I never did "Continental" but in recent years it was too much hassle anyway with immigrants, never mind the fact that the likes of Willy Betz took all the work.
Best story I heard of Irish drivers was from a Scouse chap who had run with them through France - just about keeping up, naturally. They all get pulled at a French Scales, & Irish driver No.1, knowing full well he is well overloaded with hanging meat, claims to Gendarme-le-Frog that his truck is empty.
Of course on the scales it shows otherwise, so they look in the back. Surprise surprise a load - & then some - of hanging meat. The driver explains that "as the meat is not on the floor, it can't be weighing anything, so the lorry counts as empty."
Our Scouse friend says he was nearly wetting himself trying not to laugh, & as Monsueir Le Plod was having trouble deciphering the Irish accents, they gave up and let the convoy go...
Re 'never late with a V8' & speed limiters; I well remember my first overnight trip, pre-limiters era, up the M6 to Scotland. Quite frightening how fast those night trunkers could go. How they explained away their tachos I don't know. But just as bent log books led to tachos, so the result of speeding trucks was compulsory speed limiters. Surprise surprise.