Category Archives: Mr Mat Ireland

Big Love for #littlebigcabclub

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Lots of action this week on my favourite subject and Facebook group, the small but mighty #littlebigcabclub – the place for all the lightweight big sleeper cabs. Got to be a maximum of 15 tons GVW and have a sleeper cab, tick those twos boxes and you’re in the club. Ideally you want to be part of the “6 Stud Mafia” that earns you extra cool points in my book. Look at Steve Marsh in the above photo taken by Mat Ireland in Ipswich this week;

  • 12 Tonner
  • 6 Stud Wheels
  • MAN TGL with Hatcher Components Sky Cab

That’s all it needs, add to the mix that Marshy is proper international too and it really doesn’t get any better as a club member. That said it’s not just Marshy flying the international flag, I spotted this lovely little 715 Atego this week in the traffic jam on my morning commute. The little Dutchman has the Atego BigSpace cab and would have come off the Hoek boat in Harwich that morning. Working for the Hizkia art group in the Netherlands, I’d guess it carries a lot of fresh air and the odd piece of artwork all over Europe. It’s also got the best number plate letters!

Further to the above spots, I’ve also been gradually adding more and more members to the Facebook group for the #littlebigcabclub. As I sort of predict, when I add new members they nearly always have a photo to add of a little truck they have driven. These days the more modern versions seem to be 12 tonners, due to the weight of the trucks but from the past they were all 7.5 tonners (without speed limiters!!) although I’m not sure if 8 ton was the going weight in Europe?? Perhaps one of the Dutch can confirm please.

This little German frigo was spotted by Gavin Pearson recently, about to load onto the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone. Looking at the truck it ticks all the boxes, right wheels, right cab, right weight, it’s an 8.220 so has power too and looking at the livery it’s engaged on international courier work, may be pharmaceuticals or samples looking at how small the body is. There was or maybe there still is, a chap here in England that had a little frigo and he used to do European round trips on samples work. That is the ultimate job for me. A 12 ton fridge on European work and I’ll be happy than the proverbial pig in faeces.

When you start your driving career by buying this little DAF 45, is it any wonder why I think they are the bees knees! My fondness of the little lorries even got me a mention in the latest Truck & Driver Podcast, so if you fancy some retro 7.5 ton truck talk, along with all the other new truck chat, head over to your podcast download site and search for “Truck & Driver” or click HERE to go to the Apple Store to download it. Enough little truck chat, if you want to be in the club, then search for the group on Facebook and request to join; #littlebigcabclub – stickers are available!

Merry Christmas Bloggers!!

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Greek Express by Mat Ireland

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Ah Greece. Greek salad, sunshine, Mythos beer, and of course, classic trucks! So many reasons to love the place! My girlfriend and myself have a once yearly job where we take two dogs down to Athens to go onwards to their owners residence on Mykonos island. Being a transport historian and enthusiast (I much prefer this to anorak!) means that I always arm myself with my camera before the trip, as you never know what you will find, but you will always find something old!


For this blog, I have decided to stick to the #littlebigcabclub stuff so beloved of Ben and myself. My first ever ‘truck’ was a Mercedes 814, followed by a rocket of a 817, so seeing these brings back many good memories. An awful lot of petrol stations seem to have one stationed there, even in the bigger towns, so I guess they are used for bulk deliveries to customers locally, I will have to try and find out.
Anyway, I present to you, some of my findings from our Greek trip, enjoy!

Mystery DAF in the Dock

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So my good pal who many of you will know by various names, Mat Ireland, needs a little help with a mystery DAF 3300. Spotted many moons ago in Felixstowe dock, this DAF was never seen again, by May anyway. Clearly an owner driver or small haulier, with a cab covered in murals of well clothed ladies, some extra lights and generally a great looking truck. Not to mention seen here pulling a trailer from one of the best trailer companies there is (I may be a little biased!), Continental Cargo Carriers.

As you can see there is just a chance that it’s still sat somewhere in the UK, since January 1998, as no export market given, but that isn’t always correct. Was still listed as blue, was on the road for 13 years and judging by the date the tax expired it had been taxed for 12 months every year. That’s about all that my Columbo skills can tell me. I am sure that someone somewhere will know the truck straight away and be able to give a name, to help Mat get some sleep at night. Has anyway got any other photos? Did you own it at some point? Any info greatly received, so please leave comments or contact me.

Kepstowe Freight – Help (& Photos)

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For Mat Ireland:

Need some sleuth work! Maybe one for the blog? I am trying to find out what magazine/newspaper this came from. I have tried Googling all sorts but to no avail, does anyone recognise the stars after the date perhaps? John Gaskell, if the same reporter, passed away in 2008 and wrote for the telegraph, other than that it appears to be a character in Holby city which doesn’t help ha ha!

Retro Truck Show 2019 Vlog

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Oh happy sunny days, when we could stay outside without drowning, when we could stand about all evening, enjoying a cool beer and a good yarn with other like minded folk, bring back the summer! The Retro Truck Show at Gaydon is still one of, if not the best Truck Show in the UK. This year was especially good, as I was able to take a beast of truck, in a convoy, with a V8 burbling away and smoke pouring out the stacks!

Myself in the 143 450 Streamline, James from HC Wilson in the 141 and Matt Ireland in the F16. Now there’s a convoy for the truck pervert! Although its not particularly good quality but the photo below is a sight for retro eyes, coming up the M40, probably how the M40 used to be with the Irish running between boats. I know we were spotted by a few, as there were various comments on social media over the show weekend about how people had seen such a great sight back on the UK motorways!

Anyway, my photo talents are sketchy at the best of times, but you can see the rest of my photos by clicking HERE – If this doesn’t float your boat, then have a watch of Matt’s little video of the weekend. Starting off with some convoy action from the drive up. A great afternoon and what a lucky bunch we are to have friends who will let us borrow these fine motors of yester-year. Just for the record I did realise that i am not one of those that gets fed up with the V8 growling through the open sun roof, even in the rain showers. Thanks again to all involved in a top weekend, you know who you are, thanks to Darren and his team for putting on another great show and thanks to all those who came with trucks. In my opinion the widest variety this year of different makes and models. If you have not been to the Retro show before, get yourselves along next year, or get yourself booked in with your retro motor. If you think yours isn’t up to standard or isn’t shiny enough, it really isn’t that kind of show. Those in, shall we say, “working” condition or those needing a little Tcut here and there get just as much attention as the show is full of enthusiasts.

MB 817 still Going International

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After all the hype of the little MB814 I saw last week on my holidays, I was sent a few photos from various readers….thank you. Of course there’s always a Top Trump in the pack and it just so happens it was sent it by one of the original 814 pilots himself, Mat Ireland. Out and about in Austria last week on his way to Romania, imagines Mats excitement when his big DAF came upon this little #littlebigcabclub gold member! This is a Mercedes-Benz 817, sleeper with tilt body as you can see. Photoed in Austria heading eastbound, it was most likely heading home to Serbia judging by the registration plate. Another 1000km minimum added to the odometer if not more depending where it had actually been. I do wonder how many miles the old girl had in her but I guess that’s the age old question, I better get measuring that piece of string! Top Spotting Mat thank you.

TB on The Move – Kyrgyzstan

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My pal and super mega trucker Mat Ireland has a handful of stickers that he is handing out Trucks he meets from far and wide, the further and wider the better! TB on the move is a global thing I’ll have you know. From council trucks in Brazil to Road-trains in Australia, through to Africans, Americans and some of the last Astran trucks to the Middle East, not to mention scrap metal trucks from Ipswich, they all want, crave, strive, are part of the big TB family. Truckers one and all are welcome to my club. Anyway enough of my nonsense and onto Kyrgyzstan. Where?? You don’t need a sat-nav, just follow the sun like John Williams, Dave Poulton and Dick Rivers, it’s South of Kazakhstan, 2 countries above Afghanistan and shares its eastern border with China, its quite a way from the Bad Benthiem border in Deutschland where Mat met this driver. Nice to see he’s driving a proper truck, take note Mat…..

“I pulled into Bad Bentheim border for my usual walk around with my camera to see what far flung countries some had come from, and that was parked in there! I could see the chap was about so thought he was worthy of a sticker! He spoke no English and my Russian is very limited but he understood it was a present from England, and looked very happy! It’s a long long way to Kyrgyzstan!!”

TB to Uzbekistan

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Ever the friend maker whilst out and about, my good pal Mat Ireland was at the Bachivsk border from Ukraine into Russia yesterday when he met this driver from Uzbekistan. As Mat has a supply of TB stickers he has been challenged to stick a few on various far flung trucks he meets on his months away in Europe and beyond. This was one of four UZ trucks at the border all on the same job, delivering onions from UZ to Kiev, UA. From Kiev the drivers head back across the border into Russia before making calls to find reloads back to UZ. In broken pigeon English Mat established the trip from loading in UZ to Kiev is 4000km, some trip. As part of the UK international relations team, Mat and brother Nick have been educating the Uzbek drivers on English fine cuisine…..pork scratching and a cup of tea!

Transam Trucking Summer 2018 – P1

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It might not turn out to be the summer of love but I’m sure it will be trucking good one. My good buddy Mat Ireland is once again going to have a busy summer keeping all of our favourite music artists, moving about Europe, keeping us all entertained and giving us those summer songs and experiences we all crave during the long dark months of winter. Mat has promised me that he will keep the video diaries coming this year, so I thought it was only fair to post his first video for you all to see. I don’t need to say anything about it other than it seems a long way down down to the bottom deck of the Stena boat! I’ve been aboard many times but I have never been down to the bottom. Anyway it’s a cracking start to the season Mat, so please keep them coming……sorry about the plonker you met in Colchester on your way to Harwich.