An old tractor unit otoh, does require real strength to drive-and a fair degree of skill. Not like the steering wheel attendants nowadays spoiled with synchromesh and 700hp Scanias!
Few manual boxes nowadays, nearly all automated manuals.
You're quite right about those old trucks though, you had to have some strength to drive them, no power steering, no air assistance on the clutches (Scammells sorted the men from the boys, heavy as could be), crash gearboxes that you learned to drive without ever crunching the gears (looks of disdain from other proper truck drivers would accompany a crunch), unforgiving clutches with sintered iron linings if i recall correctly....try to slip them they'd judder enough to shake your fillings out.
The gearboxes alone were a world apart, there was no fooling anyone, you could either drive or you couldn't.
Always was a skilled job, if you were loaded you needed to be good at reversing, more than one shunt could exhaust you physically as you dragged the wheel round like a sailor pulling an anchor rope in, one leg braced against the dashboard for support whilst doing so.
20 ton loads handballed on and off in many cases, sheeted, roped and fly sheeted over.
Wouldn't have missed it for the world mind, capable and decent proper blokes the huge majority, not so many wingers as now, few women in those days but those that could were very respected.
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