Category Archives: Photos

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

   
    
   

Oldest DAF in The UK??

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Finally something DAF on the blog! It’s been a while since the last DAF blog and I have to say that I don’t really have any excuses so I apologise.  It brought a wee small smile to my face when I received a request from DAF Trucks UK to help promote a search they are running, how could I refuse?! 

What DAF UK are trying to do is to find the the oldest DAF truck still on the road in the UK. It doesn’t matter if it’s working or not, but it does have to be road going, i.e. still as to move on the road under its own power. A simple request and I’m sure that some of you can respond and some of you will know some good old DAF trucks that are still turning a wheel. As it goes I’m quite keen to see the results myself so I hope, you my dear readers, will come up with some real gems. As I said it doesn’t matter if it’s a worker or not, DAF UK want to see your old girls please. 

You can tweet me @truckbloguk or @DAFTrucksUK and send your pics that way or you can post your pics up. Probably a good idea to put a manufacture or first reg date on if you can. Alternatively you can post your pics on DAF UK’s Facebook page or again you can post them on the Truckblog FB page. Which ever way you want to share you beloved old DAF please use the hash tags #DAF #Goingthedistance #truck

I look forward to seeing what turns up and as and when DAF UK have completed their search I hope to do a write up with the results. 

  

Portugese-MAN-O-Light

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Here’s a truck we’ve not seen much of recently, Steve Marsh and GB14 STE. I think things have been a little quiet for Marshy of late, with mainly local runs to the North of France, Ireland and the Benelux countries. These locals are not worthy of blogging Mr Marsh’s eyes (I disagree), so when I received a photo of an Um Bongo vehicle followed by “Guess where I am?” I instantly thought back to the last time I spoke of and saw anything to do with Um Bongo; Portugese-MAN-O-Juice. 

 

So how does the master of international express hot shot work carry out such a job and how does it pan out? I’ll tell you how, just read on. All KM’s paid too. 

Friday: Load ADR cargo from Runcorn, GB. 

Ship: Douvres to Calais (no Spanish boats available)

Tuesday: Deliver to Um Bongo, Carnaxide, Lisboa, P. 

Top Spotting: Activ Cars, Mini artic in Burgos, E. 

Thursday: Load aerosols in La Fleché, F. (1664KM North East of Carnaxide)

Ship: Calais to Douvres

Friday: Tip Newcastle Upon Tyne, GB

Saturday: Home for Nougat Chocolate pillows (breakfast!), Warrington, GB. 

Round Trip Approx 5,240KM.

 

  

The eagle eyed Marsh-MAN fans amoungst you, might have noticed a little bit of new bling on the still relatively new MAN. Marshy is a modest man when it comes to blinking up the hard working wagon, but after a little trip to Jimbars in Cumbria, a little light shine was added to GB14. A full front bumper and a very tidy little rear brake light bar, both fitted with additional LED’s. Very subtle but very smart during the hours or darkness I’m sure. Anyway, back to business, Destion Denmark. 

  

  

 

NEW: Scania Silver Griffin

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Here in the UK we had the Scania Golden Griffin, but over in the Benelux countries they have just  launched today, their own special edition……Silver Griffin. In my opinion it looks better and appears to have more thought put into it than it’s British cousin. Only 100 trucks available so if you want one you better get your passport out!

 

 

  

  

  

2015 Show Season

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Show season is upon us once again! Whether you are thinking of one of the many Truckfest events, or one of the independent shows such as the Peak Truck Show, the Barnard Castle show, Full of the Pipe in Ireland or one of the smaller up and coming shows such as the Cornwall Truck Show, the Evesham Truck show or even the only single marque show in the UK, The Gathering of the Griffin held for Scania owners, drivers and enthusiasts alike, what ever your show the season has begun. If you run your own show then please email, tweet or some how send me show details so I can put it on the blog for you.



There are shows up and down the country  and it is high time that all dates and locations were in one simple  easy location for everyone to find, but as yet, even on the blog, we have all failed to compile a singular list of all shows. The list in Trucking International magazine is about as comprehensive as it gets. Speaking from my simple show experience, it doesn’t seem to matter if you are entering a truck or just a day visitor there is a show for you some where. My days of entering trucks in shows are some what over unless some one is kind enough to loan me one. Even as a day visitor I still don’t get round to as many shows as I’d like, we specially the independents where there seems to be an increased sense of atmosphere and a smaller number of trucks. The Retro truck show at Gaydon in September is the best example of this and incidently according to a Poll I did here on the blog, the Retro Show was also your favourite truck show of 2014.

The effort that drivers, owners and their families are putting in to keeping the trucks in top condition gets better and better every year. Just look at the well known Fallen Heros Scania above. I saw this truck up close for the first time at the Gathering of the Griffin last year. It’s a stunning truck, a rolling tribute to all the fallen soldiers in Afganistan, so it deserves to be well looked after. Therefore it isn’t possible to question the amount of effort Kian Humphreys and his family put in to keeping it clean. This does allow me to publish one of my favourite photos from last year. The following photo sums up the effort required to maintain a top custom truck………





I do have a hand in the Gathering of The Griffin, held in Ipswich every September. I am known as a Scania fan amoung other things, so I take great pleasure in judging the Best 3 Series Scania every year. There is no other one marque truck show in the UK, never mind the fact that last year there were over 115 Scania trucks all in one place. Including for the first time ever, at least one truck from very series sold in the UK. I can email you an entry form if required. All I ask is that if you enter please turn up as the parking for the weekend is all arranged in series order and does give the organiser the odd head ache when trying to make the final plan, so drop outs or should I say those who can’t be arsed to turn up, certainly aren’t flavour of the weekend!



This year myself I will be trying to attend a few events, most of the time I’ll be wearing a Truckblog Polo shirt, so feel free to come and say hello. I am currently planning on going to the following shows for the day or the weekend;

Yes Interlaken! I can’t wait for that one. I am a lucky man as Mrs Blog allows me a weekend away every year on the continent to endulge myself in plenty of continental trucking! Sorry I meant in a manly way, I tell Mrs Blog I’m going!! I’ve wanted to go to Interlaken for a number of years now, but Truckstar Festival in the Netherlands has always been first choice mainly for logistical reasons and my weird wanting to be Dutch! As for the rest, they are my annual mainstay of shows, but I’m always keen on trying some thing new if I can or if time and family commitments allow. 



As it’s physically not possible for me to get to all shows this year, although it would be some challenge for a single person, I’ll happily accept any show reports written by you lot to publish on the blog, so you can tell us all what we missed out on. All I’d need are some photos and a good write up. Email me at ben@truckblog.co.uk and I WILL publish all reports I receive, you’ll also get a free TB sticker for your efforts! So where ever you’ll be showing or visiting please share your show with us all. Keep on trucking! – These are all my own photos. 



Czech This Bit of Blue

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I know I know it’s another blooming BlueStream, but I just can’t help it. You know I get these infatuations with certain trucks and I certainly have the blues at the moment. On my way home down the A12 to Colchester and just as I’m about to come off at my junction there is this lay by which is where the 300 yard marker is for the junction. The lay by was empty and it’s a very clear night, I saw the back end of a very smart frigo trailer and the unmistakeable blue shine at the front end.. I went home and told the wife that I would be pooping out about 10pm once the traffic on the A12 quietened down. For what ever reason Mrs Blog doesn’t bat an eyelid when I say I’m going back to a darkened lay by, she knows why. For what ever reason my passion for trucks over takes and I just have to go back and try and get a photo. 

Now a truck photo in a lay by isn’t too much of a problem, or so you would think;

  1. The truck is at the end of the lay by
  2. The street lights are in the centre of the carriageway and finish about half way along the layby
  3. The layby is a drive through one with a small kerb separating it from the carriageway
  4. There is no light on the front grill of the truck
  5. My camera needs a tripod to take night photos
  6. There is still lots of traffic
  7. I don’t want the police to turn up thinking I’m about to run out on front of the traffic!

I managed to get some tips on how to use my camera through the Canon G12 group on Facebook. I still,have Mr Jensen Chua’s instructions saved on my phone and as you can see he knows his sh*t. They have come out quite well. All these photos have a 15 second exposure as there was no light at the front of the truck. Placing my camera on a tripod on the outside edge of the kerb of the lay by was the greatest idea nor was putting the camera in the middle of the drive through lane of the lay by………..but it was worth it, I’m very pleased with the results. Thanks Jensen and thanks to Neil Jarrold who suggested using the car lights to help, so I put the reverse lights on the car, in order to put a little light on the front grill. 



I think the reason why I love the BlueStream so much is purely the colour.  I seem to get blinkered by a gorgeous shade of blue and it seems to just lure me in. Romance isn’t dead Richie! Helped by being attached to a 730hp Scania V8 in this case, it really is a top looking motor. My only thoughts are it must look even more awesome all lit up, pity the driver was already in bed. The BlueStreams are available worldwide, but I wonder if this is the only one operated out of Czech Republic??