Truck & Driver articles from January 2005

Truck & Driver archives from January 2005

A champion performance.(Redburn Transfer were asked to provide transport for the London parade of Olympic winners.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Enfield, Middlesex-based rock 'n' roll truckers Redburn Transfer were asked to provide transport for the London parade of Olympic winners. As you can see, Redburn rose admirably to the task to carry our heroes and heroines (including Kelly...

Albion's back in business.(Albion Inn & Truckstop)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Good news for West Country truckers: Peter Randall and his partner Glynis have just taken over the Albion Inn & Truckstop at Ashcott, Somerset (telephone 01458 210281), eight miles from junction 23 of the M5 on the A39 heading towards...

Bridge bashing still on the rise.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Bridge-bashing is on the increase, with around 2000 strikes a year by buses and trucks. And in the period 2002-2003 there were 278 injuries plus two fatalities among drivers. Bridgeclear, which puts the annual cost of these hits at about...

Car drivers warned.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Bedfordshire police have issued a warning to impatient car drivers who cut up lorries at accident blackspots. According to a report in Luton Today, the local police are worried that such aggressive tactics towards trucks by car drivers could...

DAM secretary takes action.(Drivers Action Movement)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Drivers Action Movement secretary Jack Crossfield has stepped up his campaign for safe lorry parking and better security for drivers by writing to local and industry newspapers to raise awareness. In his role as leader of the Local Community...

Dobl reborn.(Fiat's Dobl Cargo)
January 1, 2005... Fiat's Dobl Cargo - especially with its big-hearted little 1.3 MultiJet diesel - is a marked improvement on its predecessor and ready to take on the competition. Dave Young reports There is a lot of competition in the lightweight...

Draft working-time regulations: the facts.
January 1, 2005... The draft working-time regulations have been issued - and they are outlined here. There have been mixed reactions from various relevant bodies, whose responses are given in the panel below. * Working time: not to exceed 60 hours in any...

ESSENTIAL SURGERY.(delays at Thelwall Viaduct)
January 1, 2005... Slowed down and wound up by delays at the Thelwall Viaduct? Kevin Swallow finds out what's going on out of sight of delayed drivers and, more importantly, when it will all end One place where you could guarantee encountering a hold-up...

FTA frustrated by wait for smart tachos.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Freight Transport Association has accused digital tachograph equipment manufacturers and the European Commission of 'abusing' the transport industry over the 'farcical' introduction of smart-card technology. In November the FTA discovered...

GLASGOW.(Dan Eadie of The Malcolm Group)
January 1, 2005... HIGH-RISE Curtainsider eight-wheel rigids don't come much bigger than W H Malcolm's high-rise Renault. The company's top driver, Dan Eadie, gives Bob Tuck the guided tour and explains how the Kerax had been built with tipping operations...

Greens gun for A6 lorry ban.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... More than 300 members of the Lan-caster and District Green Party have petitioned Lancashire County Council for a lorry ban on the A6 south of Lancaster. The Greens want to stop lorries from travelling via Galgate, Scotforth, Greaves and...

Hit-and-run lorry driver sought.(Public Notice)
January 1, 2005... Police are appealing for information following a non-stop road traffic collision in which a lorry driver was killed. The incident happened at about 9.45pm on Sunday, September 5 on the northbound section of the M6 motorway between Keele...

IT'S THE LIMIT!(DRIVING SPEED CAN KILL THE DRIVER)
January 1, 2005... You will have seen our speed-detectors feature on p20-21; are our national and local speed limits getting beyond a joke? This reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) thinks so, and is fed up with being patronised by a government that thinks...

Join forces POST-WTD to succeed, SUGGESTS BRISTOL haulier.(David Hathaway Transport on Working Time Directive )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Hauliers will have to work together to fulfil their delivery obligations once the Working Time Directive is introduced. So says Bristol haulier David Hathaway Transport, which has been approached by a number of large logistics firms and...

Mainline to training.(A recruitment agency is offering free training truck drivers )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A recruitment agency is offering free training to drivers of 7.5-tonne lorries to get their Class 1 licences in order to meet demand for HGV-trained staff. According to the Western Daily Press newspaper, Mainline Employment is planning to...

Morris T-Type heads for home.(Gloucester Transport Museum has returned a truck)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Gloucester Transport Museum has returned a Morris T-Type One-Ton truck to its owners after 23 years, Gloucester City Council having sold the museum building. Unusually, the vehicle has been owned by the same family since it was bought new...

PAT OF THE pda SAYs.
January 1, 2005... All the 2004 events are now over so it's time to start planning the 2005 programme. Our Christmas Raffle is well under way and some excellent prizes have been donated. The draw will take place during our Christmas Party at the Alconbury Night...

Parking fee to rise by 500%.(Road Haulage Association plans)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Road Haulage Association has hit out at plans to raise charges at a Buxton lorry park by 500%. The cost of staying overnight between 6pm and 8am is due to rocket from [pounds sterling]1 to [pounds sterling]5 a night at the Sylvan Lorry...

Play it safe on stowaways.
January 1, 2005... Regular driver on the Continent, Steven Cable of Shrewsbury, was recently re-fuelling at Calais services at around 9.30-10pm when he noticed the British trailer in front being boarded by refugees - despite the area being crowded. He tried...

Review of user charge urged.(truck industry)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The FTA's national council has called for a 'root and branch' review of the lorry road user charge scheme over concerns that it could hit hauliers' pockets. The government has always maintained that the charge, which aims to tax overseas...

Riverside banks on Crawford.(J D Crawford )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Drivers facing redundancy at a Cumbrian haulage firm have been thrown a lifeline by a local recruitment agency. Carlisle-based Riverside Recruitment spotted an article in regional newspaper The Hexham Courant that Plenmeller haulier J D...

SWEET.(Volvo FH16)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... Not many people really need the FH16 but, more to the point, will you want it? Dave Young thinks you will because, after a test drive of the 610hp Volvo, he's gagging for one himself Volvo's range boasts the most powerful pr t-e-porter...

Sent off on a Beaver.(retired truck driver dies and vintage truck is used as hearse)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 1, 2005... When George Malsom died aged 74 last August, his family decided to give him a fitting send-off. He was buried at St John the Baptist's Church, Ruardean, only 100 yards from his home in the Forest of Dean and, having been a lorry driver all...

Snipers are targeted.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Airgun snipers have been targeting lorry drivers at an Essex industrial estate, smashing windows and damaging the vehicles. The vandals, who have been shooting within Bentalls Industrial Estate at Heybridge, have not been caught, despite...

Stoford's future is in pallets.(Stoford Transport)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Blaming mounting costs, family haulier Stoford Transport is restructuring. The long-established firm, which has been trading for more than 80 years, has six depots and more than 100 vehicles. The company, a shareholder in the Jigsaw Solutions...

Stuck in limbo without a licence.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... One Trucknet UK driver is stuck in limbo after finding that his new licence has wiped off all his HGV entitlement, leaving him allowed to drive a car only. The driver passed his C test in October and the licence was 'fast-tracked' from the...

TAlLENTIRE FOR TIPPING.(Tony Tallentire's eight wheeled tipper )
January 1, 2005... Today, Tucky tells the tasteful tale of talented Tony Tallentire's top tipper - an eight-wheeled treat that's set to titivate your tastebuds tangibly (Oi! Enough alliteration already - Ed) Truck shows are a rich source of ideas for...

TO THE POINT.(Working Time Directive)
January 1, 2005... As the implementation of the Working Time Directive gets nearer, most sections of the road transport industry have grudgingly abandoned their favoured ostrich position and taken steps to comply. Sadly there remains one very high barrier still...

High praise.(Lord Stones Cafe)(Restaurant Review)
January 1, 2005... Nestling in the North Yorkshire Moors, Lord Stones Cafe may be too inaccessible for most truckers with their usual motors but Bob Tuck reckons it is an ideal destination for a day off When you're T&D's longest-serving regular contributor...

Tired drivers may forfeit trucks.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Hertfordshire police are cracking down on lorry drivers who break the drivers' hours rules - and they now have the authority to seize a vehicle if they decide that the driver has broken the regulations. As a result of their increased powers,...

TRUCK & DRIVER.
January 1, 2005... the early years nd lo, in spring 1984 it came to pass that the first 'special' issue of T&D appeared in your friendly local news-agent. Exactly 10 years after TRUCK magazine had shaken up the com- placent world of commercial vehicle...

Video's wider appeal.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Police forces across the country are to be sent an information package which raises awareness about the use of goods vehicles in terrorism. Among the items is a video, devised by Coventry's detective chief inspector Tim Godwin, which was...

What's up with WTD?(Working Time Directive)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... As a 7.5-tonner driver for a multinational car-parts company, I have been aware of the Working Time Directive since we Brits first heard about it a few years ago. But the other day, my transport manager casually mentioned that the WTD will...

bristol rover.(ROG 687)
January 1, 2005... During its time with British Road Services, ROG 687 had a wandering life but now, in the safe care of Robin Masters, the Bristol eight-wheeler is enjoying a quiet retirement. Bob Tuck is glad of an opportunity to drive the old classic for...

custom and convention.(Great American Trucking Show)
January 1, 2005... Think US custom trucks and, inevitably, you have to think big. After all, argues Ollie Dixon, in Dallas for the Great American Trucking Show, conventional trucks present a bigger canvas any jaunt around any truck show will prove, there...

diary dates 2005.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... Truckfest series, 2005 Dates have been confirmed for the 2005 round of Truckfests: Truckfest 2005, East of England Showground, Peterborough, May 1-2; Yorkshire Trucking Spectacular, Driffield Showground, June 4-5; Truckfest South West, Bath &...

going for gold.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Suttons driver Stan Spooner recently struck gold in the shape of a new Daf 85, which was specially liveried to celebrate his employer's 50th anniversary. The 430hp high-roof 6x2 unit works on a Fercalo contract carrying water treatment...

jarama drama.
January 1, 2005... It's the penultimate event of the season, and Stuart Oliver is feeling under pressure as Bernau is edging even closer in Round 9 of the FIA European Truck Racing Cup. Jonathan Reeves reports Another strong showing from reigning champion...

m5 sights - the sequel!(GUIDE BOOK FOR TOURISM)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... And of course it's called The M6 Sights Guide. This new book, pointing out interesting features on the motorway, is author Mike Jackson's follow-up to his The M5 Sights Guide. The M6 book lists more than 400 structures that can be seen from,...

space invader.(Volvo VN 780)
January 1, 2005... Perhaps you can have too much of a good thing, argues Ollie Dixon, as he almost loses himself in the 'generously appointed' 77-inch sleeper cab of a conventional Volvo - the VN 780 pace. For those with difficulties in establishing...

tales from the dales.('Middleton-in-Teesdale known as the land of prince bishops)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... 'Middleton-in-Teesdale, set in the beautiful, unspoilt part of County Durham, known as the land of prince bishops, is a world of magnificent waterfalls, wooded valleys, open moorland and views of picturesque villages.' That's how the local...

Ups and downs in the orkneys.
January 1, 2005... When they're island-hopping in the northern isles, drivers have to take the rough with the smooth - and operators strive to keep within the minimum 'up-to-5m' rate for the ferries. Gerald Walker soon learns how tricky that can be... My...

what comes around.(David Andrew fulfilled a long-held ambition to buy a fairground waltzer )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Not only does David Andrew of Boston, Lincolnshire, have a new Scania R470 unit, he's also fulfilled a long-held ambition to buy a fairground waltzer as well! David, who runs David Andrew Haulage of Bicker Bar, has been in the business for 20...

wild NEW ways reap rewards.
January 1, 2005... Newcomer Wild International is shaming larger competitors with its innovative methods of recruiting and retaining drivers. Managing director Richard Wild (above), who formed the company in December 2003, said: 'In too many businesses drivers...