Those who drove to the Middle East years ago will no doubt have seen trucks like these Macks. In October 1972 I photographed them at Istanbul, a year after I went off the road coming over the Tahir Pass, 800 or so miles to the east.
Here was a brace of Iranian Maxidynes parked up beneath the Turkish flag, they were double manned and heading back to Tehran after having been to Europe. They were operated by the Iran Container Company (ICC) and a round trip could be up to 6000 miles. Note the tiny cabs, the drivers stayed at regular cheap hotels or Asian chaikhanas which provided basic food and accomodation. This company did not go in for elaborate sign writing, just the distinctive logo on the doors of the unit, a white silhouette of Iran. Also of note, in the left background, are the old American cars that were still common in that country.
Another Iranian Mack, parked up, clearly showing the trailer belly tank slung from the chassis frames. Tyres were 12.00-24 on these trucks. The units or trailers never had any mudguards, there were two rear/stop lights, which can just be seen, on the centre of the unit rear crossmember. One simple mirror each side was sufficient for those blokes.
This forward control Mack pulling a fridge, was Turkish, registered in Ankara, and parked alongside one of the Mercedes buses that provide long distance sevices in Turkey. Note the Michelin Man on the unit, remember those ?, haven’t seen one for many years.
marky:
Very reminiscent of P&S Contracts Macks from the early sixties.
P&S - were those the orange Macks running out of Rotherham? I often used to see those on the A74/A6 south from Glasgow. We called them ‘christmas trees’ because of all the marker lights, unknown on British trucks in those days. Most, if not all were right hand drive, being imports from Oz.
Mind you , not that we saw much of them. A flash of orange cab and white bumper blazoned ‘King of the Road’ in the mirror and then - past and gone.
They went like the wind but then so did everything to us - I was driving a Scammell Highwayman for Ilkeston Haulage at max. speed 38mph!
I’ve driven just such an old Mack R-series, and let me tell you-they are a rough-riding truck. They are also just about indestructible, too. The one I drove spent it’s first 12 years pulling turnpike doubles (dual 45’ or 48’ trailers, 144,000 lbs max, using a 350 motor with a Maxidyne 9 speed), then it was relegated to doing only regional work. It had 4 million miles on it when I drove it!
I can’t imagine double-manning a ‘day cab’ like that.
Here is one more of the Turkish Mack, at a different angle.
The first two digits of the number plates indicate the town or city of registration, 06 is Ahkara,34 Istanbul, 44 Malatya and so on.
