[my 6 yr international ride, 290, p cab non intercooled…spain, ukrain, rumania, bulgaria, moldova…etc., actually only sold this truck ten yrs ago…picture taken just as i get onto the caen to potsmouth ferry, i would have been loaded with ahem, 23 tons of spanish onions out of valencia, i did hundreds, of loads, yes hundreds, of them with this truck, whilst i was a subby for richmond forwarding…
i show these pictures to my men, when they complain about not a big enough engined truck, or haveing no aircon…etc, etc,
Scotchbaz:
Derf:
I started off in a 330 DAF 85 running to Italy for Eurotrans (for those of you who were familliar with them would know, they used to load you with frozen peas to your gross (38t) at Salvessen’s cold store in Hull, then ‘top you up’ with a couple of extra tonnes at Nipress on Hull docks if you wanted a bit extra on the rate.
Mountain climbing at 40 Tonnes with a 330 lump… happy days.So long as I had a decent stereo and a decent wage, I didn’t give a toss how little was under the hump. That’s what the gearbox is for.
I remember doing that, and running on a Sunday though France and Italy even though they were frozen peas
I must have been lucky cause I had a 360 Scania lol
Used to ship over Saturday night into Zebrugge, sit in the rocking chair of Marco, Jimmy and any other Italian reg Eurotrans motors, so we had an Italian reg at the font and rear, then go hell for leather for Frejus on a Sunday.
Remember having a Harry Vos motor tagging along with us one sunday, I guess he figured if the French were going to pull anything, they’d go for the English motors, how wrong was he!
Had a right blast on the ferries with the Italian and English Eurotrans drivers and one or two of the subbies.
The Spanish in their smoky old Pegaso`s,took their time up those mountains,Somo Sierra,on the National one north of Madid was a truck killer.
toby1234abc:
The Spanish in their smoky old Pegaso`s,took their time up those mountains,Somo Sierra,on the National one north of Madid was a truck killer.
Mostly on the down stretch. 
harry:
toby1234abc:
The Spanish in their smoky old Pegaso`s,took their time up those mountains,Somo Sierra,on the National one north of Madid was a truck killer.Mostly on the down stretch.
It can still cook your brakes if youre running too fast and heavy - you still see the odd one or two pouring smoke from the axles - not just the Spanish either.
Hombre:
harry:
toby1234abc:
The Spanish in their smoky old Pegaso`s,took their time up those mountains,Somo Sierra,on the National one north of Madid was a truck killer.Mostly on the down stretch.
It can still cook your brakes if youre running too fast and heavy - you still see the odd one or two pouring smoke from the axles - not just the Spanish either.
I well remember the 8x2 Pegaso’s with a Telma retarder on the back axle, litterally flying past on the long downhill sections!!
Ross.
me little scania above, didnt have no exhaust brake, no jake brake, no engine brakes, was a little bit interesting coming down the hill from pampolona to irun, with the obligatory stop aat sunbilla, i used to reline the trl brakes every three months, and the unit every 6 months, underpants, weekly…lol
Some of you boys dont know when you were well off!!! I drove for Fleetmain decades ago in a 2600 bright yellow Daf.
It took me to the M/E, The Commie bloc, plus a few locals to Italy and Greece. Had to carry 2 five gallon drums of water as if the weather was very hot and we had a heavy climb to it nearly always boiled over even with the thermostat taken out.
Cracking motor but I yearned for one of them numbers trucks. 88,89 140 then the mighty 141. I got a 88 then an 89, It spoiled me forever comfort, heat, power but a bit iffy on the brakes.
Happy Days.
bigr250:
Hombre:
harry:
toby1234abc:
The Spanish in their smoky old Pegaso`s,took their time up those mountains,Somo Sierra,on the National one north of Madid was a truck killer.Mostly on the down stretch.
It can still cook your brakes if youre running too fast and heavy - you still see the odd one or two pouring smoke from the axles - not just the Spanish either.
I well remember the 8x2 Pegaso’s with a Telma retarder on the back axle, litterally flying past on the long downhill sections!!
Ross.
and normally double stacked with bricks and ceramics.
used to fly past me downhill in my flat roof daf, and no air con in the early/mid 90’s. it did have the silly little wardrobe though 
it could sometimes be a long plod up and down miguels when it still had the single lane bits.
My first trip to France was done in an old atkinson with
a sleeper pod riveted on to the back of the cab . If you
wanted to turn over during the night you had to slide
sideways out of the bed , turn over and slide back in .
Happy days .
Second motor was a 240 f88 , the bees knees KGO 494 K.
Never forget it as every time I drove past a scrap yard the
steering wheel used to pull towards it . Told the boss and
he rewarded me with a F88 290 , a beast .
quirky
Wheel Nut:
Have a look through some of these old girls. These bloody furreners were spoilt and they came over here and stole our women and jobsfierdetreroutier.com/version … o_pm60.php
I haven’t stolen the pictures, so each one will open in a separate window or tab
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…
I worked, for a short time, for a company called Express Freight.
Their main depot was at Amblainville(sp?), not far from the 1st peage on the A16 from Paris. Their other depot, where I was based, was in Forfar at the time I worked for them.
Could this be the same company Geoffo?
When I was there, most trailers where dark blue euro-liners with lifting roofs. There were also a couple of green curtained double deckers with lifting roofs and we all had Daf XF Spacecabs on French plates.
Simon:
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…
Those photos of Express Freight took me back several years, I remember Pierre working there and knew the owner Malcolm really well as when I worked for GBE we were always in Express Freights yard in Siskin Drive next to Coventry Airport , also knew most of their drivers ,including the girl that drove the wagon and drag as they were always in Peugeot ,Stoke plant like ourselves, if I recall correctly Malcolm moved to Brittany and carried on the buisness from there, but I have never seen an Express Freight trailer in Brittany.
kerbut:
Simon:
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…Those photos of Express Freight took me back several years, I remember Pierre working there and knew the owner Malcolm really well as when I worked for GBE we were always in Express Freights yard in Siskin Drive next to Coventry Airport , also knew most of their drivers ,including the girl that drove the wagon and drag as they were always in Peugeot ,Stoke plant like ourselves, if I recall correctly Malcolm moved to Brittany and carried on the buisness from there, but I have never seen an Express Freight trailer in Brittany.
It took me back too, although I never worked for them,I just lived within a mile of their yard. I used to bump Into a couple of their drivers ‘up the road’, but never really got to know any of them well…
Simon:
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…I worked, for a short time, for a company called Express Freight.
Their main depot was at Amblainville(sp?), not far from the 1st peage on the A16 from Paris. Their other depot, where I was based, was in Forfar at the time I worked for them.
Could this be the same company Geoffo?
When I was there, most trailers where dark blue euro-liners with lifting roofs. There were also a couple of green curtained double deckers with lifting roofs and we all had Daf XF Spacecabs on French plates.
Express Freight Services were based In Coventry & ran Green trucks…I wouldn’t know If they ever had a depot In Forfar… Could be the same company, but somebody else would have to confirm It for you…
Did the French Reg. Daf’s have White cab’s ■■
Geoffo:
Simon:
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…I worked, for a short time, for a company called Express Freight.
Their main depot was at Amblainville(sp?), not far from the 1st peage on the A16 from Paris. Their other depot, where I was based, was in Forfar at the time I worked for them.
Could this be the same company Geoffo?
When I was there, most trailers where dark blue euro-liners with lifting roofs. There were also a couple of green curtained double deckers with lifting roofs and we all had Daf XF Spacecabs on French plates.Express Freight Services were based In Coventry & ran Green trucks…I wouldn’t know If they ever had a depot In Forfar… Could be the same company, but somebody else would have to confirm It for you…
Did the French Reg. Daf’s have White cab’s ■■
Yup, plain white, French plated, Daf XF Spacecabs.
None of the trailers were marked up either.
We also used to go to a small yard at Coventry Airport quite a bit.
I don’t know if it was the same company.
The gaffer at Amblainville was Pascal. The gaffer in Forfar was Vince.
I only worked there for 6 months and jacked in on Christmas Day 2002, (I’d put my notice in two weeks prior). I didn’t like their management style shall we say, but stuck it out for 6 months hoping things would improve. Things didn’t.
Shortly after I finished they moved over from Forfar to Kirriemuir. Then, a bit later on, the units were stickered up as Meridan (or Meridian), then I heard they folded, in Scotland at least. That was probably 2004.
Vince also ran two new MAN TGA XXLs as Express Freight (Scotland) for a while.
Simon:
Geoffo:
Simon:
Geoffo:
I remember seeing that French driver as Express Freight Services were just up the road from me when I lived In the UK…I worked, for a short time, for a company called Express Freight.
Their main depot was at Amblainville(sp?), not far from the 1st peage on the A16 from Paris. Their other depot, where I was based, was in Forfar at the time I worked for them.
Could this be the same company Geoffo?
When I was there, most trailers where dark blue euro-liners with lifting roofs. There were also a couple of green curtained double deckers with lifting roofs and we all had Daf XF Spacecabs on French plates.Express Freight Services were based In Coventry & ran Green trucks…I wouldn’t know If they ever had a depot In Forfar… Could be the same company, but somebody else would have to confirm It for you…
Did the French Reg. Daf’s have White cab’s ■■
Yup, plain white, French plated, Daf XF Spacecabs.
None of the trailers were marked up either.
We also used to go to a small yard at Coventry Airport quite a bit.I don’t know if it was the same company.
The gaffer at Amblainville was Pascal. The gaffer in Forfar was Vince.
I only worked there for 6 months and jacked in on Christmas Day 2002, (I’d put my notice in two weeks prior). I didn’t like their management style shall we say, but stuck it out for 6 months hoping things would improve. Things didn’t.Shortly after I finished they moved over from Forfar to Kirriemuir. Then, a bit later on, the units were stickered up as Meridan (or Meridian), then I heard they folded, in Scotland at least. That was probably 2004.
Vince also ran two new MAN TGA XXLs as Express Freight (Scotland) for a while.
Certainly sounds like the same company, because Express Freight Services had a place on Siskin Drive which Is right next door to Coventry Airport…
quirkyjohn:
My first trip to France was done in an old atkinson with
a sleeper pod riveted on to the back of the cab . If you
wanted to turn over during the night you had to slide
sideways out of the bed , turn over and slide back in .Happy days .
Wot, no pics? 
Evening all,…do I hold the record for low power, Foden S20, 4 LK Gardner, Marsaille, first trip, then Turin via Cenis, and back! Then S20 12sp mechanical split LW Gardner, Sicily, and back. Micky Mouse, Foden 12sp air split, 150 LX Gardner, then big power S36, 12speed LX150, but with a 180 spring on the pump. Sicily, and back! Has there ever been a more satisfying gearbox to drive than Mr Fodens 12sp?? Boy could I drop those Berliets, Willemes, and Bernards on the climbs! (years later I discovered that they were perhaps 6tonnes heavier than I was)!!!
Done my fair share of counting wheelnuts turning on the climbs, Petite Grand St Bernard, Mt Cenis, Grand St Bernard, Ventaux, (that is a long story, and I was a little bit silly) Plus a lot of the lesser known French Cols, (and some are right b…s! And back in the mid 60s, some did not have a sealed surface, oh sheer delight especially coming down!!
Years later doing Press tests with Saviem/Berliet, (no one had thought of calling the combination Renault)!, I used to love the “big power”, 280 to 356hp, but in those happy days you could really feel, and drive each galloping horse!!
I shall away to my Bollinger, and remember what modest hp really meant. Cheerio for now.
