The weather is still perfect for long walks, it’s sunny yet not too warm. So here’s another round of rolling stock equipment. The semi-trailer’s livery above must look familiar, as DHL is a globally operating courier and parcel service. The tractor is a 2012 DAF XF 105.460 FT.
2011 MAN TGX tractor with a tanker semi-trailer for transporting human consumption products.
2015 DAF CF 290 FAG garbage truck, a rear loader for emptying wheeled dumpsters.
2010 Volvo FM 410 tractor with a tanker semi-trailer for hauling hazardous materials. The orange sign on the front says 23-1965, that must be LPG.
2014 Scania P250 truck, powered by an inline-five engine (9.3 liter displacement). Such a 4×2 truck chassis, with a standard 7.5 tons front axle, is rated at a maximum GVM of 19 metric tons (41,888 lbs). Logically, the same applies to a 4×2 tractor unit.
2018 Volvo FH tractor. Another food hauler, obviously.
2013 Mercedes-Benz Atego box truck. Mercedes-Benz can supply any commercial vehicle, from a compact panel van -albeit fully based on the Renault Kangoo- to the heaviest on- and off-road trucks and tractors.
2015 Renault T-series tractor, driven by Volvo hardware.
An anonymous big rig from abroad. The MAN TGX tractor is towing a curtain sider, essentially a flatbed semi-trailer. The little hatchback on the left is a 2011 Kia Picanto.
From Germany, a MAN TGS 6×2 truck with a roll off system, towing a full trailer with two axles.
2011 Volvo FH tractor, coupled to a semi-trailer with a moving (aka walking) floor.
Another rig from Germany, a Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor and an Italian Tecnokar tanker semi-trailer.
Several vehicles I caught were owned by the same company, with the same set-up, like this 2018 Scania S500…
…and this 2014 Mercedes-Benz Actros.
2017 Scania S450 6×2 truck. Such a heavy, big-cab truck looks rather incomplete when it’s not towing a matching trailer.
2019 Scania R410, working for the Jumbo (can you read it?) supermarket chain.
2019 MAN TGX tractor. The whole combination has six axles, three of them are up: the tractor’s pusher axle and the semi-trailer’s first and third axle.
A combination from Poland for hauling voluminous rather than heavy goods; a DAF XF 6×2 truck, with low profile tires, and a short-coupled tandem axle trailer. I posted a comparable big rig here. On the left, a 2012 Volkswagen Polo 1.2. The Polo is VW’s B-segment/sub-compact hatchback (Jim Klein’s review).
2015 DAF CF 400 FT tractor with a dry bulk tanker for animal feed. It works like this.
Here’s a classic Chevrolet, a 1978 two-tone Suburban, 454 engine.
2004 DAF LF 45.150 truck, carrying a tracked mini-excavator. Evidently, tools and other equipment are stored behind closed doors. The light DAF is powered by a Cummins engine, an inline-four with 3.9 liter displacement.
DailyFresh number one, a 2018 MAN TGS tractor.
DailyFresh number two, a 2017 MAN TGX tractor. Clearly, the TGX is the top model, it has a bigger cab than the TGS (just look at the width and height). Same engine and power though, 420 DIN-hp from MAN’s 12.4 liter inline-six.
Another couple, hammering down the road; 2007 Scania R500 tractor, 15.6 liter V8.
Followed by this 2017 Scania R520 with a 16.4 liter V8 and the semi-trailer in matching Van Iterson Bros livery.
2019 Mercedes-Benz Antos truck with a 7.7 liter inline-six under its day cab, 272 DIN-hp.
No, not the same Benz from another angle. This is a 2016 Antos, same engine, though with 238 DIN-hp.
The other classic Chevy, also a Suburban. I coulnd’t read its plate, but it seems to be of the same era as the one further above. The CC Commentariat can tell.
Ending today’s tour with a typical rig for a landscape gardener: a full-size panel van with a trailer for carrying mobile machinery, like a small excavator or wheel loader. The van is a 2009 Volkswagen Crafter 2.5 TDI (inline-five engine).
2nd Suburban is ’81-91. Can’t give much more without the grille, even if it’s Chevy or GMC.
Thanks!
That Scania S450 reminds me of the FedEx Custom Critical trucks we see in the US. It does seem to be rare to otherwise see a full-sized truck integrated with the box instead of a trailer.
….and that one reminds me of the Volvo VN 670 below. Imported into the Netherlands, back in 2009, as a 4×2 tractor and heavily modified. The hauling company didn’t drive it long, all in all it was a bit “too much”, I guess. Very impressive though!
Source and more pictures:
https://truckstar.nl/throwback-de-amerikaanse-volvo-van-stam-transport/
Memories, I used to tow DHL trailers a Btrain from Napier to Te Rapa Hamilton return at night with a 460hp Volvo FH nice truck not enough power on the Napier Taupo road for the climbs but with Ishift not hard work either just very slow the trailers were ugly they had mezzanine floors and the return run would have courier parcel cages on the lower floor and Honda side by side motor bikes up top lots of swaying, there used to be an gentle S bend near where CCer Skyliner lives and 80kmh through that and watch the mirrors for how much back trailer would show told you the speed adjustment for the trip home, they liked it back in the yard shiny side up.
To my eyes, these late-model European cabovers all look almost identical, with the big upturned “smiley” grilles. Though perhaps to a European, the Kenworth, Freightliner and Peterbilt long nose conventionals also look very similar.
You’re right, but once you’ve aero optimised a box there’s only so much that can be done with it. Also Volvo, Renault and (I think) MAN share cabs.
Cab sharing has been common for a very long time, think the “Club of Four” cab from the seventies (DAF, Volvo, Saviem, Magirus-Deutz).
The DAF LF cab is also used by Renault (where it’s made), Volvo, Peterbilt and Kenworth.
Mid-size and top model cabs are only shared with specialists like Ginaf, Tatra (DAF) and Sisu (Mercedes-Benz). Foden also uses DAF cabs (both are Paccar truck makers).
Developing an all new cab is very expensive. The whole cab structure of the current DAF XF dates back to 1987, when the DAF 95 was introduced. But a new cab is on its way, plenty of spy-shots can be found on the web.
Those big grilles come with the Euro-6 emission standards (cooling capacity!).
Well I can’t say I’m that familiar with larger DHL trucks, but the smaller delivery vans are not an uncommon sight around here including occasionally in my driveway.
I was very impressed with their recent service. My Daughter has been in Spain, teaching English since Sep 2019. We were going to go over and bring her home as well as visit some places that we didn’t when we went over with her in Sep. Spain of course was hard hit and they were under a total lock down with no travel and no going outside for most people except to go to the grocery store, pharmacy or doctor. When we went over we all took large suitcases that included a lot of her stuff, consolidated our stuff and left the extra suit cases there.
There was no practical way for her to bring 3 large suitcases on the plane. So she did her research and settled on DHL to ship 2 of them. They picked them up last Mon late evening our time and were at our door before noon on Thur beating her home by a few hours, though to be fair she hung around another ~20hrs before starting her journey.
It’s almost like I’m on the walk with you, I’d be looking at all the traffic going by instead of enjoying the nature… thank you for the slice of Europe! (And my Polo link!)
You’re welcome! BTW, better not think much of the “nature” on that route. Farm land (pastures and maize silage) all around. But it’s a fairly new, perfect asphalt road -for walking and cycling- parallel to the main road with all the traffic going by.
Always love your truck essays, Johannes. I sold trucks for years and still look them over figuring GVWR’s and other statistics.
Glad you like them. The very short story: every heavy combination (tractor semi-trailer or truck trailer) I post with a total of 6 axles, is good for a legal maximum GVM of 50 metric tons/110,000 lbs.
50 tons with 5 axles (even on rigid trucks) is also possible, but then you need a heavy-duty front axle, combined with more axle spacing on the tandems/tridems.
Does anyone know why Europe seems to love single-axle tractors and three-axle trailers?
Throughout Europe, a 4×2 tractor will do for the trans-European weight limit of 40 metric tons (so international transport) and the national weight limit of 44 tons in most countries.
The set-back front axle of a Euro-cabover plays a significant role in the vehicle’s weight distribution. The usual 4×2 tractor is rated at a total axle load (and thus GVM) of 19 metric tons: 7.5 tons on the front axle + 11,5 tons on the drive axle. Those numbers are fairly high anyway.
The super-single tridem on the semi-trailers (see pictures) is good for a total axle load of 27 metric tons. Super-single tridems have almost completely replaced the dual-wheels, wide-spread tandems of yore. That process started back in the seventies.