At Van den Bosch we call it Truck 55, but its original name in the sixties was the Volvo F88. And as the first truck in a series that helped build Volvo’s stellar trucking reputation, it’s a special truck indeed.
Truck 55 has a distinctively small front grill, especially compared to its much more powerful successor, the F89, which has a massive grill to match. Even more striking is the crane, which made Truck 55 into more than a transport vehicle. This was a truck that could load and unload itself.
Distant travels
The hydraulic crane wasn’t a factory feature, but a later addition built by ourselves. It made the vehicle incredibly versatile, and even crane manufacturer Munsters - who were based just across the street of our HQ at the time - hired the truck every now and again to use the crane. They even took ‘our’ little Truck 55 all the way to the Middle East.
