Do you have a passing interest in trucks/HGVs?

[Cowley]

I’ve certainly got an interest in classic trucks, but I do also like to see a well presented modern set up on the road and it harks back to a couple of things for me.

I did a couple of years as an apprentice HGV mechanic after leaving school in the 1980s at British Road Services in Exeter. I never actually finished my apprenticeship due to reasons, but a friend mine who was 21 had just finished his apprenticeship at BRS, then passed his HGV test and started collecting old trucks and restoring them. He had an Ergonomic cab AEC Mandator at first and then later a Guy Big J. Lovely old machines and I went with him to tow the AEC back from north Devon with BRS’s Foden wrecker (a Gardner engined beast).

On a trip to Costa Rica recently I was pretty impressed by some of the American made trucks on the roads. They clearly take a huge pride in their steeds and it was cool seeing makes like Kenworth, Mack, International etc that we don’t really see over here. A couple of poor quality photos from screenshots here:




I’ve got more things to add but I’ll see if anyone else is interested first.

Please be aware that this is not going to be another thread about driving standards!

 

[GusB]

I've always had a slight interest in trucks, but it was mainly cars and trains when I was very young and my interest in buses and coaches developed a bit later on. I was a big fan of BJ and the Bear back in the day!

What has always interested me is the preference for bonneted tractors across the pond, as opposed to "cabovers" which are rarer there but more or less universal here. Another thing that I find fascinating is the skill required to operate an 18-speed transmission; something that will eventually be lost as more manufacturers move over to automated transmissions.

 

[Cowley]

What has always interested me is the preference for bonneted tractors across the pond, as opposed to "cabovers" which are rarer there but more or less universal here.

There’s an interesting video here comparing a modern bonneted Peterbuilt with a Scania R770. Completely different worlds!

It’s also worth noting that in some States in the USA trucks are legally permitted to drive at 70mph - For instance Idaho on the Wikipedia page about speed limits over there.

The speed limit on a freeway in Idaho is generally 80 mph (129 km/h) in rural areas and 65 mph (105 km/h) in urban areas. Trucks are limited to 70 mph (113 km/h).

If I was belting along at 70 in a snow storm (which they often seem to do), I’d probably want a bonnet in front of me to be honest…

Another thing that I find fascinating is the skill required to operate an 18-speed transmission; something that will eventually be lost as more manufacturers move over to automated transmissions.

Yes that’s an incredible skill really. I think when a couple of my friends took their tests you had to go through all the gears - including using the splitter and the range change and then back down again double de clutching and without missing a gear. Not easy!

 

[GusB]

There’s an interesting video here comparing a modern bonneted Peterbuilt with a Scania R770. Completely different worlds!

I've been following Bruce's journey with his Scania and it seems to be making quite a good impression. I'm surprised that the company doesn't already have a presence in the US; Volvo does by virtue of the fact that it owns Mack.

Another YouTube channel I've been following is Edison Motors. It's a Canadian company that builds trucks with electric drive lines, but they use diesel generators to keep the batteries charged. It's early days for them at the moment, but it's interesting to see how they're developing.

 

[JohnMcL7]

There’s an interesting video here comparing a modern bonneted Peterbuilt with a Scania R770. Completely different worlds!

That was a great video and unusually seemed to make a good effort to compare the two whereas whenever I've seen discussions on the different designs it's usually significantly biased towards one of the designs. A couple of areas that surprised me were that the Scania was easier to work on the engine and had more space in the cab which I thought were advantages of the bonneted design. I was also surprised that was a brand new Peterbuilt truck since it looked very dated although I guess maybe that's what customers want however the Scania seemed much more advanced.

I was never too bothered about trucks until I was hooked on Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, I find the American trucks with the much longer cabs more difficult to park the trailer with.

 

[cj_1985]

I've been following Bruce's journey with his Scania and it seems to be making quite a good impression. I'm surprised that the company doesn't already have a presence in the US; Volvo does by virtue of the fact that it owns Mack.

Another YouTube channel I've been following is Edison Motors. It's a Canadian company that builds trucks with electric drive lines, but they use diesel generators to keep the batteries charged. It's early days for them at the moment, but it's interesting to see how they're developing.

Volvo also sell Volvo branded trucks in the US... and have done for almost 30+ years


I've grown up with trucks and haulage... pretty sure i have some diesel in my blood.

Driven Leyland DAF 85 and 95s, Iveco Eurostars, Renault Magnums, Volvo F12/F16s and plenty of FH series tractor units... not to mention a couple of 7.5 tonners

 

[birchesgreen]

I love a classic (well 70s-80s anyway) lorry. I did get the classic lorry magazine for a time (can't remember the exact title).

I also like American trucks from that time period. Funnily enough was watching the 1979 Lee Major film "Steel" the other day, in one scene Major is driving his old rig, wearing a vest and truck cap and listening to country music on the radio. It was one of the most American scenes in movie history.

A great film from this period is Trucker's Woman, highly recommended.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Summer 1987 in and around Stockholm, with plenty of big double-trailered artics.
A fond memory of TruckFest 1988 (Peterborough): wowed by gleaming chrome and intricate cab murals; and Steve Murty's jet engined Ford Cargo flatbed, blowing over an LDV van with its jet wash.

Various US trips since the mid 1990s, their trucks impressive on the freeways and the interstates. I was more interested in the Hogs and 1950s-1960s cars, though.
I watch (YouTube) US truck "haulage drags" and those brutes put out more clag than a class 17 and an Alco combined!

 

[JamesT]

Given the speed they travel at, don't most people have an interest in passing trucks?

 

[GatwickDepress]

I was a member of the Stobart Club as a kid and enjoy the film Convoy, but never really evolved beyond that.

On the A21 near Flimwell, there is/was a commercial garage that always had a couple of American recovery vehicles outside. Gleaming Peterbilts in a red and cream livery. Very exciting to a youngster like myself.

 

[Zamracene749]

I blame trucks for my interest in heavy transport.

My dad was a lorry driver, I grew up spending every school holiday perched up in the cab with him in some fantastic (and some not so fantastic) trucks. By age 10 I had loaded flatbeds using overhead cranes and electric fork trucks, jemmied 1 tonne newspaper reels off the wagon and onto waiting fork trucks, learned how to rope and sheet, use chains and warwicks, hand balled 20 tonnes of cement bags onto pallets at Blue Circle, hitched and unhitched trailers, slept across the front seats and cooked up supper on a camping gaz stove in laybys all over the country! Happy days.

I'd guess the best thing he ever drove was a Scania 111 or Volvo F10. Those motors were decades ahead of the lorries Britain was churning out at the time.
Worst? Either a hopeless Ford transcontinental, or possibly a Shelvoke Drewry ex bin motor converted into a skip wagon. The smell of bins still lingered in the bare fibreglass cab!

 

[styles]

Two of my uncles were lorry drivers. They both seemed to really enjoy it. I am not sure it was a healthy lifestyle for them but I suppose with air fryers and better working time regulations now it's a bit more what you make of it.

I had an interest recently of getting my cat C+E/D+E licences. Not for any particular career aspiration, but just so that, if I wanted to, I could drive trucks around at shows.

Funny how these influences play out - my dad is a train driver and I love train travel.

 

[Strathclyder]

Funny that I stumbled across this thread, as I've recently been re-watching bits of the film that gave me at least a passing interest in trucks: Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971) TV movie (his first feature length movie, before Sugarland Express and well before Jaws). The main villian of the film, a filthy, smoky old 1955 Peterbilt 281 needle-nose tanker, stole the show for me alongside Dennis Weaver's performance. That thing just has so much presence and is the last thing you'd want to see in your rear-view mirror coming after you.

Duell

©by Stlouisdumptrucks, 1960 Peterbilt 281

www.flickr.com

(this is the sole surviving truck associated with Duel's production, a 1960 281)

 

[birchesgreen]

Funny that I stumbled across this thread, as I've recently been re-watching bits of the film that gave me at least a passing interest in trucks: Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971) TV movie. The main villian of the film, a filthy, smoky old 1955 Peterbilt 281 needle-nose tanker, stole the show for me alongside Dennis Weaver's performance. That thing just has so much presence and is the last thing you'd want to see in your rear-view mirror coming after you.

There is an interesting video on YouTube where someone went to where the truck went over the cliff at the end of the film to see if there was anything left of the truck.

 

[Egg Centric]

Just to answer the question in the title - yes and no.

I do like trucks like I like everything with an engine but I know very little compared to say cars or trains and I don't have a truck licence. I do intend to get a licence at some point but with the aims of a) fun and b) to make me a better car driver (and to a lesser extent biker and van driver) not because I intend to drive HGVs for a living or anything.

 

[GusB]

Just to answer the question in the title - yes and no.

I do like trucks like I like everything with an engine but I know very little compared to say cars or trains and I don't have a truck licence. I do intend to get a licence at some point but with the aims of a) fun and b) to make me a better car driver (and to a lesser extent biker and van driver) not because I intend to drive HGVs for a living or anything.

I can understand the desire to be able to handle a larger vehicle; I'd quite like to drive a bus, but not necessarily with passengers. However, it's an awful lot of money to fork out for training if you don't intend to make a living from your investment!

 

[D6130]

Murt's garage at Eastwood - between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden - has a couple of big American rigs parked alongside it. I can't remember which manufacturers they are from, but they take part in the annual Christmas Eve charity illuminated tractor run around Todmorden, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

 

[Egg Centric]

If you’re just in it for the thrill and not the paycheck, maybe there's a shortcut—like a "bus driver for a day" deal. You know, just enough to check it off your bucket list without bankrupting yourself!

There are, as it happens. Both Bus and HGV. All of them off road though, afaik.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Murt's garage at Eastwood - between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden - has a couple of big American rigs parked alongside it. I can't remember which manufacturers they are from, but they take part in the annual Christmas Eve charity illuminated charity run around Todmorden, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

Does he still have the Ford Cargo flatbed with jet engine mounted on it?

 

[D6130]

Does he still have the Ford Cargo flatbed with jet engine mounted on it?

Not sure. I'm currently in Italy, but I'll take a look when I get back to Yorkshire at the beginning of next month.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Not sure. I'm currently in Italy, but I'll take a look when I get back to Yorkshire at the beginning of next month.

Peterbilt: you can make it out on Google Street View.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Peterbilt: you can make it out on Google Street View.

Steve Murty used to (the 1980s) own a Ford Cargo with a (I think) RR Avon jet on the truck's flatbed. He displayed it at truck shows and I saw him blowing an LDV van across the arena, with jet wash.
The last time I saw that truck, was autumn 1990, parked at his garage mentioned by D6130.

 

[birchesgreen]

Steve Murty used to (the 1980s) own a Ford Cargo with a (I think) RR Avon jet on the truck's flatbed. He displayed it at truck shows and I saw him blowing an LDV van across the arena, with jet wash.
The last time I saw that truck, was autumn 1990, parked at his garage mentioned by D6130.

Intentionally i hope.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Intentionally i hope.

Oh yes. Truckfest 1989, Peterborough Showground. The LDV rolled quite an impressive distance....!

 

[Blade Fisher]

Given the speed they travel at, don't most people have an interest in passing trucks?

We can go surprisingly fast. It is the car/van drivers that pee us off. The standard of driving these days is just shocking. To me it was always about keeping up as high an average speed as possible, very challenging on dual two roads with goon drivers particularly vans and the golden plonkers of BMW/Audi/Range Rovers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jul 2025 ==

I can understand the desire to be able to handle a larger vehicle; I'd quite like to drive a bus, but not necessarily with passengers. However, it's an awful lot of money to fork out for training if you don't intend to make a living from your investment!

I think handling a large vehicle is the most satisfactory driving experience of all. It really makes you feel good.

 

[birchesgreen]

Seems the best thread to ask this.

Does anyone know of any transport museums with good collections and lorries and other commercial vehicles? I've been to a few which are car or bus based and have the odd lorry and a couple of vans but i wonder if any museums or collections specialise in this kind of thing?

 

[StoneRoad]

Looking on here may help ...

National Association of Road Transport Museums

Home of the National Association of Road Transport Museums

www.nartm.org.uk

 

[Sun Chariot]

I've had a long-standing affection for USA big desert skies and owner-customised Kenworth / Peterbilt / Mack rigs.
I've been making AI versions - in the Arizona sun - and I'm rather pleased at the results:

Show off your realistic AI railway images!

I assume that the guy gives that woman some money as a dare to knock the bin over?

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Amos]

Seems the best thread to ask this.

Does anyone know of any transport museums with good collections and lorries and other commercial vehicles? I've been to a few which are car or bus based and have the odd lorry and a couple of vans but i wonder if any museums or collections specialise in this kind of thing?

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum is in Leyland.I am hopefully going next weekend so will let you know if it’s any good.

 

[jp4712]

I’m always interested in British lorries from the 60s and 70s - AECs, Leylands, anything with a Gardner engine. And BRS was everywhere of course, along with Robson’s of Carlisle or the incredible-sounding Ripponden & District two-stroke Commers. I even remember yellow BR Scammell Scarabs bustling around Manchester Victoria station. But I can’t get excited over anything made this century, even though they’re objectively a hundred times better.