Dick Snows Diary 02/02/1984

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Thursday 02/02/1984

Sailed at 1900hrs Dover to Zeebrugge, enroute to Mosul & Baghdad.

Possibly get weekended in Austria?

Parked up: Gent, B.

Friday 03/02/1984

Arrived Zeebrugge 0100hrs. Parked at Gent until 0930hrs. Crossed into Germany at 1230hrs and break whilst doing paperwork. Very strong crosswinds all day. At junction of U61/U89 the autobahn was blocked for sometime by overturned trailer. At Brohltal temp was 2’C. Sleet at 1620hrs Mosel temp 1’C. 1630hrs 0’C. 1700hrs 2’C, rain and strong winds again. Not one of my good days. Possibly get weekended Germany / Austria.

Parked up: Hockenheimring, D.

Saturday 04/02/1984

Away at 0300hrs and drive to Greding, fill up with Diesel and park until 0800hrs. Checked wheel nuts. Passed Tony Soamesen at 1040hrs parked at Hochfellen. Into Austria and had two hours only to drive. Tacho packed up just before Liezen, where Tony and I parked for the weekend. Very Tired.

Parked up: Liezen, A.

ACH Model Now Available

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Here it is, the ACH model is now available through Anglo Dutch Truck Models. I have to say I did have a little hand in getting it released but Steve at ADMT did the hard work and what a belter it is. Based on one of ACH’s F12 Globetrotters, F81 HFC, the model is well detailed with a matching tri-axle tilt. There are only 200 models all with their own certificate’s available and I know over a third of these are already reserved, so now they are on general release you better get in quick!

Get onto ADMT and get your ordered while you can, click the link to order yours HERE & NOW.

Thanks Steve and WSI for creating another awesome model. If your free Steve and ADMT will be at the NEC in Birmingham this weekend and he will have the mode with him if you want to get your hands on one super quick.

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!

Irish Flyer – Empty

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Off the boat 1750hrs.

Empty Parnell Park, Dundalk – 1920hrs.

Job done then! A good days work done by us all, Marshy was just the chauffeur but we were all there for the ride and supporting role. So empty back to Dublin and back in the dock and all the boats are buggered due to the weather. Looks like Marshy may have an early night or even a lazy Sunday morning. Currently number 2 on the waiting list for the 0810hrs sailing back to Holyhead. Anyone else had just as a productive day?? Well done Marshy, a mother quality example of proper service by a proper good old boy. If you need service then Steve Marsh Express is your man!

Irish Flyer – Off The Boat!

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Arrived in Dublin and off into the Irish darkness. At this time of day in Dublin I’m guessing it’s only an hour or so up to Dundalk, according to Google maps it says 56 miles, depending on final delivery address. I am assuming that Marshy will resist the urge for a pint of Guiness at least until he is empty. My thoughts at this stage would be; “Is someone going to be there?” – We’ve all been there, it’s all organised driver, just turn up and they will get you tipped. Well seeing as he’s had a good day so far, let’s all keep our fingers crossed 🤞🏻

Irish Flyer – Check In

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Arrived at Morrison’s Holyhead – 1150hrs.

Arrived at Port and checked in the lanes – 1230hrs.

For those outside the UK you can see Leeds in the East, the journey takes you across the infamous M62 to Manchester, round the M60 (Manchester’s version of the M25), then carry on West on the M56 and then onto another of my favourite roads, the A55 which literally runs all the way along the North Wales coast into Holyhead. The 248 miles is how far away I am from Marshy as it’s a WhatsApp location map!

From Holyhead it’s about 3hrs 15mins across the Irish Sea to Dublin, then north to Dundalk which you can also see on the map, on the border between the north and south. Having checked in, GB14 STE will be sailing on the nearly new WB Yeats, a new ship to Irish Ferries which I think will eventually be based on the Ireland France route but is covering the Holyhead Dublin while one of the other older ships gets a refurb. Unless anyone has a quick reload on Saturday evening from Dundalk, the airport or Dublin, Marshy is hoping to get back to Dublin port if he can this evening. Next instalment will come once arrived in Dublin.

Irish Flyer

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The challenge is on. Same day Dundalk on a Saturday, loading Leeds. Our man Steve Marsh of the Express fame has just loaded and left on a fresh card from Leeds at 0840hrs. Marshy is the number 1 member of the #littlebigcabclub and it is his little MAN TGL 12 tonner cartoonised on the above tshirts. The tshirts are for sale by the way, message me for details if you want one. Now loaded Marshy is heading west for the 1410hrs sailing from Holyhead on Irish Ferries. Hopefully another update when he arrives at port. By the way, when we say he’s loaded…….

I wish I’d been too…..

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As a driver I never did enough European work. I always wanted to take my 7.5 tonner all over Europe but back then the opportunities just didn’t arrive. I was kindly offered various odd jobs through Kevin at Delamode but they never seemed to fit between my regular UK jobs at that point. The photo above was my very first trip to Europe at 18 for DFDS delivering herbal stuff to Boxmeer, NL. Look at me, couldn’t take a photo but living the dream! I did various other trips to Belgium and Holland with the 7.5tonners but not enough and certainly not to all the countries I wanted to get to. I have always wanted to drive to Scandinavia and got close to a once a month contract delivering race suspension parts from my home town of Braintree to Stockholm but again it didn’t quite come off.

My perfect destination would have been something like Interlaken or perhaps even Cadiz. All of us must have destinations you wanted to get to but never have, even those who are regulars on the long distance routes, you must have, perhaps more specific destinations you want to get to. Of course when I had my tractor unit I would have loved the opportunity of Turkey or further afield but I made do with weekly trips to Belgium, Holland, Germany and the odd little bit of France. Of course doing the Middle East would have been on my list but realistically in my time it was dying out. Of course going to Doha like my Uncle Dick Snow did would have been awesome, following in the footsteps of those drivers would have been amazing. But most of the places I realistically wish I’d got to would have been in the little trucks. In no particular order my top three places I wish I’d got to in any of the trucks pictured would be;

  • Interlaken, CH
  • Cadiz, E
  • Guernsey, Channel Islands

So here’s the question, be honest as you can be, and no matter how far you have been where have you always wanted to get to?? Near or far I’m not fussed but I’d like to know. Karl Skiltons answer will be interesting I’m sure and I know the three Matthews will have interesting answers too! Come on, “I wish I’d been too…….”

#littebigcabclub Tshirts

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I’ve just ordered a club tshirt!

If you want one they come in most sizes and can be any colour but the truck cab will be the colour of the tshirt, so I suggest white or grey.

They cost £19.50 including UK postage.

I accept payment by PayPal my name: ben@truckblog.co.uk

Feel free to order and I’ll place the order once I’ve received the money. When you make payment please fill in the reference box with “LBCC colour size”.

TB Truck of The Year 2018?

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Aren’t I predictable???! After everything I saw out and about last year and at all the shows in the UK and of course the trucking Mecca which is the Dutch Truckstar Festival, I come back to a true classic and of course as you all know my all time favourite truck – a 143 Streamline boogie. Yea, yea I know there are 10 or 20 trucks I couldn’t have chosen but this caught my eye late in the year and it’s just perfecto! I also like what Truckstyling Lunteren did to achieve their piece de resistance.

Most of us want our own classic truck to take to shows, to live and care for and to make into a truck that perhaps was slightly before our time. This goes for all of us, Volvo, DAF, MAN, Mercedes-Benz are all now at the various oldtimer shows, but the number of 20/30 year old trucks available is dropping every year. So if you can’t find the classic you want what’s your only other option?? Yep, build one.

Find a donor truck, in this case a rigid chassis with a boogie lift. Get the gas axe out and start cutting. I have no issue with this what-so ever although I’m sure some of you aren’t keen on trucks that aren’t original. Think of it like this, most want tractors as they are smaller and easy to keep, where as a long rigid chassis is to big for most to house. This in theory would then mean we have a load of decent rigid trucks that are just going to waste, so why not make the most of what’s left and turn a rigid into a tractor? Great idea!!

I spoke with Truckstyling Lunteren and they told me a few of the basics about what went on and this is the summary;

“I can send you some foto’s of the project. We start at september 2017 en we finished augustus this year . The truck was a long chassis. We cut it and make a trekker.”

So after a year and a bit and lots of hard work they ended up with this gorgeous black beast. Will they sell it?? Unlikely unless they are offered a huge crazy price then they make think about it! Having made such a classic, that is the ultimate less-is-more truck I’m not sure I could bring myself to sell it either. The paint work is awesome and has a showroom finish to it and the interior is not crazy but gently styled with a bit of black and grey leather, in keeping with the trucks original colours.

All in all I can’t think of a better looking 3 series, or in fact a better looking truck. I am in love and I apologise to all you non Scania fans, but you can’t deny that this is a cracker. Well done Truckstyling Lunteren, if my numbers come up on the Euromillions then you will get a silly offer for it!