I’ll toss in turning the taps on after you connect the airline!
Three-inch piece of wire with a little crocodile clip on each end. 
WhiteTruckMan:
I’ll toss in turning the taps on after you connect the airline!
And away you go 
I’ve seen a few of those and experienced a couple !!!
Harry Monk:
Three-inch piece of wire with a little crocodile clip on each end.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
i still have mine but its longer now with a needle soldered onto one end.
the remote control jobs now spoil you.
did anyone else try to navigate park lane and judge it to look up into the ■■■■■■■ club trying to see up the jacksie of the bunny girls without taking the sides out of the passing traffic??.or just me again?
anyone mention palm couplings?
sleeping in the cab with the sheets over the roof to try and keep some of the frost from the windscreen as there was no heater to defrost it?
going out to the cloewes pub or similar in salford,picking up a trollop,and waking up in cheetam hill or further afield in the morning wondering where you are?
There were many positives compared with today also, it wasn’t all ‘‘During the War Del’’ 
.
As I said, the brilliant nights out, including nightclubbing, strip bars and the seedy dives in most cities…or was that just me? 
No contact with boss except ringing in for a backload at end of week.
12 and a half hour spreadovers…how tf did that change to 15 hours and 9 ■■■■ hours off?? 
Being treated like a grown up, left to own devices and initiative and not being told when and how to wipe your arse like some do today.
A decent pay structure 40 hours + time and a half, and double bubble for a Sunday, with n/o money equating to about 10% of your wage…again how and wtf happened to all that??, oh yeh, thick short sighted drivers accepting same rate right through.
Union backing in case some firms tried to take the ■■■■…for eg no driver facing cameras or any dog ■■■■ like that would have been considered…let alone tolerated in those days by drivers with spines. . 
Public deffo did not hate us as much then, and many would let us in and out with a flash, the knobheads among us put a stop to all that though.
Most towns provided areas to park…stopped for same reason as last one.
Very few weasels, arse wipes and backstabbers to work with in comparison to today also afai recall either, well it was in my case anyway.
So not all bad in those days.
robroy:
There were many positives compared with today also, it wasn’t all ‘‘During the War Del’’As I said, the brilliant nights out, including nightclubbing, strip bars and the seedy dives in most cities…or was that just me?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
thatl just be the two of us…sofar.
Ringing a ‘Clearing House’ Van Transport I think it was ■■? for a back load home.
dieseldog999:
Harry Monk:
Three-inch piece of wire with a little crocodile clip on each end.did anyone else try to navigate park lane and judge it to look up into the ■■■■■■■ club trying to see up the jacksie of the bunny girls without taking the sides out of the passing traffic??.or just me again?
What■■? i never realised that, and the amount of time i spent snarled up in traffic on that road, bah! where’s a real Tardis when you need one.
However, now YOU, and that Robroy geezer, have broached the subject which none of us had recalled for even a second before now 
, innocent perving at the many many ladies who dressed to impress in those days is one the things we all miss, so i’m told 
, so good was the viewing in those days you needed a second man especially in that London to keep a check on the other side of the road, back then London was a place worth going.
carryfast-yeti:
320 bhp
I’m sure I used to be occasionally in a ERF that had a Garder 180 (■■?), this was when 32 ton was top weight, used to be regularly overloaded and as it was quite hilly used to go up and down hills at walking pace, could roll a smoke up and finish it by the top of the hill, and descents were interesting with scary drum brakes that would fade to buggery if you were in to high a gear.
dieseldog999:
robroy:
There were many positives compared with today also, it wasn’t all ‘‘During the War Del’’As I said, the brilliant nights out, including nightclubbing, strip bars and the seedy dives in most cities…or was that just me?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
thatl just be the two of us…sofar.
Criterion Northampton
No sat nav invention, just 2 bags of maps
Pennineman:
dieseldog999:
robroy:
There were many positives compared with today also, it wasn’t all ‘‘During the War Del’’As I said, the brilliant nights out, including nightclubbing, strip bars and the seedy dives in most cities…or was that just me?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
thatl just be the two of us…sofar.Criterion Northampton
2 pints in The Criterion for a laugh to watch the sights, and round to the Opus2 nightclub (I was a member) up the staircase (past the brick ■■■■ house) doorman.
Then back to The 4 Fishes truckpark about 2am…or if you were lucky after breakfast.
Juddian:
dieseldog999:
Harry Monk:
Three-inch piece of wire with a little crocodile clip on each end.did anyone else try to navigate park lane and judge it to look up into the ■■■■■■■ club trying to see up the jacksie of the bunny girls without taking the sides out of the passing traffic??.or just me again?
What■■? i never realised that, and the amount of time i spent snarled up in traffic on that road, bah! where’s a real Tardis when you need one.
However, now YOU, and that Robroy geezer, have broached the subject which none of us had recalled for even a second before now
^^^^
as you went down heading to the river,then you could look up on the 1st floor and checkout the bums of the bunnies standing in front of the gambling tables…quite nice to watch on a dark night… 
To bring some sanity to the observations.1978 reg DAF 2800,among others like Bedford TM etc etc,all the power steering anyone could ever need and a lighter air assisted clutch than my car.Nearer to 300 hp than 200 at 30-32t gross.Nice enough full width cab and reasonable sleeper even though the DAF was only being used for trunking in my case.
As for the argument between auto box v synchro v constant mesh you’d really need to drive the latter before passing comment.Possibly resulting in a marmite conclusion depending on driving style and preference.Assuming that rev matching shifts is an instinctive part of anyone’s driving style whether car or truck then constant mesh wins easily being generally faster and lighter shifting.As for autos yes great if brake and go is anyone’s thing.
Also by around the same time tilts and curtainsiders were anything but rare and generally much easier to use than having to sheet a flat.Except on the rare occasions when a tilt needed to be stripped to a flat let alone used as a flat.
As for three line air systems they also had the benefit of taps making coupling of C couplings much easier.With just the downside that it was easy to forget to turn a service/secondary lines tap/s on with potentially catastrophic results.
While no speed limiters together with a let’s say relaxed attitude to the 60 mph limit made for much easier overtaking.Also bearing in mind that smart motorways and variable motorway limits were unheard of.
So there we have it I’d happily go back to driving a typical late 1970’s/80’s truck on late 70’s/80’s roads.Or for that matter most other things about those days.
Cheers DD, as if i’m not cheesed enough that missed all the potential leching from those glorious days of real women, here you are describing it in all its imaginative detail.
Much obliged , i think 
dieseldog999:
you could look up on the 1st floor and checkout the bums of the bunnies …quite nice to watch
Trickydick:
No ABS
Only one electrical suzie
Three air lines
No air suspension
320bhp being seen as decent horsepower
Tautliners being seen as dead posh
And putting the handbrake on too much then getting a snapped cable when the airs gone
Trickydick:
No ABS
Only one electrical suzie
Three air lines
No air suspension
320bhp being seen as decent horsepower
Tautliners being seen as dead posh
Quite clearly although never regarded any as dead posh.
Manual gearboxes with no synchromesh of any description, and an unassisted clutch pedal that in heavy traffic you would need both feet to hold down.
Driving round London all day double de clutching was good for my left leg muscles. Wife came with me once and asked for a seat in the drivers chair. Attempted to depress the clutch but failed miserably!
Never needed both feet to hold it down though.
jakethesnake:
Manual gearboxes with no synchromesh of any description, and an unassisted clutch pedal that in heavy traffic you would need both feet to hold down.Driving round London all day double de clutching was good for my left leg muscles. Wife came with me once and asked for a seat in the drivers chair. Attempted to depress the clutch but failed miserably!
Never needed both feet to hold it down though.
Early Scammell Crusader the heaviest i ever used, you could manage for about 5 minutes with one leg in stop start slow moving stuff, but beyond that the right leg came to assist.