Over the last quarter of a century I have gradually refined my list of favourite long-haulers for various periods in recent transport history. During that time I have refined my list of units I would most enjoy driving on a final long trip, say down to Gibraltar and back, using the old national roads where possible. I have now cross-referenced those lists to produce a definitive set of units to cover the four five-year periods ’70-’75, ’75-’80, ’80-’85 and ’85-’90. It came down to four generations of ERF in the end, to suit my preferences and style of driving.
Being a retired old git, I decided to spend the day producing a clear chart to express those preferences. Here it is:
I’d be interested in what others have as preferences for five-year periods in transport history. Do share! They don’t have to be the same years as mine.
Bit of a thing going there for Cummins, Fuller,Kirkstall driveline but may have made an error selecting your C series being brought home on a low loader
I’m assuming you are retired now mate,.and have not been behind the wheel of a truck for a few years?
Ok nothing wrong with that, and I have always had a lot of respect for drivers of your generation…and I aint that much younger
And obviously an ERF is your choice motor?
Way back when an ERF with a 290E Cummins, a Rockwell axle, and a 14 spd Fuller box was my weapon of choice also when I had my own motors, followed by a 401 Sed Atk same spec.
Thing is mate if you had a go in a modern hi spec truck, you would see the difference is phenomenal.
I currently drive a Renault top spec 480 high cab, (the Magnum replacement) the best motor I have driven tbh,…and I have had most stuff good and bad over the years, from a Mk 2 Atki, to a 143 Scania.
It is effortless and a pleasure to drive, I kinda wish I was back doing Euro on it in a way, instead of 3 nights out a week on UK only, it would be a top motor to live in.
I am too young for the 400 and the 401 really but when i first got my licence i had the pleasure of a very old D reg one. The door didn’t shut properly and it had a horrible beige interior roof with a hatch that leaked. It was kind nice though. It was the first type and drove I always wanted to try and make it whistle. I remember a Devon company had loads of them Torbridge transport or something and remember one of their drivers parking next to me in Kemira Ince with a new Strato telling me i will get stuck in a farm with it as they had no traction. He was right. I had to be pulled out of a ■■■■■■ farm by a tractor.
A lot of people complained of bad backs or pain down the legs with 3 series Scanias…apparentlly the wheel was slightly offset from the seat.
Mine was left hand drive so never had a problem, as that is how it was originally designed.
Bedford TM 71 and 92 series V8 versions Fuller or Spicer and Foden 4350 400 Rolls/Perkins will all cover my time in the job from 1980 to '99.
6x4 tilt rigid and drawbar not artic.
Portsmouth to St Malo for a nice trundle there through Western France.
Yes, I get your point. I last drove lorries on the road in '08 so I did get to use some fairly up-to-date if boring kit with stuff like Eurotronic 2. I didn’t mind the comfort of modern lorries but I missed the seat-of-the-pants drivelines, which is why I didn’t present a '90-'95, '95-'00, '00-'05, '00-'10 chart, even though I drove during that period (when I wasn’t teaching, that is). For me, lorries stopped when Fullers did .
yes, I’ve been in that film! The last time I loaded out of Ince for a farm in Kent, I had a full load of Amonium Nitrate on a flatbed trailer. It was before AN was designated dangerous goods. I later acquired a DG licence and was surprised (shouldn’t have been!) to discover it was now hazardous.
Same with the 2-series. I had driven several 142s and one day I had to drive a LHD Dutch-spec one - infinitely better to drive. For a start you pulled the gearstick towards you into that dog-leg for 1st / 6th (ten-speed box), which felt much more natural
Yeah, you get a lot of older drivers pining for constant mesh or crash boxes.
I (assume like you) came ‘through the ranks’ with David Browns, Fullers, and even Spicers, then on to synchro ZFs, and mastered them, so we have nowt to prove any longer.
Bearing that in mind,.and as much as the 9 and 13 spd Fullers were my favourite box, there is no way in hell I would want to go back to it, or have a manual box of any kind…
A classic case of cba any longer, lack of interest, and anything for a quiet life these days…I lurrve the ease of auto boxes.
These days you just sit back in your comfortable hi spec heated seat,.and steer.
The downside is there is virtually no longer any skill in driving a truck, they are basically a big long car that bends in the middle, so the quality of a lot of drivers is questionable to say the least.
True. A constant-mesh makes you plan your drive on the approach to any kind of hazard. You see a lot of lazy driving now that would have been impossible 40 or 50 years ago.
Here’s a better representation of my top choice:
yes, I’ve been in that film! The last time I loaded out of Ince for a farm in Kent, I had a full load of Amonium Nitrate on a flatbed trailer. It was before AN was designated dangerous goods. I later acquired a DG licence and was surprised (shouldn’t have been!) to discover it was now hazardous. 
