Almost a year and a half after taking delivery of a new Scania 560 chassis, truck enthusiast Matt De Machen’s magnificent custom-built road train has finally taken to the road.

The new truck will join the Matthew James fleet alongside the company’s earlier Scania 480 road train, which has graced the centre pages of The Mover during the past few years.

 

The £300,000 project involved a number of specialist companies including bodybuilders UBV, airbrush artists Custom Paint House and Special Interiors, based in the Netherlands. The result is to say the least, impressive. Stunning artwork that would shame a California hot-rod depicts famous landmarks from across the globe reflecting the company’s international credentials and worldwide reach. “When we designed the last road-train we just used images of the route to Spain, but during the past few years we’ve been doing more and more ‘packs and wraps’ and shipping things all over the world, so we wanted the new artwork to show that,” said Matt.

 

Stepping inside the cab (having taken off your shoes) the surroundings are equally impressive. The plush leather interior in the company colours of red, white and blue, with matching dash and carpets is simply jaw dropping - even the steering wheel is colour coordinated!  Creature comforts include a comfortable bed, microwave cooker, coffee maker and even a shower!

 

Another technical innovation is an external elevator that can hoist furniture to the balconies of apartment building 6 or 7 floors high.  The whole thing breaks down into sections and is stowed in the road train’s locker.

 

As you would expect, Matt selected the very best technology to keep him informed, safe and entertained on his long journeys through Europe.  A Pioneer head unit provides everything in audio entertainment as well as satnav and hands-free telephony. For optimum sound quality the system comprises multiple speakers made by German audio manufacturer Gladen, as recommended by the guys at Special Interiors. To improve visibility, cameras automatically display the blind-spot areas to the right and left of the vehicle when the indicators are selected and also the view behind when reversing. Matt also opted for left-hand drive as most of the mileage will be done outside the UK.

 

So why spend £100,000 or so over the odds for a commercial vehicle? Matt is certain it makes good business sense. “The road trains are seen by millions of people all over the UK and Europe, they’re a sort of mobile PR campaign,” said Matt. “Also our clients, especially the corporate ones, love it when we arrive and park the trucks outside their premises, I think it makes them feel special.”

 

The road train will be a star exhibit at the Movers and Storers Show at Silverstone later this month – don’t miss your chance to check it out.

 

Matt’s company, Matthew James Removals and Storage Ltd specialises in international removals and the new road train will be used mainly for trips to continental Europe, especially to Spain; the company has depots in Barcelona, Malaga and Madrid.

 

Photos top to bottom: The Scania 560 Road Train; the Scania's cab in Matt's corporate colours; Matt receives the keys from Martin Hay of Scania; admirers gather at a service station on the 28, from Oldenburg to Leer in Germany.