Froggy55:
pv83:
Another batch from the old shoe box collection.Pic 4 (Bakker) must be a Dutch-built Kromhout
Yes mate, fitted with a in license built Gardner engine, saw and heard such a engine two years ago at a local fair, sounded great!
Spardo:
pv83:
Nostalgic pic of the week.Now there’s a motor I would have liked, tramping in the 60s. That crew cab would have made an excellent sleeper.
My old employer for a time too, George Wimpey, mind you on a slightly more up to date model. I even tried to use the ‘old driver network’ to get a job with them in Sydney. But nothing doing, Nearly all the long distance stuff was owner drivers pulling company trailers.
BTW I liked that first picture in your post above it. The mate has just realised his driver and some other bloke were about to be made famous and, guessing that he wouldn’t be seen through the reflection of the screen, desperately tries to hang out the door. Pity the door frame got in the way.
First attempt to become famous on the social media networks they had then back in the day
You never stop to amaze me with the vast amount of employers you’ve had over the years David 
LR Man:
pv83:
DEANB:
LR Man:
Pickfords MAN Jumbo 6x6 taken at their Birtley depot.“LR Man” Heres a bit about the sister of that truck in your photo.
Click on pages twice to read.
1978 Clipping.
2
5
4
3
Cheers Dean and LR Man, they had one with a sliding door as well, any info about that one perchance?
Great stuff Dean!
Here are a couple of photos (not the best quality) for pv83 of a MAN Jumbo with sliding doors, note the man working under the MAN!
Cheers LR Man, great stuff!
Any idea why the MAN was fitted with that sliding door? Was it to make it easier to get in and out of the cab for the crew/trailer operator?
DIG:
Out of all the truck’s you operated Dig,what was your favourite one and why ? Great pics of the Kenworth.
Couldn’t resist the challenge DeanO.
The KW was without doubt my favourite,the Macks did the job but the running costs of the Macks proved to be higher than the KW and I engineered the KW after 6 years which was a cheaper option than buying a new one as I didn’t have the confidence in our industry at that time for the work to continue at the same pace it had but the tax man still wanted his cut so a full rebuild was a better option and kept the money in my end of the table.
The KW when purchased had a small bunk 28inch quite comfortable to sleep in on a cold night but very little room for storage of whatever was needed to do the long distance runs [a load from WA to Queensland 6000kms each way got me thinking I needed more room].
When it was taken off the road 6 years later we moved the rear suspension pedastle back fitted a 60inch sleeper I purchased second hand ex US from a wreckers which I stripped and rebuilt at home before the main job started then then the chassis was sandblasted and sent to the paint shop before a final assembly and an in cab fitout with matching quilted panels.Unfortunately no photos of the rebuild my camera had developed a fault so no result.
The time taken for the work was 6 weeks plus a week in the paint shop.
We owned the truck for 14 years it stood at home here 18months after I purchased the Titan it was never advertised but word got out and eventually i reluctantly sold it. It was still running around the city 5 or 6 years later but I haven’t seen for a while now.
Dig
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That KW surely looked the part DIG in both liveries, it does remind me of Hill’s of Botley in the first livery though for some reason… not sure if DISPATCHER feels the same… 
Spardo:
DIG:
One of the legends of my era known as Vi in the top end cattle game.
Dig
A double click to enlarge a little.It didn’t get her driving road trains for a living, but I did to Fran what her partner did to Vi one day as we were coming back from Italy in my '89 with Whitetrux. I was a bit crook in the guts after booking my Zeebrugge ferry and couldn’t continue. We couldn’t miss the booking so I told her she’d have to do it, showed her the gears and climbed in the bunk.
Only 2 emergencies on the way, a great big bumble bee flew in and got lost in the folds of her wrap around skirt. I told her to keep going and after a bit of a rummage, found it and gently showed it the exit.
Then she woke me again later, terrified because the autobahn ended and she had to follow a clover leaf on to a 2 way road. ‘Just keep your eyes on the right hand mirror and the trailer wheels on the white line and you must be going in the right direction’ I said
Tough little lady, hats of to her.
I can imagine that there weren’t many ladies driving roadtrains back in the day, I’m not sure if there are some doing it nowadays?
As for normal haulage, I see that there are more ladies behind the wheel here and there, but I can’t say there are many in heavy haulage, I can only think of one actually and she works at the same firm as I do, and far as I can tell, she’s doing a great job.
I explained the working of the gearbox to the Mrs too when she came with me for a couple of days last December, as a proper school teacher I gave her a proper lesson about the working of the 'box and which gear was best for different circumstances… she wasn’t impressed and just said " so I just put that little lever in A and off I go?" Honestly, no appreciation whatsoever…
robthedog:
2
Cheers Robthedog, always liked Johnson’s livery, all of their motors looked really smart.
pv83:
You never stop to amaze me with the vast amount of employers you’ve had over the years David
It’s true and it got to the point that when I went for another job I was struggling to remember them myself, so I sat down one day and made out a list in chronological order. Nowadays with the list long gone it isn’t just the order but the actual names that often escape me.
It wasn’t that I was so bad that I kept getting the sack, nor that I was constantly headhunted , though that did happen a couple of times, but more that I have always had incredibly itchy feet. That and the fact that I wanted to experience everything in as short a time as possible.
But you also have to remember that for much of my career drivers were always in great demand (I was only redundant twice, both times with the same firm albeit with different owners and both due to the lack of international permits) and if I had the slightest fall out with a boss it was 2 fingers in the air and straight off down the road to the next cab, often the very same day.
Three more orange Patrick.
Oily
Spardo:
pv83:
You never stop to amaze me with the vast amount of employers you’ve had over the years DavidIt’s true and it got to the point that when I went for another job I was struggling to remember them myself, so I sat down one day and made out a list in chronological order. Nowadays with the list long gone it isn’t just the order but the actual names that often escape me.
It wasn’t that I was so bad that I kept getting the sack, nor that I was constantly headhunted
But you also have to remember that for much of my career drivers were always in great demand (I was only redundant twice, both times with the same firm albeit with different owners and both due to the lack of international permits) and if I had the slightest fall out with a boss it was 2 fingers in the air and straight off down the road to the next cab, often the very same day.
Chile and 1995 Mack MH 613.
Oily
Spardo:
pv83:
You never stop to amaze me with the vast amount of employers you’ve had over the years DavidIt’s true and it got to the point that when I went for another job I was struggling to remember them myself, so I sat down one day and made out a list in chronological order. Nowadays with the list long gone it isn’t just the order but the actual names that often escape me.
It wasn’t that I was so bad that I kept getting the sack, nor that I was constantly headhunted
But you also have to remember that for much of my career drivers were always in great demand (I was only redundant twice, both times with the same firm albeit with different owners and both due to the lack of international permits) and if I had the slightest fall out with a boss it was 2 fingers in the air and straight off down the road to the next cab, often the very same day.
oiltreader:
New Zealand and all credit to John Welsh for the photos.
Oily
Cheers Oily, the Merc is rather interesting, as it’s a 6x4 with a torque converter fitted, most of them (from the SK range) were 8x4’s or 8x6’s.
oiltreader:
Three more orange Patrick.
Oily
The first one is alright Oily, the rest of it is far too modern
DIG:
An old one from the scrap book may’ve been posted before if so apologies.
Dig
Well I haven’t seen it before, Dig, but a bit shy of you wasn’t it hiding behind the sign for a pub with no beer. 
Spardo:
DIG:
An old one from the scrap book may’ve been posted before if so apologies.Dig
Well I haven’t seen it before, Dig, but a bit shy of you wasn’t it hiding behind the sign for a pub with no beer.
Still there David the original was taken 1994ish this photo 1n 2010and we went through that area again in 2014 and its still standing which is more than can be said for the WMC camp.
Dig
