Everyone might have a different opinion here but it would be good to find out which lorries made the changes to give us what is on the road today. For example Volvo F88 was a big step forward, Scania 142 intercooler brought us right into the horsepower race and the DAF Spacecab/Volvo Globetrotter gave us big cabs. The last real benchmark i would say was the now 20year old Renault Magnum which really should(in my opinion) have shown the way forward for the others with the fully flat floor.
As regards British built trucks/lorries I would say that in the lighter ranges it was the Bedford TK in '59(remember it took Ford ti’ll '65 to catch up and bring out the "D"series) Then in the mid '60s I think it would have been the Ergo cabs of the Leyland group.The drive line “benchmarks” would have to be the Gardener 8LXB and the Fuller range change gearboxes.Well its only my opinion!! Cheers Bewick.
Bewick:
As regards British built trucks/lorries I would say that in the lighter ranges it was the Bedford TK in '59(remember it took Ford ti’ll '65 to catch up and bring out the "D"series) Then in the mid '60s I think it would have been the Ergo cabs of the Leyland group.The drive line “benchmarks” would have to be the Gardener 8LXB and the Fuller range change gearboxes.Well its only my opinion!! Cheers Bewick.
Got to agree with you Dennis,the Bedford TK was ahead of its time,only thing they cocked up on was no tilt cab.As you say the Ford D series came much later,although I thought the Thames Trader was a good lorry,but not a benchmark moter. The Ergo cabs were good.I would say the Volvo 86’s which were around in the late 60’s were a step forward,with a semi rest space behind the seats.
Cheers Dave.
coming up to date you have to give it to volvo with the i shift the first automated transmission that realy works.
The Ford Transcontinental was way ahead of its time,shame.
When Volvo brought out the F10/12 in 1977 it took in cab luxury to another level what with car like quiteness, wall to wall carpet & aircon standard fitment- it definetely set the trend 
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
As regards British built trucks/lorries I would say that in the lighter ranges it was the Bedford TK in '59(remember it took Ford ti’ll '65 to catch up and bring out the "D"series) Then in the mid '60s I think it would have been the Ergo cabs of the Leyland group.The drive line “benchmarks” would have to be the Gardener 8LXB and the Fuller range change gearboxes.Well its only my opinion!! Cheers Bewick.Got to agree with you Dennis,the Bedford TK was ahead of its time,only thing they cocked up on was no tilt cab.As you say the Ford D series came much later,although I thought the Thames Trader was a good lorry,but not a benchmark moter. The Ergo cabs were good.I would say the Volvo 86’s which were around in the late 60’s were a step forward,with a semi rest space behind the seats.
Cheers Dave.
Definitely the ergo cabs from 1965 onwards,and I agree with Dennis that the Fuller boxes were a definite benchmark.The F86 was another little motor that I would have liked to drive,another definite benchmark.
Mind you,the AEC MK5 was a benchmark for me,up from the MK3. 
I agree Will the trans con was ahead of its time and it was more roomier than the swedes the marathon and crusaders were never developed and could have been improved quite a bit marathon was quieter than the crusader but I preferred the crusader and from a drivers view point out pulled most of the continentals of the time but gaffers liked the patricroft smokers as they returned better fuel returns.In the late 80s I think the Sed-Atk Strato with the DAF cab 14 litre ■■■■■■■ with jake brake and twin splitter was the best wagon in my humble opinion as you seemed to have the best of both British and continental engineering.
cheers Johnnie
The Bedford TK and Ford D Series have been mentioned concerning British motors, I find it strange though that only foreign trucks were mentioned by the original poster as if Britain never had any effect on road transport and only the Foreigners rang the changes, how did we manage before! At the time the new GUY Invincible/Warrior shown on the GUY stand of the 1960 Earls Court CV show was hailed as a big step forward in driver comfort, heated cab and de-mist, adjustable seat, cigarette lighter and even a shaver socket. ‘The most luxurious and functional cab ever built for a truck’ was the patter GUY used (which they would of course) but for a design from the late Fifties it was ahead of other British makes and something the other makers failed to take on thus leaving the way for the Foreign types to step in and the rest is history.
However many of those continental vehicle manufacturers would never have even got off the ground if British designers and engineers had not made some ground breaking way back, when companies such as AEC, Dennis, Leyland, Thornycroft even Sentinal who first built a steam 8 wheeler, a layout that would dominate the British haulage scene for many years before Scammell (whoops another British firm) introduced the artic, and we all know what that led to. What you will find in this industry is nothing today is really new, its been tried before and usually in this country, power steering, synchro boxes, double reduction hubs, air suspension and disc brakes to name a few, way back when if you had a telly it would be Black and White with one channel, buses took their power from overhead cables, or they ran on rails, blokes wore caps or old army berets, kids walked to school and back and bought sweets with a strange little coin called a Farthing. At least the British haulage scene was more interesting then, oh nearly forgot Stobart was pronounced Stobb-art and he was trying to buy his first motor! Franky.
I was only quoting lorries that i familliar with, the older Brit stuff i dont really know much about, but i guess we were the innovators and then other countries siezed this tech and improved on it. A bit like the Japanese did to the British motorcycle industry.
the scania vabis lb76 years ahead of any british built truck of the same era power steering sprung seat proper heater radio it even had a proper sleeper cab
seems to me the british lorry makers were the same as the motorbike makers they seem to have had their heads in the sand surely ford could have developed the transcom much more same as bedford should have developed the TM more plus I suppose when british leyland took all the other companies over it all went down hill. this country has invented loads of stuff over the years but it all seemed to go abroad I am sure the jet engine designed by frank whittle at the end of the war was shipped lock stock and barrel to the states governments in this country never seems to protect its own industries is`nt all the main services like gas electric and water mostly foreign owned now makes ya sick I watched all the old soldiers marching at whitehall yesterday for rememberance day to think they fought and died for this country and look at the state of it now we do not manufacture anything . sorry to go off this thread but just had to have a rant. fred m
hiya,
For me the benchmark motor was the Park Royal cabbed AEC’s the Mandator for me was something else as for the foreigners enjoyed a spell in the F88, all modern stuff looks the same to me characterless don’t like it at all but i am “ancient”.
thanks harry long retired.
Hiya…I think that foden(don,t read this Dennis)was quite a leading factor with the 12 speed foden…
What i really come on here to say is People are saying the F88 was a forward step TO wich i agree with.
I also see that the scania vabis was a early event. WE are talking as the 88 was a big step infront of
british trucks. the 88 was a leap infornt of everything apart from the 86 and the scania vabis if
you scratch your head there was,nt a sweedish truck worth driving.
John
Carl:
the scania vabis lb76 years ahead of any british built truck of the same era power steering sprung seat proper heater radio it even had a proper sleeper cab
I would concur with this, seeing as the first Scania Vabis LB 76 was registered in 1966 in this country, it was light years ahead of anything else. Some features I liked was the cab operated radiator blind (a big improvement on a piece of cardboard !), the hinged radiator for easy access,this was copied by Scammell on the crusader in the 70’s, a battery master switch, an alternator ! (yes In 1966) a trailer protection valve whereby all the air lines could be shut off from in the cab, an extra brake lever that could operate just the trailer brakes, laminated windsrceen with a top sun tint and as Carl mentioned proper power steering, suspension seat and a superb heater.
Seems to have stimulated some interesting debate this thread!As regards the “new” Guy’s,these were rushed out when Guy Motors were in their “death throes” and at, and after, their launch I believe that Guy salesmen went around giving silly trade -in prices for literally scrappers(it would have made JR call it a day and go on the fron’t selling ice cream!)So it wasn’t long before they bit the dust and were taken over by Jaguar.But lets face it apart from the few “gimmicks” that were included in the Warrior and Invincible cabs there was nothing revolutionary about them as they were just the old chassis with a cosmetically changed cab which after a few miles rattled and shook and literally fell apart!!Whereas at least the TK and the Ergo were properly desigined and ,of course,were all metal construction.Only my opinion but I’m sure some of the lads on the thread will bear me out(or carry me out!) Cheers Dennis.
I would say most things European Volvo F86 drove one in 1968 Varbis 76 at the time a great lorry IMPO the best then Beavers and Mandators just seemed to have the edge over the likes of ERF ,ATKI,Foden although at the time good vehicles in there own right its just personal chioce.
The first rigid 8 wheeler was from AEC and the AEC’s especially with the 11.3 was the benchmark for performance in the 50’s and early 60’s with the Mk5 being the best of them all. Once the new weights came in about 64/65 the Atkinson with 220 ■■■■■■■ was a motor to have but we soon found that the new Scania’s just coming out left all the Brits in the shade. I should mention that the Independent Trailer Brake, Known as a Dead man was used during the 50’s and was only changed when the new weight rules said the Dead Man had to work on the Front Unit Brakes as well. The Scammell had a seperate Hand Brake working the Trailer only, in the 40’s, this was alongside the Unit Hand Brake, just think about pulling on the wrong one in the rain! but the Scammell, which was a lovely drive was certainly a Bench Mark motor. All those that thought the Ergo cab was good are entitled to their opinion of course but I hated it, and what followed the Ergo, The Crusader and then Marathon, both the very opposite of the thinking behind the design of the Ergo which was to have a lower, less aggressive looking motor, and as for thinking the later Beaver was better than an Atkinson has got to be kidding…Tony.
The Scammell Contractor which came out in 1966/7 on a “E” plate was turbo charged and it also said intercooled on it I was only 21 and did not know owt about engines ( still don’t ) so I would imagine they would be one of the first to use it on wagons they were ■■■■■■■ 14 litre 335 turbo charged to 380 bph but scanias LB76 were out the year before and I don’t know if they were turbo charged i would say they were but I guess recycled ideas are some times the best as they just have have to make something work better and be more efficient. I do know that in the 70s when I had a Atki view line that I could get held up on hills by 28 ton artics such as KM s and D series as well as under powered 32 tonners and I would be running at 55 to 60 tons gross which does seem ridiculous now
The Bedford TK, revolutionised the lighter end of the market, things stayed almost the same until the Mercedes LN2 range (814s etc) in the 80s, so there’s two.
At the heavier end of the scale the F88 is the one that really hit the ground running, the LB76 may have been streets ahead of the British competition, but it never enjoyed the success of the 88, so the Volvo is the one.
The first ‘big power’ lorry was the Scania 140, but the iconic model is the 141, it’s the lorry that gave Scania the reputation they still live off today.
Nothing much changed until the Magnum, sure the manufacturers raised their game, but improvements were not groundbreaking, not until the Magnum, as well as the flat floor the AE series also was one of the first with disc brakes, albeit on the front axle only.
Last and by no means least comes the Actros, it was the first lorry to adopt CanBus electronics, which they all have today and the first to offer an automated transmission as standard across the range, it may not have been the best lorry in the world at first, but it paved the way for the lorries we have on the road today.