RETRO TRUCK
Truck & Driver Summer 2019^101
The perfect partner? Recently acquired is this pre-Streamline, square-front, steel-bumpered 143the transport manager and CPC
holder, Troy (25) deals with retail
sales, and Michael (22) is a
full-time driver. The four brothers
also have a sister, Tallulah, who
at the age of 11 is not quite yet
ready to join in!
“It’s unusual I guess for a
whole family to work together in
a business,” says Aaron, “but we
lost our mum when we were
young and dad brought us up on
his own, so we’re close and we
all work hard together as a team.”As time has passed and the
business has changed and
expanded, one thing has
remained the same: the 92M. It
eventually racked up a total of
522,000km before being retired
from front-line work. Steel truck
cabs of the 1980s tend not to
fare too well in the British
elements, but the Catley example
has survived in fabulous
unrestored condition. How?
Aaron explains: "It’s in such good
condition because it has alwaysbeen kept indoors when not in
use.” Ahh, that explains a lot.
Because, as you can see
from the photos, the truck really
is in great nick. It’s like a late ’80s
time warp; completely standard
throughout. “We’ve taken the
truck to a few shows and have
always been taken aback by the
reaction it’s had,” explains Aaron.
“People either don’t believe the
mileage or reckon it’s been
restored at some point.”
The most enjoyable
interactions, though, are with
people who used to drive them.
“Drivers in their 50s are the ones
who like the truck the most –
when they were starting out, 92s
were everywhere. They get really
nostalgic; most haven’t seen a
little Scania like this for years.”Volvo and Merc
The Catley fleet currently
consists of two Volvo artics, an
FM and FH, which pull fridge
trailers, two Mercedes-Benz
Atego rigids and three mobile
shop-style Ategos, covering
markets and other events. The
92M still has a role to play
though; it’s now taxed as a
private HGV, but Aaron still treats
it to the same six-weekly
inspections the rest of the fleet
enjoy. It’s also the truck that
takes trailers for test.
“We still use it regularly, it’s
the best thing for it,” says Aaron.
“It handles the 45ft fridge trailers
no problem for test.” That’s no
surprise, as that 10-speed ’box
ensures there are plenty of ratios
to get up to speed.
“When we moved to our new
premises in Frome,” adds
Aaron, “we were really
busy and the truck was“Drivers in their 50s are the
ones who like the truck the
most. When they were starting
out, 92s were everywhere.
They get really nostalgic;
most haven’t seen a little
Scania like this for years”