bird's eye view by the hawk THE HAWK HAS ALWAYS
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BEEN IN FAVOUR OF PROGRESS. The computer gadgetry of today's trucks helps keep emissions down and wards off ever tougher regulations. That said, he's always had a soft spot for the trucks of his youth. They may have been noisy and a handful to drive but, at the risk of sounding like an old duffer, things WERE better in those days. There was less traffic, less competition and a greater sense of camaraderie among drivers. So when the Hawk received an invite to the Commercial Vehicle & Road Transport Club's Classic Commercial Motor Show there was little hesitation before the Robin Reliant, packed with sandwiches, thermos and Foden's doggy bowl, was chugging its way up the Ml to a BP truckstop just outside Rugby... y far the oldest vehicle at the show was this 1929 Ford AA dropside coal lorry. It might look a bit battered but it still runs and was still carrying hay bales on Gareth Jones' farm in Nuneaton as recently as 1981. The Ford started life with the potato and fruit merchants Hintons of Cheltenham before being sold to Colletts of Bourton on the Water who used it to deliver coal to the local villages. As Jones says: "It's had a fairly sheltered life: I'll only restore it if it gets rough!" n better shape altogether was this beautifully restored 1938 Bedford WHG three-way tipper. It was first registered the year war broke out and was hard at work in Buckinghamshire until 1964. It gathered dust for 15 years before a full renovation job began on the bodywork and hydraulic tipping gear, which was originally factory fitted by Bromalow and Edwards.
or-1 f the few tractive units at the show, ' this 1968 triaxle Foden DAE certainly stood out with its distinctive colour scheme and traditional logo. The trailer was roped and sheeted as it would have been in the old days and was also on three axles...ready for 44 tonnes, perhaps? lahis 1968 ERF 6.4G flatbed saw 15 years' service on general haulage with Knight Bros of Rowsley. It was bought by its present owner, David Prime, of Matlock-based haulage firm BJ Waters, in 1987. Following a twoyear restoration it has been extensively rallied since 1990. art of the show was spent celebrating the 50th anniversary of BRS (British Road Services), which was at one time the largest haulage company in the world. Plenty of Leylands, Scammells and Bristols were on show, but one of the more unusual trucks was this Thornycroft Trusty platform. Its early history is uncertain, but it spent time working out of depots in the Southampton and Poole areas. In its heyday all BRS trucks were painted in this striking red, with delivery vans in green. In 1972, of course, BRS was split into regional companies, each with its own livery.