It's Mercedes Tuesday says Biglorryblog. "Good Afternoon Brian" says Ian Marshall, Group Managing Director at Pentagon Investments, the company which owns and runs several large car and truck dealerships including Mertrux, and who tells me "You may like a picture of our LPS1418 as it's the first MB vehicle we sold and we are the oldest MB Truck dealer in the UK. Regards, Ian." Well I reckon that deserves a blog don't you...especially as it's a bonneted beauty...

Now I know that I'm 'Mr Picky' when it comes to truck photos....but Im actually quite happy with this one...nice worm's-eye view angle, good positioning  natural lighting and there's a driver in both cabs..(It's almost as if they've read my script!) BUT (isn't there always a but?) when you have the truck facing out of direct sunlight (and even when it's in it) a good way to add a bit of 'drama' (or at least 'lift') is to turn on the headlights. A small thing but it can be very effective..so dont' forget. TURN THAT LIGHT ON! And click through here for the full story!

Is the US truck market finally showing some signs of a recovery...? Will the 'catalyst' (if you'll pardon the unintentional pun) be the new EPA 2010 Emission regs? I'll leave that to wiser men than me, err like my old blogging co-evil Ollie Dixon on his World Trucks Blog on http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/world-trucks-blog/ but perhaps the news that Phoenix, Arizona-based Knight Transportation has placed an order for 370 Volvo VNs equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions control technology is the start of something good... VTNA will begin deliveries of these trucks to the fleet in April. Now click through here for more on that story...

Graham Kircher sent me a collection of 'DOH!' moments and I've chosen these two... Obviously they have been doing the internet rounds but if anyone was hurt please let me know and I'll remove them in line with my usual policy... You can always put lumps of metal; back together again... People not so easily. Now click through for one more...

Ten hut! Well it was only a matter of time before Gary 'Two Hats' Richards jumped on the 'battle' wagon! "Hi Brian, saw the Autocar half track piece and I thought I could add to the discussion---though naturally with a Mack flavour!!  The M3 Grant/Lee Tank ad above is the interesting one---Mack supplied a range of components, like an 8,000lb transmission, as well as trucks, like the NO gun carrier. " And you can see that and others by clicking through here!

Where would I be without 'The Brochure King'...? Within minutes of Biglorryblog posting up an ad for a mysterious truck maker called Fageol, Rich Stanier bounces back with this gem! "Hi Brian, Fageol was a Californian make that started in 1916 and ended in 1939. When production finally ceased the Sterling company bought the sales outlets and T A Peterman bought the other assets of the business and re-started production under the Peterbilt name. Fageol trucks were at a quite advanced design stage at this point, having been early exponents of diesel power and aluminium frames..." And click through here to find out all about the strange red and white removals van above...!

Hey Kowalski! Jorgenson! Spitteri! Listen up ...we're headin' to Berlin! Aww geee Sarge! Yes Biglorryblog's trusty servant in the good old US of A with a scanner and a shed-load of old truck ads has really done me proud with this one...Autocar half-track for the GIs? I thought it was only White that made half-tracks during WWII..well you learn something new everyday! And click on the image to see it bigger. And for a (GI) Pie what are the planes flying overhead...and what's the connection to the 'Lone Eagle'? Now carry on for a REAL oldie..

Richard Stanier (AKA 'The Brochure King') has sent me this old-timer and says: "Brian, I was very interested in the blog query regarding the origin of the term 'fifth wheel'. This photo of the Knox Artic depicting a tractor and detachable semi trailer is circa 1915. Knox were a manufacturer from Massachusetts whose employee, Charles Martin, patented the 'Martin Rocking Fifth Wheel' circa 1909. I'm not sure whether Martin invented the name for his new device, or just appropriated an existing term for his coupling, but I reckon the current useage can be traced back to then. Know artics were sold in the UK through Harford & Co. of Regent Street W1, and were quite well known at the time, I think." Now click through here for more...

Last one for tonight and it's from Graham Kircher who has sent this selection to me and sorry for dragging my heels mate! The first up is this yellow Bulldog and Graham says: "Still working for a living! This Mack Flintstone LHD Dumper was on display at the HCVAQ truck show 2009 .How Many of these found they way to the land down under one asks!" And click through here for a cornucopia of classic iron!

Les Freathy has sent this classic wrecker to me and says: "Hi Brian, heres a real icon from the 1950s or should I say 1940s, 50s and 60s! An ex-military Diamond T981 from the stock of used Ts of the British army completly refurbed and fitted with a TFL heavy crane for service with British road services. L W Vass carried out the work." Wonder where it is now? And there's a name I haven't heard for a while muses BLB...LW Vass were regular advertisers in Commercial Motor when I started off on the magazine and use to run a B&W page ad every week of ex-MOD stuff including all sorts of useful things like old fire engines and mobile cranes, Land Rovers, trailer-mounted pumps, jerry cans and pierced-steel planking!  And I'm delighted to say they're still going strong today and to see what they've got to offer visit http://www.vass.co.uk/

Hello, what have we here then? Been a while since we heard from him on Biglorryblog. But it seems that 'Postman Pat' (AKA David Humphries) is not only a bike-racing fan, but he also has a train set to play with in between visits to Biglorryblog. Well, each to their own. And what a strange coincidence that he should send me this just after I've just blogged on the Fiat MotoGP team and Iveco...But hold on...What's a model of an FB Atkins Atkinson doing at the mainline Apple station terminus? Well clickm through here for the full story....

Not, as you might at first think another one of those blokes who seems intent on driving under your artic just as you pull onto a roundabout, but a highly-skilled, professional MotoGP rider who has just found himself in close contact (in the nicest possible way) with an Iveco Stralis... And click through here to see what Biglorryblog is blathering on about...

More top photo tips from Biglorryblog. The trouble with photographing an artic is that it's a big old thing to shoot...so if you try and get the tractor AND the trailer in you often end up with a long, thin photo that's not very interesting. And the answer is? Get the driver to bend the unit so the tractor sits ACROSS the trailer as the snapper has done here...you can still see both but you get a much more interesting shape and the focus is now on the tractor at the centre of the photo. Next, use a bit of telephoto to compress the image front to back, turn on the lights, get the driver looking into the mirrors as if he's reversing the unit into that opening and shoot it from low-down and Bob's your Uncle...and to find out what this story is also about click through here.....

Andrew Blacklock returns to Bigloryblog from down-under and says: "Hi mate, just a few photos of a 1978 C60 Chevrolet restoration that one of our club members has just finished.
For other resto photos see the below link to our club's website....regards Andrew
 http://hunteroldtrucks.com/hvrests_1.htm So what are you waiting for?Get clicking? And there's one more to come...

Attention all anoraks! Biglorryblog speaking. Here's today's 'Monday Morning Question!" How did fifth wheels get their name? I ask this because in turn I've had this brain-teaser posed to me by that Towering Titan of Truck Tittle-Tattle---i.e.Nigel Hanwell (PR wallah at Volvo Trucks in Warwick) and HE'S been asked the question by the Swedes...so where do we get the expression 'fifth-wheel' from? And I'm grateful to BLB readers who told me that 'Susie' was a shortened version of 'Suspended airlines'....

Mark Graham has e-mailed this cardboad curiosity to me and says: "Brian, I wasn't originally going to send you this postcard I bought yesterday...because it only shows vans and you don't run a Smalllorryblog!  However, in the spirit of the black and white photos from Australia you just put on the site, how is this for a nice connection....?  This is a Francis Frith postcard from a charity shop showing the busy town centre of Storrington in the mid-1950's. It's no surprise to see the various Ford vans, but it IS quite surprising to see the pair of Austin A40 pick-up trucks which I think are being used as milk-floats." And yes you can see the post card in greater detail thanks to the miracle of Biglorryblog 'Expando-Vision' so click on it for it to grow bigger...and there's more vintage pickups through here....

Call that a fire engine mate? Nah THIS is a fire engine! "G'day Brian," says AtkiPete Lynch in that chirpy 'she'll be right!' manner we've come to expect and love on Biglorryblog. I've been neglecting you Pete as you sent me these a while back and I've meant to post them up sooner. Anyroadup he says: "Here are a few photos from The Museum of Fire at Penrith. All sorts of pre-loved Aussie fire engines and other exhibits...." And what better way than to start off with an Inter 6x6 for bush-fires...? Now click through here for more..