Ford Cargo is a Turkish Delight

Posted on February 17, 2012 by admin

Following on from my post the other week of an undercover Turkish Ford Cargo, I have had an email from Jay Grant, a driver of one of only 3 of these Ford Cargo’s in the UK. This photo was taken in La Jonquera, Spain, so Jay does get around a bit, but what does he do?? “Ford Motor Company” written on the front and an “FMC” number plate may be a clue or 2. Jay said in his first email;

“There are 3 in the UK, 2 x 2005′s and a 06…the 05s are artics and pull covered transporters and the 06 is wagon and drag transporter…the 05′s are going shortly as we have 2 new ones in Turkey awaiting collection….I work for Ford public affairs UK hence the Cargos.”

Naturally I wanted to know more about what his work involved, Public Affairs could be anything. Here’s what Jay said (I could put it into my own words but there really is no point!);

“Our work is really quite varied and not always all that glamorous lol…while we do move things like the concept and show cars about much of the time we only move support cars, these are often just Mondeo’s or Galaxy’s just for the crew to use to get about…last week I took 2 Torneo mini buses to Cologne…its a completely different way of working too, the emphasis is on getting it right with no damage even if it takes longer, and trust me if I’m loaded I drive like an old man…

We do a fair bit of publicity work too, a few weeks ago one of my colleagues took Katy B (I don’t know – Admin!) to a Sony event in Battersea power station in our XXL Torneo – this is a stretched Transit with full leather, dvd screen for every seat and is about 30ft long…I’ll have to get permission to send u a couple of pics….”

The stretched Transit sounds like fun! Hopefully Jay will grace us with some more photos. It’d be good to see these Turkish delights on their travels around Europe. Perhaps Jay will be flown out to Turkey to pick up his new truck from the factory?? That would be photo fest!! I think Jay is looking forward to his new Cargo;

“I’m not too sure yet which cab were getting but am hoping its the one in your photo (earlier blog post HERE), this is taller than the old and looks wider too…ours being a narrow cab design…I know they are moving from a 7 litre to 9 litre engine so should be a big improvement…”

Keep us posted Jay. I wonder if Ford would let Jay stick one of the new truckblog stickers some where on his truck?? I doubt it. If you see these few Ford Cargo’s in the UK, then email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk ………….. in fact I may have to email myself!

If Anyone Can, Cannon Can!!

Posted on February 12, 2012 by admin

This is one of the few photos I have that were taken by my relation, the late Dick Snow. I often wondered who that is walking in the shorts, until the other week I had no idea. I received an email from a Peter Cannon, a well known name to most of you Middle East trucking fans. Peter was one of Astrans original drivers and also went on to be transport manager for the now legendary transport company. Peter said; “The “tall chap” walking towards the camera beside a line of Astran trucks is me!!! JAN 774K was Snowys Scania 1st in line, then mine AMY 147H with the taller trailer. don`t know the 3rd one possibly WLO 95G.”

Being ever the faithful blogger I was delighted to hear from Peter, as I am delighted to hear from any of the men that were the original Long Haul Pioneers. I asked Peter if he felt like it, would he mind sending me a few unseen photos, as he had contributed quite a bit to Ashley Coghills book. Being a true knight of the road, Mr Cannon has been very obliging and has sent over these brilliant pics. The photo email stated a very true, but probably unstated statement; “Unfortunately at times of drama in the mountains in the snow there was never time or opportunity to mess around taking photos consequently there are very few photos of the real hairy bits but several posed ones!!” I hadn’t thought of it before, but it is probably very true. In the good old days it was far more important to help your fellow drivers out of a sticky situation, rather than the modern trend of videoing it on your mobile to stick on Youtube or You’ve been framed!!

The following photo was quite significant as Peter thinks this is him offloading in Kuwait on the 1st trip there in probably 1970.

As per the photo in The Long Haul Pioneers book, this is another shot of AMY147H crossing yet another river in Turkey. I wonder if a modern camera would give so much detail, just look at the steam coming off the brakes!

And finally for this little installment, is this photo of AMY in Pakistan. Peter said: “AMY outside the Marriot hotel in Islamabad Pakistan on the 1st trip there. The hotel has been featured on the tele` recently as militants have set off bombs there !!!!!”

These photos are just brilliant, please respect that they are Peter Cannons own photos. I can’t thank Peter enough. If you or anyone you know has an equally good collection of such nostalgic trucking then do feel free to email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk and i’ll publish them here on the blog for all to see and share the tales. Thanks Peter, I hope there is more to come.

Batman – Superman – MarshMAN

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

Is it a bird, is it a plane, not it’s super-Steve!! Marsh that is. Back in November your friend and mine, Steve Marsh Express was asked to transport some art, modern art, down to an exhibition in Courchevel 1850, France. Courchevel I hear you repeat to yourself, yes Courchevel its that rather exclusive ski resort in the French Alps. Marshy got the call to transport the sculpture work of artist Mauro Perucchetti, to the Courchevel Festival. Mr Marsh sent me some snaps of the stunning scenery but none of the cargo, so he described it as “Batman/Superman & Jelly Baby statues.” Not really knowing what Marshy meant by Jelly Baby statues I had to have a look for myself and sure enough they can only be described as the aforementioned Jelly Babies. This modern art stuff can be strange can’t it? There is pretty well nothing that can’t be classed as art. Personally I like a good old piece of picture art, nice scenery, good composure, some good detail and of course an ideal subject. Something like this works well………..

If my idea of art is not the same as yours perhaps the press release for the exhibition is more your thing. When you can, have a look through the gallery on Mauro Perucchetti’s website, you can see the Jelly Baby sculptures. If you look hard enough you’ll see a white marble carved sculpture of Batman and Superman, which actually is quite good, I like it. Anyway this isn’t weirdartblog.com.org so i’ll leave the opinions of modern art to those who claim to know what they are talking about!

Stunning views those mountains, quite steep too some of them, they look great as a backdrop for the little MAN. Come snow or shine Marsh’s little MAN seems to cope. So after unloading his arty farty load, it was time to head off to the reload. This time Switzerland was the loading point. 340 ish kilometres from Courchevel to Niederbipp, CH. The load was some tools and machinery GB05 STE had delivered out to Niederbipp two weeks earlier. They had been used to repair some machines at a papermill, but now had to be returned to Darwen, Lancashire. All in all another good trip for us to marvel at (ref to superheroes I think you’ll find!). Hopefully if you click HERE you can see a Google map of the trip. I thought i’d give it a go and see if it works. For now i’ll leave you with Mr Marsh heading off into a mountain filled sunset, until the next time……………………. Italy, France and Ireland next.

Manton European Freezer Freight Part 9

Posted on February 7, 2012 by admin

I can’t quite believe we have made it to Part 9 of this, seemingly popular mini series. Mantons first appeared here on the blog, as I photographed one their Scania 143 on my childhood Industrial Estate in Braintree, Essex. Since the 21st February last year I have received a continual flow of Manton related info and photos. Contributers include one Dave Manton and a number of ex-Manton drivers, including Tim Speight and now I’ve had contact with Dave Peirson. Mr Peirson says he worked at Manton from 1986 and was there for about 3 years. In this time he was lucky enough to pilot the Scania above and below, F917 CUM, from new. Although having checked the DVLA vehicle checker, it says that F917 CUM was first registered 13/02/1989 which would have been near the end of Dave Peirsons 3 years at Mantons, although this is perfectly plausable of course. As it goes the DVLA checker also says that this truck has been out of road tax since 02/02/2004 so where is she now? According to the checker she hasn’t been exported. Do you know of her where abouts?? email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave a comment.

The photo above was taken at Levante Beach, Benidorm, Spain. Mr Peirson said that they were “Parked up waiting to load.” You can’t deny that they are parked up, but i’m not so sure that parking on the beachfront was the only option, although back in the gold old days of International Trucking, there was no vehicle tracking so you could go where you liked and in all honesty most boss’s wouldn’t be bothered if you parked up on the beach or not, if you were parked up for a few days. Afterall the romance (GW) of the job were these far flung places across Europe. I know where I would have parked! I’m sure that Dave Manton falls into the easy going catergory. This photo actually unlocks another piece of the Manton puzzle. Back in Part 6 top Manton photographer Neil Jarrold sent a photo of a blue Scania pulling a Manton fridge. The truck was liveried as “Reiblein International” and that was all I knew, but now, thanks to Dave Peirsons email, the mystery has been unravelled. The email simply says; “In the back ground, in just the shorts, is Joe Reiblein also from Wetherby who also drove for Mantons before getting his own truck.” There you go. The photo of Reibliens truck obviously dates after this one, perhaps on this very trip Reiblein decided that he’d become an owner driver, who knows!

The next 2 photos Dave Peirson sent are a stark reminder to everyone, that while we all love trucks and driving (you do otherwise you wouldn’t have read this far!), the dangers of the job can easily be forgotten untill some thing like this happens;

Shiny truck rolling through France heding for the land of straw donkeys one day, not so shiny truck rolled onto its side the next. Not nice. Luckily for this driver he escaped with bumps and bruises. Dave Peirson says; “This driver had a mishap on his way to Spain. He was ok though. Can`t remember exactly where it was but I think it was south of Tours, France. I had to pick driver up on my way back from Spain.”

Were you part of the Manton dynasty? Have a tale to tell or a photo to share of these lovely green trucks from Yorkshire? Then get emailing; ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave your comments below. Thanks to Dave Peirson for his imput and I hope he has some more to offer.

HELP Finding: Scania 111 – Reg: XDH 849S

Posted on February 5, 2012 by admin

This week at blog HQ I had an email from Danny Harrison. He is trying to find out where his dad’s truck XDH 849S ended up or what happened to it after its life at BJ Adams. The truck was a Scania 111, sleeper cab, 4×2 tractor unit. Danny say’s his dad, George Harrison (no not that one) drove XDH 849S for about 5 years in the early 1980′s, but the last time they saw the truck was in Maidstone, Kent some time in the 1990′s.

Danny went on to give me the following info, in the hope someone out there can shed some light on what happened to the old girl;

“My Dads name was George Harrison and he and his mates, Johnny Edmonds, Keith Farrow, Eddie Childs all ran out of the Ruberiod Brimsdown, Enfield. It was in the early Eighties. He worked through BJ Adams and Graham Markham. Lots of work was to Cundell Corrugated in Chelmsford, loads of rolls of paper to them from Ruberiod then reload from Cundell with waste paper to Norwich Corrugated or Wormages in Norwich. Or they’d take paper to Louth, Reeds I think, then backload of steel from Scunthorpe to Murex in Waltham Cross. Yes I did spend every non school day with my old man at work.”

Can you help Danny and George? If you know of this truck, Scania 111, reg no XDH 849S, where it is, where it went or who may have owned it after BJ Adams, then please leave a comment, or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Hopefully Danny is going to email me some more of these classic old photo’s from his early years bunking off, sorry when he was off school. Who’s is the Seddon Atkinson Borderer??

Portugese MAN-O-Juice

Posted on January 29, 2012 by admin

He’s back!! No not the man from Del Monte, but our old friend Steve Marsh, know to be known as the MAN from Um-Bongo! It may be a name from the past for most us, but surely you remember the Um-Bongo song on the TV advert?? These days I don’t think that it is sold in the UK, but I think there is a campaign to bring it back. “Um-Bongo Um-Bongo they drink it in the Congo” or Portugal as Marshy can testify. The load out to the Um-Bong factory in Lisbon, Portugal was chemicals. The good old concept of tipping and reloading is fairly basic to all drivers especially us, sorry, you owner drivers. So my old pal Mr Marsh sorted himself out a reload. A pipeline repair machine from Vale de Feto,Pombal, Portugal back to Swindon, nice. Having driven the 120-ish KM to Vale de Feto, Marshy received a call from the Um-Bongo factory to say the chemicals he delivered were to replace some faulty ones and now they wanted the faulty ones to go back to the UK. Marshy said;

“A Few miles from Vale de Feto I got a call to go back to Lisbon for the faulty chemicals the ones I took out replaced. Of course the staff at Vale were on dinner and the only one who knew about the machine for Swindon was off site. Eventually I got loaded and then I had a mad dash back down to Lisbon. I got there at 16:50 and they closed at 17:00″

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together! A double collection from Portugal and the 2nd drop just 30km from Steve Marsh Express, Warrington base. That is what you call logistical excellence! As you can see the photo below was taken at the Um-Bongo factory, note the tasty juice liveried car.

If you need Marshy’s services then go to his website, www.stevemarshexpress.co.uk or send him an email; office@stevemarshexpress.co.uk or if you want to contact me I can put you in touch, ben@truckblog.co.uk if you can’t wait too long there is more Steve Marsh to come in the next few weeks.

Kersey Freight Friday – It’s Back!!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

Finally I hear you cry! Those big white DAF’s of Hadleigh, Suffolk based Kersey Freight are back on the blog, 4 months and 11 days after it’s first appearance. A lovely snow filled trip to Italy and back, provides a lovely back drop for photos and Kersey driver Geraint (Taffy) Richards, has taken a few crackers. I’ve been banging on to my good friend DC at Kersey Freight to send me more photos as his (and JM’s!) trucks go further and further from their Suffolk countryside base. Although Paris is a regular destination, the trucks are covering more and more ground, often finding themselves heading into deepest Germany and over the Alps into Italy. I was tempted to write this blog myself after getting the info from DC today, but his description is great, so I think I’ll use his words.

“We loaded a full load of Water Based Emulsion to be kept at +5′C ex Northampton to Caleppio Di Settala, Italy. Taffy took the easy road into Milan on the Ralpin piggy back train from Frieburg to Novara!!! Although due to being on the waiting list, Taffy had to wait 24 hours until finally getting the 11 hour train ride through Switzerland to its final destination in Novara.”

“Once off the train he proceeded to Milan to offload the paint and reload from one of our clients 5kms away from the tip. Once loaded in Milan with no return trains available he decided to head for Mont Blanc Tunnel and parked at Aosta. Saturday morning was ready to move but the Blanc was closed for 3 hours due to risk of avalanche. After finally getting the order to move, Taffy started the climb to the snowy Mont Blanc!!”

“On his decent he stopped near Chamonix (Check the spelling) and took a couple of nice pictures for you! Then Taffy made his way into France and rested in Troyes that evening.”

“Sure you will sex it up a bit” - Opps! that bit was meant for me, sorry DC!! Any way that is a great come back, lets just hope its not so long before the next episode of Kersey Freight Friday hits the blog. Not sure there will be quite as much snow on the next trip, but even so the Alps always make for good photos so keep them coming Kersey drivers and subbies. Email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk . Thanks to driver of K18 KFL Geraint Richards, for the photos.

SCOOP!! Cargo Undercover

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Did you know this is a Ford Cargo? In an undercover guise obviously. The Ford Cargo is still produced by Ford in Turkey. This one was spotted in Portbury Docks on the back of an HC Wilson truck. Apparently it has come to the UK for crash testing. Judging by the undercover livery and disguised panels my detective skills hint towards this having been on road trials in Turkey or some where else. Looking how dirty it is, plenty of road dirt and covered panels mean it has been running about but without the public being able to see the finished truck. Now the road trials have finished this poor truck must have been short listed to come to the UK for crash testing R.I.P.

I have to admit that I have really struggled to find a great deal out about these Turkish built Ford’s. All I can tell you is what I have found on the Ford Media website. I’m guessing that this particular truck is a new version of the current range of Ford Cargo’s. It must be a new cab or at least a heavily face-lifted cab and likely to have a new engine or mechanical set up, as the last version was released back in 2004. I don’t know if the last version had adblue but this prototype has the tank, so perhaps this is a new engine to meet Euro emissions regulations. The Ford website says of the current range of Ford Cargo’s;

“Ford Cargo Tractors cover a range of 18 to 40 tons with different axle configurations, payloads, and chassis lengths. There are three different cab styles that enhance the versatility of Ford Cargo. These variants make it suitable for wide variety of customer needs. Ford’s heavy truck manufacturing experience dates back 40 years in history. The current Ford Cargo was launched in 2004 model year and was developed in 5 years.”

Then interestingly enough it goes on to say all about how much testing the 2004 released truck went through, including a trip to the UK for testing at the same place where this new version was being delivered too;

“The Ford Cargo Tractor was tested for 15 million kilometers (8 million kilometers road test, 4 million kilometers structural durability test, 3 million kilometers cab durability test) in total before it was launched. Besides the durability, noise, vibration, harshness and safety tests completed entirely in the virtual environment, actual field tests are also conducted. The durability tests were carried on Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium. The durability of the Ford Cargo cabs was tested in Istanbul Technical University. Ford Cargo Tractor proved its durability and reliability after this long period of stringent tests. Ford’s reputation in designing vehicles with superior driving dynamics and comfort is also valid for Ford Cargo trucks. Ride and handling performance evaluations were done in MIRA test track in England in comparison with the products of other European heavy truck competitors.”

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for anymore undercover trucks. Thats 2 within a couple of weeks, as some of my Twitter and Facebook followers will know, I spotted an undercover new Volvo here in Colchester, Essex. These things come in 3′s so what will be my 3rd?? Can you tell or show me? then send me an email or leave a comment with your undercover spots; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Tatra Trucks and The Beast in The Bushes

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

These aren’t spy photos they are all legit! The photographer, Michael “Fingers” Bond, ok’d it with the Tatra staff first. I can’t really tell you a great deal about them, other than they had all been at Tatra’s factory / test track in Koprivnice, Czech Republic and also they all look like right old dog’s even though some are relatively new. Koprivnice, Czech Republic I hear you say, if you type it in to Google maps, to the East of the small town you will see the Tatra factory and the test track heading off into the forest.

The truck above looks to be a 6×6 troop carrier. The Tatra website says it could be a T 810-1R0R26 13 177 6×6.1R, so now you know. It comes with a Renault engine and clearly a Renault cab.

The 2 trucks above are both T 815-790R99 38 300 8×8.1R or if you like they are 8×8 military cargo trucks. The plain green one is a Universal Container Carrier. Where as the one with the digital camouflage is part of a potential order for the Polish army. This model happens to be the T 815-790R99 38 300 8×8.1R or in simple terms it’s an 8×8 High Mobility Heavy Duty Universal Cargo/Troop Carrier………….No I have no idea what i’m talking about either, although going through the Tatra website is strangely enjoyable and well worth a visit. The cab on the 2 above is apparently the new cab, although I don’t know quite how new, where as the old Beast in the Bushes below is the old cab.

If your going to try and break down the walls of Eastern Europe with your army then having this old thing as your back up was probably a good idea. This truck was parked at the test track and seemed to have been there for quite a while. Hence, the beast in the bushes title (not some smutty Essex related ref – GW!) To start your revolution, the truck has a dozer blade fitted to the front (or is it a snow plough?). Note the handy tow hitch on the blade. I guess that’s so you can pull who ever you have just pushed into the ditch, out again when they have handed over their lunch money. For the rest of the spec i’ll hand you over to Fingers Bond, seeing as he is the man who know’s his Tatra’s since his pre-Christmas visit;

“Full air suspension all round. Multi way diff’s on all axles. Total weight of 52 tons, plus a small payload. Full bullet proof cab with 5 inch thick window’s and windscreen. Full air cleaning system in case of a chemical attack on the crew. The whole country busting truck is powered by a massive Mercedes Benz V16 Twin Turbo engine connected to a fully automatic gear box and torque converter. The whole engine and gearbox is housed in one removable piece, so it can be lifted out / changed by a crane fitted to the body of the truck which has it’s own power source.”

It sounds perfect for Saturday night seafront cruising in Southend-on-Sea, it’d soon show those crappy boy racers in their Vauxhall Nova’s and Citroen Saxo’s who’s boss! Let’s go!!………..don’t mention the beast in the bushe’s in Southend or they’ll all want a go.

Have you got any thing to add about the beast’s from the East? Leave a comment or email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk

R.F. Interport Movements

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Not a name i’m too familiar with i’m sorry to say. I have heard the name before but that’s about as far it goes. So this is where you come in. I have had a right good spring clean in the depths of the truckblog email inbox and I came across an email I flagged a while ago. The email was from a truckblog regular, Peter Metcalfe. In his email he informed me that he was involved with R.F. Interport Movements in the 1970′s. Peter’s email read as follows;

“I was involved with a company in the 70′s, based in Astley on the Outskirts of Manchester . The company was called “R.F.INTERPORT MOVEMENTS” whose main traffic was to the Middle East. They had a program made about them on the tractor units they where using on Tomorrows World (BBC) about all the cab fittings made in the cab i.e shower, cooker, sink. We also had a driver in prison for over 18 months for an aaccident he was involved in. So we would get drivers passing him to drop food off to him, as he was left alone. Do not get me wrong everybody seems to crave on the top firms and do not look Into the full running troubles drivers used to get into.The stories I could tell and write on your blog that would put a lot of drivers off driving. But I am sorry I have no pictures of the trucks.”

So that’s your home work bloggers, tell me more, search your archives, find the photo’s and get emailing them over to me, so we can enjoy them on here and also perhaps a few photo’s will encourage Peter Metcalfe to share a few stories of the good old days. I was emailed the photo I have used but I don’t know anything about it, aprt from it’s a DAF with a very nice spread axle tilt, the Middle East truckers trailer of choice! Get emailing; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Princess & The Giant

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

A Princess 32M and HC Wilsons European Giant that is! No delightful Christmas based fairy tale here, just a few Million GBP of top engineering. The Princess in our tale is The Princess 32M Luxury Cruising Yacht and the Giant is HC Wilson, European Giant, a V8 Scania 164 580hp. A good match perhaps, although the price difference between the 2 vehicles is fairly substantial. The fairy god mother marrying the two together is a monster Ainscough crane sat on the banks of the River Thames.

The Princess arrived at Excel London the last weekend before Christmas. The job was arranged by boat transportation specialist Abbey Transport from Norwich. Abbey and Wilson’s have always had a good working relationship, and as Abbey dont have a trailer large enough to carry the Princess, they use HC Wilson. Last year Wilson’s were only involved in removing the boat from the show hall back to the banks of the Thames, as the haulier who took the boat into the hall managed to have a little “incident” on the way in through the door. When the boat in question is 32m Long, 7.5m wide, 10.5m high and weighs in excess of 105 tons, a specialist truck and driver team are required; Que the Abbey and HC Wilson Transport combination.

The boat arrived in London in time to have the rest of it’s display built around it in time for the London Boat Show that starts at the Excel London on the 6th January 2012 and runs right through to the 15th January. First up, the 9 (I think) axle Ainscough crane lifts the Princess 32 clear out of the Thames and the then gently slews round to find the stillages that are already attached to HC Wilson 12 axle Scheuerle trailer. You can see the blue stillages clearly in the photo above. The boat is lowered into the stillages and thats where it will stay untill it is lifted back out into the Thames at the end of January. Once loaded onto the Wilson’s trailer it is only a short, although slow, drive across the Excel carparks to the the show hall. The total loaded drive is approx 200 yards.

The Princess 32 is a proper high class motor yacht, you just have to see the photo gallery on the Princess website to know what I mean. The boat will set you back some where between £6-£8 Million, depending on your spec of course. I think some one said at the 2011 show Princess sold 8 of these 32 metre super yachts, but don’t quote me! I am also informed by Mick Bond, the photographer and Wilson’s 2nd Man, that at full power the boat will use a 1000 litres of fuel an hour, that puts the big Scania V8 to shame! For now I will leave you with the rear view of the loaded truck, until the return leg back to the Thames at the end of January. The Scheuerle trailer is 2.75m wide so the full 7.5m width of the boat looks huge, in fact the whole boat looks huge, it really does look like a fish out of water doesn’t it. I have to say I think I prefer the blue paint scheme over the completely white boat we did in January.

Just so you don’t think i’m biased in any way, here is Abbey Tranport’s DAF being loaded with a slightly smaller boat.

Axel Dubois Thermo Transit – Belgium

Posted on December 17, 2011 by admin

A few weeks back while I was traipsing through the undergrowth of the Internet at endless truck photo’s I came across what I can only describe as an almost perfect truck. you know how in your head you have a picture of what your perfect truck would be, the colours, the truck, the wheels and accessories, if you had your own truck you know how you make it look. Having had my own trucks before, I have a rough idea of what I like. Blues and whites for colours, with a few accessories but nothing over the top. I have owned an airbrushed truck before and in all honesty I don’t think I would do it again. I’d rather have a simple but affective paint job. I also like painted accessories rather than stainless steel ones, things such as light bars and I even tend to favour a painted wheel at the moment over a shiny set of Alcoa’s. Having said all this you will now have a better idea of why this truck seems to be almost my perfect truck.

As you can see it has everything I like. Even better that it’s on a V8 Scania! The truck belongs to a small Belgian haulier who goe’s by the name of Axel Dubois Thermo Transit. Where to start??! The simple but stunning paint job, the painted light bars, cab steps, grill and wheels, the few spot lights, grill lights, the light box on the headboard and the aftermarket sun-visor. All in all I don’t think I can say much more other than it is virtually perfect. Even coupled to it’s plain-ish white fridge trailer it still looks good. I guess some of you prefer a painted trailer rather than the white. I can’t say I disagree, but in some case’s such as this I think the plain trailer makes the tractor unit stand out more. On the other hand if you painted the trailer the same scheme as the cab it would look very very impressive, but would it be too much?? They do say you can have too much of a good thing! The truck runs all over Europe pulling it’s fridge trailer mainly, but I have seen photo’s of it pulling a Euro-liner as well.

The other thing I really like about the paint job is the big star on the side and the smaller stars dotted about on the midnight blue part of the cab. When I had my airbrushed Mercedes Atego I had stars and planets painted in the background and I think it looks good. It breaks up the big expanse of one colour. Also note the little Polar Bear and the painted A-frame holding the air lines. The painted wheels look great, although I do wonder if Mr Dubois had as much trouble making his white nut covers as I did when I was making white ones for my old Scania 141. At this point I would like to thank Patrick Pawluk from www.padborg-express.com for allowing me to use the above 2 photo’s. They are both Patrick’s own. To see more of his handy camera work go to Padborg-express.com when you have finished reading this. I don’t know who’s the next 3 photo’s are, so apologies for not crediting you if they are yours!

The trailer is also simple but effective. Lots of marker lights but not they are not over the top, the LED rear burger lights are great and oh so red when you see them in the dark. In these 2 photo’s the truck has a set of ally wheels, I wonder which came first the painted or the shiny? Did / does the trailer have painted wheels? One of you must know the answer? Leave a comment or email me: ben@truckblog.co.uk

All in all I think i’d be hard pressed to find a truck better suited to my requirements, unless of course I ever get round to owning my own truck again. I just hope Mr Dubois isn’t one to keep adding little bits to the truck. When you find drivers who keep adding bits to their truck, eventually it becomes to much and it starts to look too busy and over the top. If it stays like it is, then perfect! I best get pally with Axel Dubois so I can copy the paint job!! Would it suit my little 12 ton MAN TGL LX?? I’d be happy to try and find out that’s for sure………..As it goes I have sent Mr Dubois a friend request on Facebook, but had no acceptance yet, then again can you blame him??!!

Still No Activ Update!!

Posted on December 16, 2011 by admin

One of my drivers was told by the staff at Bremen based Activ Cars that they’d send soe photo’s to the blog soon………..nothing yet!

After a delivery not far from Activ Cars base in Bremen one of our drivers had 30 mins to spare so he called in at Activ HQ. After a lengthy conversation they decided that he’d be allowed to take some photo’s all the great blog cause, only for the decision to be overtuned by the boss as all the Mercedes trucks were all dirty and they would email over some new fleet photo’s once they had a few trucks back and they had been washed and brushed up. Now I suppose it could be true that at this time of year it can be difficult to get any fleet clean, so i’ll keep my fingers crossed for a Christmas holiday surprise! My driver did say there is an English man working in the office who seemed quite keen on the blog so hopefully one of these days he’ll make contact!!

For now i’ll just have to make do with the few photo’s they emailed a few years back, how hard done by am I!! If any of you have any contact with Activ Cars (they do come to all Airbus facilities in the UK each week) drivers or vehicles then email over your Activ Spots; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Snow Time for Messing About

Posted on December 10, 2011 by admin

Now the winter is with us, a quick stark reminder to all of you on the road, PLEASE BE CAREFULL! We can all think we have been there and done that when it comes to snow and ice on the roads, but it’s no reason to be complacent. Remember it can still catch you out, as this Freightline Europe driver found out, reportedly without any injury.

This came up on Facebook the other weekend. The little report underneath said the driver was unhurt, but the truck, as you can see wasn’t. As for the drawbar trailer, it was left just as a chassis. The accident happened late one night in Norway. The Dutch registered Scania was loaded with drinks and lost control on a bend. By my reckoning the truck may have only fallen on one side then onto the roof, as the cab doesn’t look too badly damaged, but I may well be wrong. Whether your in Norway, Spain or Bulgaria, just remember it can happen to the best of us, slow or fast ice and snow is still slippery! Here is a photo of the Scania in all its glory, before it’s roll in the snow. Picture is from Freightline Europe’s website, which is worth a look even if it’s just for the Gallery pages.

The Original “EDZ 450″

Posted on December 6, 2011 by admin

A few weeks back I put some photo’s of MW Taskers new Scania R560 here on the blog. Everyone said how good the truck looks etc etc, but a few of you asked why does a brand new truck, deep in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, have a set of Northern Irish numbers plates, EDZ 450?? and why does the second truck on the Tasker fleet have a similar plate? Keep reading and I will explain all. Firstly here is a photo of the original EDZ 450, a real, true legend of the international trucking world!!

Back in 1995 a certain Michael Tasker was on the look out for a 2nd hand left hand drive V8 to purchase. What should he stumble upon, but what appeared to be an ex Ralph Davies Scania 143 450hp. Scania, check. V8, check. LHD, check. Tag axle, check. Ally wheels, exhaust stacks, extra lights, check check check. Perfect. So off to Holyhead to view the truck.

Holyhead?? Yes the truck was, at the time, owned by an Owner Driver in Holyhead who went by the name of ED. Are you working it out for your self?? Yes you guessed it, the reg number came from it’s Holyhead owner. EDZ 450 translates to Ed’s 450hp Scania. Thats it. Simple when you know isn’t it?! No real reason for Tasker to have the plate except that it was the reg on the truck when he bought back in ’95 and has kept it on a truck ever since. The simple reason for Tasker’s second truck to have the plate HDZ 450, is purely and simply that is was the closest match to EDZ. So now you know why a Suffolk owner driver has always had a Northern Irish plate. Do you know who owner driver Ed from Holyhead is or was? Then email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave a comment.

The next part of the story was a little rumour that Tasker can’t quite remember the details of. The faded memory is that this truck never actually made it on to the Ralph Davies fleet. Is it possible it was fully specced up but the order was cancelled and the truck was sold on. To me, i’m not sure I can quite believe it, but every story has to start from some where. If the truck was finished to Ralph Davies spec, including stacks, lights, wheels, why at that late late stage of new vehicle delivery would it have been cancelled?? No ideas? no me either. Can you help shed any light on the rumour? is there any way of telling if it ever was a Ralph Davies truck? Please feel free to leave your comments or email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk and in return i’ll leave you with a photo of the latest EDZ 450.

Old Cloggie Scania Still Working

Posted on December 4, 2011 by admin

This old girl is still working for a living over in the Netherlands. Spotted last week by HC Wilson driver Jon Pryke at Ritchie Brothers Auction site in Moerdijk. It looks to me like a bonnetted 110 (Scania that is!), but you may want to correct me. The truck has been restored and has a lovely new looking interiour and a good paint job. Pulling a 3 axle Nooteboom semi low loader, it was in Moerdijk loading some used plant. The old boy driving it, didn’t get why Jon wanted to click a couple of photos, as it’s just a working truck! Lovely to see these old trucks still out and about working, what ever country your in. Have you seen an oldie still doing a days graft? email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave your comments below.

New Ozzie Mini Artic is Nearly Ready

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

Remember a little while back I introduced you too a new mate of mine from Australia, Julian Baker. He runs a mini artic around Australia delivering cars under the wing of Ceva Logistics. He currently has a new UD tractor unit in the making. Once again I will leave you in his capable hands, so sit back open a stubbie, chuck another shrimp on the barbie and enjoy reading what Julian has to say;

The new one is a UD too but is quite interesting. In conjunction with the manufacture we have transplanted a 15 inch diff and housing to replace the 13 inch original. The hubs and drums are interchangeable. The project has been delayed and delayed due to sourcing appropriate ratios ex Japan, as the 15 inch was normally on 22.5 inch wheels in Australia, not 17.5. This truck has 4.111 ratio with 0.78 overdrive 6 speed. Also the local senior UD management and Japanese engineering staff had been stalling approval for a few years. I have a friend who heads up UD engineering for Australia/New Zealand. We share a passion for the small, high horsepower tow vehicle but he has struggled to get traction on this project until recently. This type of vehicle sits conveniently in a GVM range that doesn’t require a speed limiter and doesn’t require a log book/work diary (driving hours) when without a trailer. Combined with the low clearance, high manouverability, low loading height and relatively high payload with high GCM we reckon the variant can be a real money making proposition. This little fella is the first UD to be painted Ceva Burgundy on the line too.

The stronger diff will complement the already upgraded gearbox, tail shaft, universals, clutch and engine in the new model. The end result is the higher GCM with a higher torque engine. The new truck will also have far greater redundancy in the driveline. The old MK265 has done a wonderful job, but as it is approaching 1 million kms, all major components have been replaced at least once. I generally sit around 20 tonne but have gone to Melbourne-Perth, Brisbane-Melbourne and numerous Melbourne-Adelaide/Sydneys a tonne or two over. Like the rest of the world we have a love of the SUV and unnecessarily large cars in Australia. Although still far more modest than the Yanks.

It is a little bit of a shame the modified truck isn’t the new, new model with a completely new cab and engine. As Volvo have owned UD for a few years the development of a new medium range took place. The new engine is 280 hp (vs 260) and 883nm (vs 794), still on 235/75 17.5 rubber. GVM is up to 11 tonne and GCM with the big diff will be 23 tonne. I know these numbers aren’t enormous compared to a TGL, LF45 or the 12 tonne Atego sold in Germany with the big rear axle, but Jap trucks are the norm down here. They have sufficient cooling capacity and Jap trucks always deliver what they promise. It’s sort of like ‘under promise, over deliver’.

Anyway, I’m still thrilled my big axle idea has been implemented. The little buggar is going to cost me a fortune as I’ve got a bit carried away with the accessories, but it’s coming along nicely. Things left to do are the bull bar and driving lights (very similar to the old truck), Ceva livery (I’m thinking of putting a big UD logo on the back window too, and maybe my football teams logo:-)), rectangular alloy fuel tanks with matching separate third hydraulic tank, the Alcoas off the old truck with a polish, chrome axle end trims on the drive, nut covers, water tank, tool box, proper drive tyres and leather upholstery. The tanks are 560mm wide x 510mm high, they should really finish the little banger off. They will send me broke alone!! I am a huge fan of the mini prime-mover, this will be my third. Chassis height and tare weight with my trailer are unique. My total tare weight is comparable to the Ceva 6 car trailers my mates tow alone. Therefore my fuel consumption is 0.4-0.7 kms per litre better. It doesn’t sound much, but can be over $100/day if running highway kms. The other blokes are pulling their 6-9 tonne prime-movers for no extra income. Purchase price, and maintenance are slightly less, but these little trucks are a five year proposition towing trailers, not 8 like they old one is.

Of course comfort and cabin room are not comparable in any way to European trucks. I have flirted with buying a MAN for 10 years but LEs then TGLs are like rocking horse droppings here. DAF LF45s don’t cool and Ivecos are terribly unreliable in Aussie conditions. Benz don’t bring Ategos to Australia running on 17.5 inch rims, and the chassis height of the 19.5 inch trucks is pretty high. Avia have been introduced recently but a 4.5 litre engine is reason enough not to consider them. Probably the main reason I haven’t taken the MAN plunge though is the odd stud pattern on the wheels. My current setup runs the same Alcoa 17.5 x 6.75 rims throughout. Even the 8 stud used by DAF and AVIA could be replicated here, but the MAN pattern would be custom custom.

I have recently come back to Melbourne from almost two years fly-in/fly-out in Tasmania. The little truck didn’t come home once. It was my home during the week. In Australia we have an ADR (Australian Design Rule) which grants the bunk in a truck to be a ‘registered sleeping compartment’. The little bunk in the MK has had this accreditation since this cabin was introduced in the mid 90s and until recently was the only narrow Jap cab to be approved. The Isuzu narrow extended cab now complies. You do not have this cab in the UK I believe. Isuzu UK either sell the narrow cab with no bunk, or the wide cab with a bunk. Anyway, I have wrap around curtains and my passenger seat folds flat so I sleep well. An extra foot of bunk and a foot more head room would be very well received though. And more storage space!!! New truck will be two seater with proper consol vs three seater with shallow consol in the back of the middle seat.

Top 3 Astran Liveried Trucks – NVW 484P

Posted on November 20, 2011 by admin

Right through this little trio of my Top 3 Astran liveried trucks of all time, I have stated that the 3 were in no particular order, but as it’s my rules I can change them when I like. In my opinion this is the greatest Astran liveried truck of all time….NVW 484P, Scania 140 V8 6×4. You can’t get a better looking truck than this…….can you??

WARNING I WILL BE GETTING ALL ROMANTIC SHORTLY!! This photo comes to me care of the one and only author of “The Long Haul Pioneers“, Sir Ashley Coghill, but the photo it’s self is taken by Destination Doha assistant director Simon Normanton, what a truly great photo. Would a clear modern day digital photo give quite as much atmosphere as this?? I think not.

Where to start with my reasonings behind this being my 3rd choice in my top 3 Astran trucks of all time. As in Part One and Part Two of my choices, I can’t do much more than to ask you to take a good hard look at the photo, it’s all there. I guess really my choice of NVW 484P is pretty well based on it pulling this trailer in Destination Doha (where did this trailer end up?). Its got every thing that it should have (ready??); it’s dirty, roughed up wheels and mud flaps, roof rack and air con box, leaking fuel cap, TIR and GB on the bumper, dust pouring from the wheels, legendary driver and I know I can’t put it on here but I can just hear Dave Poulton talking away in the cab in DD and being able to hear the V8 just purring away as they head ever East. Being an ex owner of a Scania 141, for all you Scania fans who haven’t driven a 140 or a 141, you just have too. The shear joy of pressing the starter button and getting that first growl of the day, is just amazing! I think what ever the previous day had thrown at me in the depths of the desert, pressing that button the morning after a crap day must be so so reassuring. By the way right now I am wishing I had done the ME in this truck, just purrrrfect! Look out for the first time in blog history I’m going to use the same photo twice!

This photo was taken during the filming of Destination Doha. Ashley Coghill says;

“Dave Poulton at the wheel thundering across Jordan’s infamous H4 desert route to Saudi Arabia. Simon Normanton was assistant director for the BBC film Destination Doha and took many stills during the making of the film. This image has to be THE best and most iconic shot of a Scania 140 in full flight!”

It’s a brave man who will disagree with Ashley. I think of top of it being the best photo of a Scania 140 in full flight I think it also sums up the whole Middle East run. Hard trucks, hard men doing a hard job. We can all get a bit blase these days looking at the great romance of it all, but please please dont forget it wasn’t all glory. As the very proud owner of the late great Dick Snow’s diary (luckily for me he was a relation of mine), as used in Ashley’s book, you get a feel that some of the daily entries were written with great feeling.The endless days sat in a scorching hot desert at a customs post, having run out of food. Driving up a solid ice road, in the pitch dark up a mountain in darkest Turkey. These trucks were made for the job and hopefully to make it that much easier for all those legendary men who did one of the toughest jobs in the world at the time. In all honesty if we were to still use the same roads today, can you honestly say for what ever reason that a modern Scania V8 R730, would be able to cope with the Ice clad mountains and roadless deserts?? Again I think not. The computers wouldn’t keep up and there would be no chance of doing day to day running repairs and as for all the dust getting in every sensor imaginable, need I go on? The old 140′s or 141′s can also push on at 60mph if required and have no didgtach that are going to beep at you left right and centre.

This is photo is credited to the man himself Dave Poulton, but not from Destination Doha! Even in this pic you can see “the look”, the 6×4 always looks more trucky than a 4×2. Seen here pulling a tilt through Turkey. Note the lack of bumper spots and the sand shovel in the cab ladder. Case closed, Best Astran Liveried truck ever!! (In my opinion anyway!)

Speaking of which while I was at it, I asked Ashley Coghill for his top 3. You will need to refer to your copy of his book “The Long Haul Pioneers“. His choices are;

3) JLL 686K – Scania 140 Roadtrain
2) 10 RMY – GUY Warrior
1) NVW 484P – Scania 140 6×4

Again an excellent top 3, glad we agree on one truck at least! It would be great if you all wanted to leave your top 3 as comments on this one, come on if you haven’t before then leave a comment now, you have got this far after all!! If not you can email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk

Ozzie Mini Artic Specialist – Julian Baker

Posted on November 6, 2011 by admin

My new Ozzie pal Julian left all this info in a comment on the blog, but I feel that it’s just to good and to much not to give it’s own post on the blog. I think Julian may be a regular from all the way over there in BBQ land. These are Julians own words and photo’s of his mini UD Artic. By the way don’t be fooled into thinking that big old Roadtrains are the only ones to transit the great dusty expanses of Australia;

Mini Artics, or semi-trailers as we say in Australia, as a general rule are limited by the GCM (GTW, GCW) of the prime-mover (tractor). Of course there are exceptions to every rule and there may be factors that prevent the GCM being achieved. Examples of limiting factors could be an inadequate hitch/tow bar/turntable capacity, insufficient trailer axle load capacity, insufficient trailer braking capacity or just that the trailer has an insufficient ATM (aggregate trailer mass).

I guess the first thing to consider when setting up a mini semi-trailer is whether the GVM of the prime-mover will be exceeded when the combination is loaded. That is, will the combined axle loads at the ground exceed the GVM of the prime mover. The second consideration is do the trailer axles have enough load carrying/braking capacity to cater for the remainder of the combinations weight. These principals are of course the same for any type of combination, from a motor bike towing a trailer to a road train, but the mini prime-mover generally runs much closer to max. GCM than some other combinations. For example most single steer tandem drive prime-movers have GCM ratings of 70 + tonnes in Australia, but if only operating with a single trailer can only have a combined allowable weight of around 45 tonnes. The limiting factor is the local road rules. Where as with a single trailer it is very easy to load a mini semitrailer to its GCM with a fairly light trailer.

I will set out a scenario based on my vehicle:

GVM: 10400 KGS
GCM: 20000 KGS

steer axle capacity: 3700 kgs
drive axle capacity: 7500 kgs
(but steer + drive can’t exceed 10400kgs)

ATM: 20000kgs

Prime-mover tare weight: 4000kgs
Trailer tare weight: 6200kgs

So, vertical load trailer exerted on the turntable can’t be greater than 6400kgs (10400 – 4000) so the prime-mover is not overloaded. My turntable, trailer axles and trailer ATM cannot be exceeded by loading the combination to its GCM, therefore my payload is 9800kgs (20000 – 4000 – 6200). The replacement of my prime-mover is imminent and the new vehicle will have a GCM of 22000kgs. The same trailer will be used, the new truck carries more fuel and has some additional equipment so tare weight will increase to approx. 4500kgs though its GVM remains at 10400kgs. Once again the turntable, trailer axles and ATM don’t hinder the load capacity in any way. So, this time the vertical load on the turntable can’t exceed 5900kgs (10400 – 4500) and overall payload is 11300kgs (22000 – 4500 – 6200).

As you can see from the two scenarios above, care must be taken when positioning the load on the trailer as to not throw too much weight forward onto the prime-mover.

So now you know!! Hopefully Julian will keep us updated with stories, info and any thing else the Australian trucking industry can chuck at us. We all love Roadtrains, but once again anything the biggun’s can do, the little Tonka toys will be following right behind. So not only are mini artics regularly crossing Europe in all directions, but also Australia. Brilliant. I have photos of Julians new truck, they will be coming soon. Also a another good write up on the troubles of speccing a mini tractor unit in Oz.

Top 3 Astran Liveried Trucks – JAN 774K

Posted on November 3, 2011 by admin

I ran this feature on Twitter a month or so ago and had some interesting come back, so I thought i’d try it on here and see what you have to say. Firstly you need to understand this is a Top 3 Astran Liveried Trucks, in my opinion and in no particular order.

My first choice is an early Scania 140 V8, reg no JAN 774K. Now for those of you you who know me, this may seem like a slightly biased choice as these photo’s of JAN 774K were taken by my relation/uncle Dick Snow, when he was the driver of said truck. I have no idea how long this was Dick’s truck, but it was long enough to take a few good pictures, i’m sure a certain Ashley Coghill could tell us more.

My reasons for this being in my top 3 are mainly coz it is a classic Astran looking truck. In all the pic’s it is always covered in dirt, luggage on the roof rack, the odd unavoidable dent of long distance intercontinental trucking……….hang on i’m getting all romantic again! It’s that thing I always talk about, it’s got that look. It just looks great, like a truck should. I’m all for shiny shiny show condition with all the bling, but a truck in its true work state, always looks cracking to me. Another reson this is a great Astran truck, is that it’s a wagon and drag. Astran were keen on wagin and drags as they did have a few of them (again, Mr Coghill could tell us how many!).

This is another of Snowie’s pics, showing the truck in all it’s glory. It could even be the same trip as the first pic but who knows. I also love Snowies’s outfit, Checked shirt and cordroy trousers and big sun glasses. Another great pic of JAN 774K is the one below. In Ashley’s book, The Long Haul Pioneers, the pic below is said to be part of the Astran collection, but as I have the original in my bedside draw, i’m guessing it’s Dick’s. I could have picked any of the early wagon and drags for the top 3, but I think as I have a slight connection with JAN 774K, it’s the ideal truck. Below you can see the truck in a fairly new condition. I’m guessing Dick must have been driving otherwise he wouldn’t have taken the pic, also as it’s infront of 2 others, it must be Dick as he was always ahead from what I hear!

Who was the tall chap walking beside the trucks? any ideas. In fact looking at the pic again I reckon it could be the trucks 1st trip. Just look how tidy it is. No additional grill mounted spots, fresh-ish paint on the wheels and bumper, the headlight surrounds are still chrome!! I think as it’s an early member of the Astran Fleet. If this pic was on her maiden voyage, it would have been in 1971. All in all I think a good candidate for a top 3 position. If you want to share you own top 3 Astran liveried trucks of all time, then please either leave a comment or send me an email at; ben@truckblog.co.uk keep an eye out for the other 2 trucks in the top 3, they’ll be coming soon, or if you follow the blog on twitter (search for @truckbloguk) you will already know the top 3!!

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