I asked the question ‘are American trucks built of plastic like our old Atkis etc 50 years ago?’ The answer came back
Nowadays it’s a combination of fiberglass,composites and steel or aluminum.
Pretty sure Paccar in Europe, Daf etc. aren’t built like that, are they? 
@spardo seeing both here, each have their advantages. The steel cabbed European models offer greater crash protection to drivers, but the American methods offer lightweight and corrosion resistance. We see thirty and forty year old Kenworths still working, as opposed to twenty year life spans of European trucks.
You disk… dicsrumun taking the pish out of sumone wiv pour spilleng? 
If so, condensation would’ve been the least of your problems…
I see your point 
Australian banks are ruthless, money-grubbing ****s, all run by the likes of Alan Joyce (the Irish ex-CEO of Qantas: possibly unique among Irishmen, he was universally despised).
Yes, but 1’4 wouldn’t be cheap at the time either. I can’t remember Punch, but all the rest of the choccys I do (Fry’s Chocolate Cream, num num num).
Infectious isn’t it? 
I am really surprised, I thought that that debate was done and dusted back in the '70s(?) when the Swedes and Germans arrived. Definitely 2 camps in the arguement amongst drivers. The ‘steelers’ banged on about crash protection and the ‘plasticers’, of which I was one despite the draughtiness, said that we would rather be thrown out of a disintegrating plastic cab rather than trapped inside and squashed in a steel box.
From that time all the UK builders followed the foreign example. I even thought fibreglass was officially outlawed, so complete was the change.
I’ve never considered ANCAP satety ratings when choosing a car. I’ve never owned a European truck.
I don’t plan on having a crash and to date, it’s all gone to plan.
Aluminium burns and melts similar to plastic.If temperatures and fire reach that point the higher fire resistance of steel is moot.It’s no place to be around and still won’t be reusable in all cases.
A flickr link I came across recently:
The uploader gives no info at all, but it’s a great photo. Leyland Octopus(?). Why has it got 064 GN over the grille - trailer reg. no.? Are those RHA badges? What’s the car?
If the thing catches fire I’m out, no matter what it’s made of. At the same time, steel/ alloy cab structures tend to withstand fires better (or at least longer) than thermoplastic/ fibreglass cabs and that gives the driver a little more time, and I’m all for that.
Don’t you dare call me that (just got over a bout of tonsilitis, yes even at my age).
I agree! Great pic of the Octopus. The dangling plate is a trade plate, so it may be undergoing trials or being recovered. Or delivered even, if it’s second hand!
That ERF NGC is in Saudi. It was one of several ERFs supplied to the short-lived Cunard Arabian Middle East Line. It was a Cunard sideline that ran containers and unaccompanied trailers into Jeddah port using their own ships. The ERFs would take the loads onwards into the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf on ‘internals’. When it folded, most of the work went to Trans Arabia and the ERFs were cannibalised for parts.
The ERF from that angle looks similar to one of the many different Foden offerings. It looks like a Motor Pamels cab and i think Foden along with Seddon Guy and Scammell offered their versions.There was even an AEC but i don’t know how many were built.
I was wondering about it being a trade plate too, but…
Shouldn’t trade plates be red letters on a white background? Or was it different in days of yore?
And should there be a payload on a vehicle on trade plates?
It seems to be moving under it’s own power after all, and not being towed.
An Otto, yes, trade plates, as already pointed out, the car? A Standard, or perhaps an Austin? 
But imho, nowhere near enough tie downs.
At least 2 on each stack, including 4 sets of crosses.
Oh, just a minute, aged eyes let me down, chains and sylvesters throughout. 
On your way Drive.
And special anchorage points too. 
