hiya,
Not my first motor by a long way but the biggest pile of rubbish i ever drove was a Scania 80 got it brand spanking new and came off an Atkinson Silver Knight with a 220 ■■■■■■■ in her some engine in the mid 60s the Scania thing was useless would’nt pull the proverbial fo****n back hated that thing.
thanks harry long retired.
feb/march 1988 leyland terrier dropside first drop corsham then across the old severn bridge to caldicot in the famous bad winds it seemed to take an eternity to get across that bloody bridge nose to tail all the way across,not somthink i’d like to do in a rush too soon again. 
curnock:
feb/march 1988 leyland terrier dropside first drop corsham then across the old severn bridge to caldicot in the famous bad winds it seemed to take an eternity to get across that bloody bridge nose to tail all the way across,not somthink i’d like to do in a rush too soon again.
They wouldn’t let you across now curnock,it’s closed if there’s any high winds. I reckon it’s only a matter of time before that bridge is closed. They never ever closed it years ago.
Cheers Dave.
Good Morning all. Well my first truck was a Hino 336 artic 29 AZE was the reg.Pulling out of Dublin for British Rail and Bell lines.Plenty of Peat Moss it was on its knees loaded.‘Would not pull the skin off a rice pudding’ as my uncle used to say 
Then about 1986 moved to London and into tippers Man 331/291 muck away out A 13 for a few years.My first scania was a 111 for company called APN they were based around north side blackwall tunnel got to drive a transcon for a few weeks with them also.About 1989/90 got a job with Walsh Weastern in Reading , they had depot there at that stage. Driving a dutch reg l/h merc rigid cant rem model anyway that was my first Euro job:)Headed back to Ireland in 1990 and got a job with Liam Carrol in Thurles co tipp . Truck there was 142 and did Italy for them .Gave that job up during summer ,world cup was on and rather watch that than work eh young free and single ! Anyway Back to working around Dublin Docks for a few years F12 volvo Good truck that by the way .Then 1993 went and started with Wexford company not Nolans !Drove 143 for first time 450 now that was a truck! doing beef and lambs etc France Italy Greece Spain . Great job and great bunch of lads.Next job was with Dundalk Mafia The classic Irish Scania 143 /Fridge outfits Again great lads and great craic . Being older and a little wiser now my apoligies to the good people of the uk for going up and down the road at 70 mph (night mostly) Stuck with that till 2000 and being back in Dublin since Driving the Good people of Ireland Mad !
dave ive done it…caught jacket on ad-blue tank…ripped the basrtd thing wide open…then done a rude thing to a woman. stuck my…is it still raining outside guys!! p.s. your jokes are ace Dave. 
hey dublin 143, you could get locked up for doing beef and lambs. thats a baaaaaaad thing to do. mind you fukced a few pigs in my time… 
hiya,
Same thing with a few old dogs in my time too jimmy m.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Not my first motor by a long way but the biggest pile of rubbish i ever drove was a Scania 80 got it brand spanking new and came off an Atkinson Silver Knight with a 220 ■■■■■■■ in her some engine in the mid 60s the Scania thing was useless would’nt pull the proverbial fo****n back hated that thing.
thanks harry long retired.
Harry,those Scania 80s,81s,82s and 92s were rubbish.I would always try and get summat else for trunking as we always had a demo or two knocking about - TM Bedford,ERF,Seddon - owt rather than one of those bloody things.The 112s were better though.
The best wagon nowadays is the one that’s parked up as far as I’m concerned. 
i did my test/course in a scania 81 so there. 
hiya,
Glad somebody agrees with me Chris there was two motors arrived and put on the road the same day my 80 and my mates 110 that was a different kettle of fish i could quite happily have had one of those full time, only got one for the odd trip and i thought it was a fantastic motor in the late sixties and a true 32 tonner whereas the 80 would have been fine only pulling a single axle trailer, but it was rated 32 tons and thats what it ran at, ugh.
thanks harry long retired.
Chris Webb:
Harry,those Scania 80s,81s,82s and 92s were rubbish.I would always try and get summat else for trunking as we always had a demo or two knocking about - TM Bedford,ERF,Seddon - owt rather than one of those bloody things.The 112s were better though.
The best wagon nowadays is the one that’s parked up as far as I’m concerned.
The Scania 80’s were well out of their depth running at 32t. On paper they put out almost the same bhp as the 220 ■■■■■■■ but with an 8ltr engine opposed to the 14ltr of the ■■■■■■■ they were never going to hack it !
I worked at the Scania agents when they were introduced and they were trouble from the off, with blown head gaskets, cracked heads ,pistons, liners, we were kept busy. Interestingly the rigids gave no trouble what so ever and as an artic they would have been best run at 28t. Of course the 110/111 at 11 ltrs were much more reliable.
hiya,
Trev_H, I sacrificed an Atki with a 220 ■■■■■■■ in her for the 80, compulsory i hasten to add, after the first trip i asked unsuccessfully for the old motor back the Atki was known as the “Powerhouse” and apart from the comfort of the 80 was a far superior motor but had a bit more of a thirst which is why the old girl went the journey i think.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Glad somebody agrees with me Chris there was two motors arrived and put on the road the same day my 80 and my mates 110 that was a different kettle of fish i could quite happily have had one of those full time, only got one for the odd trip and i thought it was a fantastic motor in the late sixties and a true 32 tonner whereas the 80 would have been fine only pulling a single axle trailer, but it was rated 32 tons and thats what it ran at, ugh.
thanks harry long retired.
the scania 81 82 were great as a 4 wheeler my first lorry was a scania 81 4 wheeler went well at 16 ton 205 hp and 10 speed gearbox i had a scania 92 after with the 250 engine
this is still working everyday now
my first artic was this 240 f88 for spoors of sunderland. i was a month past my 21st birthday, i thought i was king of the road! 
Cor four days,and this was halfway down page two. Had to lift it back up too find out what the rest of you drove when you were young drivers,or old starters.
Cheers Dave.
As a teenager in about 84 85, i used to work saturdays as a shunter at my grandads haulage firm Graham Martins Transport of leicester, using an old seddon with a 150 gardner in, that was affectionately known as my 1st lorry.
They ceased trading in late 85-ish so my quick direct route into the haulage buissness needed plan B.
Then having passed my class 1 at 21 did a bit of agency to get experience, 1st job was on a 7 an arf for walkers crisps 4 dropper corby, luton and 2 in ruislip. Then the guy at the agency asked what sort of class 1 experience i’d got, well i said " none legally" so having explained being a shunter for my grandad a few years earlier he asked if i’d be willing to have a weeks work at Pinnacle International Freight of narborough on artics, wow this is it i thought only been passed my test a week and i’m off on the continent, only to be brought back down to earth with a sort of bang ! Yes is was on artics, SUPERB, but only doin locals, ie loading, tipping backloads. Anyway it was artics so i didn’t mind.
Monday morning couldn’t come quick enough (strange to think that now) was met by Johnny Cass the transport manager and he basically gave me the keys to a B reg M.A.N 16.280, Bang on, 1st job was to load a tilt at Dustraction Thurmaston, oh ST i thought please not a strip out not on my 1st run out. Got there after playing some memorable tunes on the old 4 over 4 + you could split the top 4 as well, just when you think you know it all by shunting with a david brown 6 speed.
Relief !! as the fork lift driver says you’ve got 4 big crates 6ft by 8ft wide by about 8ft tall, just open 1 side while i finish loading this other lorry. So undone 1 side put a rope through an eyelt threw it over an pulled the curtain up from the other side, doddle this haulage lark i thought. Well he went for his morning break and it P*ED it down he came back now these 4 crates just went in under with about 6inch to spare, great i thought now zip up and head back. Pulled the curtain back over and the eyelets wouldn’t meet the hooks by about 2inch, oh no now what do i do,hadn’t realised that this was an old trailer and most of the roof slats were missing so the rain had collected on top. i was standing scratching my head when a dutch driver came over and said get in the back get a side slat and push the roof up from the inside, yes i thought, NO, these crates filled the trailer. So had to climb up on top with a bucket and scoop the excess water off. Great 1st day ! still i was on artics.
1st truck i had to call my own with all my own stuff in was an FL6 - F182 MBC 16 tonner drop down bed, no night heater, for Claude Goodburn pet products of melton mowbray.
4 nights out every week doing the north of uk and scotch.
1st artic i had to call my own was about a year later, Leyland roadtrain C66 SBC, 320 14ltr ■■■■■■■ for AML Transport of Leicester, that had no night heater either. That was general haulage.
hello dave , i’m pretty new to the forum , my first lorry [unofficially] was my uncle’s 1942 foden 8 wheeler . he gave me a whack every time i crunched a gear , soon got the timing right ! first legal lorry was an ex army bedford swb , there was no key so i lifted the gear lever out and hid it at night . moved up in the world on to a 1951 foden 6 wheel flat , then 8 wheeler . the boss liked to get his moneys worth out of his lorries [& drivers].in 40 odd years i only had 2 foreign lorries , a new fl10 8 legger in 86 & a man 361 just after . the gaffer was ex barnet& graham fitter & i reckon he tweeked it , it would pull a house down . i seemed to be stuck with fodens all my life really , i was on an alpha when my ticker went wonkey in 2004 . my wife says it was all down to transport cafe food & too many ■■■■ , i reckon it was foden fatigue . enough for now , regards rigsby
gunnerheskey:
1st truck i had to call my own with all my own stuff in was an FL6 - F182 MBC 16 tonner drop down bed, no night heater, for Claude Goodburn pet products of melton mowbray.
4 nights out every week doing the north of uk and scotch.
1st artic i had to call my own was about a year later, Leyland roadtrain C66 SBC, 320 14ltr ■■■■■■■ for AML Transport of Leicester, that had no night heater either. That was general haulage.
Mostly Merc Ategos… Company had 2 brand spanker 815 with sleepercabs one of which became my permanent truck due to the runs I was doing and pretty fresh daycab atego 815 an old shape 817 which motored…and a Flat as a pancake 814Eco.
First one I actually driven was one of the Sleeper Ategos… I took a load of cones out in Norwich town centre 
Thought I was the dogs boll@@ks at 22 years old cruising up and down country