RETRO TRUCK
(^86) July 2019 Truck & Driver
strapped for cash. I had
always wanted a 400
and this one, from
Renner Haulage at Belford, had
a sleeper cab, tipping gear fitted,
a Cummins 290 and a Fuller
nine-speed ‘box, so it seemed
ideal.” The tractor unit was four
years old when Les bought it and
had only covered about
350,000km. It proved to be the
best £8000 he has ever spent.
How come it’s lasted so long?
“When you’re an owner-driver you
become a lot more considerate
with your tackle,” he laughs. This
considerate approach to driving
means the Sed Atki has been
fitted with just three clutches in
its 39 years of life. Over the past
40 years, Les has also done all
his own servicing and repairs.
The late Bill Slaughter did the
signwriting but it’s hard to believe
it’s about 21 years since Les
painted his wagon.
Once the team from Northern
Structures arrives, our load is
soon transferred to terra firma.
There’s one cage to go back to
the Northern yard at Amble but
as Les ties down his timbers, we
like how the straps he uses are
very short. “I have ones of
different lengths,” he says, “so
you aren’t messing about with
ones that are far too long.”
Snack chat
With the tacho indicating its meal
time, we take the break at the
nearby Riverside Kitchen café,
close to the bridge over the River
North Tyne. As Les tucks in, we
ask him what he won’t miss
about his life on the road.
“I think the standard of car
driving has dropped. Even truck
drivers who sit alongside each
other and take ages to pass are
being inconsiderate – it takes just
a few seconds to lift off and let
someone in. And I suppose I’m
old-school but why don’t lads take
their rubbish away with them?”
We ask if an owner-driver
starting now could get 39 years
(and three million kilometres) out
of one truck. “The problem now is
that everything has to go back to
a dealer, meaning time is lost on
the road. If I have a fault with my
motor then I’ll fix it. And the way
things are going, with major cities
banning old motors because of
so-called air pollution concerns,
then wagons of a certain age
won’t be welcome.”
What would Les do for the
industry if he could wave his
magic wand? He raises a topic
Old cabin benefits from a dashcam and a CD player