First truck Drive..

I was about 12 (69 now) Dad had the Maple Leaf bogged with a load of logs, walked back to the loading area and got the blitz, he tied it to a tree, set the throttle and all I had to do was engage the dog on the winch when he gave me the signal. Pulled him out and thought I was king Jack , from then on there was no stopping me, was driving on the roads at 14, just kept driving, I've backed off a bit now.

It seems as if most of us started on a GM product of some sort: Chev, Maple Leaf, Bedford. The first truck I drove was when I was about 13, a 1940 Chev on a friend's farm.

However the first heavy vehicle I drove was a bus when I was 9; it was a pre-war half-cab Daimler with a 5-cylinder Gardner engine and a pre-selector gearbox and fluid flywheel. Dad was a bus driver with North Shore Transport in Auckland and they had a big fleet of these Daimlers. I used to ride around with him every chance I had and during his lunch breaks on Bayswater ferry wharf he would sit in the back seat eating his lunch while I drove around the wharf. They were heavy work with their Armstrong steering and mechanically operated foot gear change, but great fun.

Seven years old in Dad's Kew Dodge with the P6 Perkins in it (see it in a thread in the Historic thread). Dad put blocks of wood on the pedals so I could reach them. No blocks on the accelerator pedal so I couldn't go flat chat. The crash gearbox was a bit of an issue and the old man in the passenger seat had to occasionally help me out. A few years later the Ford K700 was soooo easy to drive. I was the relief driver for Saturdays and school holidays spreading super as the old man had a crook back so I was used to give him a break from time to time. All good fun as far as I was concerned.

Following on from that, years later when I went to get my truck drivers licence i went to the cop shop in the town I was working to get the licence because the farming company I worked for had bought a Bedford (think it was a buggered J5). The cop shop was opposite the dealers yard where the Beddy was parked. Wandered in to the cop shop and asked about a truck licence. Copper wanders out gives me the written and verbal test then we go over to the truck. "have you driven the truck before" asks the copper "nope" says I. "OK" he says "lets go". He directed me all around town up hills and even made me to a backing turn around a corner. All the while he is writing furiously in a note pad. I am thinking this is not good, but I didn't have clue what I was doing wrong if anything. Eventually we got back to the yard. I get out and said, "well - did I pass?" Copper looks at me with surprise "You're Bruce Goff's son - I know you can drive a truck - I just wanted to check this heap of rubbish out before they let it loose on the roads - here is a list of things wrong they have to fix before you can take it away". I came back a week later to pick up the truck.

hello all late seventies d2f dodge with a ud 4 sounded and looked like a 4/71 gm had a leaking hose so replaced it and took it for a run. got pulled by rta i think it was in those days checked out truck and was asked by angry man wearing mirrored sunglasses(knew i was in trouble when i saw glasses)to dump air so he could hear buzzer lucky for me that high temp alarm came on at the right time i had not put enough water in it "on your way son" thank god only had a car license at the time cheers whale

Maybe 7-8 years old ... driving a Karrier Gamecock around the paddocks loaded with seed'n'super for sowing. I am told I got it bogged every second trip but was still a worthwhile contribution to the farming operation ... coz the next year I dint get it bogged no more.

First truck for me was my grandfathers F350. He was a market gardner in the Hunter Valley and used it to take the odd box of caulies into the grocers.

i remember letting the clutch out, under his instruction, on the gravel driveway and lighting up the wheels.
I recieved a very disapproving look and a mouthful of very helpful hints (not).

My grandfather and uncle were neighbours and between them they had a large collection of tractors, rigid trucks, semi trailers and motorbikes etc etc. As a 12 yo I was in heaven.

The very next day I was hanging about the farm washing, ogling and dreaming about my future and all of this equipment, when a truck trundles up the drive.

It was my uncles cousin, he was a hay and grain merchant and needed a hand to load some hay. He was looking for my younger cousin to drive his truck as he had helped before.

My uncle advised I was the only driver available thinking that he would leave and 'borrow' (read bother) someone else but he settled for me.

The truck was a twin steer Isuzu SPG540. Now I was clearly a Kenworth or Mack man but this this was neat as a pin. I was some where between over the moon excited and sh!t scared.

Three months before I had put my grandfathers tractor into the irrigation drain resulting in a visit from a very large (and expensive) kato crane to extract it.

My first day in the 'big gear' was uneventful. All went well and I spent the day driving around a paddock in ever decreasing circles, whilst having a ball! the day was hot and long but I loved every moment!

My only payment for the long day of toil was a cold coke from the local store but the memory has stuck with me for the last 30+ years. All the payment I needed.

DW

First truck was a TK Bedford with a Leyland 400 in her. 8 tonner with 18' tray
Went for my semi licence in a loaded 1418 benz, they wouldn't take you for your licence in a loaded truck but copper said he had all ready seen me driving around so wrote out my licence.
Gee the kids do it tough these days forking out around a grand and taking two days to go through the course. We learnt the best way by getting a bit of exeperience first. I'm glad I got mine when I did and the fact that I can actually tie a rope which is illegal now days. ooo the good days.
Robert

From memory my first drive in low gear up the driveway of our workshop was either in a cab over 2224 Benz or the then single drive yellow Lucas Transport (Coober Pedy) 285 Maxidyne R Model when I was a young teen.

That's weird..
The title heading on this thread has miraculously changed.
Someone must have been offended somewhere.