Eric Rambler:
So the elephant in the middle lane really exists. I knew I didn’t imagine it.
for some reason unknown to me,then mine is either running into a farmer trailer packed high with turnips,or else im about to run over an old granny pushing a silver cross pram in front of me…scares me ■■■■■■■■ for a cpl of seconds every single time…
and why hasnt anyone mentioned the perk of arming up the clock above the speedo needle particulary on your 143 and similar ilks with a lihter.then thumbing it down in the middle…gently ently over perod of a week or 2…thereafter once you got to the required shown speed,you just thumbed it as you floored it,and voila,a trace of 56 where the needle stuckand so long as you stayed abve that( which was never a peob running decent plant) you were flat to the mat and a dead legal card…oh the joys…( it still works apparantly) so im told… 
Scania started putting a little peg next to the hub of the speedo needle to prevent “thumbing it”.
I thought it was a bit of a pointless exercise, you had to pull the tacho open to prevent the needle from spiking when you stopped and it never really benefitted you anyway, if you got pulled for speeding it didn’t matter what the tacho chart said you were doing, you were nicked anyway, trying to BS your way out of it only made it more expensive, best to put your hands up and give them a coffee and be on your way.
The wire or fuse pull was the same, the old bill knew how long it took to get from a port or major city to wherever they had you pulled over, so trying to BS them with a dodgy tacho was only going to end in tears, far better to leave the tacho shut tight and give them the bung they were looking for in the first place.
Thumbing it could override early speed limiters and the wire or pulled fuse was useful to hide deliveries and collections, but other than that your T forms and CMRs told them exactly where you had been, so you couldn’t go on the wire in Milan and run to Rome to tip and load and switch it back on in Milan as the other paperwork would drop you right in the ■■■■■ matter.
Let’s face it, the only reason they pulled you was for a bung, so why bother trying to blag it.
Carryfast:
newmercman:
He isn’t real, it’s RikkiUK’s alter ego, it exists purely to rack up interest and satisfy his warped mind.
Don’t believe me, well have you ever seen them both in the same room?
I rest my case…
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You can bet if I was I’d arrange a test match between that Volvo F16 and a V8 Scania to Sicily and back.I’ll drive the Scania and Switch can drive the Volvo then we’ll do an engine tear down and rebuild competition between Bking doing the Volvo and CAV doing the Scania. 
Not sure what truck would do it fastest but I sure know which one would be more comfortable, the Volvo by miles, and I’ll take comfort over power every time
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
newmercman:
He isn’t real, it’s RikkiUK’s alter ego, it exists purely to rack up interest and satisfy his warped mind.
Don’t believe me, well have you ever seen them both in the same room?
I rest my case…
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You can bet if I was I’d arrange a test match between that Volvo F16 and a V8 Scania to Sicily and back.I’ll drive the Scania and Switch can drive the Volvo then we’ll do an engine tear down and rebuild competition between Bking doing the Volvo and CAV doing the Scania.
Not sure what truck would do it fastest but I sure know which one would be more comfortable, the Volvo by miles, and I’ll take comfort over power every time
You could beat him with a 180 Gardner, you know where you’re going 
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
You can bet if I was I’d arrange a test match between that Volvo F16 and a V8 Scania to Sicily and back.I’ll drive the Scania and Switch can drive the Volvo then we’ll do an engine tear down and rebuild competition between Bking doing the Volvo and CAV doing the Scania.
Not sure what truck would do it fastest but I sure know which one would be more comfortable, the Volvo by miles, and I’ll take comfort over power every time
Great tell that to Bking when he’s given that Volvo motor to sort out against the clock when you get back.
I sort of admire the fantasy would you live in. As for Bking…I wouldn’t trust him to fix a bicycle puncture
switchlogic:
As for Bking…I wouldn’t trust him to fix a bicycle puncture
That’s why he’d be the ideal candidate to sharpen his skills by stripping and rebuilding that Volvo motor.On that note he can’t be any worse than the muppet who designed it.
Harry has been very naughty, me personally wouldnt dream of such an idea, let alone put it into place, but i confess to running from Zona Franca to dover every fri night/sat…and never thought of a Plus mesieur when filling up…i was a loyal servant. 
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
As for Bking…I wouldn’t trust him to fix a bicycle puncture
That’s why he’d be the ideal candidate to sharpen his skills by stripping and rebuilding that Volvo motor.On that note he can’t be any worse than the muppet who designed it.
Of course, Volvo became one of the biggest truck manufacturers on the planet on the back of building crap trucks…
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
As for Bking…I wouldn’t trust him to fix a bicycle puncture
That’s why he’d be the ideal candidate to sharpen his skills by stripping and rebuilding that Volvo motor.On that note he can’t be any worse than the muppet who designed it.
Never heard such a nonsense, Volvo is world most recognised manufacturer of Truck, plant and marine engines, working all around the world in the harshest environments.
You really show here that you don’t have any clue, and just Google your nonsense together 
Volvo made engines which didn’t pee oil all over the floor, long before British, German and Dutch manufacturers managed to make an engine which is dry on the outside.
Volvo Penta is a fantastic marine engine, found in boats all over the world, sorry but if you spout bull, first do some investigation in the facts, and don’t just copy headlines.
caledoniandream:
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
As for Bking…I wouldn’t trust him to fix a bicycle puncture
That’s why he’d be the ideal candidate to sharpen his skills by stripping and rebuilding that Volvo motor.On that note he can’t be any worse than the muppet who designed it.
Never heard such a nonsense, Volvo is world most recognised manufacturer of Truck, plant and marine engines, working all around the world in the harshest environments.
You really show here that you don’t have any clue, and just Google your nonsense together
Volvo made engines which didn’t pee oil all over the floor, long before British, German and Dutch manufacturers managed to make an engine which is dry on the outside.
Volvo Penta is a fantastic marine engine, found in boats all over the world, sorry but if you spout bull, first do some investigation in the facts, and don’t just copy headlines.
It was really meant as a laugh.But if you really must make a serious point of it are you really suggesting that you’d prefer to have to fix a leaking timing cover for example on a D13/16/Mack MP 8/10 than a pushrod Scania V8 or even a Detroit 60 series. Or for that matter any type of job which requires a head off and/or valve train strip down.On that note we do have the ‘fact’ of the example of nmm’s recent issues regarding exactly that scenario.Remind us again of what the labour time and bill was although luckily in warranty in that case.
Carryfast:
AndrewG:
I one hit it from Calais to Malaga in the car and its one hell of a slog.
Realistically one hitting anywhere in Southern Europe from the Channel Ports is at best difficult varying to no chance in the case of Southern Italy/Sicily for example.Even at German and old school French motorway car type speeds.The idea of one hitting Gibralter etc from Calais,without severe sleep deprivation,at truck type speeds,let alone Euro type truck limits,sounds like mission impossible. 
As for those types of run with a car it takes/took a something which can happily run for extended periods at 120 mph + often closer to 150 mph together with a speed regime which turns a blind eye,to do it comfortably. 
On that note,like drink driving,I’ve always viewed higher speeds as being the much lesser of two evils if any,than pushing the boundaries of sleep requirements.
This is bikes but gives an idea of the old school fast continental ‘touring’ scene.
youtube.com/watch?v=8c2mdyQlIbw
youtube.com/watch?v=ecGlkhi6OYk
Its doable in 23hrs and with microwave cat naps in between ive never fallen asleep. I know the route like the back of my hand and although may go over the speed limit, speeds of 120mph plus are not needed…
60hrs for that job on my one Carryfast, at $130ph at the main dealer that’s $7800 in labour alone. When you factor in the loss in revenue that is at least $12000 down the drain without warranty and don’t forget the extended warranty @ $7000+ is an absolute necessity when you have the potential for bills like that.
newmercman:
60hrs for that job on my one Carryfast, at $130ph at the main dealer that’s $7800 in labour alone. When you factor in the loss in revenue that is at least $12000 down the drain without warranty and don’t forget the extended warranty @ $7000+ is an absolute necessity when you have the potential for bills like that.
On that note it would be interesting to find out what a similar type of job would involve in time and expense on the push rod Scania V8 or even the old 60 series.
Messing with the timing gear is not easy on any engine, even if it’s at the front, there’s still the belts and pulleys, fan assembly, radiator, intercooler and A/C condenser in the way.
However it wouldn’t be a 60hr job, even if you snapped every bolt and had to drill them out and helicoil new ones in you wouldn’t need 60hrs to do it.
A mate of mine and fellow trucknetter, Wire, has the same thing on his 2016 D13, but he’s going to the local Volvo approved garage to get his done (which is who I now use too) and they claim to be able to fix it in 42hrs now.
Although what this has to do with running bent is beyond me…
The most work in a week I heard of involved a driver working for a firm running thro Portsmouth in the 80s. The company was later closed down by the ministry. At the time of sentencing, of the associated court case, one of drivers was told by his Brief to “pack a toothbrush”! The story was widely reported by those who worked for the co. and others running thro the port. I started on euro work a short time later. I believe the story, but Im equally some of you will scoff! Ship out Pompey Sunday afternoon, leave Le Havre Sun 22hrs. Clear/tip/load/clear in Napoli. Return to Le Havre, and swop trailers. Repeat! He arrived back to He Havre Sat eve for the night boat. He apparently, got on the boat Sat night, went for a dinner, and fell asleep at the table. To save anyone goggling it, thats a total of over 7200km (4500mls) via the Blanc, in 6 days. A lot less autoroute then too.The truck was a 480 horse Mercedes, no limiter, top of the range in its day. Even his colleagues said he was over the top that trip. Later on he slowed down a bit, only doing South Coast / Glasgow return trips a few times a week.
Looking back, Im surprised there werent more accidents, in the day? The roads were quieter true, and not so straight, less dual road. Maybe the roads were less boring? Less chance of sleeping if concentrating on gear-changing, with more noise and vibration, a steering wheel to tug hard on. Getting sleepy would soon result in errors that let you know you were slipping. Dozing off would result in running into a soft ditch, and waiting for a truck to give you a tug out with a chain, straighten the pressed steel bumper with a sledge hammer, and crack on! Not as now, hit a barrier, spread plastic all over the road bend weight saving axles, crack alloy wheels, and knock out thousands of pounds worth of sensors making the truck immovable.
I wouldn`t want a return to those days, and remind you of the opening lines of “The Go-Between”: iirc “The past is a foreign land, they do things differently there.”
It was so easy to run bent then because not a lot of the police forces in any country had a clue what they where looking at on the taco, you only had to give them the bung before they sometimes even looked at it and away you went glad of a pack of smokes, it used to cost me more to get tipped quickly and away for next load.
Its not something to brag about when you think back to all the mirage’s you have seen on the roads from lack of sleep but it was acceptable and expected of you to do it by everyone, at the time you would not get a euro job if you would not do it so some of us took pro plus or whatever you could get to keep awake, how there where not a lot of big accidents I will never know but it was great times and great memories and great money, them were the days when you were king of the road.
Not just the 80s, still fairly common now here in Ireland. Plenty of lads still doing it now. Not just on European work, often done 18/19 hour days.
Sure if you want to make the money you have to do the loads.