\\\\ Life in the old girl yet
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CM talks to Bob Carmichael, the proud owner of a 1973 Volvo FB88 that he wouldn't trade in for any one of those younger and fancier models Words. Bob Beech / Images: Tom Cunningham What is the true working life of a truck? It might have three to five years with the first owner, a few more with a second, possibly a spell with another operator on lighter duties and then be either exported or broken up for parts within 10 years. A lucky few might make it into their second decade, but harsh economics mean this is unlikely nowadays.
All of which makes the continued operation of Warwickshire-based Bob Carmichael's 1973 Volvo FB88 6x2 tractor unit even more remarkable, especially as it is used for transporting round timber direct from the woods — one of the toughest jobs in road transport.
The last F88s rolled off the line in 1977, so most of them have disappeared from UK roads. Plenty have been restored and preserved, and one or two do a classic run, but only one F88 still works for a living. The truck, ADH 921L, complete with its 1973 tandem-axle M&G timber trailer and front-mounted Atlas timber crane (powered by a Ford donkey engine), is a huge hit on the intemet and attracts attention everywhere it goes — especially when it's overtaking a speed-limited 730hp Scania on the motorway. Although, rather like Trigger's broom in Only Fools and Horses, it has had a new cab and driveline over the years.
Something of a celebrity While the truck has become something of a celebrity, its owner (who is just as much of a character as the truck he drives) has been somewhat more elusive. CM finally managed to track him down and ask him to tell us about his career and the truck he's driven since 1982.
"I served an apprenticeship with Oldhams of Barford, which was in the village where I live," he says. "I started moving livestock for it as soon as I was old enough to drive. I went for a job driving a timber truck with George Croasdale, another local operator, when I was 23. It was better money and I had just got married. I drove a variety of trucks for him including a MkI Atkinson and various AECs. He bought a K-reg 4x2 F88, but was looking for a 6x2 tractor, as they are better suited to this type of work.
"We found this L-reg in a scrapyard. It didn't have any wheels when we saw it and it was a bit of a wreck, but he bought it. It had done a lot of work on the Continent, with a heavy low-loader trailer. A company called Plant and Engineering at Colnbrook ran it originally, which was based in a yard behind the Riverside Cafe. I pulled into the cafe one day and one of their blokes came out when he recognised the F88. He couldn't believe it was still on the road, and that was about 25 years ago.
"The truck was supplied new by Hartshorne Motor Services, a Walsall Volvo dealer. How it was sold to an operator in the South East is unknown, but it's likely it was a cancelled order and was probably available at short notice; delivery times for a new Volvo were long in 1973.
"The truck still has a manufacturer's special types plate, authorising it to run at about 55 tonnes gross. The maximum weight under construction and use regulations then was 32 imperial tonnes, and the 6x2 tag-axle layout was a little out of the ordinary. Most buyers went for 4x2 tractors, with three axles generally reserved for heavier operations, often on international routes. Furthermore, it's likely that A.DH' grossed more than 55 tonnes on a few occasions, as its first owners were known for extracting the maximum from their equipment.
Took the plunge "I bought the truck when my boss packed up in the mid-1980s. I had no desire to start on my own, but the opportunity presented itself I knew what the job entailed as I had done it for years, and I knew the truck inside out, so I took the plunge and have been at it ever since. Thirty years later I am driving the same truck, trailer and crane, on the same job, operating from the same yard and I have no plans to change. I'll be 65 next year. I have done Driver CPC training, so I can carry on for as long as I like, health permitting. The old Volvo will more than see me out, there are years left in it."
But surely, running a 40-year-old truck on any type of work must be virtually impossible? The demands of modern transport customers are tough to please with a latest Euro-5 vehicle backed by dealer repair and maintenance deals "The F88 works every day," says Carmichael. "It does about 1,500kms a week, but it used to do more a few years ago when I drove to Scotland regularly. I maintain it myself, but I have it inspected by an independent garage that keeps a close eye on it. I have learnt to sort out small problems before they develop. I know every creak and rattle on this truck. We have grown old together.
"Parts supply could be an issue, but I have plenty of contacts, who can either supply or make anything I need. The thermostats, for instance, are the same as those fitted to a Mini. The air intake stack came off a Renault Thrboliner, which fitted with a few modifications. Volvo can still supply some bits, but the biggest problem is finding anyone in a dealership who remembers F88s.
"I keep rust at bay by treating the cab panels internally. We changed the cab about 15 years ago. This one's not too bad, maybe not washing it too often helps a bit. I think it's best to keep it as it is, just a working truck. Vosa takes an interest in it sometimes, but it has rarely found anything wrong I think some of them see it as a challenge. It's too old to be covered by a lot of modern legislation and there are a lot of exemptions because it carries timber. For instance, I don't need side guards or spray suppression, there is no ABS, no speed limiter, no AdBlue, and most importantly, no electronics. You can fix this with half-adozen spanners and a hammer."
Despite the simplicity of the old Volvo, it must be outclassed in terms of performance. Plated for 40-tonne operation on five axles, it would have originally been powered by a Volvo TD100A engine, turning out 240hp, about as much as the average modern 18-tonner. Carmichael says: "She holds her own very well, the engine has been changed twice and rebuilt three times since I have driven it. The current engine is out of an F10. I was told that it was a factory service exchange engine. It had a plate on it that said TD100BG and I was told that it's rated at about 280hp. It pulls at lower revs than the earlier engine and the overdrive 16-speed 'box works well.
Running at full weight "I am generally running at full weight. She drops off a bit on the hills, but I soon catch up again on the flat. I changed the original double-reduction drive-axle for a single-reduction FL10 axle. She is quite high geared, and 60mph comes up at 1,600rpm, so she will hop on a bit. You have to keep an eye on it. I'm not sure if the engine has the right injectors fitted, it doesn't smoke when warmed up, but it can take a while to start. Maybe someone knows the right specification.
"Sometimes I find myself alongside a high-powered Scania at 56mph. I can't resist changing up into high-split top gear and accelerating away when fully-loaded. This "Despite a lifetime of working in conditions that would finish off most modern trucks in a few years, the old Volvo chassis is as straight and true as the day it was riveted together in Gothenburg. I wouldn't change it for anything else. I'm used to it now. I drove a modern Daf a few years ago and it was interesting to see that it still had the same gear change pattern as this with a 16-speed 'box. But it was far too soft. I felt like I was going to fall out of it.
"When I retire I will probably sell it, but I wouldn't like to see it restored to as-new condition. It is what it is and should remain so forever in the right hands.
"A few years ago I was going to Scotland to collect a load of hardwood. I stopped for a nap in the motorway services, when there was a knock on the cab door and a bloke said: 'Hurry up or you will get left behind: I asked what he meant and he explained that I'd get left behind by the Trans Pennine old vehicle run. I said: 'Sorry mate, I've got a load to shift.' He looked confused as I drove off."
The overriding impression after talking to the owner of this extraordinary truck is of someone who is happy with his lot and wouldn't change anything given the chance, unlike so many struggling to cope with the modem world. The twin evils of envy and a need to impress have definitely passed Bob Carmichael by. When asked at a show if the huge load of timber on the trailer was heavy, his tongue-incheek answer was: "No sir, we only carry light trees!" • Volvo FB88 Model: Volvo FB88.32 6x2 tag-axle tractor unit (B suffix indicates additional bogie) Chassis no: 36995 First registered: March 1973 On-the-road price in 1973: 210,500 (approx) Total mileage: Between 3.5 million and 4 million km Engine (original): Volvo TD100A, 9.6-litre six-cylinder turbocharged, non-intercooled, 240hp Engine (replacement): Volvo TD100BG (factory rebuilt for later Volvo F10), 275hp to 280hp Gearbox: Volvo SR61 16-speed synchromesh, overdrive range-change and splitter Cab: F88 sleeper with optional second bunk, twin Bostrom suspension seats Getting stuck in The simple two-spring Volvo A-ride tag-axle bogie, with its hydraulic weight transfer system and offset trailing arm stub axles, gives the FB88 far better traction than most modern air suspension systems. The combination of modern legislation and electronic control defeats more powerful trucks once things get tough. The old Volvo often has to venture into the woods to ferry timber out to vehicles more than 35 years younger.
The combination of traction, compact size, excellent lock and veteran pilot is a real advantage in these conditions, although getting bogged down is an occupational hazard.
"I was stuck in a wood near Hereford one day, an AEC Matador with a big timber winch was hooked on the front of me," explains Carmichael. "He was pulled right down on his rear anchor when there was an almighty bang and the fifth wheel mounting plate bolts on the F88 sheared. I rebuilt it and fitted more bolts after that."