Take it EC

He’s got three ERFs ready to go to work, and a growing reputation for restoring them. For Robert Gassor only the EC way will do.

- Dougie Rankine

You might have heard of him. His ERF building saga over the last year or so on Facebook has had more twists and turns than EastEnders or Coronation Street and is a damn sight more entertaining.

He’s spent this time assembling a fleet of ERF ECs and tackling ambitious projects such as cab and roof swaps. This isn’t a hobby though, these trucks aren’t destined for the preservation scene; this is a passion and a dedication that’s in the blood. The plan is to put them to work.

You can’t establish a haulage operation with such old trucks, can you? We visited Robert at his Somerset farm to find out.

Parked there are three, complete ERF EC11 tractor units which have been refurbished and rebuilt to various degrees by Robert, including painting them. He also has a classic B-series, and a line-up of customer trucks waiting for attention. Completely self-taught when it comes to HGV mechanics and bodywork, he has now obtained a reputation as a bit of an EC specialist. Why though, does Robert have such devotion to an old British truck? To find out, we need to go all the way back to the start.

“I grew up around British lorries” says the 41 year old, “my father Chris, Uncle Phil, Grandad Colin – all drivers.” His first experience out in a truck was with his Dad in a Leyland Bison hook loader and Robert would spend as much time as he could on the road during holidays. It was always British trucks too, of varying quality as you can imagine. “He had a Seddon Atkinson 400 – that broke in half. Then a 401 and the first Strato in the UK” he says.

Early Memories