I
doubt very much that Barbra
Streisand had the classic truck
movement in mind when she sang
what could almost be called her
signature song, “The Way We Were”.
But to me, the lyrics are entirely
appropriate, not only for the clinical
development of the classic truck
phenomenon and its veneration of the
past, but as a personal statement that,
like Barbra Streisand, “Memories light
the corners of my mind, mystic, water-
coloured memories of the way we were.”
It was 2001 when I first submitted a
classic story to TL and contributions
over the next few years were irregular.
But in 2005, I was invited to write the
Classic Truck column on a monthly basisand I’ve only missed two editions since
then, taking inspiration from a growing
interest amongst collectors and an
increasing public curiosity in the show
circuit. In those earlier years, the classic
movement was basically the domain of a
few “old timers” from various transport
families who wanted to hold onto some of
their memories. To do this, they needed
to keep a few old bangers that had served
them so well – rigs that had made them
a reasonable amount of money as well as
keeping them and their drivers’ families
in food and housing. Transport links
often stretched back for five generations
and looking through their photo albums
became a sentimental trip down memory
lane.“That was Grandpa’s old Chev,”
and “Look at Dad’s old 35hp Commer
over there! Gee, he did some miles
in that!” were expressions I’d hear
frequently. And when I’d visit transport
depots, owners would often affirm their
commitment to the past. “We keep the
truck here as a reminder to our younger
staff of how things were done back
then,” I’d be told. It was also common
to find a few old strap trailers with those
suicide (vacuum) brakes parked down
the back of the yard, but the thought of
spending money on them was almost
inconceivable. Trucks were bought
to work; if they weren’t on the road
making miles, you’d get rid of them.
Investing in expensive restoration workNow^ that’s^ an^ economic^ use^ of^ space
!
Express^ service^ with^ the^ ever-reliable^ Commer.Early days in the frozen freight industry.All done with a two-and-a-half-ton ex-WWII GMC.< 038 > Truckin’LifeCLASSIC TRUCKS