i’m an owner operator who lives near indianapolis in the states. several years ago, i had the pleasure to spend time in the u.k., and enjoyed my time in your country. i found your people to be among the finest i have encountered, and enjoyed traveling. i was befriended by a gent who lived in chatteris, and was a driver in the 70’s for a.r.c. (amagamated roadstone) who gave a hitchhiker a ride, and ended up being a friend. shortly after arrived home, i was involved in an accident that broke my neck, and caused sufficient trauma to cause partial memory loss. one of my lost memories was the last name of my friend “tony”, but i remember he has 2 sons, and a wonderful wife. i was accepted as family by them, and for all these years, have tried to figure a way to contact them. if any of you know someone who might match the description of my long lost friend, i would appreciate a shout out.
my e-mail address is koolkar1@netzero.net
now then, i’m interested in the power unit you folks run. i have a 470 detroit in an fld 120 freightliner with a 10 over transmission. the slang on this side of the world for my make of truck is a “freightshaker” and my old “shaker” has over 1,200,000 miles on it. it’s still very dependable, well maintained, and looks good, and i hope to see 2 million before it, or i, retire. maybe both of us.
i also work at indianapolis raceway park on the crash rescue team, and have since 94.
Hi ufo,im from Ireland.If you think the Brits are friendly you should meet a few of us .
You ask about trucks over here,i have a Mercedes Actros,it has a v6 460 hp engine and an automatic 12 speed gearbox.
it is a timber truck and also is my avator.
Hiya UFO, no idea about your friend over here, but welcome anyway.
I drive a DAF (A Paccar made truck, like Petes and K-Whoppers), 460 horses, lots of torque, and 12 speed automated shift box. Now if I were that side of the pond, it’d be a Volvo 780 I’d want to be driving, the perfect truck to be living in.
Can I have your gearbox UFO? This auto box is making me lose the will to live… Just tell me it’s an Eaton, not a rockwell?
And I bet you gotta love working at Indy, that speedway is great (on tv, hope to visit it one day). Makes up for having the Colts in town eh?
FAQ forum for info on Posting Pics, Driver CPC, Getting 1st LGV Licence and much more…
Are you a member of the big sister US site to this one - truck.net
yeah, i’m registered at the sister site. (it’s a good site).
folks either love or hate the colts. to me, they are a bunch of multi millionaires supported by my tax dollars. i don’t pay much attention to them, but keep my opinions to myself since the fanatics run rampant…
interesting how it seems much of your equipment has auto trans. on this side, most companies run auto’s for recent driving school grads and those who have difficulty with shifting. no passing judgement here, as i think it would be great in traffic to not have to fight the gears. probably something that will catch on here in the future. i have a 10 speed manual in mine, with 10th being over drive. with the gears i have, the top speed of the truck is well over 100 m.p.h., but it will not happen with me in it unless i accidently drive off of a mountain…
personally, i never touch the clutch after i start moving and “float” the gears.
the cabover engine design is all but dead here. it was once the design of choice here, but as length laws were changed, conventional tractors became the choice of everyone. my f.l.d. is a set back axle convention with a “condo” sleeper. since the truck belongs to me, and out of warranty, i bumped the horsepower from 470 to 500. i can tell the difference in the mountains, and maybe a slight increase in fuel mileage.
a couple of things i might mention. first off, i’m lazy and horrible at typing, so i never bother with upper case letters. second, like sir winston once said, we are separated by a common language, so, some words and terminology i use might be different. i never intend to offend, and if i do, well, it is ignorance on my part. my apologies in advance.
i’ll try to get some pictures up, and i enjoy the ones you folks posted.
almost forgot… the race track thing. i work for the n.h.r.a… my track is mostly drag racing, but we have a circle track and road course. the 500 track is about 10 miles away. i haven’t been there in years, as i get plenty where i work.
an open invite to any of you that may head this way. the beer is COLD, and i keep a small stock on hand. i am a much better than average cook, and there’s a large porch in back of the house along witha huge back yard. you are invited to sample all, and are more than welcome.
Wanted: 18 speed eaton roadranger to fit DAF 105, clutch pedal optional, as I can float a roadranger too… Call me weird, but I wanna stick to play with…
u.f.o.:
an open invite to any of you that may head this way. the beer is COLD, and i keep a small stock on hand. i am a much better than average cook, and there’s a large porch in back of the house along witha huge back yard. you are invited to sample all, and are more than welcome.
300+ UK based truck drivers are now on the way to Indianapolis see you at the weekend
Seriously…thanx for the invitation…welcome to our site, if we too say something to offend you at any time please remember that most of it is just banter and nothing is malicious…hope you find your friend soon…regards graham
I may just take you up on that offer of a cold one, I get down your way every now & again, I go into Maryland & North Carolina regurlarly but I normally run along the top of Indiana on the Turnpike & into Ohio & PA, it’s a little bit longer but I can go faster so it’s the quickest way.
Like you I have a proper ‘■■■■■■’ (that’s a gearbox to the rest of you ) mines an 18spd though & also allows me to hit triples (over 100mph ) not that I do I only use the clutch for pulling away, it may be old fashioned technology but you get a sweeter shift than any synchro box & it’s as fast as any Euro auto shift, the autos over there are terrible BTW, I had one in a KW & a Volvo & I hated it, the euro ones are a million times better, but there’s nothing like moving that stick, oh & mine’s in a 379 with a 550 CAT C15 (pre emission) I love it, i’ve driven most of the Euro stuff & I can honestly say it’s the perfect truck for the job, it may be old fashioned but they got it right a long time ago & if it ain’t broke, it don’t need fixing
went with road link out of indy terminal. intermodal ■■■■■. but the pay is right, and so far, they are not thieves. home a few times a week, every weekend, and no touch freight. i usually clear $1800- 2 grand a week after fuel, insurance, etc… some make more… many make less. since the tractor is mine, bought and paid for, i get to bank some for a rainy day, and we all know it rains from time to time.
as for the lost in translation thing. i’m sittin’ here scratchin’ my nuts wondering what “ballocks” are.
thanks for the welcome you guys, you lot , what ever…
C’mon folks. Let’s see if we can earn that ‘cold one’.
Amalgamated Roadstone! That’s a name from the past. Whilst I can remember it (vaguely) I’ve no idea what it later became. Possibly becoming part of the Tarmac group?
And Chatteris. So obscure that I had to look it up. Seemingly a ‘one horse’ town in the wilds of Cambridgeshire, where even the ‘horse’ expired through boredom.
Possibly worth emailing some of the businesses, i.e. pubs, that might have a recollection going back some 40 years. Even better, the barbers. Given that, with someone ■■■■■■■■■■ away in close proximity of your auditory organs, when asked a question, the answers tend to be free flowing and genuine. Or even exploring if there is a local ‘rag’ (newspaper) that could cover the story.
Alternatively, on a National basis, The Mail on Saturday, a newspaper, carries a ‘Lost…and…Found’ item each week which seeks to put people in touch with relatives/friends that they have not heard from for many years. But they do seem to like photographs to accompany appeals.
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) not that I do 
I only use the clutch for pulling away, it may be old fashioned technology but you get a sweeter shift than any synchro box & it’s as fast as any Euro auto shift, the autos over there are terrible BTW, I had one in a KW & a Volvo & I hated it, the euro ones are a million times better, but there’s nothing like moving that stick, oh & mine’s in a 379 with a 550 CAT C15 (pre emission) I love it, i’ve driven most of the Euro stuff & I can honestly say it’s the perfect truck for the job, it may be old fashioned but they got it right a long time ago & if it ain’t broke, it don’t need fixing 
So obscure that I had to look it up. Seemingly a ‘one horse’ town in the wilds of Cambridgeshire, where even the ‘horse’ expired through boredom.