This may be something of a bizarre topic, but as I get a bit older I’m realising how short life is, and that it’s wise to indulge in one’s passions. I’m passionate about old lorries (anything and everything pre-1995), but have neither the finances, facilities, or skills to preserve and run one myself. Museums and shows are fine, but being a mere spectator is frustrating to say the least.
So I’m wondering if there is any way I could experience older lorries more directly. For example, finding opportunities to drive them, or more realistically, ride as a passenger somehow, somewhere, even if just briefly. Modern lorries bore me to tears and I yearn for a few experiences with old lorries.
I have written and published a magazine article or two, and got to ride in a late 90s Foden for about 10 minutes as a consequence- pure heaven. But as I’m not an experienced journalist with lots of contacts, it’s difficult to find potential leads for such articles.
Can anybody suggest anything? Life would be sightly more meaningful if I could occasionally ride in/drive old lorries.
ezydriver:
This may be something of a bizarre topic, but as I get a bit older I’m realising how short life is, and that it’s wise to indulge in one’s passions. I’m passionate about old lorries (anything and everything pre-1995), but have neither the finances, facilities, or skills to preserve and run one myself. Museums and shows are fine, but being a mere spectator is frustrating to say the least.
So I’m wondering if there is any way I could experience older lorries more directly. For example, finding opportunities to drive them, or more realistically, ride as a passenger somehow, somewhere, even if just briefly. Modern lorries bore me to tears and I yearn for a few experiences with old lorries.
I have written and published a magazine article or two, and got to ride in a late 90s Foden for about 10 minutes as a consequence- pure heaven. But as I’m not an experienced journalist with lots of contacts, it’s difficult to find potential leads for such articles.
Can anybody suggest anything? Life would be sightly more meaningful if I could occasionally ride in/drive old lorries.
Look for a branch of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society in your area. Go along and meet the members. You can do this with any preservation group, they always need volunteers and marshals at their rallies. Build up a relationship, lots of owners are getting on a bit and can’t drive the larger vehicles now as they may have given up their HGV entitlement (voluntarily or otherwise). Get involved, the rest will follow. Good luck. Regards Kev.
ezydriver:
This may be something of a bizarre topic, but as I get a bit older I’m realising how short life is, and that it’s wise to indulge in one’s passions. I’m passionate about old lorries (anything and everything pre-1995), but have neither the finances, facilities, or skills to preserve and run one myself. Museums and shows are fine, but being a mere spectator is frustrating to say the least.
So I’m wondering if there is any way I could experience older lorries more directly. For example, finding opportunities to drive them, or more realistically, ride as a passenger somehow, somewhere, even if just briefly. Modern lorries bore me to tears and I yearn for a few experiences with old lorries.
I have written and published a magazine article or two, and got to ride in a late 90s Foden for about 10 minutes as a consequence- pure heaven. But as I’m not an experienced journalist with lots of contacts, it’s difficult to find potential leads for such articles.
Can anybody suggest anything? Life would be sightly more meaningful if I could occasionally ride in/drive old lorries.
Come for a job at our place and you will get paid to drive old ■■■■■ lorries
Don’t think he quite meant that Ramone, although I do know what you mean. I was servicing my lorry one day yonks ago when the local scrap man popped in. “Got any old metal, boss?” he asked the garage foreman. “yes, plenty” came the reply. “Our boss pays idiots to drive it all over the country!”
ramone:
Come for a job at our place and you will get paid to drive old [zb] lorries
Ha ha. Joking aside, I read a magazine article about 6 months ago about a small firm out Lincolnshire way, if i recall correctly. They ran a mixed fleet, but one of their lorries was an old ERF (something like a Y reg - 1983) still on regular use. Apparently drivers still did weeks away in it. The firm said they used to run only older lorries, but struggled to recruit drivers. I remember thinking how I’d enjoy driving an old ERF everyday.
ezydriver:
This may be something of a bizarre topic, but as I get a bit older I’m realising how short life is, and that it’s wise to indulge in one’s passions. I’m passionate about old lorries (anything and everything pre-1995), but have neither the finances, facilities, or skills to preserve and run one myself. Museums and shows are fine, but being a mere spectator is frustrating to say the least.
So I’m wondering if there is any way I could experience older lorries more directly. For example, finding opportunities to drive them, or more realistically, ride as a passenger somehow, somewhere, even if just briefly. Modern lorries bore me to tears and I yearn for a few experiences with old lorries.
I have written and published a magazine article or two, and got to ride in a late 90s Foden for about 10 minutes as a consequence- pure heaven. But as I’m not an experienced journalist with lots of contacts, it’s difficult to find potential leads for such articles.
Can anybody suggest anything? Life would be sightly more meaningful if I could occasionally ride in/drive old lorries.
Look for a branch of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society in your area. Go along and meet the members. You can do this with any preservation group, they always need volunteers and marshals at their rallies. Build up a relationship, lots of owners are getting on a bit and can’t drive the larger vehicles now as they may have given up their HGV entitlement (voluntarily or otherwise). Get involved, the rest will follow. Good luck. Regards Kev.
Thank you Kevmac. I shall go down this route. I’d not thought of that as I assumed anybody who owned a lorry would monopolise the driving of it.
Agree with the rest go to the shows speak to some of the lads, go to Jacks Hill ( April ) and natter with some of the owners I quite often take people with me we don’t all bite.
norfolk:
Agree with the rest go to the shows speak to some of the lads, go to Jacks Hill ( April ) and natter with some of the owners I quite often take people with me we don’t all bite.
pleanty of us in Northants with classics…Jacks Hill would be a good place to find any spare seats on runs/show days etc
Hi Robert! Well if you ever are in Sweden you can have a go in my old girl. Its not an ERF but an old LB81 Scania with an 1axl trailer. Perhaps not your first choise but you are more then welcome! Or if you whant to test somthing modern a FH 750 heavyhauling truck maby?
Dirty Dan:
Hi Robert! Well if you ever are in Sweden you can have a go in my old girl. Its not an ERF but an old LB81 Scania with an 1axl trailer. Perhaps not your first choise but you are more then welcome! Or if you whant to test somthing modern a FH 750 heavyhauling truck maby?
Best advice would be to join what used to be called owners clubs, guess they are probably called enthusiast clubs now.
Obviously I am biased but REVS, the ERF group are a friendly, sociable bunch to join. I know there’s a Foden society and the Scammell register too.
Used to own our own E10 but since we’ve sold that I am lucky enough to drive somebody else’s classic. Maybe it’s worth getting to know a firm with a large heritage fleet or an individual with more than one show vehicle.
Incidentally its the Great North Road Show at Newark Showground this weekend, a good place to see plenty of classics and their owners.
AYE if I ever get back to the uk I would love to get back in a G cabbed Leyland Clydesdale and Reiver just to remember my first days driving at the start o the 80s and then a 60s LAD cabbed Albion reiver just as I spent my childhood wae my dad …just a dream you know but someday jimmy.
JIMBO47:
AYE if I ever get back to the uk I would love to get back in a G cabbed Leyland Clydesdale and Reiver just to remember my first days driving at the start o the 80s and then a 60s LAD cabbed Albion reiver just as I spent my childhood wae my dad …just a dream you know but someday jimmy.
aye Larry was a w reg (was 6months old…driver got a DUI ) Clydesdale wae a tarmac body…Reiver was a V reg tarmac body,replaced by a B reg constructor but I staid on the clydesdale as I was now the spare lowboy driver a ford D ,2 speed axle and a single axle lowloader wae the knockout axle hehe. nae wonder the older guys let me drive it. Looking back it was the best days ever mon-frid no hassle if work was done ,everyone was happy so we worked hard and played hard.
hen I was still at school, The start of my love for the haulage game, Regards Larry.