Maybe this has been dealt with before but I can’t remember.
Are US trucks in Aus all RHD? If so, is that from the US factory or conversions?
With rare exceptions, all vehicles are RHD here. I think (I may be wrong, SDU, Spardo &c will know) all US-badged trucks are built here and it’s not just because of the LHD to RHD conversion: suspension, geartrain etc. differ markedly from otherwise similar-looking American domestic market trucks.
Cheers. Very clear.
No market for second hand US imports? Here we have had some LHD imports in the past, but not so much today.
@parkroyal2100 Cummins, again brand loyalty I had a 350 later becoming a 440~450 that did everything asked of it, even though a more mechanically sympathetic driver wouldn’t have asked the same of it.
The only time it let me down was thanks to a dodgy, specialist Cummins workshop rebuild.
I was never a fan of the thirsty two strokes and by the time the Series 60 was released my die was set. I was not very trusting of the switch from two to four stroke, it was a bit like buying the first model of a new car, the customer doing free R&D.
I was never disappointed by any Cat I had. 550 x 3.
@franglais left hand drive are only permitted on enthusiasts’ rego and a conversion would devalue a car of historical significance .
Working trucks would never be allowed rego if they were LHD.
American and European trucks arrive here in CKD form. They are assembled with varying degrees of local content. e.g. Volvo cabs arrive at the Port of Brisbane already painted in Linfox colours.
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No law against LHD in UK.
Back in the 90’ several owner drivers I know bought premium spec Dutch reg trucks and registered them in the UK. I drove two LHD trucks bought new and UK reg. Since most of my time was spent driving in Euroland it made more sense that way.
I know of one French company that had Fr reg RHD for regular UK work.
I remember newmercman saying Volvos in the USA commanded very low prices compared to the US built lorries.I asked why and he said the Volvos made in the US were nowhere near the quality of their Swedish cousins .In Australia you have the choice of European or American you vote with your feet its your money and you buy what suits your business requirements the best.The one size fits all doesn’t work. Think i’ll have another beer … these bikinis are getting smaller
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Kenworth and Western Star have always held their value. They are easy to keep modern. A mid 70s Kenworth/ White can have its 855 335 Cummins replaced with the latest 15 litre Cummins, with little modification, same applies to the gearbox, turf the RTO915 for an up to date 18 speed.
Anyting Euro is old at 10years, the cabs rust making the more difficult updating, economically unviable.
Accountants buy Euro, Operators buy Kenworth/ Western Star.
Where W/S ends up will be interesting. Daimler are incorporating cheaper Freightliner components into W/S, that’s reducing competition against KW. I reckon either the W/S or Freightliner badge will disappear soon, as Daimler rationise the massive coverage they have.
Anything owned by Mercedes will cause you problems.Terrible things and before some of the older drivers say they were bullet proof the operative word there would be were. The new ones have nothing in common with the older stuff .Ours were all main dealer serviced from new and have each and everyone of them been off for weeks at a time either waiting for spares or a total lack of interest.The worst part of it is that our main dealer won dealer of the year again last year or the year before.God help the companies that have to use the ones that came below them
Not only that, but I didn’t know it was backed by law in Australia, but some RHD B61 Macks were exported from Oz to Britain. I am almost certain that some of the P&S Contracts fleet of ‘Kings of the Road’ based in Rotherham, were RHD.
As far as UK was concerned I was told that there were no F89s built with RHD and that was the explanation as to why my friends and I only had left hookers at WhiteTrux.
I seem to remember reading that the 89s were never RHD because the exhaust and turbo did not allow a gear linkage on the right.
Proper engineer, no ECUs or OBDs with that chap and engine.
All the B series Macks sold new in the UK were RHD, but not from Australia. They were built in Barking from kits supplied by Allentown. Whether the RHD mods were carried out in America or Essex I don’t know. Saviem would have known, still missed.
Volvo Sweden did indeed insist that the F89 could not be built as RHD, but Volvo Australia midified their kits before assembly to RHD, they had to if they wanted to sell them because LHD is illegal in Oz for vehicles over 12t gvw. At the sametime Mercedes spoke with an even more forked tongue, claiming the it was impossible but build a RHD bonneted 1924, and they were definitely asked, I still have copy letters in a file somewhere. But not only did Australia get RHD LS1924, but so did Ireland and they were built in Worth, not from kits; but MBUK insisted that they didn’t exist.
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Fascinating history and thank you for that, I had no confirmed knowledge but just assumed the RHD B motors were imported simply because there were so few of them. In fact I don’t remember seeing any in England apart from the P & S ones. I’m even doubting now whether theirs were all RHD but a mixed fleet. I have some pictures somewhere, probably on an old filed away external hard drive. I’ll have a look when I get the time but very busy at the moment increasing my forested empire. 
Nothing very grand but I wanted to halt the march of the loggers. 
And of course, make more space for the dogs in case creeping old age reduces their formal walks with me. 
When I first arrived at White Trux, with my new lady in tow and we were shown our new steed we were at first dismayed as there was no seat for her. 
The right hand side of the cab had a flat floor below a big space, but once she had realised that she could sit comfortably on the bunk and, without a seat, we had easy access to the underbunk space for storage we considered ourselves blessed.
No such things as seatbelts to hamper us in those days, I still refuse to wear one effectively, and in fact the law came in while we were away on our first trip. Back in Dover driving in my Granada I was pulled over by a policewoman in a car. I apologised and explained we had been away but she said ‘not you, you are ok, but your passenger isn’t’. I then remembered that as I had been working as a taxi driver in the space between jobs and I still had the little Hackney badge on the rear bumper, I was exempt. 
Kept it on there for quite a time afterwards.
Amen to that.
This seems to suggest that F89 were not in Aus, but maybe G89 were. https://www.hcvc.com.au/forum/restore/1460-volvo-f86-g88-f88-in-australia
I haven’t followed it through any further.
G89 definitely were available here. I thought the only difference between the F and G was the F had a setback front axle.
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So it seems that the different axle and cab set-up (the G had the steps on the back of the cab, the F the steps were in front of the axle) allowed RHD.
I cannot see why the F and G couldn’t both be RHD. When did Sweden start driving on the right?
Late 50s???
Later I think Ramone, I thought we got Volvo 242/4/5 without need to move the steering wheel. If not them, the 1 Series.
Sweden switched to the right in 1969. I was in the 6th form then, and my maths teacher, who was married to a Sweede, secured a job with the Swedish government to help them with the change over. They decided not to follow the Irish suggestion of running LHD / RHD on alternate days till they got used to it
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