Brushed With Success

A Mercedes Actros 630 was chosen to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Griffin Freight Services, its livery paying tribute to Mick Griffin’s late father as well as to some of the trucks that helped make GFS profitable

- Dan Parton

When Glenn Douglas isn’t out on the road delivering concrete flooring to building sites, he can often be found back at the GFS yard in Retford, cleaning and polishing his truck – often for hours on a weekend.

It is easy to see why. His pride and joy, a new Mercedes Actros 630, is a striking truck. The white truck’s red airbrushed images show a variety of trucks from the GFS history, as well as a picture of the late Tim Griffin who, alongside his son, Mick, established the company in 1991. “The truck is spot-on,” says Glenn.

But with the work Glenn does for Griffin – and the places he has to go to – keeping the truck in top condition takes some effort. “Most of the work we do is in… places you wouldn’t want to take a truck like this,” he laughs. “Often, building sites are either dust bowls or a mudbath. It makes it a challenge to keep it clean.”

But keep it clean he does – inside and out – and it is work that Glenn is more than happy to do. He has always taken care of whichever truck he had, which is part of the reason why he was allocated this truck – his boss, Mick Griffin, knew he would take care of it.

The truck highlights some of the trucks that GFS has had over the years, including the company’s first 7.5-tonner – a second-hand MAN. The other trucks, in a range of sizes, are all Mercedes. All of the images have been airbrushed on by hand.

But the real special part is on the fifth wheel cover, which shows Tim on his beloved motorbike. Mick wanted to have his father included on the truck and the wheel cover was the place that worked best in the overall design.