This is not a simulator.
You can actually drive one.
Clive Shaw Trucking runs American big-rig experiences around the UK, putting ordinary drivers behind the wheel of proper Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks with an instructor alongside.
You do not need HGV experience. The sessions are built for beginners, which means part of the fun is discovering what happens when someone used to a normal British car suddenly finds themselves sitting high above the road with several tonnes of American truck behind them.
Some of the experience trucks are around 500 horsepower, and sessions can include manoeuvring and reversing as well as getting the thing properly moving.
THE AMERICAN TRUCK IS ALREADY HERE
The current calendar moves around Britain, with dates appearing in places including Scotland, Cumbria, West Sussex, Newbury, Santa Pod and Lincolnshire.
Selected experiences are available from age 15, and passenger rides are available at some events too.
So if American trucks have always been part of the wider Country world you love, this is one bit of it you do not have to admire from thousands of miles away.
You can climb into the cab here.
AND ONE OF THEM HAS A BURT REYNOLDS STORY
One Clive Shaw Kenworth comes with particularly good history.
The W900B was originally bought by Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham for their Skoal Bandit NASCAR operation, where it hauled Harry Gant’s No. 33 race car.
Which means a genuine piece of American trucking and motorsport history somehow ended up living in Britain.
Clive Shaw has even put American trucks onto Brands Hatch, with previous events allowing drivers to take a big rig around part of the circuit.
There are plenty of ways to admire American trucks in Britain.
This is the one where somebody gives you the keys.
CLIVE SHAW TRUCKING — USEFUL LINKS & GOOD TO KNOW
Before booking: locations, trucks, age requirements, session lengths and availability vary by event, so check the current experience details directly before travelling.