I’d instantly defer to you two old hands, but wasn’t the Berliet cab the same as the Transcon cab, but with one less step??
I drove an Italian registered Renault 360 (pic on page 5 of the "trucking in the '80s thread.) I’m fairly sure that was known as the “Transcon” cab. The bit I can’t recall is whose cab it was to start with My Italian boss told me that it was registered in Italy in 1980, but I wouldn’t know how old it was before he got it. If it’s any help, he said he bought from a French heavy-haulage firm. The Reg No was TO 10064 Z, known in Italy as “Torino Zara.”
leslie g heath:
Was there such a make of truck?My brain being totally useless now tells me there was and they had a cab like a MAN.
Yes Leslie, definitely.
So you’ve just disproved your theory that your brain is useless
One of my former bosses bought a company, which ran a couple of them. They kept breaking down, and (his words) weren’t very reliable. It soon became apparent that they were going to need a lot of money spending on them, so he did them up a bit and sold them to cut his losses. The fact that the newly acquired firm had a substantial permit allocation might have had something to do with it though…
dieseldave:
I’d instantly defer to you two old hands, but wasn’t the Berliet cab the same as the Transcon cab, but with one less step??
I drove an Italian registered Renault 360 (pic on page 5 of the "trucking in the '80s thread.) I’m fairly sure that was known as the “Transcon” cab. The bit I can’t recall is whose cab it was to start with My Italian boss told me that it was registered in Italy in 1980, but I wouldn’t know how old it was before he got it. If it’s any help, he said he bought from a French heavy-haulage firm. The Reg No was TO 10064 Z, known in Italy as “Torino Zara.”
It was a Berliet cab fitted to the Transcon.and mounted higher which required the extra step.The specialist French truck builder Nicolas also used the same cab on some of their heavy haulage tractors.
The original cab was a Saviem Berliet Renault mix. The Ford Transcontinental was as best booties mentions mounted higher and required an extra step. It also required a longer tachograph cable. This was easily solved by joining 2 shorter cables from a Saviem etc This had an added advantage that you could drive a bit further than other trucks if you knew about the join
Ford made the Transcon out of bits to compete in the European market. It was built in Holland and used parts from many different manufacturers.
Unfortunately some of these things were unevenly matched which caused the biggest problems with 12v electrics and ■■■■ godawful brakes
Wheel Nut:
The original cab was a Saviem Berliet Renault mix. The Ford Transcontinental was as best booties mentions mounted higher and required an extra step. It also required a longer tachograph cable. This was easily solved by joining 2 shorter cables from a Saviem etc This had an added advantage that you could drive a bit further than other trucks if you knew about the join
Ford made the Transcon out of bits to compete in the European market. It was built in Holland and used parts from many different manufacturers.
Unfortunately some of these things were unevenly matched which caused the biggest problems with 12v electrics and ■■■■ godawful brakes
Having said that,they were a favourite with a lot of owner drivers on the M/E who swore they were as reliable as any other motor on the job.
bestbooties:
It was a Berliet cab fitted to the Transcon.and mounted higher which required the extra step.
Thanks for that mate, until now that had been one of life’s mysteries to me. I saw it as one of those “chicken and egg” things.
Now this is interesting:
Wheel Nut:
It also required a longer tachograph cable. This was easily solved by joining 2 shorter cables from a Saviem etc This had an added advantage that you could drive a bit further than other trucks if you knew about the join
I remember that the join was just behind the conveniently placed TIR plate.
(For easy access when “adjustments” were necessary )
After all, both ENDS of a tachograph cable had to be sealed
A fair bit on the big French company Onatra on but no mention of Middle-East. They did a bit of Middle-East but does anyone know whether or not they were big players down la ligne du moyen-orient?
My 2nd question concerns the Saviem SM 340T which is highly acclaimed by posters on here and was apparently very popular with Onatra drivers (with its 15.45 V8 MAN lump and 9-sp Fuller 'box).
I’ve just found this interior shot of a SM 340 online and I’m looking for the gear-lever. It looks suspiciously as if this model had the same column-change gear-shift as its MAN F8 counterpart. I know some MANs of that vintage had 13-speed Fullers with column-change (later ones had 13-sp Fullers with floor change, which I drove). It may be that the one in the picture shows Saviem’s 10-speed 'box on the column. Can anyone clarify?
If this can be confirmed to be the case it will lose my immediate interest as I’m no fan of column-change, having used them in many '50s and '60s cars and vans in the past!
Blimey Robert, how on earth did I get transported several pages back to 2013 in this interesting thread.
Worth it though, a real trip down memory lane, not least the erudition of the sadly now lost Saviem, and also a brief re-introduction to one of the few visitors to this neck of the woods, chez Spardo, Davidoff. Last I heard he was still re-building an F88.
Also Onatra, I well remember their bonneted purple tankers in the UK, often with wives in the offsider seat. Which brings me to a mate of mine who lives near Dole with his lovely wife. He spent almost all of his career with Onatra and, as far as I know never left France, certainly never went to Britain. But, a similar age to me he for some years did what I have been doing, transporting dogs, but the difference was he never did nights out. We often linked up mid France somewhere to transfer a canine and, a true Onatra driver, Michelle always travels with him still. She was in charge of the packed lunch, I knew I never had to pack one when I met them, she always seemed to think I was too thin.
Lastly that lovely Saviem interior, brings back memories of my time in the simlar MAN cab at Cheveralls in Luton, along with the awful column change, sadly. I share your view of that.
Spardo:
Blimey Robert, how on earth did I get transported several pages back to 2013 in this interesting thread.
Worth it though, a real trip down memory lane, not least the erudition of the sadly now lost Saviem, and also a brief re-introduction to one of the few visitors to this neck of the woods, chez Spardo, Davidoff. Last I heard he was still re-building an F88.
Also Onatra, I well remember their bonneted purple tankers in the UK, often with wives in the offsider seat. Which brings me to a mate of mine who lives near Dole with his lovely wife. He spent almost all of his career with Onatra and, as far as I know never left France, certainly never went to Britain. But, a similar age to me he for some years did what I have been doing, transporting dogs, but the difference was he never did nights out. We often linked up mid France somewhere to transfer a canine and, a true Onatra driver, Michelle always travels with him still. She was in charge of the packed lunch, I knew I never had to pack one when I met them, she always seemed to think I was too thin.
Lastly that lovely Saviem interior, brings back memories of my time in the simlar MAN cab at Cheveralls in Luton, along with the awful column change, sadly. I share your view of that.
Like you, I was struck with how immensely knowledgable John ‘Saviem’ was when re-reading the posts.
I seem to remember there being quite a good centre routier at Dole on the RN.
ERF-NGC-European:
I seem to remember there being quite a good centre routier at Dole on the RN.
Cheers!
Don’t know about Centre Routiers there but certainly there were several on the N 73 to the SW of the town, between Pesseaux and Annoire, with perhaps the largest being at Chemin. Don’t know if they are still open though, many have fallen by the wayside due to Covid and old patrons/patronnes retiring or dying.
Spardo:
Don’t know about Centre Routiers there but certainly there were several on the N 73 to the SW of the town, between Pesseaux and Annoire, with perhaps the largest being at Chemin. Don’t know if they are still open though, many have fallen by the wayside due to Covid and old patrons/patronnes retiring or dying.
Spardo:
Don’t know about Centre Routiers there but certainly there were several on the N 73 to the SW of the town, between Pesseaux and Annoire, with perhaps the largest being at Chemin. Don’t know if they are still open though, many have fallen by the wayside due to Covid and old patrons/patronnes retiring or dying.
0The only one today on the N 73 in that area is the Relais de Beauchemin.
Before I wrote what I wrote I checked with Mr. Google and saw the same lorry parked alone opposite, but from the other direction. Not sure how long ago the picture was taken, are you sure the relais is still open? But I really hope it is.
Spardo:
Don’t know about Centre Routiers there but certainly there were several on the N 73 to the SW of the town, between Pesseaux and Annoire, with perhaps the largest being at Chemin. Don’t know if they are still open though, many have fallen by the wayside due to Covid and old patrons/patronnes retiring or dying.
0The only one today on the N 73 in that area is the Relais de Beauchemin.
Before I wrote what I wrote I checked with Mr. Google and saw the same lorry parked alone opposite, but from the other direction. Not sure how long ago the picture was taken, are you sure the relais is still open? But I really hope it is.
I’ve never heard of a centre Routiers in Dole, but a very popular watering hole is the Les Routiers in between Besancon and Dole, the Moulin des malades or “the wall” to some drivers, one of the oldest Routiers in France, but now sadly up for sale due to private reasons. If anyone wants to have a go, the whole shebang is up for sale for only E170.000, sounds like a bargain to me.
pv83:
I’ve never heard of a centre Routiers in Dole, but a very popular watering hole is the Les Routiers in between Besancon and Dole, the Moulin des malades or “the wall” to some drivers, one of the oldest Routiers in France, but now sadly up for sale due to private reasons. If anyone wants to have a go, the whole shebang is up for sale for only E170.000, sounds like a
bargain to me.
Le Relais de la Marine, known to me also as The Wall, and for a very good reason. It is built in an old quarry and the wall is the south facing cliff behind the parking. I loved my nights there but, sadly, so many of my visits were not so welcome. Gauthier had a contract from near us to Dole for an early morning tip and an evening reload from Besancon. This meant an overnight drive both up and back and the intervening day spent trying to sleep at The Wall, not easy in the summer, that south facing cliff reflected almost unbearable heat onto the cab.
I had a night heater but not an independent aircon. I tried running the engine but of course couldn’t do that all day and the heat returned within minutes of switching off, I tried all the windows open, I tried them all closed, I tried dowsing myself with water every so often, but nothing relieved the heat, and the drive back down in the night was a nightmare of trying to keep awake. 3 times a week and the only good thing about it was we were alway back on a different run the following week, mostly in the daytime.
So, good as the resto was, I really came to hate it. Once, after retirement and hauling the dogs, I stopped there again on my way back from Germany. But overnight that time, sheer heaven.
My Italian boss told me that it was registered in Italy in 1980, but I wouldn’t know how old it was before he got it. If it’s any help, he said he bought from a French heavy-haulage firm. The Reg No was TO 10064 Z, known in Italy as “Torino Zara.”
This had an added advantage that you could drive a bit further than other trucks 
