T-boned by a CMP

[Tony Wheeler]

There's certainly hardship written on these faces here, except for one guy who seems to find it all very amusing!

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I get the impression CMPs were somewhat prone to accidents in civilian hands, which wouldn't be surprising. They're considerably heavier than commercial pattern trucks, with a lot more rotational momentum in the drive train, and as Alex suggests they're capable of being drastically overloaded. Nor were they intended for high mileage and constant braking in suburban traffic. They'd probably chew through brake linings quite rapidly so you'd need to adjust them regularly, and the tyres aren't designed for road use, esp. in the wet.

Some time ago I searched under 'blitz truck' on the NLA Trove site, which has millions of digitized newspaper articles dating back to the 19th century. I was surprised to find a high proportion of hits related to accidents, some of them very tragic, others quite amusing. I tried it again just now and got 21,533 hits, the very first one being the following article in the Brisbane Courier-Mail on Tuesday 30th March 1948:

BLITZ TRUCK OVERDID IT

Pursued by a police wireless patrol car, a blitz waggon, driven by Herbert Ernest Gallichan, 23, truck driver, caused a stir at South Brisbane on Saturday. According to Police Court evidence yesterday, it broke off a tramway pole to ground level; caused two cars to leave the road and drive along the foot path; narrowly missed a stationary taxi, and truck; and struck a telegraph pole. After which Gallichan fell to the road when police opened his truck door.
'Very sorry, sir,' Gallichan told Mr. J.E. Landy, S.M., when he pleaded guilty to having been found 'under the influence' while in charge of a truck. 'I'll never drink again,' he promised.
Mr Landy: If I had anything to do with you I would suspend your license.
Gallichan was fined £15 or two months gaol.

Evidently the courts were rather more lenient in those days!

[motto]

Interesting thread and fits in with the photos taken around the end of the war showing CCKWs in service with the rear outer dual wheels missing due to the shortage of tyres.
Seems like the 'Arsenal of Democracy' was also feeling the pinch.

David