Marco van Nispen and Yvonne Holtrop from Bergen op Zoom have a huge American truck: a Freightliner Century Class from 1999, with a 443 hp Caterpillar engine. Marco has been an international truck driver for forty years and, together with his son Giovanni and his girlfriend Sylvia, saw this truck as a perfect hobby as an extension of his work. The trailer purchased later was furnished by Yvonne – “Because you have to have a partner who also likes that” – in the style of the sixties: kitchen, sitting area, bathroom and sleeping area. “So it is now also a camper. We have completed our first test drive and we spent a few days in Friesland. That was a great experience.” Coming to France and Spain next summer, you can find camping spots online where you can go with a fifteen-meter-long camper. The intention is to take the truck on holiday to France and Spain this year. There is always a lot of enthusiasm from other road users along the way. “We deliberately got a nice spot at the front of the camper spot in Friesland, so that all passers-by could see us.” The camper is completely self-sufficient. There are solar panels on the roof and a sturdy inverter on board, as well as 250 liters of drinking water. The combination has been ‘downgraded’ to 30 tons (original 50 tons). That saves a lot of road tax: 1 in 3! Fuel consumption is around 1 in 3. The American version of the truck is the work of Giovanni. A specialized company offered €2,000 and there was a waiting period of one year, so the decision was made to do the work ourselves. It turned out that it only cost half that and the job was completed in three weeks. Is Marco useful in case of a breakdown? “Yes, that usually works. Fortunately, parts for these types of vehicles are still widely available, because this is still a very common truck in America.”
Source: www.autoweek.nl
