Truck & Driver articles from December 2003

Truck & Driver archives from December 2003

Asda's artistic payoff.
December 1, 2003... Chris Harding was in for a treat when he had his picture of an Asda vehicle published in Drawing Board (T&D August) because the supermarket giant invited him to visit its Bedford distribution depot. Chris explored one of Asda's 'luxurious...

Top BP driver a role model.(British Petroleum's Kelvin Chivers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BP's LPG Tanker Driver of the Year 2003 has issued a challenge to truck drivers to set high standards for young drivers to aspire to. Kelvin Chivers, who has been driving bulk tankers out of BP's Purton depot, near Swindon, for the past seven...

Happy Stainmore returns.(Stainmore Cafe)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Celebrating its first birthday after reopening, the Stainmore Cafe on the A66 Scotch Corner-Penrith route is an ideal place to stop for a bit of rest and relaxation, as Bob Tuck discovers In the bleak midwinter, there's probably no more...

DAF SPONSORS DRIVER FORUM.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Daf Trucks is to sponsor an interactive forum on the professional driver's website: www.trucknet.uk.com As part of a commitment to supporting drivers, Daf will be putting its weight behind the 'New and wannabe driver's forum'. The US-owned...

Bailey death suspects in court.(arson victim Derek Bailey)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Two Grimsby men face a court appearance in January over the death of lorry driver Derek Bailey, who died in an arson attack as he slept in his cab outside a Homebase store in June this year. As T&D went to press, Kevin Fielding (38) and...

A POT OF GOLD?(Trade associations and industry experts)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Trade associations and industry experts seem to be split on whether there is a pot of money available for training grants in the road haulage industry. The Transport & General Workers Union, Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport...

Gen up on skills with Magenta.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... New kid on the block Magenta Training has designed a one-day 'Essential Skills Workshop' to update the skills of experienced drivers and to help newer drivers through the minefield of legislation. The course, which is certificated, will cover...

Sir Bill warns of blockades.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Sir Bill Morris, outgoing general secretary of the Transport & General Workers Union, has warned of possible future blockades if the UK oil giants and haulage contractors refuse to negotiate on driver safety as well as employment conditions....

TROUBLESPOTS TO WATCH FOR in NOVEMBER/DECEMBER.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Avon M5, J20-J21. Resurfacing work northbound/southbound; 24hr contraflow. Moderate delays until December 14. Berkshire M4, J13. Lane closures, 0930-1600 and 2100-0600; moderate delays until April 30, 2004. A34, J13. Lane closures; delays...

BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS.
December 1, 2003... Can you imagine running a trans-Continental express haulage fleet with sleeper cabs but without tachos and hours regs to worry about? John Walker and Roy Waby can - their flourishing Indigo Blue operation meets a demand for high-speed...

Car drivers need educating.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Just a few lines on the Soap Box article headlined 'Knightfall' in August's T&D. Car drivers know nothing of blindspots because most of them have never even sat in a truck, let alone driven one. They also don't know about speed-limiters; I...

DREAM ; MACHINE.(Volvo truck driver Alan McGuiness )
December 1, 2003... Driving his own truck was all Alan McGuiness ever wanted to do - and now that he does, he couldn't be happier. Simon Everett meets the Derbyshire man, who's made all his dreams come true an McGuiness is one of those lucky people who...

DUTCH DELIGHT.(Truckstar Festival )
December 1, 2003... Back in the summer, while we were all enjoying Truckfests, Peak Shows and the like, our Dutch friends were gathering at Assen for their own celebration of trucks and trucking: Truckstar eld annually in late July on the famous Dutch TT...

LAMMERS THINKS BIG.(the non-Championship Dutch Truck GP event at Assen)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Ex-Formula One driver Jan Lammers made an impressive debut in the heavyweight world of truck racing, taking his MAN to one win and two second places from four starts in the non-Championship Dutch Truck GP event at Assen (see page 40). The...

PAT FROM the pda writes...
December 1, 2003... It's been a busy month for the Professional Drivers Association and a second Training Day was held at Brett's Transport Ltd at Guyhirn, near Wisbech on Saturday, September 27. The day dawned sunny and dry and it was good to see people...

ferry to the future.
December 1, 2003... Annoyed at ferry costs? Operators have been investing heavily to keep services up to date Are you paying too much for ro-ro crossings? Officials from the European Commission have recently been investiga-ting Eurotunnel and ferry...

hogan's heroes.
December 1, 2003... 'Small but perfectly formed' sums up the Hogan fleet in North Wales; and, as Bob Tuck discovers, drivers Dafydd Wyn Jones and Alan Fisher have their own brand of versatility f you live anywhere near Bangor in north-west Wales you may well...

IN BRIEF.
December 1, 2003... If anyone has experienced seating problems with the Renault Premium please contact T&D's Editor. Mick Parkinson warns drivers to be on their guard at Frankley Services, M6 as curtain slashers are 'at it again', following a hike in parking...

BERNAU BOUNCES BACK.
December 1, 2003... BELGIUM WITNESSED a brilliant comeback by LUTZ Bernau to take THE RacetruckS top spot. Jonathan Reeves reports from Round 8 of the FIA European Truck Racing Cup in Zolder Lutz Bernau staged a brilliant comeback to blast to the top of the...

AS-TRONIC TONIC.
December 1, 2003... Daf's AS-Tronic system 'is one of the best automated gearshifting installations I've tried', says Dave Young; now it's available on numerous multi-axle options. He road tests them in Belgium on, unusually, customer's trucks rather than...

LIFE AFTER DEATH.(old trucks)
December 1, 2003... There's nothing quite like a brand-new wagon. But David Bowers urges you to spare a thought for the trucks you tossed aside, because they don't always end up in that great scrapyard in the sky Ever contemplated what happens to your old...

PAT ON THE ; BACK FOR PAT.(The Professional Drivers Association's)(Women in Transport Awards)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Professional Drivers Association's Pat Nicholson has won the Special Achievement Award at this year's Women in Transport Awards. Nicholson is one of the leading lights of the PDA, which has tried to improve the industry for drivers by...

A TASTE OF TRUCKING.
December 1, 2003... 'Driver Try', a fresh initiative aimed at attracting new recruits by letting them have a go themselves in a variety of trucks, had a successful debut recently, reports old hand Dave Young A new initiative to provide prospective recruits...

BAD NEWS; ABROAD.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A British truck driver jailed in Greece for smuggling illegal immigrants has lost his appeal for bail. Tim Andrews had his bail appeal hearing postponed twice but was always led to believe by the Greek authorities that he would be given bail....

Steady withdrawal south by Eddie Stobart.(haulage company)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Eddie Stobart - the shy man behind the UK haulage empire - is apparently selling his [pounds sterling]2.2 million country pile and giving up his Ferrari as the company focuses its efforts south of Carlisle. According to a recent article...

2003-4 diary dates.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... November 9 Donington Park, Trucks & Fireworks: combined one-day truck and car meeting featuring final rounds of the 2003 BTRA British Truck Racing Championship. For further info phone 01332 810048. November 23 Autojumble, Three Counties...

Persecuted; for parking.
December 1, 2003... With all that space you'd think parking in the US would be a doddle, right? Wrong! Cliff Warby's been trying for 10 years now and he still hasn't got the hang of ita Part 2 follows next month You could be forgiven for thinking, given the...

PARSONS KNOWS.
December 1, 2003... Phil Parsons, close friend and confidant of Brian Harris, died recently, but the West Country company he built up with his wife Noreen lives on. Steve Smart searches for the secrets of success at Parsons Transport - one of which is a variety...

Tales from Tower Hill.
December 1, 2003... Our August letter of the month about Tower Hill Transport and the Red House Caf generated so much mail that we asked Bob Tuck to piece the letters together and recall some fascinating history f you were on the road between 1955 and 1966...

ROVER 75: Bride and Vroom.
December 1, 2003... What better way to test a Rover than use it as a wedding car? That was the excuse Chris Turner gave for blagging a 75 turbodiesel, which turned out to be admirably suited to the task and, he says, is one of the most underrated cars on th e...

TO THE POINT.
December 1, 2003... I was shocked and disappointed to read of the racism suffered by T&D reader 'Rav' (Letters, page 36). Let's tackle a few of the issues head on. Racism isn't just a 'bit of fun' and being anti-racist isn't about being tediously politically...

Changing training times ahead.
December 1, 2003... The times, they are a'changing - and the industry is going to have to sing a different tune when it comes to training, writes Jack Semple. Under EU rules coming into force in 2007, drivers will be assessed/instructed on their knowledge of the...

Help TruckPol fight crime.(police intelligence unit)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The head of TruckPol, the Metropolitan Police's new intelligence unit dedicated to road freight crime, has urged drivers to provide police with information to help them tackle rising truck crime. The plea comes after the Met's latest figures...

Unite with the URTU.(United Road Transport Union)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... United Road Transport Union general secretary Bob Monks has hit back at a survey on the truckersmoan website which suggests that unions have 'no backbone'. Most of the respondents to the survey on www.truckersmoan.co.uk thought that unions...

Out of time, out of work case dismissed at Tribunal.(Employment Tribunal)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Welsh driver Steve Richards took his former employer to an Employment Tribunal after effectively being sacked by telephone when he refused to drive a van because he had run out of hours. Richards had been working for the Barry-based operator...

IN FOR A LONG STRETCH.(Chartered Society of Physiotherapy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Drivers should stretch to avoid back pain, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. The CSP has published a leaflet detailing 10 easy-to-follow stretches designed to make driving more comfortable and prevent the onset of...

Mixed news on licence fees.(Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A shake-up of driving licence fees due to take place in March next year has been announced by the DVLA. The main changes are: First provisional licence fees rise from [pounds sterling]29 to [pounds sterling]38 but upgrading after a test...

LOOK NORTH.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Oil and tanker firms located in the South that can't find drivers should cast their eyes to the North, says one experienced tanker driver who contacted T&D. The driver is struggling to find a suitable job in Humberside but knows of jobs going...

VIGNETTE PLAYS HARD TO GET.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... It is becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of Euro vignettes because service stations and offices seem to be pulling out of the service, according to driver Alf Buckman. Alf says he recently pulled into a service area near Lille in...