Independent Express

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
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Does anybody have any pics of the old Independent Express fleet.They were part of TDG,and sister company to Tuffnells,with a central hub in Northampton.The fleet was pink with black lettering and initially all MAN,from 7.5t,16t to artics.The last vehicles to join were Sherpas and Leyland roadrunners.I have searched net with not one pic found.Can anyone help please??
There was an article in Commercial Motor once.

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Apologies for the quality, its a cutting somebody gave me a while ago.

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Thanks,i have never seen that before and never knew we ran them trucks.
Many thanks

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I did the Belvedere-Haydock trunk for Tuffnells, just after they took over Independent Express, in one of those pink 321 MANs they had. My times were, leave Belvedere at 2000, be in Haydock for Midnight, leave by 0100 & be back in Belvedere by 0500, I used to have time to stop for a cuppa on the way up & back too, imagine trying to do that today :open_mouth:

I think the quickest I did it was 3hrs 25mins door to door, flat out the whole way up & them MANs sure could jog on, had the speedo all the way around to Made in Germany :wink:

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newmercman:
I did the Belvedere-Haydock trunk for Tuffnells, just after they took over Independent Express, in one of those pink 321 MANs they had. My times were, leave Belvedere at 2000, be in Haydock for Midnight, leave by 0100 & be back in Belvedere by 0500, I used to have time to stop for a cuppa on the way up & back too, imagine trying to do that today :open_mouth:

I think the quickest I did it was 3hrs 25mins door to door, flat out the whole way up & them MANs sure could jog on, had the speedo all the way around to Made in Germany :wink:

We were all running similar times on night trunking before limiters came in but those independent MAN’s were some of the fastest.I did Feltham to Killington Lake services and back on Scottish change overs and double return runs from Feltham to Bristol or Leicester for a different firm with DAF’s.All done easily inside the driving hours limits.Try it today at 85 kmh.

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My mate did the night trunk from Bristol when they first started. They started up after TNT bought IPEC. He had a left hand drive leyland roadtrain ex-Frank Williams F1 racing team.

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I did a bit of work for them when they first started up mostly up to Carlisle at the time they had a South African TM.

There is/was a MAN dealer just outside Northampton where all the vehicles were leased from they used to have a lot of fotos of them.

And yes they were very fast :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

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Vascoingles:
I did a bit of work for them when they first started up mostly up to Carlisle at the time they had a South African TM.

There is/was a MAN dealer just outside Northampton where all the vehicles were leased from they used to have a lot of fotos of them.

And yes they were very fast :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

The MAN dealer was John White on the A45/Kislingbury roundabout just outside Northampton.

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Vascoingles:
I did a bit of work for them when they first started up mostly up to Carlisle at the time they had a South African TM.

And yes they were very fast :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

They were faster than that.

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coming out of Old in the snow with those 3 axled used to be fun sometimes though just has well the MAN had a dump facility on the 2nd axle

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I think there are some pictures in Pat Haslers old posts. I am sure he drove for them at one time. I seem to remember one at the first Donington Truckracing too

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re.racing truck.the only mod on this truck to go racing was breaking the seal off the injecter pump and turning the throttle stop screw out a.few turns.my brother drove it on night trunk from northampton to plymouth and back.racing sunday.trunking monday.wonderful .

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Heavenly days indeed

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ist attempt to show pictures

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seems to have worked.these pictures were taken at truckfest in 83

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[I MG]http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz72/mickgoss/0057.jpg[/IMG]
try again

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try again

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diesel dan:

try again

That looks like a South Wales number on that one,diesel dan.Then again I’m probably wrong,just had another look,the end letters a D.
Cheers Dave.

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hello dave, its wbd its northampton reg

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diesel dan:
hello dave, its wbd its northampton reg

I messed up Dan,looked like WBO when I looked at your post,then after it came on,I could see my error.I wouldn’t know the numbers from that neck of the woods.
Cheers Dave.