Truck & Driver articles from November 2005

Truck & Driver archives from November 2005

The ; Family ; way.
November 1, 2005... Cold winter nights could set you on your way to filling the seven seats of the Dobl Family runabout. Dave Young tries Fiat's take on the mini MPV In the space of just a week I grew rather fond of Fiat's strange-looking Dobl Family. This...

THEGIANTS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Battle of It's a duel of the old-timers at dawn as the legendary Renault Magnum meets its ageing adversary, the Daf 95XF. Which heavyweight makes for a happy trucker? Believe it or not, it was 14 years ago that the Magnum won Truck...

TO THE POINT.
November 1, 2005... Think our cover story on the likelihood of seeing 60-tonne roadtrains on UK roads is a little fanciful? Don't be so sure. Early indications are that it could just happen; remember how the 44 tonnes GVW caught everyone by surprise? The key is...

A class apart.
November 1, 2005... Wander near Warminster and, if you're lucky, you'll stumble on this traditional transport cafe where social climber Dick Flute finds himself rubbing shoulders with the middle classes HILLSIDE CAFa Take comfort from the fact that many of...

A6 butties.(Automotive industry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... For years veteran T&D aficionado Dr Nigel 'Hoss' Jackson has been stopping for a break at Jim's butty van on the A6 at Fowlers Hill, between Garstang and Lancaster. Hoss and his mate, Mick, stop there as often as possible ('or once a month if...

Branding exercise at the Guildhall.
November 1, 2005... The latest 'Truckitts' character, Grafta, one of a series of cartoon characters designed to educate children about trucks, was 'branded' at this year's Worshipful Company of Carmen's cart-marking ceremony in London. The ceremony, which takes...

Steel wars.(dtruck industry)
November 1, 2005... Few steel stockholder fleets are as distinctive as Michael Barugh's Hull operation - and pick of the pack is Steve McLean's tasty Star Wars-liveried Daf CF. Bob Tuck, aka Darth Vader, joins the distinctive duo for a day on deliveries ...

Air force.
November 1, 2005... Contributors to your Letters pages have in the past mentioned wheel loss on lorries. Well, I worked for a firm that ran 50 eight-wheelers, all old ones, and the boss never lost wheels from his wagons at all because they were never tightened...

FAIR'S; FARE.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Signing up for a stint with Carters Royal Berkshire Steam Fair, an over-emotional Bob Tuck is given three different classic British trucks to drive for a story he'll never forget What a great life. I wander all over the world doing all...

play Cold.
November 1, 2005... Aussie Steve Brooks - who finds a British summer chilly - jumps continents for a brief winter-survival course from a US trucking veteran in snowy Alaska on the pipeline run Alaska. A place of unimaginable extremes where dark, deathly-cold...

Corus on song.
November 1, 2005... Each month our Fleet Focus insider guide sets out to discover what transport firms are really like to work for by asking bosses and (confidentially) drivers about pay, terms and conditions Now here's a driving job that's tougher than the...

Dealer to deterrent.
November 1, 2005... A rig used to smuggle drugs has been snapped up by HM Customs & Excise and turned into an exhibition trailer Its floor was ripped up, the cannabis worth [pounds sterling]2 million was seized; it was destined for the scrapyard. That is,...

goes big.
November 1, 2005... The 'longer, heavier lorry' has gained a lot of press for Denby. What is the company's spin on the concept? The 60-tonner has gained Denby Transport national recognition, the project having been splashed in the national media. The...

Driver unrest at Morrisons.(Morrisons)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... As T&D went to press, Morrisons' staff at five depots were poised to take strike action - although a late concession by the company to a union demand to establish joint national bargaining at the depots concerned had diminished the threat. A...

Driver, you're fired!
November 1, 2005... These two fascinating pictures show Martin-Baker Aircraft, which was based at Higher Denham, near Uxbridge, using mobile test platforms for ejector seats. Don't know what's happened to the AEC Mercury but the Leyland Octopus below is now...

Experience on demand.(Logistics.com Inc)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Skills for Logistics has launched an 'Experience Booster' to give would-be drivers real-life industry experience to include the sort of practical skills that an operations manager would look for. A package of nine modules includes customer...

Gone but ; not forgotten.
November 1, 2005... On the demise of the John Golding heavy-haulage fleet, Dave Lee fondly remembers the man and his (mainly American) motors Early 2005 saw the gates close for the final time on one of the West Country's most respected heavy hauliers. The...

Highways Agency jam busters to patrol the South East.
November 1, 2005... Jam busters have moved into the South East after their successful introduction in the West Midlands. The uniformed Highways Agency traffic officers have been patrolling motorways in the West Midlands for more than 12 months and more than 150...

Joe aided by tripartite training plan.
November 1, 2005... Disabled driver Joe Gracey took part in a two-week trial with Christian Salvesen in Motherwell in September as part of a three-way partnership training plan. Christian Salvesen's partnership with Remploy - an organisation that tries to get...

Kill spills, not motorcyclists.(RAC Foundation)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Trucks or vans spilling diesel onto the road should be pulled over and forced to stop until their vehicles are fixed, says the RAC Foundation. The RAC Foundation believes hundreds of motorcycle accidents each year could be prevented if...

MATTERS LEGAL.
November 1, 2005... Welcome to T&D's legal advice page, sponsored and written by transport and employment law experts Ford & Warren. Each month David Chant will address reader queries and the law as it affects you Ford & Warren is a solicitors'...

Low pay at Gate Gourmet.
November 1, 2005... As the row over the sacked Heathrow workers at Gate Gourmet continues, it has emerged that drivers employed at the firm are paid less than [pounds sterling]16,000pa. The Transport and General Workers Union points out that the wages are 'very...

Misleading info on the big issue.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... A spate of newspaper articles on the same topic coincided with this month's cover story, the Denby EcoLink B-train. Sadly they proved short of useful information. As it often does when writing about trucks in the UK, the Sunday Times chose to...

Mobiles at the wheel warning.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Police in Dumfries & Galloway have launched a clampdown on lorry drivers who use mobile phones while behind the wheel. As part of Operation Juggernaut - which aims to cut the number of accidents involving HGVs - officers took action in...

More Stop than Go.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Austria's road-taxing Go-Box is a case of technology too far, claims Dick Flute A myth is spreading that many European states are getting serious about safeguarding the environment - indeed, Austria appears to pride itself in these...

New life in NZ.(New Zealand)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... A Western Star and a laid-back lifestyle; David Mellis writes to T&D from Nelson, New Zealand I would like to share with your readers my take on driving in New Zealand. I came here in May 2003 to work for McDowall Freight, located in...

Overnighting drivers caught short in Kent.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Dover District Council has hit out at the toilet habits of lorry drivers who park overnight in Kent. Councillor Nigel Collor said local residents are annoyed by the actions of some of the drivers who use streets and bushes as urinals. Concern...

SHORTS.(Transport Industry conference)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Bearing in mind Richard Speakman's disappointment (see Letters, page 48) at a lack of truck-racing coverage in T&D, here are some diary dates. October 15-16: Rounds 8, 9 and 10 of the British Truck Racing Association championship races at...

ME.
November 1, 2005... SUPERSIZE If Denby Transport - one of the few surviving UK Continental specialists - is allowed to operate heavier and longer trucks, you could find yourself behind the wheel of a two-trailer rig. Craig Sheer and Jack Semple take a trip...

Speed gun fails test of accuracy.(Transportation equipment industry)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... A widely used laser speed gun, used to detect speeding cars and lorries, gives inaccurate readings sometimes 30mph over a vehicle's real speed, according to tests. Trials at a race track near Ringwood showed that the [pounds sterling]2750...

T&D stars in lorry hijack attempt.
November 1, 2005... Fort William police ordered a T&D news article to be faxed to them urgently when investigating an attempted lorry hijack A recent T&D article (Oct, p8) on a driver's warning about an attempted attack on his vehicle involving a man, woman...

Tanker hero Tim wins gong.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Tanker driver Tim Croughwell of Barton Petroleum has been awarded the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers' Driver of the Year Award 2005. Richard Burton, Barton Petroleum MD, said: 'Tim had to go through a rigorous set of interviews and...

Tesco agrees to negotiate on 'breaches of human rights'.
November 1, 2005... Barrie Tozer from the website Truckersworld has managed to arrange a meeting with Tesco at the end of September, following concerns about drivers being locked out of their vehicles while unloading and being barred from canteens at some...

Unions want pay parity.
November 1, 2005... European truck driver unions have joined forces to end the practice of employing East European drivers in northern Europe while paying them far less than nationals. The Danish truck drivers' union has spearheaded the call to end this practice...

VOSA guides you through the Working Time Directive.(Vehicle & Operator Services Agency)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... VOSA - the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency - has released a new, easy-to-follow DVD guide to the Working Time Directive. Designed for both operators and drivers, it aims to dispel myths - such as the misunderstanding that the WTD replaces...

WISE.
November 1, 2005... Want to win thousands of pounds-worth of free training? You can, with the help of T&D and the generosity of TDG, the FTA, Moffett-Kooi and Hiab So there you are behind the wheel, solo at last. You've dug deep into your own pockets,...

Easy does it.
November 1, 2005... The combo of a clutchless transmission, called Easyshift, with Isuzu's NQR 7.5-tonner should make life easier and less stressful for light-delivery drivers, reports an enthused Dave Young Automated gearshifts have become a familiar...

SINGING in the rain.
November 1, 2005... Despite the wet August weekend, Tracey Brennecke warbled and strummed without complaint and the crowd - including Dave Young - stayed smiling at this friendly Uttoxeter event The weather may not have dampened spirits but it certainly...