Which is your favourite truck?
It can be an old one you’ve driven in the past, a new one on the market you haven’t driven (yet), whatever…
If you can give me the make, model and reason why, I’ll be writing an article with the 10 best recommendations for our blog soon. Name check for the best answer 
I Think for someone ‘‘old’’ like me it has to be the Volvo F89 and Scania 141.For the time they done all you could ask and were possible to repair in ‘‘out of the way’’ places,and for the time were the height of luxury
Old has to be a 143, but of the modern era it’s an S730
Volvo…
F12.
In it’s day it was untouchable. The lightest clutch pedal, the smoothest steering and best wipers which were light years ahead of the Leylands, ERFs and Fodens that I was used to. The storage lockers were new and different. At last I had somewhere to put stuff as opposed to a big heap on the passenger side footwell. It had lights that actually illuminated the road ahead and brakes that stopped it too. The interior wasn’t made from steel with nuts and bolts everywhere, it was soft plastics, vinyl and velours. It was much quieter and one helluva lot more powerful. Once you got the hang of the 16 speed, you wondered how anything else moved at all.
sniff sob
Volvo FH12, F10, F88, DAF 3300, 2800, Scania (any style). Volvo V110, (US built and has to have a ■■■■■■■ 500 in it), every other US mad truck is rubbish.
Bedford TM ( turbo 92 series ) for me.The only credible Brit competitor to the Euro invasion and which helped to set the scene for future truck development in terms of cab design and the 10 hp + per tonne formula.
Daf 2000 ( remember the little blue flame on the exhaust when you where struggling up the Brenner?)
Daf 2800 ATI DKSE, most reliable, easy to fix, long distance truck which would always get you home (even without alternator working, or on less than 6 cylinders)
Scania Vabis 85 Super, for its time, years ahead with a good synchro gearbox and power steering, lovely truck with a flat floor and relative lot of space.
Volvo F12, moved trucking into the next century, comfortable, powerful, easy driving and the Globetrotter was the start of spacious cabs and there was thought for the driver put in.
I am not a Scania man and after the 112 / 113 everything else what they made is overrated.
A V8 is for American pick up truck for Rednecks to drive, not a truck engine.
The modern truck don’t cut it for me, the interiors look scabby after a couple of years, the outside dated, the FH is not a bad truck, but after the series 1, it all went down south on the quality, interiors and the wiring, shame for otherwise a magnificent manufacturer.
Some of my favourite lorries i’ve had over the years, each good for the job they had to do, from the days when lorries were specified for a job not one size fits all which so many are now.
In no particular order save approximate timeline…Foden S80/Haulmaster, Leyland Buffalo, ERF A series (■■■■■■■ ), Scammel Crusader, Leyland Constructor, Daf 2500/2800, Seddon Atkinson 400/401, Scania 110/111/112/113/114 (some of these were day cabs for tight deliveries, perfect urban tractor unit IMHO), Mercedes 1627 and Axor, Volvo FL12, MAN 232/331/ and F90 mainly for its 95mph top end, so i’m told 
Had lots of motors i disliked for various reasons too, the most memorable were Foden S39/S40, Sed Ack 200/300, Volvo F86/F88/F10/FL7/FL10/FM12, Merc 1625, Daf 2100/2300/2600, Leyland Roadtrain, Leyland Marathon, ERF A/B series (bloody Gardners), Renault G Manager, probably loads more i’ve been glad to forget.
The modern stuff of the last 10/15 years has no interest for me, little in the way of lorry driving pleasure or satisfaction because it’s basically select D and steer now, i know this is an unfashionable view.
Favourite 2 lorries i’ve had long term.
1 Sed Ack 401, ■■■■■■■ Fuller Rockwell, very underrated vehicle, on similar work to competitors who had Scanny 142’s they seemed surprised that the Seddon could stay with them when we ran together, good on fuel, totally reliable, Jake Brake meant almost never using the brakes apart from coming to final rest.
2 Volvo FL12 380, had one as lwb wagon and drag car transporter with a brilliant Lohr 10 car body on it, super low cab which meant it was the perfect lorry for multi drop work, pulled like hell, handled well and ignored snow that stopped almost everything else.
I haven’t driven anything modern but I always rated the more basic stuff higher than the top-of-the-range kit, not that I’ve driven too much of the latter. Volvo FL12 was a good motor as was the ERF EC10 and particularly the EC14. Some may laugh but the earlier Axors I always though good; they did the job they were designed for as a fleet motor well and that 430 engine pulled much better than the rating would suggest.
The second-gen 2546 Actros with the T-bar gears I also like a lot. Good puller, comfy and the V6 sounded well too.
Then there’s an honorary mention for the EC12 ERF with the Cat engine. Only a 365 I think but with an eight-speed box it did well for me and pulled anything you cared to hook to it. Another where the book power rating was deceiving.
If you can’t be with the one you love; love the one you’re with. Use’em up and wear’em out, then move on.
All lorries are good when working but are ■■■■■■■ when broken down .I have never driven any heavyweights started on a Ford D series moved to a Merc 1617 both 4 wheelers then a Leyland Connstructor 2421 then a Scania p93 280 then a DAF CF 330 and then a stretched Renault Premium 400 unit all of these were 6 wheel flats. When they were working everyone was an exellent truck but when broken down everyone was a ■■■■■.
When i first started out my F7 (lucky7 on the sunvisor) was a very reliable truck and never let me down despite being flat out all over europe loaded to 40t plus. My F12-400 was a revelation in power. Next was a MAN 19/462 with the 17 litre V10, the sound of that thing fully freighted pulling up the gradients was epic! The F16-470 was another hill flattener. My current FH 13-500 mapped to 570 is also another flyer. All great trucks and have been lucky with all of them, only requiring servicing maintenance with no major problems. Im hoping my FH16-700 although having enough power to pull a freight train will be just as reliable…
Olog Hai:
Some may laugh but the earlier Axors I always though good; they did the job they were designed for as a fleet motor well and that 430 engine pulled much better than the rating would suggest.The second-gen 2546 Actros with the T-bar gears I also like a lot. Good puller, comfy and the V6 sounded well too.
I had 2 early axors, a 52 plate 360 with a 4 over 4 box then an 04 430 with telegent box I agree, for what they were they were very good. I was on multi drop site work with no nights out and they both were absolutely hammered by me with very little complaint. The 430 was an awesome puller, when empty in the wet it would spin its wheels up to 10th gear! 
I’m currently in a 12 plate 2546 actros with the V6 which I think is second generation? It’s been very reliable so far but I don’t rate it as a good puller, it feel sluggish to me not helped by the very lazy auto clutch.
My fav was a 7.5 Ford cargo.
Set up a sound system…first on the fleet with power steering.
Nights out across the seats.
Cash in hand.
Age 17 living the dream
commonrail:
My fav was a 7.5 Ford cargo.
Set up a sound system…first on the fleet with power steering.
Nights out across the seats.
Cash in hand.
Age 17 living the dream
How times change…to be living the dream nowadays it has to be a Scanny V8… 
Remember running down from Aberdeen with a mate.
He got a problem (think it was air)and we limped into Carlisle truckstop.
Neither of is had a pot to ■■■■ in…but fortunately we bumped into another mate’s dad (milk marketing board)who subbed us a few quid.
A good night was had by all.
Without doubt it has to be the Scania 143-450, no other lorry has combined power, economy, reliability and desirability in the same way.
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newmercman:
Without doubt it has to be the Scania 143-450, no other lorry has combined power, economy, reliability and desirability in the same way.Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
1+ so true what a truck,had one doing Norway and what a truck,what a truck!
Danne
In the tipper industury I’d say the MAN 30-331.
The power was unreal compared to what everyone else had at the time
I use to enjoy driving this when I worked for trade team.
The night heater was useless and I could never get the radio to work.
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