Big Cat diary

This long serving Cat powered Foden 4455 has provided 22 years of reliable service over 1.5 million miles, and it’s still in great shape today

- Dougie Rankine

Owner driver Mike Sharpley recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and decided it was time to enjoy some well-earned retirement. It marked the end of an era not just for Mike but also for his faithful Foden 4000, a truck he bought brand new in 1998. “At the time, I was 58 years old and I thought this would be the truck to see me to retirement, but I had no idea then that I would keep going so long” he explains.

As time went on the Cat 3406E powered truck became increasingly recognisable and it was often spotted on the road by enthusiasts, including your editor here who first recalls seeing it back in 2007. Even back then, a 4000XL was pretty rare.

Mike’s wife Dee, who is also a truck driver, put a “for sale” post on social media, announcing the truck was up for grabs and they were inundated with enquiries. We got in touch and quickly arranged to visit Mike and Dee to get the story, photographing the truck at their Lincolnshire home.

Mike was brought up on the family farm, and recalls being interested in machinery right from the beginning, quickly becoming fascinated with the trucks which would come and go from the farm. “When I was five years old, I drew a picture of a lorry at school and said I wanted to be a driver” he recalls.

He joined the army and trained as a driver/mechanic which enabled him to drive lots of different vehicles including the Centurion tank and Scammell Explorer. Mike spent six years in the military, being posted to a variety of locations including East Africa and Cyprus.