What happens to 'old' lorry cabs?

[MagicalTrevor]

Driving along the motorway this morning I began wondering 'what happens to older lorries?'. Most of the cabs on the road have registrations within the last 5 years, or so I saw.

Now I accept that they do interstellar mileage but you'd maybe expect to see them being operated by the less well known haulage companies, maybe refurbished with new engines, gearboxes, etc?

So what happens to them? Are they leased and then simply scrapped / recycled? Is there much money in scrapping an old lorry cab?

Any thoughts?

[Matt UK]

Maybe they head abroad?

[Ozzie Osmond]

The combination of high mileages and ever tightening emissions regulations takes them off the road.

They can be scrapped just like cars.

Similarly the trailer portion of an artic doesn't go on for ever.

[Fane]

They get exported - typically to RHD places like Cyprus, South Africa and Kenya. They also get broken up for scrap / recycling.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

They become Horseboxes.HTH

Yup! Round here of you get stuck behind a slow stinking thing it's always a horsebox.

By the way, you may have noticed that "fairground" lorries and other vehicles are often very old. this is because there are exemptions from a lot of the regulations for "Showman's vehicles". This includes road tax, tachograph regulations and all sorts. Brief outline on this link,

http://www.showmensguild.com/transport.htm

[wolf1]

Sold on to smaller outfits or are exported/broken for spares. Quite a lot of old Artic units have their chassis extended and then a rigid body built on them. I've built all sorts on the back of them from curtainsiders to plant beavertails.

[Tuvra]

As mentioned, most of the older high mileage stuff gets sent abroad. If you pick up a copy of Truck Trader nearly every old truck is adevertised as "Ideal for Export". They also advertise "Job lots" i.e. a few units on one trailer, 5 flat bed trailers belted together etc...

[MagicalTrevor]

Well that's that answered Another entry in my 'arsenal of useless facts'

[bikemonster]

Fane said:

They get exported - typically to RHD places like Cyprus, South Africa and Kenya. They also get broken up for scrap / recycling.

Not South Africa.

South Africa has pretty fierce laws in place which make it very difficult to import any second hand vehicle. Some of the other sub-Saharan countries, such as Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe maybe, but definitely not South Africa.

[bracken78]

I used to work for a shipping company who shipped old cars to West Africa and old trucks to Asuncion. I believe a number of used trucks also end up in West Africa but not as many as Asuncion. They love there old Scanias and mercs.

[TheMoron]

MagicalTrevor said:

Well that's that answered Another entry in my 'arsenal of useless facts'

Gotta love bringing out the useless facts down the pub

TM

[mp3manager]

Some end their life doing yard-work or shunting, until they gradually fall apart from the abuse.

[1fcuking]

this 1942 truck cab was saved form the scrap heap

[iva cosworth]

Tilbury docks is one place where a lot of old lorries,vans,pickups,4WDs and normal cars

leave for Africa.

I go in there to collect timber imports for my company and there is alwaus a queue of

frankly crap old stuff waiting to go in for export

[Ozzie Osmond]

mp3manager said:

Some end their life doing yard-work or shunting, until they gradually fall apart from the abuse.

Good point. Most large yards keep an unregistered shunter.

[5lab]

bikemonster said:

Fane said:

They get exported - typically to RHD places like Cyprus, South Africa and Kenya. They also get broken up for scrap / recycling.

Not South Africa.

South Africa has pretty fierce laws in place which make it very difficult to import any second hand vehicle. Some of the other sub-Saharan countries, such as Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe maybe, but definitely not South Africa.

I'd say its very difficult to 'legally' import a vehicle. Having done banger rallys that involved cars not making it to the end of a country (which in the laws eyes is the same as importing them), £50 in a back pocket goes a long way to removing that stamp from your passport.

[rhinochopig]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Old Lorries don't die.

They become Horseboxes.
HTH

They get taken away for forensic evidence.

[Nickyboy]

They go all over the world, go to any far away country and you'll most likely see an ex UK truck at some point, some still run in their original owners livery.

Heres a few stolen from Trucknet

Ex-Stobart in Russia & Bulgaria




Ex-TNT in Russia



Ex-Corby Chilled in Russia and converted to LHD



These made it to Malawi



Some like this Russell Davies Volvo are sent overseas on a long trip with a pre-arranged agreement with someone at the other end to buy the truck, the driver is flown home.

[Pothole]

doogz said:

Seen a few old old UK tractor units in Malta the last couple of times i was there.

loads of them over there, was always funny to see the bin lorry with the name and telephone number of some obscure borough council still on the side tootling round Sliema with some illegal immigrants running alongside

[busta]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

We buy old ex German Tank movers - 8x8 drive

Do 'em up and use them to haul heavy st !

Pictures please