John Tarrant is a livestock haulier in Co. Cork and owns what is believed to be the oldest DAF lorry still hauling in Europe.

Based in Rathcoole, Co. Cork, John – of Tarrant’s Livestock – bought the DAF 2100 truck brand-new on March 8, 1984.

“It has 34 years of work up on it now,” said John.

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, DAF Trucks in Holland ran a campaign across the continent to find the oldest working DAF truck in Europe.

John explained to AgriLand: “They could find no truck in that country so they contacted the DAF Trucks garage in Co. Cork – and then they found my lorry.”

John has been told by DAF that the company believes it to be the oldest working DAF lorry in Europe – and maybe even the world.

“They can find no other truck in the world to match it,” Tarrent proudly remarked.

The truck has 1.5 million miles done; it’s gone round the clock and it’s half-ways round again.

There is a 25ft Hegarty cattle-body on it since the day it was bought. The body was made in Hegarty’s of Killarney and is 8ft wide, 6ft high and 24ft long. The body will hold 20 cattle weighing 300kg.

“Thousands and thousands of cattle have gone through it,” recalled John.

“When we were working full-time with it, the lorry was doing five and six days every week, but it’s still doing three or four days a week,” he explained.

Commenting on the truck’s ability, John said: “When I bought that truck first I put up a load of heavy cattle in it, heading for Cahir, Co. Tipperary. There’s a massive hill going into Kildorrery, Co. Cork.

When I went up that hill in September, 1984, it went up in fourth gear – and I tried it a month ago and still it went up in fourth; not a bother to it.

“I’m 43 years at cattle and that truck has 34 of them done – it’s the same as new,” concluded the driver.