Writing's on the Truck, The: The Tales and Photographs of a Traditional Signwriter

Book excerpt: The Writing's on the Truck is a pictorial look at the traditional art of signwriting on commercial vehicles, by renowned signwriter John Corah. John began signwriting in 1982 working for Brian Harris Transport Ltd. Brian's well-turned out trucks were regularly seen on the roads between the Southwest and the North of Scotland and with this excellent showcase for his skills, John quickly built up a large customer base. Since then, he has written on ERFs, Leylands, Guys, Fodens, Atkinsons, Albions and AECs to name but a few and he is responsible for the distinctive livery of a number of traditional family run haulage companies. In some cases he worked on the vehicles when brand new and then again when restored some 20-30 years later! Sadly many of the once familiar and iconic companies have disappeared over the years and today computer generated vinyl lettering has almost completely taken over the art and few modern fleets are signwritten.The Writing's on the Truck includes 210 fully captioned and previously unpublished photos of the vehicles he worked on, many of which will be remembered by transport fans UK-wide. The book tells the story of the development of John's business, the methods he uses to create particular effects and numerous anecdotes from his working life. It will be of interest to anyone involved with road haulage and the preservation of classic trucks.