First new (OLD) 7.5 box...already embarrassing myself

Landcruiser

Landcruiser

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So I picked up my old Leyland Daf 7.5 tonner today. I've never driven one except when I test drove this last w/e on a farm driveway. I had to drive it home, with my OH following in the car. He offered, but I insisted...I have to bite the bullet at some point. I had to get fuel almost at once. No disasters except I couldn't get out of the cab (couldn't find the handle!). Eventually got sorted and set off home, onto the motorway, one junction down and off again. She felt great, lots of power, cruising happily at 65. The journey seemed to take longer than it usually does for that stretch. I put it down to such a big truck making it seem slow and stately.

Back along the lanes, sticking carefully to 30mph and trying not to take out too many overhead branches or street signs along the way. When I got home, I stopped in a layby before deciding how to negotiate the drive. OH pulled up looking really worried. "Couldn't you get it to go any faster??" I told him I was comfortably cruising at 65 on the motorway...before the penny dropped. 65 KILOMETERS per hour. Ooops. I wondered why those trucks were going past me so fast...the maniacs.....:o:o:o

Anyway, no harm done and she's sitting outside my house now looking HUGE! Whoop whoop, I have a lorry!!
 
I know exactly how you feel.I upgraded to a 7.5 ton in may,bought the new box in Gloucester and having never driven anything so big in my life,had to drive with my daughter all the way back to Kent.No disasters and the owner gave me some brilliant advice and spent time helping me with the basic before we set of. I love my new box and wont be going back to a 3.5 ton again. All i need is plenty of space lol.
 
Ha haaa :-) me and a friend picked up a 3.5t van last year. I got back in the car to follow her and then noticed she'd got out of the cab and was looking at the inside of the door. I stopped and asked her what the problem was. I can't find the button to put the windows down she says. I walked up to the cab, put my hand on the non electric wind up/down handle and said its here as I turned it as fast as I could!! Needless to say it took 5 minutes of laughing before we managed to leave
 
Oops that's just 40 mph! Had the same problem the other day, I have my cousins car on loan and somehow I managed to change the MPH TO KPH couldn't understand why I seemed to be going so fast.

Enjoy your truck, it's lovely having your own truck
 
Yeah, I was doing 30 Kph on the local roads.... OH asked why I hadn't noticed the queue of traffic behind. It was because my fingers were welded to the steering wheel and my eyes were goggling out the front...I wasn't looking behind!
 
lol. How many of us have got a new vehicle and spent twenty minutes in the petrol station trying to find the fuel cap release button or grappling with a reluctant fuel cap with a method of release like something out of Krypton Factor...is it push then turn or twist then press in before turning the key?........
 
Love my old Leyland - although mine is KPH on the mileage, I have dual MPH/KPH speedometer and cruise along at 90......KPH!

You have to give her a name now - mine's Elsie :-)
 
I did the same the first time I drove my lorry, I booked a lesson as I hadn't driven anything that big before and thought it best to get some expert tips from the start. Couldn't understand why the instructor was telling me to go faster as I thought 50mph was quite speedy for the road in question.

I still have to think twice when I glance at the speedo and often use one on the satnav.
 
First time I took my Daf 7.5 lorry to fill up with diesel I had to ask a truck driver to show me how to get the tank's cap off!

Enjoy your new lorry...Daf's are the best ( I'm biased but I LOVE my lorry!)
 
I have already helped two local 7.5 tonne drivers (1 a horsebox) get to grips with driving such as they has pre 1997 licences and had never driven one before- all done for free

Ex LGV instructor
 
Congrats on your truck!
I've only got a trailer but drive pretty slow. So much so I decided to use it to take mine to a show 1/2 mile from my field. I had my daughter with me who nearly died of embarrassment when we got overtaken by a push bike!
 
Mike007 said:
Move to Norwich,everyone drives like that there.
Click to expand...

You mean Naarwich, and nothing wrong with driving slowly. My old dodge wont go much over 40mph even if I wanted to.

Well done OP, you will soon get used to it. The first few times I went out in my lorry my shoulders and arm would ache dreadfully from the tension.
 
Congratulations on the new truck. My pore old lady only goes 40MPH if we are going down hill we might just make 45! I am looking for Bertha’s replacement as she is getting very slow and not sure she will get through her next plating.
 
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