Interestingly you’ll see in that TM article a reference to ‘Special Orders’.
Which seems to be in line with my previous comments but which I couldn’t confirm.
To the point where most specifications could be accommodated and before 1980.
Not a bad effort at the end of the day a design which could accept anything from Detroit 6 and 8 cylinder 71 and 92 series to 14 litre Cummins and Fuller or Spicer transmissions.
I guess the fact that I was familiar with both transmission options and expected to meet emergency vehicle performance targets driving them will be ignored by SDU with the usual insulting put downs.
Trying to drive the Spicer equipped 6v92 as a range change would have played havoc with those figures and probably caused some severe transmission damage before its customer took delivery.Unless his memory is better than mine regarding the ‘Range Change’ Spicer box.
I’m sure that I haven’t just recently plucked the TM out of the air.I’ve championed it ever since I first started in the industry being one of my main introductions to the job.By the standards of its time it was a second to none product.
The fact that day cab Gardner powered trucks and the F88 were still, if not more, highly regarded says more about those times and customer foibles than the vehicle.
While if F88 standards of cab comfort and less than 10 hp per tonne are the formula for productivity and sales then that’s what the industry bench mark would still be and the F10 and F12 etc etc would never have happened.
Bearing in mind the F12 was Volvo’s largest UK seller by the early 1980’s.
By this time the sermon had gone on too long and the congregation fidgeted in fear of their Sunday roasts being ruined. The verger picked up a hymn book and lobbed it over the heads of the congregation intending it to land on the floor in front of the pulpit, thus breaking the vicar’s spell. Unfortunately, the book fell short and hit a man on the front row in the back of his head. As he slumped to his knees, he was heard to utter the words, ‘Hit me again! I can still hear him…’
To be fair, SDU did say that ‘his definition’ of a premium truck was etc etc.
I think the trade press invented the word to describe any truck that took their fancy, to be honest. We already have 3 different interpretations between three of us. Here’s a definition of a premium car I found online, for what it’s worth!
I would say todays premium makes come from Scania Volvo and Daf ,( the poor mans Volvo ) Renault MAN Iveco and the dreadful Mercedes are also rans. Having said that since Scania went under the same umbrella as MAN the quality is deteriorating.But dont let those big wheeler young auto mastering new breed drivers hear me say that as they thunder past hidden behind their curtains in their V8s
Well I said ,and I meant it, I was done with the new TNUK but as I was unable to cancel my “membership” of TNUK I have kept having a “dip” in to the new set up and my opinion ,unfortunately, hasn’t changed . In my opinion the content of the “new” TNUK is absolute total bollox ! It’s nothing more than a superfluous tittle tattle talking shop by mostly empty vessels who have never had any experience whatsoever at the sharp end of running a haulage operation of any consequence ! Probably the Mods will remove my post ! so be it ! but that is my considered opinion ! others I have no doubt will hold a totally opposite view to mine but I stand by by genuinely held opinion as I have "been there and done it " rightly or wrongly ! Sorry if my out spoken opinion offends anyone ! Bewick
Welcome back Dennis. I have always respected your views and in particular, your experience. You could have chosen to bring something to the table and enlighten us; to inform and educate. Instead, we get this dreary little post in which you dismiss all the views that have been expressed on here with your condescending ‘been there and done it’ attitude. I’m not in the least offended by this, but I am surprised by it.
As for the new TNUK talking shop: it’s exactly the same as before, except the level of debate has risen somewhat, even if you don’t agree with the content. We are exactly the same ‘empty vessels’ you were happy to banter with before xmas. Blow the ‘bollox’ apart with your wisdom, Dennis - don’t leave us with that unmemorable post.
Ramone, rather than derailing oily’s fine picture thread with our rambling and reminiscing, start a new thread and i will address your questions, to the best of my abilities.
Happy to discuss this on a different thread, not wanting to derail this one, further.
Well it’s my first few days back Dennis and i don’t think it’s changed for the better. Still have people on here who have been there and done it and who i would love to hear how they did it and maybe if you give it time it may improve. I’m not putting a timescale on it but i’m not dismissing it yet much to some peoples dismay .
To be fair Bewick by drivers for drivers would be expected to not stop at how good a Gardner powered Atki looked and performed on the firm’s fuel returns.
It would also be expected to contain discussions about the merits of different trucks from the perspective of different drivers.
Or for that matter why your hands are going to end up in blistered agony if you don’t learn how to rope wearing decent gloves and the difference between a range change and a splitter.
I take it you had to be a gymnast to actually get into that cab.
I think it was a prototype Dennis but ERF Foden and Atkinson were producing without steps around then with a good old step ring on the wheel what could possibly go wrong 
The cabs were lower down then, you didn’t have as far to fall. I don’t know if it was an optical illusion or what but that cab seemed to be so much higher then the SA’s or ERF’s we had in the fleet. And they seemed huge compared to the Guy, Seddon and Ergo cabbed motors we had.
Or was I a lot smaller then 
What about the Crusader with the raised Motorpanels cab another with a step ring
Fortunately we had disposed of our Crusaders before I joined.
The best lorry I drove whilst working for inter-city transport was the Volvo F86, What a revelation that lorry was in the early to mid 1970’s to what was about those days for driveability & comfort. The DAF 2800 from the mid 80’s onwards came a close second & I had that for years on tramping. We were taken over by the TDG group & everything was painted green. I can still remember the reg D143 ESF, I even saw it years later when I drove for Christian Salvesen shunting trailers in Fords Halewood plant & it still looks serviceable.
Not my 2800 but the same livery.
I nearly lost it twice as It was my turn for a “New” lorry, New lorry at inter-city meant a three-year-old one that had been on continuous day trunk & Cumbernauld night trunk duties 
Then they got a fleet of Leyland roadtrains T45’s day cabs & tried to push them onto the trampers 
for some reason. I said if you’re sending me down the road with that lorry I want booking into digs before I set off.
Long silence & told can’t do that so I said I can’t do that either & was told either that or no work, I said there’s plenty of work on agency & clocked off.
Three days later they rang me to say work as you did before on the DAF 2800. LOL.
The loss of work & closure of the then Leigh depot on Holden rd was the last straw, It was either go to Trafford park at the railfreight terminal or go to the old American air base in Warrington.
I wanted a semi retirement job as the mortgage was paid & we had no debt then so I said Bow Locks to that & did my last spell at Swift transport/Christen Salvesen in Leigh on Volvo F7’s.
My dad came off a Mandator and into a F86 and it was a revelation in comfort.I was only young at the time but learnt to drive it they were that easy. He then got a brand new Marathon a few years later one of the last ones made with an E290. Quite a few years later i drove a few 2800s but struggled with the low screen being quite tall but they were better than the 190 - 30 Ivecos we ran