#MyTopThree; Vehicles. Number 1

I was young once!
(To be fair I was at
least 35 here!)

So……my all time favourite truck was never really in doubt was it?! My FH16 750 I drove for Virginia is the single best vehicle I’ve ever driven but as a whole the Volvo FH is in my opinion one of the best vehicles ever made, and the final version with this cab, the V3, the ultimate version. The only sensible downside anyone can ever come up with is inside space with the sharply raked screen. It was a struggle at first moving from a Topline but when everything else was just better about the Volvo, not least an extra 310 horses under my right foot!. 

When Virginia gave me the 750 I thought I’d better make the most of it, of having the most powerful truck on the road as Scania had only lost the title a year or two previously so as everyone said (including me) they’d soon bring out a 750 killer. Well, that took a while. Only now have they released the 770S, 9 years after this truck hit the road and 6 years after I stopped driving it. They are saying the same about Volvo now but fact is they probably won’t, it’ll be a few years with Scania at summit.

Yeah, I’ve heard all the arguments about them being pointless, not needed, overkill etc but if we lived like that we’d have basic everything, not least cars. Almost no one NEEDS anything bigger than a Ford Fiesta after all! This did EXACTLY what it was bought for, to make a splash, to mark Virginias 30 years in an industry it’s not easy to survive in at best of times. Would Virginia have bought this and given it to me if it weren’t for this website and my videos? Actually I’ve never asked them but honest answer is possibly not. I imagine many drivers thought I was undeserving, getting it over long serving drivers, but fact is I’ve never understood that view. That simply staying somewhere a long time automatically gives you the best trucks. As most of you know I have put a huge amount of work into my blog and YouTube channel. Through choice of course, I just like people enjoying what I create, but it has never been the easy option.

Re power as a driver I’m a lot like my Dad, like it if you have it but generally not that bothered about power. In 2010 I gave up a 2006 V8 R500 for a brand new R440 and so many people thought me mad! Giving up a V8 for that! But to me it was just giving up an old truck for a new. The R440 was my first brand new truck (had a coach at Londoners) and I loved it. Unlike the R500s it was also colour coded so looked amazing in all white. Actually one of best looking trucks I’ve ever driven. 

Look! A Renault!

I expected a lot from the 750, and it delivered in spadefuls. It’s effortless, every road becomes flat, every trailer feels empty. Once at Mont Blanc I was at place you need to stop to get ticket, 40km from tunnel. 40km up the side of a mountain. In front was a R480, I passed him, I was max weight. I was waiting for the escort at the tunnel for over 10 minutes before the R480 arrived. That is exactly where their brilliance lie. Being able to do a full load of meat from Ireland to Italy pretty much on the limiter, an average speed no other truck could get near. And on the no overtaking sections the 750 would eat everyone ahead of you for breakfast through the peages (toll booths). You’d be amazed at how hard people try and out accelerate you! Frankly driving up a mountain at maximum weight on on the limiter never gets old.

A pic I took on van 
that was to be mine as TM

Another thing people always ask is ‘what’s was it like on fuel?’ & they are always surprised when I reply pretty good actually. When on a decent Euro run, Budapest for instance, it would often be in top 5 for fuel on the screen in the office. Overall on fuel it was similar to most of the fleet. It’s just about knowing where and when to use that racehorse stable under your foot! You don’t need to go flat out permanently, mostly just when you want to embarrass one of those silly V8 boys and their puny Scanias*, which was often! 

People often ask what edges it, R730 or 750? Honestly, you’ll hear a mountain of very vocal opinions on this topic, often from people who’ve never driven either, but reality is this high up the power scale 30hp makes very little difference. Volvo just edges it, and I fully expect the 770S will just beat the Volvo. But it’s acedemic a beating in this context is like 1 or 2 seconds. I know some people believe a V8 beats everything but frankly that’s marketing over facts by Scania. Scania have been genius with the V8 marketing, creating the brand they have is very clever. But realistically there’s hardly any difference performance wise between a straight 6 and a V8 and what difference there is I minimal. I imagine some of you are swearing at me here but it’s marketing more than engineering.

When I look back and consider my career and the trucks I’ve driven I actually have pinch myself. None of this is written from a ‘I had a 750 aren’t I amazing’ boast. I’m nothing special, I just did the right things and right time and everything slotted into place. Frankly I’m bewildered as anyone else at how a moron like me acquires a career such as I have. I jumped jobs every 5 minutes, before Virginia, and since, a year was the max I’d be in a job before boredom strike and I was on my way once more. That I spent 9 years at Virginia says it all. I had a very definite dream from childhood about the job I wanted and Virginia gave me that and more besides. My dream trip was Italy, over the Alps into beautiful Italy and my first trip there in a lorry made me so happy. In end was one of my most regular trips. In Ireland the transport is woven into the countries fabric, like it used to be here. We in U.K. ended up holding the door open to the big logistics ‘experts’ which decimated or bought family transport companies leaving a fraction of what there once was. They are still very much in evidence in Ireland and it’s one of my favourite things about a very many favourite things I have in Ireland. Virginia is family business, 4 brothers, Sean, Ray, James and Eamon, and they all work harder than any employee does. The whole family does. This is true of most companies like Virginia in Ireland. For instance Nolan’s is still family owned. I remember when Stobart came to Ireland with a big ‘we’re going to take over’ fanfare……..most of laughed thinking ‘yeah right’!

I take after my Dad in so many ways but another is I’m fairly disinterested in cars! I’d have a nice one if flush but not that bothered. I say this to emphasise a point- driving this truck was the pinnacle. So few get to even drive one briefly let alone several of them over the past decade. Put a 730/750/770 and a top of the range Ferrari next to each other and ask me to pick one and the truck will win every time, with me, Dad and Sam my brother!

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading all that waffle. Just to add at end as you know my time ended badly with Virginia. They offered me the U.K. Transport Manager job and frankly we both made a mistake there. Tarnished the end of best period of my life but hopefully now we have buried the hatchet……..they are 40 years old next year! And before you ask if I wanted to be away again I’d call them first! They’d probably tell me to feck off though! But yes, great company to be a driver for and I’ve really enjoyed watching their expansion over the years, long may it continue.

As ever thank you from the bottom of my heart for the donations - 

SIR BERTIES PORK CHOP FUND 

Virginia Facebook - 

https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaLogistics

My Other Sites - https://linktr.ee/lorrydriverdotcom 

First Visit To Parents!

One of several truck shows we did. Can’t remember which tho

One of a very many ferries we used. This Dublin bound for Liverpool

Doing a Parcel (one for Trucknets Carryfast) 

Had to shoehorn a T Range in somewhere. I’m contractually obliged to mention the ever reliable ever efficient Renault T Range. There’s nothing it cant do.Contact your local Renault dealer today.*

So, what’s your top 3? Comment below

Note- she’s still on the road (she being the Lady Michelle) but generally stays in Ireland now. Being proper Truck men as the Cole’s are I can’t see her ever being sold

In addition the illuminated Headboard now black and looks great. Has a selection of bars and spot light on her now so she is very well looked after. Never been into bars and extra lights personally but she still looks great all the same

(*Jokes Innit)