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• There's no better guarantee of any motor vehicle reaching old age in good condition than to give it to one responsible driver, and this Volvo is living testimony to the fact. Driver BI Gardner drove the F1618 from new until his recent retirement, working for own-account operator Caroline Packaging of Thornbury, Glos, a family-run business making disposable tableware.
Its operations meant the Volvo routinely carried lowdensity, high-volume loads that rarely exceeded five tonnes; this relatively easy life doubtless contributed to its present condition. Journeys were mostly from the West Country to Manchester and London.
The truck's technical history is pretty much a nonstory, with no serious mechanical defects to report. All the major components are original, as indeed are the Michelin Pilot XDA rear tyres. The fronts were changed in 1998 following a puncture, although there was still a little useable tread left. The engine has never been split, and still uses a negligible amount of oil between services.
Minor fauns have been limited to the
thermostat, dipswitch and anti-roll bar bushes. Needless to say, both the owner and the driver expressed their satisfaction with its
The Volvo was Caroline Packaging's only truck, and with Gardner's retirement the company took the opportunity to contract out its distribution.
Managing director John de Lotz explains that an own-account operator can't really justify the red tape involved in running a single vehicle.