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DIGITAL NEW TECH MIRRORS

IRISH MIGHT

TRUCKS OF THE ’80s

GLASS OUT, SCREENS IN

BMT TARGETS EUROPE

DECADE'S GREATEST HITS

APEX LEG END!

PODIUM FINISH HAWKINS' FH16 LEADS OUR SUPERBIKE HAULING SPECIAL ZONING OUT

ZERO TOLERANCE Industry blasts Oxford's "absurd" Zero Emission plans STEP CHANGES

RANGE REVAMPS Renault renews long-haul & distribution chassis DRIVER TRAINING

COURSES FOR EX-FORCES How Gerrard's is tackling the chronic skills gap ELECTRIC DREAM

FULLY CHARGED DAF begins limited production of CF Electric

ATEGO vs R CANTE TONNES:

ON TEST

PLUS! ■ ME & MY TRUCK: SCANIA R620 ■ NEW LIGHTS ROUND-UP ■ TRUCK-SPOTTING ON A66 ■ FREE LEGAL ADVICE MARCH 2020 ISSUE NO: 439 £4.25

WHAT'S BEST AT 7.5 'SMALL' TRUCK OR 'BIG' VAN? www.truckingmag.co.uk

go further save more

Volvo FH with I-Save is designed, tested and proven to save fuel in long haul operations.

By combining the D13TC Turbo Compound engine with the unique Long Haul Fuel Package, this truck cuts fuel costs by up to 7%*. Effortless efficiency.

For information, visit www.volvotrucks.co.uk/savemore

Search: VolvoTrucksUK *D13TC Euro-6 Step D with I-Save v D13 eSCR Euro-6 Step C without I-Save when used on ‘long haul’ operations (more than 160,000km per annum). Actual fuel economy is affected by many factors including, use of cruise control, vehicle specification, load and weight, topography, the driver’s driving experience and weather.

DIGITAL NEW TECH MIRRORS

IRISH MIGHT

TRUCKS OF THE ’80s

GLASS OUT, SCREENS IN

BMT TARGETS EUROPE

DECADE'S GREATEST HITS

APEX LEGE ND!

PODIUM FINISH HAWKINS' FH16 LEADS OUR SUPERBIKE HAULING SPECIAL ZONING OUT

ZERO TOLERANCE Industry blasts Oxford's "absurd" Zero Emission plans STEP CHANGES

RANGE REVAMPS Renault renews long-haul & distribution chassis DRIVER TRAINING

COURSES FOR EX-FORCES How Gerrard's is tackling the chronic skills gap ELECTRIC DREAM

FULLY CHARGED DAF begins limited production of CF Electric

ATEGO vs CANTER WHAT'S BEST AT 7.5 TONNES:

ON TEST

PLUS! ■ ME & MY TRUCK: SCANIA R620 ■ NEW LIGHTS ROUND-UP ■ TRUCK-SPOTTING ON A66 ■ FREE LEGAL ADVICE MARCH 2020 ISSUE NO: 439 £4.25

'SMALL' TRUCK OR 'BIG' VAN? www.truckingmag.co.uk

On the cover…

44 Podium Finish Hawkins’ Volvo FH16 leads the charge in our superb superbike shifting special

6 Zero Tolerance Industry blasts Oxford’s “absurd” Zero Emission Zone plans

44

6 Range Revamps

Apex legends

ON THE WEB! For the latest ne ws

Welcome to

TRUCKING

, features and mor e, see www.truckingm ag.co.uk, find us on facebo ok and follow us on twitter!

Renault reveals new Range T, T High, D and D Wide chassis

14 Fully Charged DAF preps CF Electric for limited production run

26 Digital Mirrors Glass out, screens in

W

hen Mercedes-Benz revealed the New Actros back in September 2018, it’s fair to say it ushered in a new era of digital trucking. Screens were everywhere inside the cab, from the digital dashboard and console, to the vertical panels stuck to the A-pillars which, along with a couple of external cameras, were the industry’s first series-produced replacements for conventional glass mirrors. But while Merc was the first out of the gate with its MirrorCam tech, other manufacturers are hot on their heels with their own versions – and it’s not too much of a stretch to see digital mirrors becoming the industry standard before too long. This issue, we take a deep dive into the technology and latest developments to see how digital mirrors can make life better for drivers and operators – don’t miss our special report, starting page 26.

Talking of head-turning tech, with 2020 off to a fairly windy and rainy start, we can’t think of a better time to take a long look at your truck’s lighting accessories. There have been some hot new releases in the last few months, and we’ve highlighted some of the best in our round-up, starting page 20.

We’ve a real treat for racing bike fans this issue. On the cover is Hawkin’s awesome airbrushed Volvo FH16, which is just one of the many stunning trucks used to shift Wigley Racing’s bikes and equipment to and from racing meets for the British Superbike series. A team of dedicated drivers and operators have clubbed together to tackle the outfit’s complicated race logistics, and the result is a fleet of wagons we reckon would be the envy of any racing team. For the full story, see The Big Deal, starting page 44.

As always, that’s just scratching the surface of what’s on offer this issue. Enjoy your read!

32 Atego vs Canter Which is best at 7.5 tonnes: ‘small’ truck or ‘big’ van?

38 Courses for Ex-Forces How Gerrard’s is tackling the skills gap by helping ex-Service men and women into road haulage

60 Irish Might How County Monaghan-based BM Transport Ltd is developing its European operations

78 Trucks of the ’80s Andy Stewart, editor www.truckingmag.co.uk

Find us on facebook (www.facebook.com/truckingmag) Follow us on twitter (@truckingmag) and on Instagram (truckingmaguk)

We turn back the clock and explore the decade’s best British truck hits March 2020 TRUCKING 3

Contents Gerrard’s game

38

50 Me & My Truck

60 BMT’s beauts

52

ATL’s first-class fleet

Inside your March 2020 issue…

6 Industry News

14 International News

“Absurd” Oxford Emission Zone proposals blasted by industry, Renault revamps Range T and D, FTA’s green scheme success

DAF puts CF Electric into limited production, EMEA suffers record losses from cargo theft

20 Truck Lights Round-up

38 Courses for Ex-Forces

The latest lighting gear to bling up your rig

Gerrard’s of Swinton has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help ex-Services men and women into haulage

10 Operator’s News

16 Future Proof

22 Comment

MAN’s new £5m cutting-edge Gateshead dealership is new Angel of the North

How automatic adjusting air deflectors could save you cash

44 The Big Deal Podium position: How Wigley Racing’s top team of truck drivers get the bikes to the track for the British Superbike Series

Samworth Brothers settles on 48 New Actros, Horn rings in New Year with anniversary gold FH500, Nicholls goes for gas

18 New Gear

26 Special Report: Reflecting the Future

12 Driver’s News

The latest stuff to ease your life on the road

How digital kit is looking to outsmart conventional mirrors

19 Best of the Forum

32 Driven: Atego vs Canter

Driver recruitment & retention still “biggest concern” for hauliers, Brits “clueless” on how to drive in snow, A1 trains gritter drivers 4 TRUCKING March 2020

Bits and bobs we’ve found on the web this month

Big and small 7.5-tonners on test

50 Me & My Truck This month, Glen Harrison walks us around his stunning Scania R620 Streamline V8 www.truckingmag.co.uk

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52 Driving Progress

70 Letters

We talk to Midlands-based ATL’s new owner to discover about its irst-class leet of DAFs

Trials and tribulations

58 Out & About Truck-spotting on the A66

60 Going the Extra Mile

72 You & the Law Free legal advice from our expert

74 Court & Inquiry The latest road transport cases

How Ireland’s BM Transport Ltd is developing its European operations

76 Trucker’s Diary

66 My Mistake

78 Classic Truck

Christmas tree blunder…

British lorries of the 1980s

68 Reviews

98 Last Drop

Books, music and movies rated

Close encounters of the police kind

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If it’s on, it’s in here

Services 87 Owner-Drivers Increase your productivity

88 Return Loads Maximise your proits

90 Training Expand your horizons

91 Insurance Protect your investments

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ISSN: 1740-066X

93 Trucking Trader Track down your next used truck bargain

www.kelsey.co.uk March 2020 TRUCKING 5

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS IN BRIEF Out of this world DAF Trucks is introducing a new Remote Tacho Download function for its DAF Connect fleet management platform to enable operators to read, store and analyse driver cards and tachos online and in real time. The function is added as an app to the DAF Connect dashboard, the online fleet management platform that monitors the performance of vehicles, fleets and drivers. The new application offers quick and comprehensive access to the full range of tacho information available from connected vehicles and their drivers, and driving times and rest periods are shown in real time. “Maintaining an accurate record of driver cards and the tachograph’s memory is very labour intensive and prone to error,” said Jorg Wijnands, DAF Connect manager marketing. “You can end up paying thousands of euros for each instance of inaccurate bookkeeping.” DAF said its Remote Tacho Download function ensures automated reading and storage of tacho data that’s fully compliant with all legal requirements.

Seal of approval A provider of compliance management software for the commercial vehicle industry is celebrating after being awarded Earned Recognition (ER) accreditation from the DVSA. Convey Technology Ltd has received the DVSA seal of approval for its suite of compliance products which enable operators to gather, analyse and interpret businesscritical compliance data. Gaining Earned Recognition status saw the DVSA undertake a full and comprehensive audit of Convey’s IT system to ensure every element of the software met the precise and stringent requirements set out as part of the Standard. Convey’s Steve Fisher said: “We’re are proud of how hard our team has worked to develop an innovative platform that is helping operators – large and small – ensure optimum compliance and efficiency when it comes to drivers’ hours and WTD.” Convey now includes ER dashboards and reporting as a standard feature at no additional cost, which includes an intuitive multi-level (operator, depot and driver) graphical drill-down tool.

This enables operators to view and benchmark their own performance against defined Earned Recognition KPIs and identify problem depots and drivers before they join the scheme.

6 TRUCKING March 2020

“Absurd” Oxford Emission Zone proposals blasted by industry

C

harging trucks to enter a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) in Oxford will put firms at risk, according to warnings from the British road transport industry.

Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council are considering proposals to launch a ‘Red Zone’ in the city centre from December 2020 whereby vehicles that fail to meet zero emission standards will face £10 daily charges.

In plans published ahead of an informal consultation, the charging could be operational between 7am-7pm.

A ‘green zone’ covering the remainder of the city centre could be launched from 2021/22.

Both the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Freight Transport Association (FTA) have blasted the proposals.

The RHA pointed out that since there are no zero-emission trucks currently on the market, Oxford’s plans place hauliers in an “impossible position” and is “just another tax on businesses dressed up as concern for the environment”.

“If council chiefs are serious about slashing emissions, they need to focus on improving road infrastructure,” argued RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett. “Current plans mean consumers will face higher prices in the shops as

hard-pressed firms have no choice but to pass on the extra costs.

“Imposing a scheme where even the cleanest Euro 6 trucks will be hit with charges is absurd.

Burnett branded plans to offer exemptions for firms based within the zone as “discriminatory”, pointing out most firms delivering into the area will be based outside the zone – many of them within a few miles of the city centre.

The FTA said the plans were “effectively a tax on trucks and vans” in areas of the city, and called for Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to reconsider their strategy until zero-emission commercial vehicles become a viable alternative for local businesses.

Rebecca Kite, environment policy manager at FTA, said: “It is simply too soon to implement such a

punitive scheme; there are currently no zero-emission trucks on the market, and very limited options for vans. And without a workable definition for an Ultra Low Emission Truck, the scheme is effectively a tax on essential freight vehicles.

“Until the market for zeroemission trucks and vans has fully developed – and they become a viable option for business of all sizes – FTA is strongly advising the councils to delay including commercial vehicles in the ZEZ. The government and local councils should instead, in the view of FTA, focus on supporting and developing the alternatively fuelled vehicle market.”

The councils’ informal consultation ran until Friday, January 31. A formal consultation will follow in March ahead of a decision in spring.

ABOVE Oxford’s ZEZ plans have been strongly criticised, not least because there are currently no zero-emission trucks on the market

Renault revamps Range T long hauler chassis

R

enault Trucks has launched 2020 versions of its Range T and flagship T High long-haul trucks to offer better fuel efficiency and enhanced driver comfort.

T and T High are fitted with DTI 11 and DTI 13 Euro 6 Step D engines,

ABOVE Flagship Range T High boasts Euro 6d engines and a wide variety of plush interior upgrades

both offering a three per cent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared with the previous generation, said the French manufacturer.

The 2020 versions of the T and T High feature a new high-efficiency axle and lighter disc brakes, further reducing fuel consumption. Renault pointed out T and T High engines are also compatible with XTL synthetic fuel and biodiesel.

A further three per cent fuel saving can be achieved by opting for additional technology, though Renault hadn’t confirmed what exactly this entails as we went to press.

Inside, the T cab features new finishes, including all-textile seats and a leather steering wheel. A three-way adjustable steering column is now fitted as standard.

The 2020 T and T High are equipped with new rear cab

overhead compartments that offer 221 litres of storage capacity, with three illuminated 36 cm high lockers with sliding curtain closures. Aluminium door handle door sills and metal door sills add to the new high-quality finish.

Outside, the radiator grill and wing mirrors can still be customised in either glossy black or orange, available as an option for the 2020 T and T High.

The models can also be fitted with Roadpad+ as an option. Acting as an on-board assistant, it enables drivers to listen to music, use their telephone hands-free, and manoeuvre safely thanks to rear and side cameras.

Roadpad+ also offers navigation assistance from a truck-specific sat nav system.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

Range D & D Wide receive 2020 refresh

A

longside a revamped Range T and T High chassis (see opposite), Renault is also launching 2020 versions of Range D and D Wide distribution vehicles.

Each are fitted with a refreshed interior design, safety features and aerodynamic equipment, and are 100 per cent connected with

ABOVE Range D Wide can be spec’d with Optiroll and Fuel Eco efficiency options

Optifleet compatibility. The 2020 versions feature a redesigned dashboard that includes a new steering wheel and a new black-and-white instrument cluster.

A tablet holder, an optional holder for a second smartphone and two USB-C ports have also been added, plus new DAB+ digital radios.

For increased interior luxury, Renault is offering Comfort Pack as an option which includes a leather steering wheel, a driver’s seat with side support, additional storage compartments, a second smartphone holder and a sunroof (for the D Wide only).

D and D Wide are fitted with adaptive cruise control (ACC) as standard. ACC maintains a safe distance from the vehicle in front by automatically adjusting acceleration and braking for greater safety, smoother driving

BELOW New Range D and D Wide come with and reduced Euro 6d engines and redesigned dashboard driver fatigue.

For added safety and visibility, a Protect Pack option for both models includes LED rear lights, a hill start aid, a vision door and a reverse alarm to improve protection for road users.

The new vehicles are fitted software (on D Wide) and a with Euro 6 Step D engines. A clutchable air compressor (on Fuel Eco Pack is offered which DTI 11 engines only).

The D and D Wide engines are includes an adjustable roof compatible with XTL synthetic fuel deflector, inhibited power mode, and biodiesel – and the 2020 Range automatic engine stop after D line-up will also see the three minutes, Optiroll “free introduction of 100 per cent electric wheel” function (on D Wide), D and D Wide ZE models. optimised Fuel Eco gearbox

SDC brings Freespan curtainsider to UK market

T

railer producer SDC has launched its Freespan curtainsider to operators in the UK following years of building it solely for the Irish market.

Featuring a clear side aperture for ease of loading, Freespan trailers are designed to increase efficiency in everyday loading and logistics operations.

While SDC previously provided a Freespan solution in conjunction with Lawrence David, this arrangement came to an end when Polish manufacturer Wielton purchased a 75 per cent stake in Lawrence David, with chassis now being imported from Poland for its pillarless model.

SDC’s Freespan makes use of ‘Easy-roll’ curtain rail technology and a low-friction track system. Designed in-house by SDC’s engineering team, the technology has been used on its curtainsider range over the last 40 years.

The curtains glide along a clear side aperture and specially designed low-friction alloy roof rail, to help ensure maximum safety during loading and unloading.

SDC reckons it’s the first manufacturer to offer the unique curtain rail in the Freespan market.

“The Easy-roll curtain rail technology has revolutionised trailer performance, delivering significant savings and advancing safety with its robust design and reliable operation,” said SDC’s COO, Paul Bratton.

“The alloy rail features a curved design so there is no ledge for dirt to gather, which would otherwise impact the function of the curtain,” he added.

Manufactured in high-tensile steel, the Freespan incorporates SDC’s unique bolt-on body, which it said relieves stress on critical parts of the trailer and allows for ease of repair in the case of accident damage.

The bodywork and curtains have been independently tested by TUV Nord to EN 12642 XL standard and a 29,000 kg payload.

SDC’s Freespan is now in full production with over 600 trailers already on the road, and a Freespan demonstration trailer is available for customers to trial.

Freespan incorporates SDC’s unique bolt-on body

www.truckingmag.co.uk

FTA’s green scheme achieves fall in emissions

T

he FTA has announced members of its Logistics Emissions Reductions Scheme (LERS) have achieved a four per cent reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions during 2019.

LERS members also managed to decrease their average kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per vehicle km to 0.72 over the same period, from down 0.75 in 2017 and 2016.

Having announced its decision to support the government’s proposed 15 per cent reduction target in HGV greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, FTA said this downward trend among LERS member organisations is a “positive and encouraging” step towards ultimately achieving a net-zero emissions logistics industry. However, achieving the ambitious 15 per cent reduction target will remain a challenge for industry in the short term, the Association warned.

FTA’s report also illustrates members’ continued efforts to ensure they are operating the cleanest vehicles available – 58 per cent of the LERS group’s HGVs are Euro 6 standard, up from the 48 per cent recorded in 2017.

“We are thrilled members of LERS have continued to achieve a downward trend in their emissions since 2010,” said FTA’s environment policy manager, Rebecca Kite.

“The scheme has continued to grow throughout the past 12 months and now represents 142 members, accounting for 99,238 commercial vehicles.”

March 2020 TRUCKING 7

NEWS INDUSTRY

Essex Police complete LNG training day

M

embers of Essex Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit have visited Iveco’s Basildon head office for an in-depth training day on the latest generation of commercial vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Commercial Vehicle Unit is a designated section of the Essex Roads Policing team, responsible for a 4500-mile network including major roads such as the A12, A120, M11 and M25. Working alongside the Casualty Reduction Unit, it is responsible for investigating all road traffic collisions and law enforcement involving commercial vehicles.

Sergeant Daniel Parsons, PC Rob Andrews, PC Jason Bullock and PC Gary Winfield attended the course to learn how to safely handle the fuel in case of an incident, as well as understanding the environmental benefits LNG offers over diesel.

The day – which was organised and run by Ian Longman, Iveco’s senior technical trainer for the UK & Ireland – featured a detailed inspection and test drive of Iveco’s Stralis NP 460 bhp tractor

unit, which runs on 100 per cent LNG. “As more fleets transition from diesel to LNG-powered vehicles to help improve sustainability, it’s important police teams fully understand the differences,” Longman said. “Over the years we have learned how to use diesel safely, by understanding exactly how to handle it. Now we are doing the same with LNG, which actually has many safety advantages over diesel.

“LNG is non-toxic, non-corrosive, and has no potential for ground or water contamination in the event of a spillage. It will dissipate relatively quickly compared to diesel or petrol and, as such, may present less of an ongoing hazard than a liquid fuel spill.”

PC Rob Andrews added: “The information we learned on the course was hugely beneficial. Our knowledge of LNG prior to the day was limited, but we’ve come away with key information we can share with our team, including a much better understanding of how LNG is stored on the vehicle in high-pressure steel tanks.”

Iveco has worked closely with manufacturers to design steel LNG tanks to be extremely safe, offering better resistance to collisions than standard diesel fuel tanks. Those fitted to a Stralis NP 460 are able to withstand direct impacts, vehicle rollovers and even fires to ensure maximum safety for the driver and other road users, Iveco said.

ABOVE Training included a detailed inspection of Stralis NP 460 bhp tractor unit

FORS kicks off 2020 professional training programme

Entries sought for 2020 everywoman in Transport & Logistics awards

F

T

ORS has announced the 2020 schedule for its FORS Practitioner training sessions. The series of 10 workshops cover all aspects of fleet management, specifically designed to equip delegates with tools needed to make their operations safer, smarter and greener.

Delegates attending all 10 workshops become qualified FORS Practitioners, joining a group of over 1900 individuals who have reached FORS Practitioner status.

FORS said the series provides a complete package of fleet management, inclusive of managing work-related road risk, safe and efficient fleet utilisation, reducing fuel use and minimising fines and charges.

The FORS Practitioner workshops are: Developing Fleet Management Policy, Managing Work-Related Road Risk, Managing Driver Fitness and Health, Managing Driver Training and Development, Collision Procedures and Analysis, Safe and Efficient Fleet Management, Reducing Fuel Use and Minimising Environmental Impacts,

8 TRUCKING March 2020

Minimising Transport Fines and Charges, Measuring and Monitoring Road Fleet Performance and Managing Noise in Logistics.

The latest series of workshops are due to take place between January and March in Edinburgh, Altrincham, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Croydon, Bedford and Corby, with dates added for the remainder of the year in the coming weeks.

“FORS supports personal development and best practice, and having over 1900 qualified FORS Practitioners is a huge achievement for the industry and a reflection of the popularity of the workshops,” said FORS manager, Sonia Hayward.

“The workshops provide essential information for managers to better execute their daily responsibilities, and we are really pleased to offer the courses at venues across the UK.” FORS members can book onto FORS Practitioner workshops at http://bit.ly/ FORS-Practitioner

he 2020 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards, launched to celebrate inspirational women reshaping the industry, is now open for nominations until February 10.

The awards celebrate the positions women hold in transport and logistics, showcasing progression, accomplishments and increasing avenues of opportunity within the industry.

Since the inception of the awards 13 years ago, more women have taken up senior roles in transport and logistics, but still account for just 20 per cent of the overall workforce – proving more work needs to be done to attract female talent to the sector.

This year, everywoman is reflecting on the impact of WWII’s official conclusion, with May 8, 2020 marking 75 years since VE Day. As a consequence of war and men fighting away from home, women were propelled into roles primarily occupied by men – including several areas of transport.

Fast-forward to the modern era and women are now fundamental in keeping a diverse hierarchy across all operating sectors of transport and logistics.

The everywoman in Transport & Logistics awards aim to create role models and reshape perception that transport and

logistics is only for men. One past winner, 2017’s Woman of the Year, Amey Commercial account director Anna Delvecchio, has recently received a one-of-a-kind recognition from the London Transport Museum in the form of a patronage. Her picture now hangs in the museum to inspire future generations of female engineers and transport professionals.

The awards will recognise two winners per category: one successful industry “Leader”, and one individual at any stage in their career who is going “Above and Beyond” for the business they work for.

The awards will also have a global reach with the introduction of the brand-new International Inspiration Award.

Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, said: “Every year, we look forward to shining a spotlight on some of the most exceptional women whose achievements will inspire the future generation in motivating them to consider an industry they might not otherwise have.

“Women working in the transport and logistics industry is increasingly seen as natural and normal – the focus should be shifted to enabling women to progress within these industries, especially in senior management roles.”

To enter, visit www.everywoman.com www.truckingmag.co.uk

NEWS OPERATORS NEWS IN BRIEF Point of delivery Privately owned, family-run logistics provider Sussex Transport has launched a new web-based tool to help customers pinpoint exact delivery and pick-up locations based on the What3Words global mapping system. The West Sussex-based operator’s MD, Damian Pulford said as soon as he learned of the What3Words system, he identified its potential for haulage: “You can tell your pals exactly where you have pitched your tent at Glastonbury; you can tell the emergency services exactly where you are if lost in a forest or up a mountain; and when thinking logistics, you can let your haulier know exactly where to place that delivery on your new construction site which doesn’t have a road name yet,” he said. “Of course, you can use Google Maps, plenty of phone calls, interpretations and annotations. You get drawings and mockups, and instructions like ‘just over that wall’. But that can and does lead to confusion.” See the tool at work by visiting quote.sussextransport.com

Cool music Pulleyn Transport has specified a Carrier Transicold Supra 1150 undermount unit for a specialist new rigid truck to transport musical instruments for the Philharmonia Orchestra. The new addition is the latest in a long line of Carrier-cooled trucks and trailers delivered into the company’s commercial vehicle fleet dating back more than 20 years. The Supra 1150 unit is mounted to a new high-spec 26-tonne Actros, with bespoke bodywork from Wessex Vehicle Services. Featuring a dual discharge evaporator, the Supra 1150 unit is used to maintain a set point between 18 and 20 degrees C, removing any internal condensation to provide the consistent, dry environment vital for the welfare of the instruments. “Similar vehicles often use heating systems that rely on ducting beneath the floor,” said Ryan Pulleyn, MD. “These just don’t provide the same level of consistent airflow around the interior of the body that we get from the Supra unit – it’s a much more efficient way of maintaining the precise set point.”

10 TRUCKING March 2020

SAMWORTH BROTHERS SETTLES ON 48 NEW ACTROS

S

amworth Brothers has taken delivery of a further 48 MercedesBenz Actros tractor units after achieving good results with fuel-efficiency and uptime from the Actros units it has been operating over the last 12 months.

The latest additions to the Leicester-based temperaturecontrolled distribution specialist’s fleet are all from the newgeneration Actros range and were sourced via East Midlands dealer, Mertrux Truck & Van. Most are Actros 2545 models with flat-floored StreamSpace cabs and 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder engines which produce 450 bhp.

Ten, however, are Actros 2546 variants with 460 bhp, 10.7-litre straight sixes. These have narrow 2.3 m StreamSpace cabs and 320 mm engine tunnels, which have earned this model a three-star Direct Vision Standard (DVS) rating from Transport for London.

All the new trucks feature MirrorCam, which replaces conventional mirrors and offers improvements in economy due to the compact, streamlined profile of the camera housings.

Multimedia Cockpits are also fitted, along with enhanced versions of Merc’s Active Brake Assist emergency braking and Predictive Powertrain Control systems.

The operator maintains its trucks in-house, but relies on Mertrux for technical assistance and management of an imprest parts stock. “The feedback I get from my vehicle maintenance and transport managers is really positive,” said Samworth Brothers operations director, Paul Marrow.

“In the 12 months we’ve been running them, our first clutch of 18 Actros have proved totally reliable and haven’t spent anything like as much time in the workshop as other vehicles we run.

“We spend a lot on fuel, so economy has obviously been a huge factor in our decisionmaking process,” he continued.

“We’re getting a better mpg performance from our first Actros than we do from other, comparable vehicles, and I’m very excited about the additional benefits in terms of further reductions in diesel consumption which the new models offer.”

Samworth Brothers operates more than 120 of its own trucks, as well as approximately 230 semi-trailers of various configurations. It also supplements the fleet with rental vehicles.

The bigger, flat-floored units are on nationwide distribution work, much of which entails pulling double-deck trailers. The smaller models are assigned to more local duties.

“We make a lot of collections from production facilities in and around Leicestershire,” Marrow said. “The fact the 10.7-litre Actros are more compact and offer better low-down visibility makes life easier for drivers.

These trucks are interchangeable between shunting and distribution activity, though, which means we have flexibility within the fleet.”

ABOVE Samworth Brothers' New Actros have MirrorCam

Horn rings in New Year with anniversary gold FH500

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evon-based MR Horn Transport Ltd has taken delivery of a special liveried gold Volvo FH 6x2 rigid to mark its 35th anniversary of transporting hay and straw.

Supplied by Stuarts Truck and Bus Ltd in Exeter, the 500 bhp FH rigid is the second I-Shift Dual Clutch equipped FH ordered by the company.

MR Horn’s vehicle specification includes full air suspension and the FH comes with three separate driving height settings and a dashboard load indicator.

“The I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox is an amazing component,” said company MD, Martyn Horn. “The increased traction is immediately apparent when driving off-road and it changes gear like a racing car.”

Horn added the new truck’s rear steer axle is enabling better access to sites, and the I-Shift Dual Clutch FHs are proving around three per cent better on fuel than the firm’s

traditional I-Shift gearbox FHs. "Our high, square loads of bales are probably the worst in the business for aerodynamics, but I’m happy with the Volvos’ fuel returns,” he said.

The FH rigid is fitted with a platform body by Turners Commercials in Beaminster, Dorset, which also manufactured the truck’s 24-tonne tri-axle flatbed trailers.

MR Horn made the switch to Volvo trucks in 2011 and nowadays operates four maximum length FH drawbar combinations. “For the first FH

ABOVE Operator’s special gold FH 6x2 rigid marks 35th year hauling hay and straw

chassis, the Volvo product team at Warwick designed a 4.65 m wheelbase rigid, with full air suspension and a rear-lift axle for increased manoeuvrability.

Nothing was too much bother and the I-Shift gearbox was another big attraction. I ended up ordering two FH460s,” Martyn recalls.

The firm’s first two Volvos were followed in due course by a new 2014 FH500 6x2 rigid with a rear lift axle. Two years later in 2016, another new FH arrived, but this one debuted Volvo’s I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox and a rear-steer axle into the Devon fleet.

“I’m extremely happy with the Volvo product and Stuarts Truck and Bus does a first-class job for us,” Martyn concluded. “On the rare occasion when a minor issue arises, Stuarts accommodates us quickly and efficiently. The servicing times do not impact our business schedules and we receive very good driver feedback on the FHs.”

www.truckingmag.co.uk

RAS HAULAGE HERALDS FIRST TCO prompts K Steels to RANGE T HIGH FLAGSHIP

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ounty Down-based RAS Haulage has put a new Renault Range T520 High 6x2 tractor unit into service on its cement bulk tanker and aggregate tipper operation working across Northern Ireland’s quarries.

Supplied by local dealer Diamond Trucks, this latest addition is the first T High to join the exclusively Renault fleet of 11 tractor units.

The family-run firm said the professional image of the new flagship T520 High was a key factor in the company’s purchase decision.

“The T High is the whole package,” said boss, Paul Spence. “It’s great to drive, very comfortable and it looks really impressive out on the road.”

Image is a priority, with the company’s striking blue and white livery complemented with Kelsa top and bottom lightbars, rear Kelsa A-Frame bar, windkit perimeter strips, LED spotlights, twin roof-mounted air horns, colour-matched cab components including fixed roof and side deflectors, and Alcoa Dura-Bright aluminium wheels.

Inside, the T520 High’s cab is equipped with Ultimate Bronze

finish and 40-litre quiet fridge.

The T520 High with pusher axle has Renault’s top-power DTi 13-litre Euro 6 engine, which produces 512 bhp and 2550 Nm of torque. Behind this is a 12-speed Optidriver automated transmission system. Further transmission options include a factory-fitted power-take-off (PTO) and a rear drive axle ratio of 2.85.

The T520 High is on front air suspension for stability, improved ride and comfort when operating in often challenging terrain.

RAS Haulage has also specified Adaptive Cruise Control and

emergency braking system, as well as a load-per-axle indicator.

A loyal Renault Trucks customer for over 30 years, RAS Haulage opted for a five-year Renault Start & Drive hire purchase contract with maintenance carried out by Diamond Trucks.

The operator said residual values are also important, and it expects the T520 High to hold onto its value. “We spec’d the vehicle carefully at point of order, selecting top spec and a range of options, as the more extras on the truck, the easier it is to sell on,” Paul concluded.

RAS took T High with maximum spec to help ensure residual values

Nicholls goes for gas with new LNG-fuelled fleet

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ittingbourne-based Nicholls Transport and fuel “We very much hope other local businesses in supplier Gasrec have opened a refuelling North Kent share our vision for a sustainable future station for pumping liquefied natural gas (LNG) and buy in to LNG in the same way. As an industry, from the operator’s Kent base, which will be used to we really need to make this happen.”

Commenting on the refuelling infrastructure, James support an initial order for 10 Iveco Stralis NP460 6×2 Westcott, chief commercial officer of Gasrec, said: tractor units from local dealer, Haynes Trucks.

“We have installed a pumped mobile refuelling station Nicholls said it is following a line of major which we use to seed new locations where we want own-account and 3PL fleets in embracing a cleaner to get LNG into an area quickly. It’s ideal for an early and lower cost fuel. Its LNG refuelling station is the adopter like Nicholls, being capable of supporting as first of its kind in Kent and is well situated for freight many as 30 gas vehicles from a single location. traffic bound for the Continent, being less than five miles from Junction 5 of the M2 – with Nicholls making "This is the pre-cursor to a larger and fully the site available to third parties by arrangement. open-access development we are looking at for the The company’s seven-figure investment in Iveco’s Nicholls site.”

The new Stralis NPs are powered by Iveco’s LNG vehicles represents the most significant change 12.9-litre Cursor 13 NP engine, which delivers up to in course in its 50-year history.

460 bhp – offering similar power and performance as “Moving to alternative fuels has been high on our its diesel vehicles. They also benefit from the latest agenda – but gas is currently the only technology generation Hi-Tronix transmission, which reduces that’s ready for 44-tonne operation,” said Paul gear shifting times by 10 per cent.

Nicholls, MD, Nicholls Transport. “Gasrec has been The new Stralis NPs have a projected range of hugely proactive and gave us the confidence to between 610 to 640 km, dependent on terrain and switch fuels, following experiences with payload, are expected to cover up to demonstrators organised through 175,000 km per year when being Iveco and Haynes. double-shifted. They are planned to “Moving to natural gas shows how remain in service for a minimum of much we care about our planet,” he five years. continued. “It’s our collective Compared with Nicholls’ Euro 6 responsibility as an industry to do diesel vehicles, each Stralis NP emits something to tackle climate change around 90 per cent less NO2 and make road transport more emissions, 99 per cent less sustainable, and by opening this particulate matter and 50 per cent LNG station and investing in the less noise. They also reduce CO2 by Stralis NP fleet, we’re showing our ABOVE Along with Stralis NP as much as 95 per cent when being customers and competitors that’s order, Nicholls has opened its possible to do today. own gas refuelling station in Kent fuelled on biomethane.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

switch over to DAF

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teel stockholder K Steels is mid-way through a DAF fleet replacement programme following recent deliveries of five LF260 FA 18-tonne rigids and a 26-tonne CF320 FAN rear-steer rigid.

Two more trucks were also scheduled for delivery in January, with the objective to have in place a 100 per cent DAF fleet of 15 vehicles by 2022.

Supplied by local DAF dealer Lancashire DAF, vehicles are fitted with bespoke bodywork with reinforced bulkheads by Richard Wilkinson & Sons based locally in Chatburn.

Vehicles operate out of K Steels’ locations in Rossendale, Lancashire, and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, distributing flat steel products, box-sections and beams.

Typically, the 18-tonne DAF LFs carry a 9.5-tonne payload.

The switch to DAF comes after a whole-life evaluation programme in 2017 which resulted in DAF offering potentially significant cost savings, according to the operator, which added real-world results have since backed up the numbers.

“Our service to our customers is only as good as the vehicles we operate,” said Richard Howarth, MD, K Steels. “Once the truck is loaded with product, we simply cannot afford to face operational issues on the road – and the move to DAF has, thus far, provided us with real peace-of-mind. A reputable distribution service has kept us competitive for over 60 years.

“Our drivers really like the DAF LF,” he added, “and so too do our workshop technicians. With Lancashire DAF in support too, I’m very satisfied with the transport package from DAF.”

ABOVE Own-account operator switched to DAF after evaluation programme March 2020 TRUCKING 11

NEWS DRIVERS NEWS IN BRIEF

Driver recruitment & retention still “biggest concern” for hauliers

Slipped in before Christmas

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Two new slip roads at a newly created junction on the M20 motorway, part of the international route used by large volumes of HGVs, were opened in December to help ease traffic in Kent. It’s hoped Junction 10A, near Ashford, will reduce congestion at the existing Junction 10. Two new Londonfacing slip roads are joining the two other slip roads that opened at the new junction in October alongside the new A2070 link road, meaning drivers can now use the junction to make manoeuvres in all directions.

The project also includes better access to and from Ashford Retail Park, improved footways and cycleways and new wildlife habitats – work which continues into the new year. Thomas Selby, M20 project manager at Highways England, said: “This milestone is the result of 23 months of hard work by the project team, and as well as recognising this achievement I’d also like to thank drivers and local people for their patience while we built their new junction. I’d like to remind everyone to drive with extra care while they get used to the new road layout.”

Shifting demographic Contrary to the ‘white van man’ stereotype, an increasing number of women are taking to the roads as delivery drivers and couriers, according to new data from insurance price comparison specialist The Van Insurer.

Analysing quotes for the past three years, the company found requests from female delivery drivers have increased by 104 per cent. Although there has been a steady increase across the UK, the majority of quotes (21 per cent) came from London-based delivery drivers. Quotes for female couriers have also risen by 89 per cent across the UK since 2016 – and it’s not just the delivery driver and courier demographics that are changing the van driver landscape. Female mobile caterer quote requests, for example, have increased by a hefty 620 per cent over the past three years. Each vocation seems to have a preferred vehicle too: couriers in London mostly favour the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, while the Ford Transit remains the most trusted van for meals-on-wheels drivers. The Van Insurer’s Ed Bevis said: “We knew employment patterns were changing, but the rise in female van drivers taking to the roads is quite staggering.”

12 TRUCKING March 2020

s we head into 2020, the driver shortage is still top of the list of worries for British road transport operators, according to a new report from the Road Haulage Association.

Citing its recent Cost Movement Report, which gathers information from RHA members and sets out to define industry trends, the Association said its research confirms fears the ever increasing HGV driver shortage continues to hit firms hard.

Operators blamed Brexit uncertainty for widening the gap to around 60,000 and said they’re worried about controversial clean air zones (CAZs), which will see council chiefs slapping up to £100 daily charges on non-Euro 6 trucks.

In another worrying development, members’ operational costs have risen above inflation despite fuel costs lowering in real terms

over the last 12 months.

RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett urged the new government to change Apprenticeship Levy rules so firms can access funding to help them recruit and train the next generation of drivers.

Levy support for vital C+E driver training still isn’t available, RHA said, despite

40 per cent of UK trucks requiring the qualification.

“We have to change this equation if we’re serious about tackling the driver crisis,” Burnett warned. “Our Road to Logistics programme, which aims to swell the ranks in the industry, needs a Levy which works – but at the moment it doesn’t.”

ABOVE RHA is hoping its Road to Logistics programme will help get more people behind the wheel

A1 KITS OUT KIER WITH GRITTER DRIVERS

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20-year partnership between one of the country’s largest highways service providers and a Birmingham driver training company has been expanded as part of an ongoing strategy to keep the UK’s roads safe over the winter months.

Kier Highways has relied on A1 Training to provide large goods vehicle training for its winter maintenance contracts for the last two decades, covering the whole Midlands area from Stoke-on-Trent to Nottingham and as far south as Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire.

As the relationship continues to grow, A1 Training is now also working with Kier Highways’ Shrewsbury depot for the first time this year, to help it service its winter maintenance contract with Shropshire County Council.

ABOVE Kier has relied on A1 Training to provide LGV training for its winter maintenance contracts for the last two decades

Kier Highways needs to have provision for 52 drivers, 24 hours a day, from October to April – plus extra capacity in case of sickness – to grit 20 routes across the county.

To help tackle this requirement, Kier Highways has sent 18 drivers to A1 Training over the last four months for LGV Class 2 driver training.

Working with A1 Training allows Kier, which also manages multiple Highways England contracts throughout the UK, to train its new starters and upskill its existing drivers.

“The important thing for us is to maintain drivers’ skills to enable us to effectively deliver the winter maintenance programme,” said Charlie Rastall, delivery manager for Kier Highways. “It’s a 24-hour service, so it’s important to have as many drivers as possible trained on Class 2 vehicles.

“A1 manages our drivers really well. From my experience, it’s in contact all the time with updates on our drivers’ progress.”

Collin Meredith, managing director at A1 Training, added: “Operating gritters is a tough and often thankless job due to the antisocial hours and ever-present danger of difficult weather conditions.

“Companies with a multitude of public sector contracts like Kier need to be sure its drivers are receiving the best possible training, which is why we’re proud they have entrusted A1 Training to offer that support to their business for so long.”

www.truckingmag.co.uk

BRITS “CLUELESS” ON HOW TO DRIVE IN SNOW

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he UK may be preparing for one of the coldest winters in almost a decade, but new data has revealed many drivers are dangerously unprepared to drive in icy conditions – and could be putting themselves and others at risk as a result.

A survey of 2006 UK car drivers carried out

by Auto Trader has revealed more than one in four (28 per cent) admit they are too scared to drive in the snow.

The research shows many drivers are incorrectly interpreting the guidance around safe winter driving or are simply not aware of key aspects of winter driving. As a result, many motorists exhibit dangerous driving habits during the winter months.

According to the data, more than half (59 per cent) of drivers were not aware black ice is transparent, and may therefore fail to identify it when driving.

What’s more, three quarters of those surveyed were unaware the safe stopping distance increases by 10 times in icy

conditions. In fact, more than one in four (27 per cent) wrongly believe stopping distance increases by only three times when it’s icy, meaning many could be putting themselves and others at risk as a result of not allowing enough time to brake.

The news comes as data from the DfT shows there were more than 32,000 road accidents between October and December last year, with 443 of those proving fatal.

The recent study also reveals more than one in three (34 per cent) car drivers leave their engine running and go back into the house while their car warms up and demists on cold days. Meanwhile, one in 10 (11 per cent) – or 3.6 million drivers – do not wait at all, instead starting their journey with their head sticking out of the window to see where they are going.

Meanwhile, more than one in 10 (12 per cent) admit to having driven one-handed while they hold a hot drink on cold mornings – meaning they are at risk of losing control of their vehicle.

A similar number (eight per cent) said they have driven without a seatbelt on cold days, in order to peel off layers of clothing as they eventually warm up.

Many cars may also not be equipped to tackle winter conditions due to poor winter maintenance, as less than half (46 per cent) of motorists know where to put anti-freeze in their car, and only one in two of those on the roads (50 per cent) keep their cars topped up with it.

ABOVE Survey has revealed 28 per cent of UK drivers are “too scared” to drive in the snow

No stopping Lash, the 74-year-old lorry cleaning legend

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t the tender age of 74, retirement remains a dirty word for truck cleaner Laudrick ‘Lash’ Lashley – who not only polishes off up to 60 vehicles a week, but still cycles 14 miles a day across London to get to work.

Former van driver Lash, as he is known to his work colleagues, has no plans to hang up his power washer at ELB Partners in

ABOVE Not retiring: 74-year-old Laudrick ‘Lash’ Lashley at work at ELB Partners

Wimbledon, where he still sprays away the capital’s grime from the company’s HGV fleet.

Managing director Pete Eason described the super pensioner as “an inspiration”.

“Lash’s work ethic is incredible – but he’s also so laid back about life – he’s an inspiration to us all,” he said. “Age doesn’t impair the quality of his work – he does a fantastic job, with every vehicle going back out on the road absolutely spotless.

“I have regular chats with him about carrying on the job at his time of life, especially as he still prefers to cycle in from Hammersmith, but he shows no sign of slowing down any time soon and wants to carry on doing what he is doing. He loves the job and everyone loves him.”

Lash, who joined the business in 2004, said: “Why would I retire?

I like to keep busy and keep fit. I love working here where everyone is so friendly and I’m not the kind of person who could sit at home or in the pub doing nothing.”

A former dispatch rider for the BBC during the Kosovo conflict in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, Lash, originally from British Guyana, arrived in the UK in winter 1962 without a jacket to his name.

“I came from a warm climate and didn’t appreciate how cold it would be in the UK,” said the father of four, who also cycles competitively in the London to Brighton bike race.

“It was scary working in the Balkans during the war. It was very dangerous, couriering items

around across road blocks manned by soldiers. We learned early on that bottles of whisky and packets of cigarettes were currency to allow us to get around the country without getting into trouble.”

So, it’s business as usual for the pensioner, whose CV also includes working as a crane driver.

“I really enjoy the job as it gives me a sense of purpose,” Lash concluded. “Trucks always need cleaning, and my colleagues have always got time for me, which makes it all worthwhile.”

58% OF VEHICLE CRIMES GO UNSOLVED

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igures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have revealed there was a total of 375,001 vehicle crimes in England in 2019 – and shockingly, a whopping 217,236 (approximately 58 per cent) had the outcome ‘investigation complete; no suspect identified’.

While a fairly big percentage of these crimes have remained under investigation (19 per cent), in eight per cent of the total crimes (14,066) the police were unable to prosecute the offender. In only 0.2 per cent of cases, the offender is given community sentence, a caution or is sent to prison.

While the ONS revealed the number of crimes in England has remained broadly stable in recent years, police data showed the number of monthly and yearly vehicle crimes for each police constabulary in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to help determine which areas are most targeted.

Unsurprisingly, the area most hit is London, www.truckingmag.co.uk

with the Metropolitan Police investigating a significant 98,177 cases of vehicle crimes in 2019 – making for 26 per cent of all crimes in the period. In second place are the areas found under the police constabulary of the West Midlands Police, with 27,265 (seven per cent) vehicle crimes occurring in 2019.

When it comes to the safer areas, you are less likely to be a victim of vehicle crimes in the areas covered by the constabulary of Dyfed-Powys Police, where only 836 vehicle crimes occurred this year.

The percentages also reveal the areas with the most unsolved cases: West Midlands Police (93 per cent), Cambridgeshire Constabulary (89 per cent), Merseyside Police (88 per cent), South Yorkshire Police (88 per cent) and Sussex Police (88 per cent).

And worryingly, in 25,425 out of 27,265 (93 per cent) vehicle crimes in the West Midlands,

no suspect is identified when the case is closed.

Areas with the highest solve rate were Lancashire Constabulary (one per cent), Avon and Somerset Constabulary (three per cent), Lincolnshire Police (three per cent), Metropolitan Police (three per cent) and Gwent Police (55 per cent).

ABOVE London was the worst hit area for vehicle crimes, with just under 100,000 cases reported in 2019 March 2020 TRUCKING 13

NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWS IN BRIEF

Joining the dots New research shows the number of connected trucks is steadily increasing in Brazil. In 2018, the installed base of the connected truck market was estimated to be approximately 1 million units. By 2025, this number is expected to grow to more than 1.79 million. Today, independent telematics system providers make up more than 90 per cent of the market, with OEMs and a small number of start-up companies making up the rest. However, this ratio is expected to change as OEMs develop their own fleet management systems.

“OEMs will become more competitive in the market over the coming years as they develop their own fleet management systems that will come factory-installed in their vehicles,” said Ingrid Schumann, mobility research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “In addition, start-ups are making notable strides into the market, particularly in sectors such as last-mile delivery, routing and fleet and freight management. In the future, we expect OEMs to increase their market participation while offering a free trial and renewal subscription business model that is not found with aftermarket service providers.” Frost & Sullivan’s recent research analysed developments in the telematics industry for medium and heavy commercial vehicles in Brazil, examining key trends, the competitive landscape, market benchmarking, competitor profiles, and growth opportunities for connected truck vendors.

14 TRUCKING March 2020

DAF puts CF Electric into limited production

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AF has reported its CF Electrics have now completed 150,000 fully electric kilometres – almost four times around the earth – during trials with several customers, and is now offering the truck up for sale in very limited quantities.

The vehicles are currently being used on a daily basis by customers on the Continent for the transport of goods including food and containers.

CF Electric is a fully electric 4x2 tractor, developed for distribution applications in urban areas with single or double-axle trailers and GVWs up to 37 tonnes.

The truck is based on the CF chassis and operates fully electric, thanks to VDL’s E-Power tech.

The core of the powertrain is a 210 kW electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack with a total capacity of 170 kWh. The CF electric has a range of approximately 100 km, making it suitable for transporting high volumes within urban distribution.

The first CF DAF is now selling CF Electric in some parts of Europe Electric was delivered 12 months ago, and over the last year DAF said it has put a total of six fully electric trucks into operation. This has resulted in a version referred to as ‘Phase 2’, which sports has a new generation of other parts of Europe will be software and a new dashboard. considered, Zink said.

“We have now reached the DAF found operators only used point where we can start to sell the a limited part of their CF Electric’s CF Electric in limited numbers,” 100 km range in the first few weeks said Richard Zink, marketing & of ownership – but some transport sales, DAF. “Think of a few dozen operators now drive around 250 km a day with the vehicle. units on an annual basis.”

The CF Electric tractor unit is “It is a matter of planning your now available for customers in the trips cleverly,” said Zink. “The ability Netherlands, Belgium and to quickly charge the batteries – Germany’s North Rhinewith the right equipment, it can fully Westphalia. Depending on the charge in just over 30 minutes – local battery charging infrastructure means additional kilometres are and aftersales possibilities, sales in available quickly if required.”

Iveco readies rally team ahead of gruelling Dakar desert dash

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reparations are underway for the Dakar 2020, the world’s most extreme rally, which will take place for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

And according to Iveco and its long-standing race partner PETRONAS Team De Rooy, it heralds a fresh start as it will be aiming for the podium with four motivated drivers new to the team.

PETRONAS Team De Rooy Iveco will tackle the extreme terrains of the race on board three Iveco Powerstar trucks and a Trakker. For the ninth consecutive year, Iveco will be the official supplier of the team and provide them with vehicles, engines and spare parts.

All the Iveco trucks feature Cursor 13 engines with up to 1000 bhp of power specially engineered by FPT Industrial – CNH Industrial’s powertrain brand.

For the 42nd edition, the Dakar rally race leaves the South American continent and moves to the Middle East, where it will be run across the varied landscapes of Saudi Arabia.

The route will cover 7500 km, of which 5000 km are in special stages. The desert is king in this year’s rally raid, accounting for 75 per cent of the route which will put all the pilots’ driving and navigation skills to the test, driving on all types of sandy conditions.

“The Iveco team cannot wait to start the Dakar rally,” said Thomas Hilse, Iveco brand president.

“Our trucks will once again showcase their extreme reliability on the toughest terrains, including many challenging conditions in the desert. This year, we are proud to present an entirely new team of pilots who impressed us with their great enthusiasm and team spirit.”

Janus van Kasteren JR is an off-road driver and

will be competing in the Dakar rally for the third time behind the wheel of a Powerstar Evo 3 (vehicle #505), with navigator Marcel Snijders and mechanic Darek Rodewald.

Albert Llovera, a former Olympic skier, has been competing in car rallies despite becoming paralysed from the waist down. He will be competing behind the wheel of the second Powerstar Evo 3 (#517), which has been adapted for him. Also on board will be navigator Ferran Marco Alcayna and mechanic Marc Torres.

Vick Versteijnen will be competing in a Powerstar Evo 2 (#522) with navigator Teun van Dal and mechanic André van der Sande.

And Michiel Becx will be taking part in this year’s Dakar Rally for the first time in a truck, and will be providing fast assistance to the team and carry extra parts on the Trakker (#531) with the most experienced mechanic in the team, Bernard den Kinderen, and navigator Edwin Kuijipers.

ABOVE Iveco’s racing team is all new for 2020 Dakar desert rally www.truckingmag.co.uk

EMEA suffers record losses from cargo theft

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argo worth more than €80 million was stolen from supply chains in the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region in the first nine months of 2019, according to the latest data from the Transported Asset Protection Association’s (TAPA) Incident Information Service (IIS).

Cargo thefts were recorded from all modes of transport as thieves targeted products moving via road, air, ocean and rail services, averaging a loss of €293,000 every single day of the year, based on crimes sharing financial data with the Association.

With cargo crime already at a record level in 2019, TAPA said more global brands are joining the Association to boost the resilience of their supply chains.

Already this year, 65 more companies have joined to access TAPA’s cargo crime intelligence database, industry standards for facilities, trucking and secure parking, training and networking opportunities.

This includes global manufacturing brands in the pharmaceutical, food & drink, fashion & retail, and cosmetics & hygiene sectors, as well as multinational and leading SME logistics providers.

“Our membership is at its highest-ever level because cargo crime is also at its highest-ever level,” said Thorsten Neumann, president & CEO, TAPA EMEA. “More and more manufacturers and logistics service providers now understand the growing level of risks their supply chains are facing. They recognise the importance of keeping their high-value, theft-targeted goods secure, as well as the broad range of financial and reputational consequences which result from cargo crime.

“We are helping companies to understand the geographic areas where cargo thieves are most active, the locations they target, the modus operandi they are using, and the goods most at risk,” he added.

“We can also help them adopt industry standards to make their facilities and trucking operations more secure and give them access to our growing database of secure truck parking places.”

The nine-month figure includes a substantial €26,455,200 of goods stolen in Q3 2019, even though only 23.8 per cent of the 596 cargo crimes reported to TAPA’s IIS in the EMEA region in the three months ending September 30 stated a loss value.

The Association has previously announced freight losses of more than €34.2m and €21m in its Q1/19 and Q2/19 intelligence reports.

Despite such high-value losses, TAPA EMEA said the majority of cargo crimes are still not reported to its IIS database, and that losses in Europe alone are estimated to now be costing businesses “billions of euros” a year when all factors are taken into account.

DAF Museum opens doors after extensive redevelopment

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AF’s Museum in Eindhoven has reopened its doors in the presence of almost all 160 museum-volunteers after a period of redevelopment.

The museum has just undergone 18 months of major renovation and modernisation work and is aiming to increase its visitor numbers to 80,000 per year.

Upon entering the “new” museum, the first thing visitors will notice is the completely new entrance area, the renovated restaurant, the new gift shop and a fresh, modern look throughout.

However, the biggest change is a completely new wing in the exhibition space, which provides 1100 m2 of additional display space.

“This fantastic expansion has given us even more space to better show off the highlights of DAF’s rich history,” said Marc Van Doorne, president of the Friends of the DAF Museum Foundation and the grandson of DAF founder, Hub Van Doorne. “It also means we now have the ability to trace DAF’s

history right through to the present day, allowing us to highlight the importance of modern transport as well as showcase the latest developments in the industry, for example in engine technology.”

The renewed museum was officially opened

by Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven, who is a member of the Dutch royal family. van Vollenhoven arrived at the museum in a unique DAF Pony truck – only 15 of which were ever produced, with one being owned by the Dutch royal family.

“I am sure my grandfather Hub and his brother Wim Van Doorne would be incredibly proud if they could see what we have achieved with the new DAF Museum,” added Marc Van Doorne.

“We are particularly grateful to our more than 160 volunteers—who are, for the most part, enthusiastic former DAF employees—without whom we would not have been able to carry out this renovation, and who make sure everything in the museum is spot-on and ready to receive our visitors every single day.”

HOLIDAYS Restrictions on truck movements may be applicable in the following countries on the dates listed, in addition to any weekend bans on truck movements:

Albania Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia-Herzegovina Bulgaria Georgia Gibraltar Greece Hungary Liechtenstein Lithuania Malta Moldova Russia Ukraine

March 14/16/22 March 9/20-27 March 8 March 1 March 3 March 3/8 March 11 March 2/25 March 15 March 19 March 11 March 19/31 March 1/8 March 9 March 9

DIESEL PRICES The Automobile Association’s monthly price guide to diesel prices around Europe

Pence/

Euro/

Country

litre

litre

Austria

100.0

01.17

Belgium

121.6

01.43

Czech Rep

106.3

01.25

Denmark

117.9

01.39

Estonia

116.2

01.37

Finland

119.5

01.40

France

121.5

01.43

Germany

104.6

01.23

Greece

115.4

01.36

The Netherlands

115.5

01.36

Hungary

104.0

01.22

Ireland

111.1

01.31

Italy

123.0

01.45

Latvia

100.5

01.18

Lithuania

95.42

01.12

Luxembourg

92.67

01.09

Norway

140.4

01.65

Poland

101.5

01.19

Portugal

114.2

01.34

Slovakia

102.8

01.21

Slovenia

104.0

01.22

Spain

101.9

01.20

Sweden

129.8

01.52

Switzerland

133.8

01.57

UK

129.6

01.52

ABOVE Manufacturer’s museum is one of Eindhoven’s most popular attractions www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 15

MANUFACTURER UPDATE MAN GATESHEAD MAN’s new Gateshead dealership is situated just two miles from A1(M)/A194(M) junction

FUTURE PROOF MAN is opening a purpose-built dealership on a 3.3 acre site on the Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear at a cost of £5m. It forms part of a £20m programme of investment by the manufacturer in the 17 dealer operations it owns. Trucking attended the grand opening to see what the facility has to offer

By Steve Banner PHOTOGRAPHY MAN / STEVE BANNER

I

n sight of the towering Angel of the North sculpture, MAN’s new Gateshead premises replace the truck builder’s existing 1.5-acre outlet in Earlsway, which has been trading for almost a quarter of a century. Sitting a mere 800 yards away in Dukes Way Central, Princesway North, they feature a 24,000-plus sq ft building with a 12-bay workshop compared with Earlsway’s five bays.

An additional bay could potentially become home to an Authorised Testing Facility (ATF), and has been kitted out accordingly.

Conscious that electric vans and trucks are likely to appear in growing numbers in the coming years, MAN has decided to have four doublevehicle electric charging points installed. Gateshead is the first UK MAN dealership to have them, although the manufacturer is convinced diesel will still be around for at least the next 10-15 years; especially so far as long-haul work is concerned.

16 TRUCKING March 2020

Trunking has been extended to all four corners of the workshop so more electric power can be provided as the number of battery-driven commercial vehicles on the highway increases.

“We’re hoping to equip the roof with solar panels,” says dealership general manager, Matthew Forth.

MAN has also opted for wider workshop bays. The aim, it said, is to make it easier to remove and replace battery packs.

Scheduled to open 24/7 Monday to Friday and to offer extensive weekend opening hours, the workshop will employ 20 technicians; five more than the old Earlsway outlet. Offering a modern working environment makes it easier to recruit and keep the necessary staff.

Properly-lit inspection pits 28 m long have been dug and equipped with jacking rails and air lines. A newly commissioned set of six Stertil Koni 7.5-tonne wireless mobile column lifts is on hand, while other workshop equipment includes new compressors,

two new brake testers and a new 3.0-tonne-capacity overhead crane.

The premises also boast a new ramp, which can be employed when trucks have to be steam-cleaned.

On test Nobody wants to work on a vehicle that is covered with road dirt.

Furthermore, a truck presented for its MoT test caked with mud and grease is likely to be turned away by the DVSA tester, who is perfectly entitled to do so.

“We’ve been achieving a 98 per cent first-time MoT pass rate,” says Forth.

He expects that level to be maintained at the new site. “That percentage does not include passes on rectification, by the way,” he adds. “We count those as a fail.”

Most failures are the result of minor faults – bulbs out, for example – as opposed to anything major.

MAN is convinced Gateshead will not be short of work. Around 85 per cent of the new heavy trucks it www.truckingmag.co.uk

identified promptly, and arrangements put in place to deliver it to the dealership that needs it.

“Support is also provided by our parts warehouse in Swindon and by direct deliveries from Germany,” says Barnes.

Effective parts support is essential given the intense competition MAN dealers face from independent parts suppliers. Although they are packed in MAN boxes, many of the components

Site has four twovehicle electric charging points

supplies to UK customers are sold with repair and maintenance contracts, it reports, with more and more operators ceasing to rely on their own workshops.

The building has an area which drivers can use while they wait to collect vehicles. Facilities include mobile phone charging points, vending machines for hot and cold drinks and cold snacks, and a television.

Employee welfare is not neglected, with locker rooms and a staff canteen as well as showers. Disabled access is viewed as a key priority, with a lift making it easier to get up to the first floor.

Playing the part Less than half a mile from the A1(M) and only two miles from the A1(M)/ A194(M) junction, the new Gateshead dealership plays host to a parts department with getting on for £350,000 worth of stock. Fifteen per cent of it consists of items for ERFs. At the department’s heart is a Linvar carousel which can hold 2300 part numbers when fully loaded.

A pair of vans deliver parts to operators with their own repair and maintenance facilities, and to independent workshops.

MAN dealers have 85 per cent of the parts hauliers are likely to need available immediately, says network business development manager, Mitch Barnes. Everything else the operator requires will usually arrive the next day.

If an item is not held at an MAN outlet then it could be in stock at one 20 or 30 miles up the road. The company has a system in place which ensures the location of a vitally needed component within its network can be www.truckingmag.co.uk

Battery-electric and fuel cell trucks are the future, but we won’t see them on long-haul before 2030. the manufacturer uses are made by companies such as WABCO and Fichtel & Sachs. They also make their products available to independent parts distributors.

Growing footprint “As our business footprint has grown considerably across both the Tyne Valley and the surrounding areas, then so has our requirement for larger premises,” says MAN UK managing director, Thomas Hemmerich.

“This considerable investment in a new facility clearly demonstrates our long-term commitment to both the North East and to our strong customer base in the area,” he adds.

“It will allow us to grow further across the region.”

Hemmerich anticipates 2020’s UK truck market will total around 40,000 – a decline on 2019’s final figure – and he is not as yet expecting operators to acquire electric trucks, where available, in large numbers.

“Everybody is talking about them, but they become less enthusiastic when you start discussing hard

figures,” he observes. “For now, a Euro 6 diesel remains the safest bet.

“Battery-electric and fuel cell trucks are the future, but we won’t see them used on long-haul work before 2030,” he adds.

MAN is winning a 9.2-9.3 per cent UK market share at present.

Hemmerich believes it scores because its products are recognised as being fuel-efficient and reliable; the dark days when it experienced a serious engine problem at Euro 5 are behind it, he adds. “It’s still in the minds of some customers, but it’s something we’ve now overcome,” he stresses.

He would like to achieve a 10 per cent share and go beyond it, but has no intention of forcing the issue by buying sales. “I don’t want to push too hard,” he says. “What I want is sustainable, healthy growth, and for that you need to have the right support network in place.

“As a manufacturer you have to be authentic, honest and not overpromise,” he adds. “That’s the secret.”

Further expansion MAN’s aforementioned £20m scheme includes the opening of a new site in Stockton-on-Tees planned for 2020, as well as the completed refurbishment of its locations in Nuneaton in Warwickshire and Bellshill near Glasgow in 2019. Its outlet at Broxburn, not far from Edinburgh, has been given a makeover too.

Including privately owned dealerships as well as its own sites, MAN has 70 locations on this side of the Channel. “We aim to increase that to 85 over the next four years,” Hemmerich says.

MAN was on the verge of rolling out the latest versions of TGS and TGX at the time of writing; but no matter how good a manufacturer’s products are, they are unlikely to succeed without efficient aftermarket support. ■ Cutting-edge 12-bay workshop will service trucks and vans

March 2020 TRUCKING 17

NEWS LATEST PRODUCTS

NEW GEAR New gadgets and widgets to ease your life on the road

By Andy Stewart PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

■ DASH CAM TANDEM Manufacturer: Garmin Web: www.garmin.com/dashcam Price: £299.99 (inc VAT) Garmin has launched its first dual-lens dashboard camera, which it reckons offers drivers complete video coverage of their surroundings thanks to two 180-degree lenses that record in tandem day and night. The Dash Cam Tandem’s highdefinition 1440p front-facing camera lens with Garmin Clarity HDR can capture crisp footage showing critical vehicle details, while the interior lens with night vision introduces Garmin’s exclusive NightGlo technology to record all driver and passenger interaction, even in the dark. A parking surveillance mode provides peace of mind if anyone attempts to tamper with the vehicle while the driver is away. And the front- and interior-facing lenses can automatically detect and record motion, even when the vehicle is parked and turned off.

■ ELEVATE BRAIN TRAINING

■ MR JONES’ THORNYCROFT VAN Manufacturer: Corgi Web: www.corgi.co.uk Price: £27.99 (inc VAT) Don’t panic! Walmington-on-Sea’s bumbling Home Guard is here to ensure your protection with help from Lance Corporal Jones’ embattled, yet iconic Thornycroft delivery van.

Modelled in exacting detail in 1:50 scale and measuring 128 mm, this classic Dad’s Army vehicle is finished in J Jones’ distinctive livery and comes complete with a metal figure of the man himself – plus his trusty bayonet.

■ SENTRY S60 DVR Manufacturer: Sentinel Web: www.sentinelsystems.co.uk Price: £tbc Sentinel has launched a brand new compact six-channel mobile DVR system for commercial vehicles. The Sentry S60 series AHD digital video recorder has GPS and G-shock recording as standard, bespoke alarm inputs and remote monitoring/download. The system has up to 2TB hard disk storage space and can be connected to up to six of Sentinel’s cameras – including reversing, side and forward-facing – for an all-round view of the vehicle. An additional two channels are also available to use if required at a later date. The hard disk memory can be accessed by hard wire, Wi-Fi and 3G/4G download, meaning Live View can be seen remotely by logging in via the internet to the Sentinelhosted Microsoft Azure server.

18 TRUCKING March 2020

Developer: Elevate Labs Platform: Android, iOS Price: Free (in-app purchases) It never hurts to give the little grey cells some exercise, and this new app aims to provide a comprehensive workout for your brain. Featuring a wide range of games and puzzles designed to stretch your cognitive skills such as focus, memory, processing, maths, precision and comprehension, the app includes detailed performance tracking and personalised daily workouts.

APP OF TH MONTH E

■ RECHARGEABLE TORCH WITH WIRELESS SPEAKER Manufacturer: Sealey Web: www.sealey.co.uk Price: £41.94 (inc VAT) While away the dark winter evenings in the garage by singing along to your favourite tunes from your smartphone – all while brilliantly illuminating the work area. That’s right, this new rechargeable torch from Sealey incorporates a high-quality wireless speaker that easily connects to a phone or tablet. It’s all secured in a rubber-coated housing with recessed hook, two magnets and an integral 90-degree adjustable stand.

The main light has an on/off power button and, when pressed multiple times, cycles through two levels of brightness: 500 lm and 250 lm. The light produces a beam distance of up to 50 m and has a runtime of 4.5 hours or 12 hours, depending on brightness setting.

For added protection, it’s IPX4 water resistant and is IK06 impact rated to withstand falls of up to 1 m.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

Best of Facebook Video vault

Going topless Link: http://bit.ly/Going-topless Always ready with an eye-catching customised truck, Facebook group Only Way Is Dutch posted shots of this Scania R520 belonging to Jan Blaauw Transport which seemed to be keeping its head down. “When going topless comes into its own,” quipped the admin – and we can see their point! We like that the operator still found room for airhorns and a top lightbar though…

Too much of a good thing?

Link: http://bit.ly/Malta-Scania Our roving Facebook snapper Ashley Lovering spotted this gleaming Scania R620 eight-legger at work in Malta in the early New Year – and we agree with commenters that there’s little chance of it struggling. “Lovely photo of a great truck,” said Alan Cooper. “620? Bit overkill lol – still, nice wagon that,” added Daniel Fairweather. But Emilio Tony had the right idea: “Can never have too much of a good thing!”

Hot tweets Follow us @truckingmag Eastern stars

Burnt to a crisp Just as we were going to press, BBC News (@BBCNews) tweeted this story about a truck that had caught fire on the M1 slip road in Derbyshire. Luckily, the driver wasn’t hurt and he managed to save the tractor unit – but the bad news is the load comprising of thousands of tubes of Pringles went up in smoke! Best comments: “Road closed? Better take the tube”; “Going to need some Skips to clear that mess”; “Once it popped, it couldn’t stop”; “Luckily no Walkers were injured…” etc. Well done, everyone.

TRUCKING www.truckingmag.co.uk www.truckingmag.co.uk

Bush fire engulfs truck Link: http://bit.ly/Bushfire-Truck As raging fires continue to ravage parts of Australia, Fire and Rescue NSW posted this incredible video taken by one of its fire crews as they battled through an inferno, only to have their truck engulfed by the bush fire near Nowra. The crew took shelter in the truck behind a fire blanket as the driver pressed on through the blaze, but we can only imagine what it must have been like inside…

Our sister magazine Classic Truck (@TruckClassic) tweeted this excellent photo taken at the Torkham AfghanistanPakistan border in 2018. “Look at all those Mercedes-Benz NGs!” it pointed out. “This would be considered a retro truck show in the UK!” Bubba C (@ MarkCou41182322) agreed: “Same all over the Middle East. Stripped down, rebuilt & go again. Repeat.” While Trevor Pascoe (@CornishPascoe) wondered: “What’s with the bumpers?”

Follow us online! Find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ truckingmag) Follow us on twitter (@truckingmag) March 2020 TRUCKING 19

PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

Stories, snippets and curiosities from around the web

By Andy Stewart

BEST OF THE FORUM

NEW GEAR TRUCK LIGHTS ROUND-UP

TRUCK LIGHTS ROUND-UP Upgrades and accessories to light up the dark winter nights, boost safety and help your truck stand out from the crowd

By Andy Stewart PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

W

ith the winter nights having well and truly drawn in, good vehicle lighting is a must. But rather than simply bringing a boost in safety, some creative use of additional lamps can add a lot of character to a commercial vehicle and turn heads just as effectively as a blinged-up livery

or painstakingly airbrushed paintjob. From working lights, side lights, position lights and spot lights, there are some cracking new models on the market for 2020. Here’s our pick of the latest releases – along with some well-established favourites – that will provide long operating hours and look the business on any working truck.

LA QUICK FIT LED MARKER LAMPS Manufacturer: LA Lightbars Distributor: LA Lightbars Web: www.lalightbars.co.uk Price: £9.85 These 12-32V super-slim marker lamps feature two SMD LEDs, a clear poly lens, ABS base and measure 81 x 26 x 8 cm.

They are also ECE-approved and carry a two-year warranty. Available in white, amber, red, green and blue, these small units have been designed to use an easy fitting system so there’s no need to cut out parts of your truck’s bodywork – just drill three holes to accommodate cable and fixings. The result is a greatlooking lighting upgrade and lot of saved time and labour.

20 TRUCKING March 2020

www.truckingmag.co.uk

HALO BLITZ AMBER/ AMBER STROBE TRIPLE-R 1250 HIGHLINE

TRIPLE-R 1000 Manufacturer: Lazer Lamps Web: www.lazerlamps.com Price: £424 (inc VAT) The Triple-R 1000 Standard is one of the most powerful road-legal driving lights available, according to the manufacturer. The Triple-R 1000 has integrated position lights which activate with your vehicle’s standard sidelights.

Fully road legal both as a driving (E11 Ref 30) and position light, the lamp adopts the same advanced LED and component technology, with innovative design features, which have established the Triple-R range of auxiliary lights as some must-have vehicle accessories.

Manufacturer: Lazer Lamps Web: www.lazerlamps.com Price: £552 (inc VAT) Lazer Lamps’ Triple-R 1250 with position light measures 590 mm in length and is a fully ECE-approved.

This LED spotlight delivers both a styling upgrade that is sure to turn heads, and high-beam driving light performance that leaves nothing to the imagination. Close to the limit of the road-legal regulations, the light output has been carefully engineered around commercial vehicle applications.

Manufacturer: Halo Distributor: Kelsa Web: www.kelsa. co.uk Tel: 01298 815800 Part number: HB06/A Price: £60 (excl VAT) Also new from Hella are these six-LED inner warning lamps, which also use a further 18 LEDs to make up an outer ‘halo’. Also available in Amber/White and Amber/Red, these independently controlled, multi-purpose long-life LEDs are rated to 100,000 hours of operation, and multiple units can be configured to flash simultaneously or alternately.

Fully weatherproof and vibration resistant for internal and external use, the units have an aluminium base for efficient heat dissipation. They feature 14 built-in hazard warning patterns, 12/24V operation and are ECE R10 (e) approved.

FULL LED LUMINATOR SPOTLIGHTS

UTILITY-25

FULL LED RALLYE 3000 SPOTLIGHT

Manufacturer: Hella Distributor: Kelsa Web: www.kelsa.co.uk Tel: 01298 815800 Part number: 560-011 (Black) / 560-031 (Chrome) Price: £199 (Black, excl VAT) / £215 (Chrome, excl VAT) Lighting specialist Hella has released these new high-beam LED headlamps with LED position sidelight function. The light measures 222 x 129 x 232 mm and come complete with connecting cable, mounted fixing bracket and full mounting instructions.

Manufacturer: Lazer Lamps Web: www.lazerlamps.com Price: £104.40 (inc VAT) The Utility-25 is a highly versatile, medium-duty work light, which gives superior levels of light output considering its compact size thanks to some of the latest advances in LED lighting technology. Sharing product DNA with the larger Utility-45 and Utility-80 heavy-duty work lights, the lamp is built to be tough and engineered to deliver constant, reliable light output perfectly tuned to a broad range of applications and vehicle types.

Manufacturer: Hella Distributor: Kelsa Web: www.kelsa.co.uk Tel: 01298 815800 Part number: 797-011 Price: £180 (excl VAT) Hella has also added these new Rallye 3000 LED high-beam headlamps with LED position sidelights to its range of commercial vehicle lighting accessories.

Supplied complete with connecting cable, mounted fixing bracket and full mounting instructions, these smart and long-lasting lamps measure 222 x 124 x 242 mm.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 21

COMMENT TIM VINCENT, KUDA UK

AUTOMATIC

WIN With rising fuel costs at the top of every fleet operator’s list, we explore how an automatic spoiler adjustment system can play a significant role in reducing fuel costs and improve driver safety

By Tim Vincent, commercial director, Kuda UK PHOTOGRAPHY KUDA UK

System uses hydraulics to adjust profile

System sets deflector height automatically

T

ruck aerodynamics is not a new or radical idea. It’s standard industry knowledge that a large, tall trailer coupled to a tractor unit with a relatively small air management kit leaves a large area of the trailer bulkhead exposed to oncoming airflow. This increases drag on the vehicle significantly, which in turn leads to higher fuel consumption.

Independent studies have shown just 200 mm of exposed bulkhead can potentially

22 TRUCKING March 2020

increase a vehicle’s fuel consumption by three per cent.

A large number of fleets are increasingly installing air management kits to their vehicles for this reason. But while this is a great step forward to reducing fuel costs and a fleet’s overall carbon footprint, it is not necessarily the end of the story.

The main issue with ‘traditional’ air management is the adjustment system for the roof-mounted spoiler. Now, let’s not completely write off

manual-adjusting air management or the concept as a whole quite yet. Sure, if as an operator your trucks are always hooked up to the same trailer and the vehicle height rarely changes, then a manual adjusting spoiler will work perfectly for you. Similarly, if your fleet is made up of predominantly rigid or low-level vehicles, then there’s simply no need to install even a manual adjusting kit – a fixed spoiler will do the job.

But in the ever-changing world of long-distance haulage, the chances of your vehicles being hooked up to the same sized trailer (or even shipping container) for each trip becomes less and less likely. That’s where Automatic Spoiler Adjustment systems such as LaserEye really come into their own.

Let’s take the obvious benefits first. From a fleet/ transport manager’s point of view, a system which is totally autonomous, requires no input from the driver whatsoever, which completely takes care of a vehicle’s aerodynamic set-up to offer the optimum profile for the truck/trailer combination at the time is obvious. It undoubtedly saves money. In fact, most operators report significant fuel savings when using LaserEye, coupled with a high volume iAM air management kit.

According to John Leonard, transport manager at Sheard Packaging: “The combination of (Renault’s) Optifleet and the new Range Ts, which are equipped with the latest technology and Kuda variable air deflectors and trailers, has seen our fleet’s fuel efficiency increase by a mighty 2-3 mpg compared to the first 2014 Range Ts.” OK, so fuel efficiency is clear.

However the other benefits not often considered regarding automatic spoiler adjustment come in the way of driver retention and safety.

Let’s create a theoretical situation here: It’s Friday afternoon in December, you’re over four hours from home on the dockside just having loaded your last high-cube container of the week, it’s throwing it down outside with strong gusts of wind. Problem is, your roof spoiler is only set at 4 m, but

this container is 4.2 m tall. Are you going to climb out of your nice, warm cab onto the back of the chassis and adjust the spoiler? Of course you’re not.

It’s only a three per cent increase on fuel consumption, and you only have 200 miles to home – plus it’s not safe. Who wants to be clambering over a chassis in the driving wind and the rain?

Well, with LaserEye being 100 per cent automatic, you can be in exactly the same situation and even before you leave the docks, LaserEye will have detected the height of the trailer, activated the actuator rams and set the spoiler to its optimum height for the journey.

No climbing to adjust the spoiler, no risk of injury, and still saving that three per cent fuel for the trip.

We keep talking about ‘three per cent’, but let’s put it into monetary terms. Based on a vehicle running 100,000 miles a year with an annual fuel bill of around £53,000, that three per cent is a whopping £1590!

That’s just for a 200 mm gap from the top of the vehicle’s spoiler to the top of the trailer.

With most vehicles being 4 m and under and a large majority of trailers in the UK being up to 4.6, even 4.8 m, that 200 mm quickly becomes 600 mm or even 800 mm – meaning some operators’ fuel costs could be in excess of £6000 higher than they need to be.

Multiply that by a fleet of 10, 20 even 100 vehicles and it’s easy to see how the costs can escalate.

So how much does this all cost? Well, a top air management kit (to suit existing factory uprights) equipped with LaserEye comes in at around £1500. Sounds a lot? Look at it this way: if you are only 200 mm adrift for the year, your fuel costs can increase by over £1590 – so within the first year, you’ve paid for the kit and have enough for a nice dinner to celebrate.

But if you are 600 mm adrift, those extra fuel costs could be as high as £4770.

With that in mind, the case for an automatic kit becomes quite compelling. ■

More information Kuda’s in-house experts are on hand to discuss your current aerodynamic set up and how we can potentially aid in saving you fuel. Please call our fleet sales team on 01449 744174 or email sales@kudauk.ltd.uk www.truckingmag.co.uk

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SPECIAL REPORT DIGITAL MIRRORS Mercedes-Benz is offering MirrorCam on Arocs and Actros

REFLECTING ON THE FUTURE With New Actros, Mercedes-Benz is the first truck-maker to replace conventional wing mirrors with rear-facing cameras.

But it’s not the only manufacturer embracing the idea.

Trucking takes a look at the technology and practicalities

By Dean Barrett PHOTOGRAPHY MERCEDES-BENZ / MAN / STONERIDGE / ZF / DEAN BARRETT

A

t the launch event of its New Actros in Berlin in September 2018 (Trucking, November 2018 issue), MercedesBenz ushered in a number of technological ‘world firsts’ for commercial vehicles. Most were concerned with making life easier for the driver and further improving fuel 26 TRUCKING March 2020

economy, and perhaps the most obvious (certainly for anyone looking at the truck from the outside) is that New Actros (and also New Arocs) is now fitted with rear-facing cameras instead conventional mirrors.

Until now, alternatives to traditional glass mirror clusters have typically only been seen on concept vehicles.

But Mercedes-Benz is the first

manufacturer to put a truck into series production that has this technology fitted as standard.

Operators have the choice to specify conventional mirrors on New Actros and Arocs if they wish, and it will shave around €850 off the purchase price; but according to Merc, the advantages in taking its new camera system – dubbed MirrorCam – more www.truckingmag.co.uk

than justify the cost outlay and the kit will in fact will pay for itself quickly in terms of fuel savings. Indeed, according to Mercedes, the cameras significantly improve the truck’s aerodynamic profile and account for a fuel efficiency boost of up to 1.3 per cent.

Large MirrorCam screens are mounted on A-pillars

Moving image On the face of it, MirrorCam claims to offer drivers better all-round visibility with performance that Merc reckons “significantly exceeds legal requirements”. The 2.1 MP cameras with dirt-resistant lenses are attached to the right and left side of the roof frame, and the images are fed to two 15-inch displays mounted to each A-pillar inside the cab.

Each monitor has a resolution of 720 x 1920 pixels and is divided into two views. When the truck is moving forwards, the upper, larger section shows a standard view alongside the trailer, while a wide-angle image sits at the bottom of the screen to mimic the layout of conventional mirrors.

On the upper view, some handy markers are overlaid to aid the driver.

The shorter dotted line marks the end of the trailer, which is set manually to suit trailer length. Above these, distance markers are shown which

can depict safe zones, such as for pulling in after overtaking.

The screen’s upper image automatically pans to follow the end of the trailer while turning. And while reversing, the bottom display automatically switches to a wider angle to give a better view of the yard or loading bay.

The cameras are heated to avoid misting, and Merc said low-light performance is “grainier, but clear”.

The camera arms pivot to reduce impact damage (though its smaller

footprint should reduce strike instances anyway), and replacement cost is “not significantly more” than a traditional mirror assembly, the manufacturer told us.

Sideways glance While driving, the absence of conventional mirrors mounted outside the windows delivers a significant reduction in blindspots. With the view now unimpeded, it’s much easier to clearly monitor traffic at junctions and roundabouts, for example. And with the driver’s side display more closely aligned with their forward field of view, it can be checked with a much quicker flick of the eyes compared to a traditional mirror – so a driver’s attention can get back on the road that much faster.

The cameras improve the truck’s aerodynamic profile and account for a fuel efficiency boost of up to 1.3%.

Merc says its camera system is robust and can pivot to reduce impact damage www.truckingmag.co.uk

Some MirrorCam functionality can be customised. The brightness of the displays, for example, can be manually adjusted; and the field of view can be modified via arrow keys on the door.

While parked up for the night, drivers worried about noises outside can also activate the cameras covertly and see what’s going on around the vehicle without having to open the curtains. Though there’s no facility to record footage should anything ➤ March 2020 TRUCKING 27

SPECIAL REPORT DIGITAL MIRRORS

MAN debuted its CitE concept truck with digital mirrors at last year’s CV Show ➤ untoward be happening, it should be

fairly easy for a driver to record the feed on their mobile phones should the need arise.

So far, so good. But what about residual values when the time comes for operators to sell on cameraequipped vehicles to hauliers less inclined to use the tech? Well, Merc said if MirrorCam is no longer required, the kit can be easily retrofitted with conventional mirrors at pre-defined attachment points on the doors.

MirrorEye While Mercedes is the first to market with digital mirrors, there are strong signs other manufactures are close to launching competing systems. A tour of the show halls at the 2018 IAA Show in Hannover revealed tech giant Stoneridge had fitted its Innovation Truck with a proprietary MirrorEye system. This uses cameras of a similar resolution to Merc’s, though feeds them to slightly smaller 12.3 inch displays in the cab.

Interestingly, Stoneridge reckons MirrorEye reduces drag and fuel consumption by 2-3 per cent. Plus, the firm announced in December 2018 that MirrorEye is the first CMS (camera monitoring system) to receive approval from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – which effectively means MirrorEye is currently the only federally approved CMS that allows for complete removal of traditional mirrors in the United States.

According to Stoneridge, the goal with MirrorEye is to “outperform 28 TRUCKING March 2020

traditional mirrors in all situations”, while offering other “value-added features including a self-cleaning function to eliminate problems with rain and dirt, an advanced defrosting system for winter driving, night vision to make manoeuvring at night safer and easier, and advanced image handling to minimise glare caused by direct sunlight”.

In addition to MirrorEye, which is designed to handle class II and IV mirror views (rear views of the vehicle), Stoneridge is also developing a TopEye system for classes V and VI (front and side views of the

vehicle). TopEye can be mounted at various points on the vehicle to offer better visibility in front and to the sides of the truck, with the same resolution and clarity as MirrorEye.

Side Vision Assist Continuing around the IAA Halls, a stop at the ZF stand brought news of Side Vision Assist. This is based on a combination of cameras and radar systems which replace rearfacing mirrors with screens in the cab, though augmented with clever AI that the company said can

Stoneridge showed off its MirrorEye CMS system at IAA 2018 www.truckingmag.co.uk

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SPECIAL REPORT DIGITAL MIRRORS ➤ “clearly distinguish and classify

ZF demonstrated its Side Vision Assist system to IAA visitors

pedestrians, cyclists and static objects” – and warn drivers if it detects a risk of a collision.

“Our system is based on two radar sensors mounted on the lower right side of a truck,” said ZF’s commercial vehicle driver assistance expert, Martin Mayer.

“This configuration ensures optimal all-round coverage of potential collision areas, even in confusing scenarios or where poor visibility is a factor.”

The future for CV tech is increasingly digital, and savvy operators should consider developments with an open mind.

The system primarily supports the driver if objects come close to entering the danger zone of the vehicle, or if the previously stationary road user (cyclist or pedestrian) suddenly begins to move.

In such scenarios, the system issues visual, acoustic or haptic warnings, depending on need.

ZF said Side Vision Assist can be connected to other systems, such as its Automatic Emergency Braking and Evasive Maneuver Assist, to further increase safety – and added its digital mirror screens can also be used as a platform for additional warnings if required.

Looking ahead So with Merc first out the blocks with MirrorCam and other tech firms readying their own versions, it’s not that much of a stretch to expect similar technology to appear on other brands in the near future. Indeed, fellow German truck-maker MAN has already offered a glimpse of its own CMS developments on new NEOPLAN Skyliner and Cityliner coach and bus models – and rearview cameras are also fitted to its CitE concept truck, which took pride of place on MAN’s stand at last year’s CV Show in Birmingham.

But cycling back to the message set out by Mercedes-Benz at the launch of the New Actros, one thing is clear: the future for commercial vehicle

technology is increasingly digital, and savvy operators would be wise to consider such developments with an open mind. It’s still early days and these systems are in their infancy – but having trialled MirrorCam ourselves on the open road, we can attest to the benefits of screens instead of glass.

New Actros with MirrorCam are now entering real-world service with British operators, and so the real test has begun. As with all new tech, there will doubtless be early niggles. But increased fuel efficiency, vastly improved visibility for the driver and a host of other safety benefits on offer from rear-facing camera systems is very hard to ignore. ■ MAN is looking to fit CMS to its trucks and buses in the future

30 TRUCKING March 2020

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DRIVEN MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO/FUSO CANTER The Atego feels more like a ‘proper’ truck

Both are good trucks and both will do the job – providing you spec them right..

32 TRUCKING March 2019

www.truckingmag.co.uk

The Canter offers the best payload, but the cab is cramped

ONE CHALLENGE

By Pip Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY PIP DUNN / MERCEDES-BENZ

TWO SOLUTIONS Licence legislation changes have seen demand for 7.5-tonners dwindle, but for those wanting a vehicle in this weight category there are two distinct choices – a small ‘big’ truck or a big ‘small’ van chassis. Trucking took out both options to assess the pros and cons

T

he humble 7.5-tonner has to some degree fallen out of favour, mainly due to legislation changes. For many years, these trucks could be driven by anyone with a car licence, but in 1997 the law changed and the maximum weight category a car licence-holder could drive was reduced to 3.5 tonnes.

Drivers who had passed their car test before then had grandfather rights, but it meant gradually there has been less demand for 7.5-tonners, mainly because a 12-tonner was a similar, yet ultimately more efficient truck – and if you needed an HGV licence for a 7.5-tonner, you could drive a 12-tonner.

But 7.5-tonners haven’t been dropped from manufacturer portfolios altogether and they still remain a useful tool for many applications. And there are also two

www.truckingmag.co.uk

ways operators can address specifying a truck for this weight: either the biggest of small van-type chassis, or the smallest of big truck chassis.

The former offer a much better payload – as much as a tonne more – but lack refinement and cab space. The latter have a better working environment, with the option to have sleeper cabs, and they just feel more like a ‘proper’ truck. But they are heavier when unladen and also more thirsty with fuel, plus they cost more to buy. Manufacturers in the 7.5-tonne market are Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Iveco, DAF, FUSO, Isuzu and Renault – and only Iveco really has both options. DAF, Renault, MAN and Mercedes are small ‘big’ trucks, while Isuzu and FUSO are big ‘small’ vans!

Trucking went to Wentworth Park in Barnsley to test drive the two types of

7.5-tonners: a Mercedes Atego 818 and a FUSO Canter 7C18. The Japanese manufacturer is wholly owned by Mercedes parent Daimler, so while they are two solutions to the 7.5-tonne conundrum, they are part of the same company stable.

The Atego Mercedes has a rich history of 7.5-tonners with its venerable LP813 model a good seller in the 1970s. By the early 1980s it was dated, but Merc rose to the challenge with its superb LN2 range that broke cover in 1984. It was initially available as 809 and 814 models. It was sold alongside the 811D and 814D 7.5-tonners with the beefed-up T2 van cab.

The LN range was the one of the first – if not the first – 7.5-tonner to offer a factory-built full sleeper cab. The LN2 March 2019 TRUCKING 33

DRIVEN MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO/FUSO CANTER Specification ■ Model: Mercedes-Benz Atego ■ Design GVW: 7500 kg ■ Chassis: 4220 mm wheelbase ■ Front axle: 3800 kg capacity ■ Rear axle: 3800 kg, 3.417:1 ratio, 235/75R17.5 tyres ■ Gearbox: G 70-6/5.94-0.74, PowerShift 3, six-speed automated manual ■ Engine: OM934, Euro 6, 5.1-litre, four-cylinder ■ Max power: 177 bhp @ 1800 rpm ■ Max torque: 750 Nm @ 1200-1600 rpm ■ Cab: S-cab ClassicSpace, 230 mm engine tunnel

was replaced by the Atego in 1998 with a wholly new cab.

In the 22 years since, the Atego has had a number of facelifts, following the trend set by the Actros. But whereas Actros got a wholly new cab in 2012, the lightweight truck was simply given another facelift to make it look like the new Actros.

So the cab is no spring chicken – but that, actually, is not a major issue because it is still very good, both modern looking and fit for purpose.

The Atego we drove had the ClassicSpace S-cab with a 230 mm engine tunnel and two seats. It is available as an extended day cab, sleeper and a high-roof sleeper, although of course that will increase unladen weight and eat into payload. However, remember that payload is not actually a major factor for many 7.5-tonners, as often these trucks are needed for their size, rather than payload.

Under the cab is the 5.1-litre OM934, four-cylinder engine which produces 177 bhp and an impressive 750 Nm of torque. The truck is available as the 816 at 156 bhp and 650 Nm, the 822 at 211 bhp and 850 Nm, and 823 at 231 bhp and 900 Nm. Wheelbase options are 3020 mm, 3320 mm, 3620 mm, 4220 mm, 4820 mm, and our truck was the 4220 mm version. It was fitted with a Lawrence David curtainside body with a 1000 kg Dhollandia tuck-away tail-lift. The body measured 6100 mm in length, 2440 mm wide, and the side and rear aperture height was 2300 mm.

There is a choice of six-, eight- or nine-speed automated transmission, and our truck had the G70-6/5.94-0.74 PowerShift 3 six-speed automated manual gearbox. The rear axle ratio was 3.417:1 and the axles were plated at 3.8 tonnes front and rear, although 34 TRUCKING March 2019

Atego is much bigger than the Canter

design weights were both 5.7 tonnes. The truck was shod with 235/75R17.5 tyres and had a 120-litre fuel tank and a 25-litre AdBlue tank.

As you’d expect with a press demo truck, the vehicle had more than a few optional extras, such as air conditioning, CD radio with Bluetooth, driver’s airbag, driver’s comfort suspension seat, factoryfitted air deflector, FleetBoard Eco Support, LED light pack, remote central locking and reverse warning.

The Canter The Canter 7C18 differs to the Atego most notably in the fact it’s bodied with a dropside tipper, rather than a curtainsider. The truck had the Comfort Cab with three seats – often a requirement for trucks like this which are used by builders, tradesmen, utilities and county councils. It does mean it can be rather cramped, especially if three fully grown, fry-up loving men are expected to be shoehorned into it.

Atego cab is refined and comfortable inside

www.truckingmag.co.uk

Canter is more basic, but fine for local work

Under the cab is a 3-litre, 180 bhp, four-cylinder engine; but while the power is a fraction above the Atego, the torque is half that of its bigger stablemate at just 430 Nm. The transmission on our truck was the six-speed Duonic 2.0 Automated transmission with dual clutch. The front axle was rated at 3.1 tonnes and the rear at 5.9 tonnes. The truck had rear steel suspension, while its wheelbase was 3400 mm with a 1395 mm overhang. The Atego cab is old, but not especially dated

Canter had a smaller, 100-litre fuel tank and 12-litre AdBlue tank.

The truck had a factory-fitted Scattolini rear-end tipper with automatic tailgate, and also came with a 200 Nm transmission PTO with hand-throttle speed control.

Aids for the driver includes lane departure warning system, reversing warning device, cruise control, hill-start assist, automatic climate control and heated rear-view mirrors. Optional equipment fitted was a radio and CD player with Bluetooth and a useful toolbox compartment.

On the road Despite the age of the design, Mercedes has continually refined the Atego cab and it is still one of the best on the market. It has the feel of a big truck and comfort to match. It’s a nice place to work, and if you

need more room you can have an extended day cab or a sleeper.

The truck handles well, even on a hilly Pennine route. We took it on a good workout, taking in a lengthy route through Huddersfield and Wakefield to put it through its paces on the stiff climbs, but also a good mix of town traffic with the likes of the cramped streets of Holmfirth and the town centre of Huddersfield. And the truck coped impeccably well; it didn’t struggle and the steering was very light and easy to handle.

The visibility from all angles on the Atego was good – the rear view mirrors are clear and the deep windscreen affords an unfettered view. There is no lower window on the cab door – a big requirement in London and, no doubt, soon to be the case in other cities – but this can be specified as an option.

Specification ■ Model: FUSO Canter 7C18 ■ Design GVW: 7500 kg ■ Chassis: 3400 mm wheelbase ■ Front axle: 3100 kg capacity ■ Rear axle: 5900 kg rear, 205/75R17.5C tyres ■ Gearbox: Six-speed Duonic 2.0 Automated transmission with dual clutch ■ Engine: 4P10-HAT6, Euro 6, 3-litre, four cylinder ■ Max power: 180 bhp @ 1900 rpm ■ Max torque: 430 Nm @ 1000-1300 rpm ■ Cab: Day cab with three seats

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2019 TRUCKING 35

DRIVEN MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO/FUSO CANTER Verdict

Canter is the biggest of the small ‘van’ range’

For most town running, either the 816 or 818 are more than ideal. Only really hilly terrain or long distances where time might be an issue would lead us to think you’d need to opt for the two more powerful engines.

Merc won’t commit on whether the MirrorCam and Multimedia Cockpit will be an option – or indeed a standard feature – on the Atego range any time soon. Logic suggests in the fullness of time it would be, but for the time being we think it’s a case of seeing how these new systems bed in on the Actros and Arocs before making it available on the smaller trucks.

The Canter is less refined than the Atego and it certainly has the feel of a big van.

The cab is naturally more cramped and also lacks the quality of the Atego. Storage space is very limited – but again, it’s horses for courses and the cab is fine for

Atego can be spec’d with a sleeper cab

36 TRUCKING March 2019

most applications the truck is aimed at.

However, the engine is good enough and the truck certainly didn’t labour when we tackled some hilly terrain – not that we expected it to with 175 bhp under the small cab. The brakes were also pretty impressive, as we found out first-hand when we were greeted by some very steep 25 per cent descents in the hilly area south of Penistone, and it coped fine.

For the town running, it handles superbly and is very manoeuvrable. The steering is light and precise. The mirrors aren’t as sturdy as the Atego, but they do the job just fine. Being low down means visibility is also pretty impressive.

A short-wheelbase Canter would be ideal for anyone delivering to the likes of Cornish villages, where anything bigger than a van simply can’t get through, yet you still need some semblance of a decent payload. ■

So which is best? The Canter has a lot going for it. For a start, it’s going to be cheaper to buy and run.

Its payload is also much better – it has 4200 kg to play with for its body and payload, so spec it correctly and you’ll be looking at being able to carry 3.5 tonnes. The Atego is more likely to be three tonnes, if that.

We didn’t measure fuel, but the Canter should do better in that respect as well. So in true earnings potential, the Canter comfortably wins hands down – and it’s why this option is finding so many fans.

A while back I spoke to a fuel haulier in Cornwall who used small trucks like this at 7.5-tonnes and he could not speak highly enough of the them.

But if you are doing longer distances and more driving, and you are not desperate for every kilo, then the Atego starts to edge into the lead as the best option. It oozes quality, it handles well and, above all, it just feels like you are driving a proper lorry. Where you will have to pay attention is the purchase price; it’s up against stiff competition and we’d venture those from Italy and Leyland may be cheaper.

It is worth mentioning that if payload is a concern and you do want an Atego, then the 12-tonners – the 1218, for example – might be a better bet. It’s not too much heavier, thirstier or more expensive than an 818, and it will give you a much better payload.

In fairness, this is a bit like comparing chalk with cheese. The Canter is by far the more efficient of the two, but it’s also more ‘budgetlike’. We prefer the Atego because it’s a nicer drive and feels more like a lorry, but the plain bottom-line economics weigh heavily in favour of Canter. The Canter is also available in electric versions, which are now being marketed in the UK. Much simply depends on what work you are planning to do with the truck. Lots of driving, especially over long distances? Go for the Atego. Town-only driving, local work and multi-drop city work? Go for Canter.

In short, both are good trucks and both will do the job – providing you spec them right. The onus is on the operator to decide exactly what it is they want.

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DRIVER TRAINING GERRARD’S OF SWINTON

COURSES FOR EX-FORCES How Gerrard’s of Swinton has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help ex-services personnel readjust to civilian life – and bring their much-needed skills into the road transport industry

By Peter Symons PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW DIXON

P

eople start businesses for all kinds of reasons. To make a living, for sure. To have fun, hopefully. And to be successful. But as success comes – and assuredly it does when you’re committed, focused and hard-working – for some, those priorities start to change. They start to think of those less fortunate than themselves, those who have had a tougher time making it in the 38 TRUCKING March 2020

world, those perhaps who need a helping hand.

Seb Gerrard was a member of the Kings Royal Hussars for six years. He left the army in 2007 having commanded a Challenger 2 main battle tank and spent six months in Northern Ireland as part of an all-arms search team. He was familiar with all things automotive, so on leaving the army – and deep breath having been taken – he took on a

51-plate MAN 8x4 and started civvy life as an owner-driver.

But as is so often the case in haulage, that’s only the beginning of the story…

Most of Swinton Gerrard’s of Swinton was originally founded as a building company on the outskirts of Manchester in 1864.

Jonathan Gerrard, Seb’s great-greatgrandfather and devout churchgoer, www.truckingmag.co.uk

ABOVE: Dedicated training facilities for 20-plus delegates per course

Gerrard’s truck of choice is Renault’s 2.5 m Range C with Wilcox PPG insulated body

Seb Gerrard was a member of the Kings Royal Hussars. He left the army in 2007 having commanded a Challenger 2 tank.

knighthood. But the family kept the trading name. So it was only natural that all those years later, Seb would resurrect it and adopt Swinton as his operating centre.

Initially he was contracted to Lafarge, operating out of Smithfield Market in Manchester. A second vehicle (a 55-plate Volvo FM12) joined the business with a view to taking on a second driver just as the construction sector was hit by recession and changes to ownership structure. It took time and sheer guts, hard work and determination – characteristics Seb was well known for from his army days, qualities he understood and had no fear of – to grow the business.

And today, it runs 50 eight-wheelers, working for the likes of Breedon, Aggregate Industries, Tarmac, Marchington Stone and Hopkins. All

are Manchester focused, and most of Gerrard’s work comes from the ever-developing, constantly rebuilt motorway network around the north.

Putting others first Seb’s efforts more than paid off and he achieved commercial success. But that was only part of his ambitions.

Those who serve in our Armed Forces are a special breed. They’re trained to work as a team, to be responsible to and for each other, to realise the person standing next to them depends on them, and vice versa – especially under the most extreme of circumstances. Our forces are trained with the special skills needed to potentially give their all.

So it’s no surprise that all too often, ex-service men and women find it difficult to adjust to life once they leave the army. Where there were rules ➤

started what the press of the time ultimately described as ‘the vast construction firm of J Gerrard & Sons Ltd’. It must have been, because legend has it Gerrard’s ended up building most of Swinton – everything from churches to homes, army camps and even Prisoner of War camps!

Seb’s grandfather Raymond evolved the firm into Gerrard’s of Swinton, and it was only with recession and a downturn in building and construction, particularly in the north, that he decided to shut up shop. True to form, he used the money for good causes and to improve the lives of others, for which he received a www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 39

DRIVER TRAINING GERRARD’S OF SWINTON

Gerrard’s has changed my life. I love my job – it has given me a purpose in life and made me feel wanted.

T&G graduate & Gerrard’s employee

➤ and regulations, now there is freedom

of choice. Where they were told what to do every minute of the day, now it is up to them. And the reality is, many find it hard.

It can be a struggle to make the adjustment to civilian life. Yes, the army has given skills, yet it can be tough to adapt those skills to civvy street and find a job as a result. For many, leaving the army signifies a loss of dignity, value and self-worth.

Seb was only too aware of this.

Understandably he’d stayed close to many of his former colleagues, and he knew only too well the challenges they and so many other ex-forces men and women had to deal with in transitioning to new lives.

He was determined to help. With his background, Seb realised many were already qualified as LGV drivers and knew their way around a truck.

What they lacked were the specialist 40 TRUCKING March 2020

skills needed to get them a job as a driver in civvy street – and a chance to prove themselves.

So he began offering a series of courses to give ex-service personnel exactly those skills. Describing it as a ‘buddy buddy’ initiative, he showed

them how to do it properly, focusing on things like tipper truck and Health & Safety qualifications to provide an MPQC qualification, Tarmac One Card and Hauliers Card – all essential must-haves to get a job in the evermore demanding construction sector.

Over 300 people have graduated from the T&G Training Academy in the last 12 months

www.truckingmag.co.uk

Range C Gerrard’s truck of choice remains Renault’s 2.5 m wide Range C. With a Wilcox PPG insulated body, the truck is spec’d to offer over 20 tonnes of payload – a necessity for the work Gerrard’s does – without any compromise on durability and performance.

Gerrard’s only addition to the Range C’s base spec is a heavyduty steel bumper to add robustness and give better clearance for the types of ground on which its eight-wheelers spend their working lives.

Gerrard’s add a full complement of safety equipment. All have on-board safety camera systems for 360-degree visibility around the truck, while beacons and lightbars are also fitted as required.

And that gives rise to a degree of concern with Seb Gerrard. Like others, he’s worried legislation is at risk of overwhelming drivers with too much information, potentially distracting them and taking their focus away from the road. He’s also nervous of the new Direct Vision Standard (DVS) for trucks entering London, and the practicality of using these types of trucks on on/off-road operations.

Gerrard’s Range Cs feature heavyduty steel bumper for robustness and ground clearance

And he did it free of charge. For nothing. For the betterment of others.

And to help raise driver standards. As the icing on the cake, wherever possible, he offered jobs as a Gerrard’s of Swinton driver once they’d qualified, or he introduced course graduates to other local tipper fleets.

‘Courses for Ex-Forces’ Seb’s initiative, now known as ‘Courses for Ex-Forces’, was an immediate success. Tarmac was so impressed that it adopted Gerrard’s two-week course as standard for all drivers working on its behalf, raising standards throughout the sector.

Now the scheme has been recognised by other charitable organisations set up to help ease ex-forces personnel back into civilian life. Gerrard’s is signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and works www.truckingmag.co.uk

closely with organisations such as the Army Resettlement Centre, Walking with the Wounded and others including local job centres, mental health charity McCormack’s, Project Nova, the Royal British Legion and the Fusiliers Association.

In 2019, Seb took another step. With more than 30 years’ experience in transport training, Eric Twemlow joined with Gerrard’s to launch the T&G Training Academy. Based at Gerrard’s Swinton site and with dedicated facilities for more than 20 delegates per course, this has now extended the company’s training offer to include a wider range of courses such as First Aid, Fire Safety, Driver CPC, ADR with seven classes, ADR and Tanks, Manager CPC and eLearning.

All are fully accredited by the appropriate bodies and already more than 300 trainees have graduated over the last 12 months.

And that’s not all. Local Renault dealer JDS Truck & Van has been hugely supportive of Seb’s – and now Eric’s – efforts along the way.

Gerrard’s is a dedicated Renault fleet and has the closest of working relationships with JDS; indeed, JDS has sponsored various Training Academy courses and even provides a Renault Range C tipper familiarisation course itself.

March 2020 TRUCKING 41

➤

DRIVER TRAINING GERRARD’S OF SWINTON I now have a purpose – my boys think it’s great that daddy drives a big truck.

T&G Academy graduate

With a Wilcox PPG insulated body, the Range Cs are spec’d to offer over 20 tonnes of payload

➤

As a new initiative, JDS is sponsoring and supporting a new apprenticeship scheme in which ex-forces personnel will be trained to become LGV technicians.

T&G Training Academy’s courses are now open to all civilian and ex-forces personnel alike. Pitched as a ‘Back to Work’ initiative, T&G’s efforts are supported by local councils and other bodies focused on helping and encouraging those finding it hard to get their lives back on track.

Influx of new skills Of course, from a transport industry perspective – and the tipper sector in particular – the payoff is an improved flow of highly skilled drivers and technicians. For too long, the sector has been short of both, not least because the industry struggles to attract younger people. Seb, Eric and their T&G Training Academy are doing their bit to turn it around.

But it’s their efforts on behalf of ex-forces personnel they are perhaps most proud of. T&G was recently shortlisted for an industry training award. As part of that, it received several endorsements from those it’s helped along the way. They make throat-lumping reading…

42 TRUCKING March 2020

“I left the army in 2014, made some mistakes in adjusting to civilian life, ruined family relationships and felt there was no future. Everything was on top of me and it felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Through Walking with the Wounded, I was put in contact with Gerrard’s. I now have a purpose – my boys think it’s great that daddy drives a big truck. I’ve become something not only for myself but for my children, and I couldn’t have done it without the help I received. Gerrard’s saved me and I’m eternally grateful,” reads one testimonial.

“I had been out of work for two years and could not get my life on track. I was in trouble with the police and taking drugs. My life was going nowhere and I was about to be kicked out of my family home. My family disowned me and saw me as a failed man. Mr Gerrard paid for my training and gave me a job and a future with his company. Gerrard’s has changed my life. I love my job – it has given me a purpose in life and made me feel wanted,” reads another.

Seb Gerrard, Eric Twemlow and the T&G Training Academy: real-life heroes, helping heroes. ■

ABOVE: T&G is most proud of its efforts helping heroes into work www.truckingmag.co.uk

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THE BIG DEAL RACING BIKE HAULERS

PODIUM POSITION Racing high-performance motorbikes is big business – but the sport relies on head-turning trucks to transport the bikes and equipment to race meetings. Trucking met Lee Fletcher, who drives one such vehicle

By Pip Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY SCOTT COOPER / VARIOUS

W

e all need a hobby to unwind with when we are not at work, and that is very true for truck drivers. For some it’s sport, for others it’s tinkering with machinery, or the arts, or even something as simple as hill walking.

Many truck drivers have more than a passing interest in motorbikes, and racing motorbikes is big business. Of course, professional racing bikers need a good back-up team – and part of that support comes from trucks.

Wigley Racing is a family-run team that began competing in 2002, consisting of twin brothers Kurt and Matthew Wigley. Each year since its inception, the team has grown and improved. People

often ask how they got into the sport.

“When growing up, we saw trophies around the house from Dad’s motocross days and wanted our own,” says Kurt. “At the age of six, our parents gave us the opportunity to compete in our first race on a mini moto following a couple of years playing on fields on a PW50.

“Immediately taken by the rush, this was the start of something that has now led us to a national level as we compete in the British Supersport Championship at British Superbike events.”

The British Superbike series is the most prestigious motorcycle championship in the UK and is based on 12 race meetings throughout the season, with additional test days. It has approximately 13.6m TV viewing hours

MAN AT THE WHEEL Name: Lee Fletcher Age: 41 Nickname: Ched Hobbies: Making massive train engine tables, motorbikes, snowboarding, anything big and Tonka-toyish, touring with my daughter Isabella and collecting bugs with her Experience: Current job is locomotive maintenance supervisor. I’ve been driving since 23 on powder tanks with AK, Ken Twyford, NS Clarke and Simon Gibson Favourite truck: Scania or Volvo THE TRUCK Make & model: Scania 144.530 V8 (1998, S-reg) Owner: AS Taylor Based: Barton-under-Needwood Custom stuff: Twin stacks, custom interior, catwalk, Alcoa wheels, lights everywhere Best thing about it: Old-school V8!

Top-spec trucks fit the bill when it comes to presenting the right team image

44 TRUCKING March 2020

www.truckingmag.co.uk

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 45

THE BIG DEAL RACING BIKE HAULERS Version 3 Volvo FH might be seven years old, but is still immaculate

MAN AT THE WHEEL Name: Ben Gee Age: 30 Nickname: Ben Ten Hobbies: Spending time with my daughter, Taylor Experience: 20 years in the road haulage industry Favourite truck: Volvo THE TRUCK Make & model: Volvo FH13 (2013) Owner partners: Sam Worrall, Derek Worrall and Elaine Long Based: Northwich, Cheshire Custom stuff: Alcoa wheels, Kelsa lightbars Best thing about it: It’s a Swede!

and is shown on British Eurosport 1 and 2, ITV1, ITV4 and Quest to an accumulative 48m motorsport fans worldwide. It has worldwide television coverage with an average footfall of 35,000 people at each event.

First-class support Lee Fletcher, 41, is both a keen motorcyclist and holds a Class 1 licence for driving the truck to support the Wigley team. His day job

The loads aren’t heavy, but the trucks are powerful!

is even bigger than bikes, or even trucks – he fixes heavy railway freight locomotives!

His truck is an elderly, but very impressive S-reg Scania R144.530. It’s a classic example of a V8 Scania, still working hard in what might otherwise be considered its ‘twilight years’.

The race team recently moved up to artics from rigids to ensure they can haul all the kit required. Says Kurt: “We had a haulage firm that helped out, for

which Lee was the main driver. But we ran into a few issues and we were left to find haulage mid-season, which was a crisis. So I put the feelers out to hauliers who could get involved.

“One that did was Paul Hawkins from Hawkins Logistics, who has been lending us both tractor units and drivers. And they have really enjoyed helping the team out,” he continues. “The Hawkins team are fantastic and very professional. Paul has helped us out on

MAN AT THE WHEEL Name: Daryl Smith Age: 47 Nickname: None Hobbies: Motorsports; DJ; boats; eating cake; if it stays still long enough it gets jacked, sprayed and blinged Experience: Started driving at 21, owned own business since 2009 on car transporters and general haulage Favourite truck: Scania THE TRUCK Make & model: Scania R580 tag-axle (2005, heavy haulage spec) Owner: Daryl Smith Based: Swadlincote Custom stuff: Rear stacks, Alcoa wheels, painted Dutch, Kelsa lightbars – soon to have full Dutch makeover Best thing about it: Old-school and paid for!

46 TRUCKING March 2020

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many occasions last-minute with a driver and tractor unit.

“Daryl Smith from Swadlincote did some hauling for us to different circuits and helped out with bits of maintenance, and has agreed to do some more with the team next season. Simon Michelle Transport has also helped out, lending us a Scania R620 and himself to drive; and Sam Worrell, a bulk tanker operator, also did several Oulton Park events and has also helped with a bit of maintenance for the team on the trailer.

“All the guys that helped have been amazing and have gelled like a family, getting into the spirit of racing.”

The trailer is owned by the racing team. It was an old DHL trailer picked for £1500 and was kitted out with beds, kitchen, workshops and room to store the bikes and all the necessary support components.

Alan Taylor, who owns AS Taylor Transport, “is an absolute true gentleman to deal with,” says Lee. “He’s a man of his word, he also is big into his bikes and his company lent us a lovely gold Scania with all the lightbars and alloys. It really looked the business, though sadly at the end of the

MAN AT THE WHEEL Name: James Lockett Age: 37 Nickname: Lockett Hobbies: Work, fishing, motocross, following BSB, WSB, Moto GP, truck shows and spending as much time possible with Sarah, Imogen and Baz (wife, my little girl and my dog) Experience: 12 years’ HGV driving in UK/ Europe, moving anything and everything Favourite truck: That’s a tough one! I have two: Darren Griffin’s T-cab, and Calport (Rossco’s) red Scania R-series

www.truckingmag.co.uk

The drivers all take a huge amount of pride in their trucks

All the guys that helped have been amazing and have gelled like a family. Kurt Wigley season the turbo failed. But Alan said: ‘Don’t worry guys, you can use Big RED next season!’

“Being a Scania fan, I’m excited as this particular truck was one of the first V8s

THE TRUCK Make & model: Volvo FH16-750 Owner: Hawkins Logistics Based: Rugeley Custom stuff: Custom paint job, Alcoa wheels, Kelsa lightbars, sideskirts, sun visor and chassis infill Best thing about it: Paintwork and the performance – it’s an absolutely savage animal!

of that model in the country – and a fine gem at that. Alan has also helped us out with MoT for the trailer and is always willing to help us if we are stuck in a rut with the trailer.”

Racing airbrushed Volvo FH16-750 is a real head-turner

March 2020 TRUCKING 47

THE BIG DEAL RACING BIKE HAULERS Simon’s Scania R620 is kept in mint condition

MAN AT THE WHEEL Name: Simon Michelle Age: 51 Nickname: None Hobbies: Football, anything fast with wheels, beer, food Experience: Driving trucks on general haulage since 1993, but I’ve also driven tanks!

Favourite truck: Scania THE TRUCK Make & model: Scania R620 (2007) Owner: Simon Michelle Based: Sutton Ashfield Custom stuff: Custom paint work, airbrushing on the back, Kelsa lightbars, Alcoa wheels, sideskirts Best thing about it: Va-va-voom!

Racing bike graphics look the part

British Superbikes Martin (Kurt and Matt’s Dad) explains more about the Superbikes: “We currently run a Young Engineering Students (YES) project. This is an educational project that was founded in 2013. It gives students the opportunity to work as part of a race team within the motorsport industry.

“We have competed in the Pirelli National 600cc Superstock Championship at British Superbikes for a few years, before progressing into the British Supersport class on the Yamaha YZF R6, and we provide an opportunity to learn on the go for the students involved. The students have the responsibility of running the race team, not only during the meetings but away from them too, in order to develop a competitive team in this demanding sport.”

The project allows the students to gain highly valued work experience which will give them an upper hand when pursuing a career in the near

48 TRUCKING March 2020

future. Being part of a fully operational team also gives them a working environment to practise their skills – with the key differences to a classroom being that accuracy is vital, attention to detail is key and one will only receive what they put into it.

Adds Martin: “To enable us to compete at this national level and offer this valuable experience to students, we are totally non-profit and could not do this without the help and support of our valued sponsors, a list of whom can be seen on our website at www.wigleyracing.com. We are currently looking for investors to take the team onto the next step for the 2020 season along with sponsors to support the student project that offers an excellent opportunity for the up and coming generation. We offer an array of benefits to sponsors of the team from advertising, networking and hospitality provided to guests at each event.”

Season’s meetings There are 12 meetings a year, and one of those is in Assen in the Netherlands. It’s the job of Lee and Martin (the Dad of the team) to sort out the trucks for each of the race meetings, which include Knockhill in Scotland, Assen, two at Brands Hatch, Cadwell, Silverstone, Olton Park, Snetterton, Thruxton, and two at Donington. The season starts in April every year.

Lee has been driving the elderly S-reg Scania R144.530 Topline, a 4x2 tractor with a manual gearbox. Other trucks www.truckingmag.co.uk

for the weekend of fun.” All drivers are bound by CPC rules and have their full hours of Driver CPC training under their belts.

Custom interiors are popular with these race bike truckers!

Entertainment unfolds

Scania cab has airbrushing artistry front and back

area also used, including Volvos and other Scanias: “All super Swedes in their own right!” he laughs.

The trailer is housed at a local yard in the West Midlands. Says Lee: “The tractor units will travel to collect it on a Wednesday or Thursday, the bikes and equipment are transported to the track later on, fully prepared for the weekend ahead. Depending on the track location or the paddock size depends on which day we leave; some of the guys that help haul sometimes drop the box and leave, then return on Friday night with the unit

Then it’s a case of setting up so the trailer becomes the mobile garage. It has a 14 x 8 m awning linking to the side of the trailer to keep the bikes sheltered when being worked on. The trailer also acts as a hospitality unit with the ability to cater for up to 30 guests of sponsors and their clients for a full weekend of entertainment.

The practice session takes place on the Friday, with qualifying on the Saturday and the main race on the Sunday. On Sunday evening, the trailer is ‘stripped down’, all packed away and the truck sets off back to base. Lee is then back to work on the Monday – and the same goes for the haulage guys that also help out.

Lee thanks Scott Cooper at

Tributes to loved ones

www.coopersdimension.com for taking the time and effort last minute for helping with the photoshoot. Lee says: “He’s fantastic at transport photography and you can check his work online.”

Also, thanks go to Mike and the girls at Tatenhill Aviation who supplied a fantastic backdrop for the photoshoot, also home of the air ambulance (www.tatenhill-aviation.co.uk). “It’s a lovely historic WWII airfield that’s still active, and you can pop down and meet the team for a flying lesson,” Lee says.

Finally, thanks are due to Kevin, the owner of Langley Industries for helping out with the trailer. n

The bike team relies on first-class logistics

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 49

ME & MY TRUCK GLEN HARRISON’S SCANIA R620 Hand crafted: All decals are stencilled and painted to a high standard

n keeps Clean Bandit: Gle s es otl sp ia an his Sc

•M

Y

C K•

M

N EA D

TRU

GLEN HARRISON’S SCANIA R620

■ MAN AT THE WHEEL NAME: Glen Harrison AGE: 39 NICKNAME: The Bandit HOBBIES: Trucks and spending time with my kids EXPERIENCE: A little bit of fridge work FAVOURITE TRUCK: Scania 143.450 OSCARS: Phil Bone the painter and Skinny for the metal work, Kieran Davies for the rear art job

■ TRUCK MAKE & MODEL: Scania R620 V8 OWNER: Harrison BASED: Rotterdam CUSTOM STUFF: Royal class interior, full sound system, TV, air con pod, no seat bases, full red lighting in LED, custom paint job in Subaru Rallye Blue (McRae era), all cab decals are stencilled and painted (no stickers at all), chassis infill, deep sideskirts, full Streamline conversion, rear bumper full LED set-up, Dutch headboard, Hadley horns, full skinny pipes set up 7 m under run, two fat stacks – sounds proper!

BEST THING ABOUT IT: Loud pipes and V8 GONGS: It’s won a few awards, including a Truck of the Show at Cumbria plus and a runner-up at the Pringle show

ing Scar tissue: Amaz o artwork of Al Pacin tes in Scarface domina r rea b ca the

50 TRUCKING March 2020

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l class Fit for a king: Roya y ur lux re pu is interior

Light fantastic: Bumper LED set up is impressive

Dream on: M os only fantasize t drivers can ab stunning Scan out having a ia like this on e

By Steve McCann PHOTOGRAPHY SMC PHOTOGRAPHY

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March 2020 TRUCKING 51

OPERATOR PROFILE ATL

DRIVING PROGRESS It was a bold move indeed by Joey and Pete Ascott 18 months ago to hand over the reins of ATL – a £20 million logistics business – to transport industry newcomer Jon Ward. Trucking heads to the Midlands to find out just what Jon plans to do with the business

By Ronnie Hitchens PHOTOGRAPHY KARL HOPKINSON

52 TRUCKING March 2020

www.truckingmag.co.uk

T

he first things on the to-do list of ATL’s new owner, Jon Ward, is the small matter of an ambition to double the size of the business over the next five years and to boost capacity at the firm’s impressive (and very big) new Midlands hub in Foston, near Derby.

There’s a similar-sized hub in Carlisle, too. But diversification and acquisition are most definitely not on the cards.

“Do we need to get into chilled and frozen?” asks Jon. “Should we go aggressively into the parcels sector?

No. Our route to growth is already clearly signposted with our existing blue-chip customer portfolio. Many are household names and we’ve been partnering them for years. But we’re only just scratching the surface in terms of what we can be delivering for them. Organic growth is our focus.”

Those household names include Pirelli, JCB, Nestlé, Crown Packaging and Molson Coors – with tyre brands making up the bread-and-butter of ATL’s work.

Learning from the best Jon points out that, while the brothersAscott were masters at delivering on customer promises, they knew broader expertise was needed to get ATL to the next stage. “Joey and Pete recognised ➤

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March 2020 TRUCKING 53

OPERATOR PROFILE ATL ➤ the business had huge potential, but to

achieve this they had to recruit.”

Jon isn’t shy about borrowing from successful business models – including from the High Street. John Lewis is cited as a case in point. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling fridges or space in a warehouse,” he says, “the principles of looking after the customer are the same – and John Lewis is an expert at this. Its customers know when they go in store, they will be treated courteously, given good advice and the product they purchase will be properly supported.

“That’s all about giving peace of mind,” he says. “For us, it means working in partnership with our customers, listening to their needs and responding with solutions that can help their own organisations become more successful. It also puts an onus on ATL’s people to keep engaged with the customer and deliver the levels of reliability and operational efficiency they expect.

“I am absolutely convinced we have the people, skills and resources to become a top player in the UK transport and logistics industry and we’re all focused on achieving that. In the last three years alone we’ve gone from 500,000 sq ft to 1.2m sq ft of warehousing and now operate a fleet

CFs are doubleshifted 24/7 and are sometimes out for six weeks without a significant stop

“I’m really focused on compliance…”

Stephan Moss, group TM

approaching 90 vehicles and 150 trailers, employing over 250 people.”

While Joey and Pete remain as directors of the business, ATL is now

very much in the hands of Jon Ward day to day.

“While we’re focused on growing organically,” he says, “we need to develop a longer-term mindset. Rather than snapping up the odd truck when we need one, we’re now talking to vehicle suppliers about annual requirements where we can drive better deals.

“That’s where DAF comes in. We’ve always had a great partnership with Imperial Commercials [now Motus] in Derby, and the DAF-brand now makes up over half the fleet.”

Latest DAF deliveries include two XF480s with Super Space Cab

➤ 54 TRUCKING March 2020

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I am absolutely convinced we have the people, skills and resources to become a top player in the UK. Jon Ward, MD

ATL operates almost 90 trucks and 150 trailers, and employs over 250 individuals

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March 2020 TRUCKING 55

â&#x17E;¤

OPERATOR PROFILE ATL

➤

Out on the road Trucking visited ATL’s striking new 200,000 sq ft Midlands Hub and caught up with two of the transport operation’s principal – and young – individuals. Stephan Moss is the group transport manager. He’s worked in transport and warehousing since leaving school, qualifying as a transport manager in 2011 and joining ATL in January last year.

“I’m really focused on compliance,” he says, “a bit like ATL’s fleet policeman. I do like to mix with the drivers. It’s important to know what they like, to get their feedback. They’re pretty much unanimous in describing DAF as being up there with the best.

“We have 50 artics with 42 CF and XF 6x2s on DAF’s mid-lift FTG axle configuration. We also have 31 rigid vehicles including four LF 12-tonners, 17 18-tonners and one 7.5-tonner for local Palletline work.

“The XFs go on the longer runs – drivers are often out overnight. The smaller CFs are trunking, doubleshifted 24 hours a day and can be on the go for six weeks without a significant stop,” he adds. “We all like 56 TRUCKING March 2020

the DAFs because they’re so reliable.

Maintenance is carried out on site, and the workshop tells me they’re easy to work on too.”

It hasn’t been all plain-sailing with DAF, however. In 2013, the AS-Tronic gearbox hill-start installation caused some grief among drivers – but, Stephan says, “the response from the dealer was great – especially Joe Hollins and Ian Wakefield, who both spent a lot of time with our drivers to help identify, fix and educate.”

Although some ATL vehicles are in excess of seven years old, Stephan plans to introduce a five-year renewal cycle, with the trunkers potentially clocking up a million kilometres over this time.

Latest kit Latest DAF deliveries include four top-of-the-range XFs with Super Space Cabs. The 480 bhp units represent two additions and two replacements, with each featuring LED headlights, Argenta dashboards, fridges, microwaves, Xtra Comfort bunks, leather steering wheels and all the

A new retro livery marks ATL’s 60th anniversary

usual mod-cons to which drivers are treated these days.

To mark the company’s 60th anniversary, two exclusive liveries were chosen: a modern blue and silver anniversary design, and ATL’s original brown and cream combination that harkens back to 1959.

We also spoke to Ricardo Sarsfield, operations director for the company.

Ricardo oversees three distribution divisions – Palletline, ATL’s groupage fleet of vans and rigids, and the general fleet of artics.

“I keep an overview of all the operational aspects of ATL” he tells us, “but I’m also here to make sure we exceed customer expectations in everything we do. I‘m also ultimately www.truckingmag.co.uk

ATL Transport Academy Ricardo Sarsfield cites the implementation of the ATL Transport Academy – a training and employment initiative to attract and retain qualified drivers, and to address the driver shortage – as a major ATL achievement.

New recruits are provided with a two-week training programme including exposure to various operational departments, shadowing drivers, shunting practice and culminating in a driver compliance test, before given employment. ATL has partnered driver training provider S-GTTL in Derby to promote and deliver the scheme. “Many newly qualified drivers find it difficult to get jobs without experience,” says Ricardo, “so this is a fantastic way to give them the experience they need and the chance to work for a modern logistics operation.”

ATL boasts cross-dock warehouse capability and a next-day groupage service

responsible for the cross-dock warehouse capability, which is a true 24-hour operation – we provide a next-day groupage service up to 6pm.”

In February 2019, ATL earned itself ‘Top Liner’ status with palletised freight network Palletline, taking joint top spot against nearly 200 other businesses and achieving 100 per cent efficiency in all key categories.

Not just a pretty face The investment in the new Midlands Hub, while pretty to look at, also

In three years, ATL has gone from 500,000 sq ft to 1.2m sq ft of warehousing www.truckingmag.co.uk

Company favours DAFs because of reliability and ease of maintenance

included a fundamental rethink of the company’s warehousing system. The latest narrow-aisle line-guided equipment from Jungheinrich has been installed, along with a true state-of-the-art JDA on-demand, internet-based management system, with the potential to go fully automated in the future.

The system provides greater accessibility for ATL’s customers, giving them full visibility of where their products are at any given time, whether in the warehouse or on

delivery. It can also be linked to billing, allowing customers to go paperless.

Nestlé and Pirelli are two customers using the system today, with others likely to follow suit.

Jon Ward is aware building systems and resources is only part of the equation in a fast growing company.

“We want to build trust across all stakeholders,” he says, “invest in quality of service, give customers peace-of-mind and conduct business in a friendly, attentive manner. That’s what really sets one business apart from another.

“The challenge longer term is not merely to measure the company’s performance against recognised industry benchmarks, but to look further afield to what the best companies in the world do, regardless of their area of operation.”

He adds: “We’re quite prepared to look outside of our immediate industry and see who is doing the best job in their sectors and learn from them. If we can bring successful ideas across from a company like John Lewis, then we will. Why wouldn’t we?” n March 2020 TRUCKING 57

OUT & ABOUT A66 LONG MARTON

By Steve McCann

PHOTOGRAPHY SMc PHOTOGRAPHY

OUT ABOUT Kings ransom: This tasty Scania R620 is a valuable asset for Kingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operations

Rigid competitor: MAN TGM flatbed crane truck is a versatile vehicle for BC Wiles

Playing the part: DAF CF on the move for Parts Center

Port ahoy: PD Ports Mercedes-Benz Actros 2545 heading for Teesport

Curtain call: Stunning Scania V8 pulling a curtainside trailer

58 TRUCKING March 2020

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One-stop shop: Stewarts busy delivering food with this smart Volvo FH500

Clean machine: PD Bannister Mercedes Actros and trailer look very well cared for

Got wood: John Miller Scania R450 with flatbed is ideal for this timber load

Long shot: DAF XF on curtainside duty for Longs of Leeds

Perfect 10: Low-roof Scania R450 car-transporter fully loaded with vehicles

Dutch courage: Den Hartoghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MAN TGS moving a gas tank container

Great Scot: Paisley-based MP Burke has an impressive fleet, including this gleaming Volvo FH500

White knight: Renault Premium tractor leading the way with a container

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 59

OPERATOR PROFILE BM TRANSPORT

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

County Monaghan-based BM Transport Ltd is developing its European operations by customer demand and word-of-mouth recommendation

By Bob Beech PHOTOGRAPHY TOM CUNNINGHAM

W

hile many pundits and politicians would have us believe the world is in crisis and feed us a diet of doom and gloom, particularly as the Brexit saga drags on, others who live in the real world just get on with making a living. While it’s very difficult to forecast exactly what the future will bring, most will find a way to deal with whatever happens.

Darren Murphy, head of Irish operator BM Transport Ltd, came to just this conclusion late in 2018 when trying to forecast the likely effect of Brexit on his business. With depots on both sides of the Irish border and on the UK mainland, BM Transport Ltd operates a modern fleet of 110 trucks and 410 trailers – so any of the proposed political/economic outcomes is bound to have an effect on the operation. With customers in Ireland, the UK and Europe, any changes are 60 TRUCKING March 2020

going to affect operating practices.

However, Darren and his BM Transport team take the view this should be seen as an opportunity to expand the company’s range of services, rather than viewing everything as a potential disaster.

“Whatever happens, people will still need to eat, drink and go shopping,” says Darren. “Construction companies will continue to build houses, factories and roads. In short, goods will still need to be shifted, stored and distributed. There might be changes in working practices, but BM Transport and other operators will find a way to get things done.”

Europe. BM Transport ferries large numbers of both unaccompanied trailers and complete outfits across the Irish Sea every night of the week. The company is also well known for having a sizeable complement of flat trailers, along with curtainside and Euroliners.

Paving the way forward

In 2018, BM Transport held back on expansion plans due to a number of factors, but customer demand combined with the need to have greater control over certain aspects of the operation led to expansion in a number of fields last year.

“The fleet has grown in response to customer demand. We take the view that

This positive attitude has seen the company gradually expand from just a couple of vehicles, which operated in Ireland 30 years ago, to a thriving operation. The firm’s eye-catching fleet of trucks have become a regular sight on the roads of Ireland, the UK and now

BMT’s skilled staff that can maintain, repair and refurbish trailers at far lower cost.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

if a customer has a particular requirement and the job can be done in a cost-effective way, we are not just meeting their needs, but meeting the needs of their customers in turn – which has to be good news for all concerned,” says Darren.

Darren Murphy has recently expanded BM Transport’s operations into Europe

Expanding horizons “In January 2019, a very good customer of ours asked us if it was possible for us to get two loads to the South of France as quickly as possible. Up until then we had avoided European work altogether, as we felt there was more than enough for us to do in Ireland and the UK. But the customer was in a tight spot and we wanted to help them out if at all possible.

“We sat down and planned out the job, and a couple of our long-serving drivers who had done European work for other companies said they were up for it. Because the job came up at very short notice, we didn’t have time to sort out European fuel cards, but the drivers were able to make alternative arrangements,” adds Darren.

The job went ahead, the loads were delivered on time and it quickly became a

regular run. BM Transport has been able to source return loads every time and it now runs to other continental destinations on a regular basis.

To deliver this commitment, it purchased 20 new Krone Euroliner

trailers, all within the maximum 4.0 m height limit for European operations.

The drivers on this European work like the extra variety it provides and a number of the company’s other customers are now making use of these export and import runs. There is no intention of entering in the general Euro ➤

BM Transport operates a modern fleet of 110 trucks and 410 trailers

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 61

OPERATOR PROFILE BM TRANSPORT BMT opted for 3.9 m wheelbase, twin-tyre tag-axle tractor units with its latest order of FH500s

Fleet variety BM Transport runs quite a variety of FH tractors, including both Version 3 and 4 models. It still operates a 2005 Version 2 tractor unit on local work. The latter truck has had a bit of money spent on it recently and it will go into the company’s collection of restored trucks, a group that will eventually include five generations of Volvos.

“The older models in particular are very durable and just seem to get better as they age. We find them very cost-effective to run and the only reason we will eventually replace them is because of the emission restrictions in some big cities,” says Darren.

BM Transport has a 2017-registered Volvo FH16-750 flagship. “It is a tremendous machine,” says Darren. “The truck is in the hands of a really good driver and we have a simple policy: we give the best trucks to the drivers that do the best job and look after their vehicles. It’s a good way of rewarding their efforts.”

62 TRUCKING March 2020

➤ hire and reward market – it’s far too

competitive – but Darren feels if the money is right and the job fits in with the rest of the operation, he will give it a go.

Darren continues: “We have also taken on a warehouse in the local area.

Customers asked us if we could provide storage for them and suitable premises

became available. It’s another new venture for us, but it is going well.”

First out the blocks BM Transport has to respond to changes in the marketplace, otherwise others will take the initiative. The firm also has workshop facilities at this new location, as with over 400 trailers in the fleet,

Darren finds Globetrotter XL cab ideal for his operations www.truckingmag.co.uk

Operator reckons 540 bhp engine is good balance between power and economy

many are at the ports or at customers’ premises. Occasionally it became too heavily reliant upon outside contractors in some locations for maintenance and repair work. Now with its own R&M facilities, there are skilled staff that can maintain, repair and refurbish trailers at far lower cost, giving better control levels, in addition to potentially extending the trailer fleet’s service life as a result.

BM Transport has also invested some new tractor units in recent months and its 110-strong fleet currently includes 70 Volvo trucks. The defining factor for this majority presence is the first-rate aftersales service provided by local Volvo dealer McDonnell Commercials Ltd, based in Monaghan, close to BM Transport’s main depot. Darren reckons www.truckingmag.co.uk

I was keen to try the I-Shift Dual Clutch after hearing some very good reports about the level of performance it offers. Darren Murphy he can’t fault the parts and service support his operation receives.

Loyal customer

Darren’s father bought his first new truck, a Volvo F10, back in 1991

“We have dealt with McDonnell Commercials for years; my father bought his first new truck from them in 1991: an F10 tractor unit. Quite a number of the staff that were employed back then still work for the company. I really like the consistency of their operation; we know that they will do whatever it takes to get one of our trucks back on the road,” declares Darren. Volvo’s Gold Contract ➤ March 2020 TRUCKING 63

OPERATOR PROFILE BM TRANSPORT Power delivery: BM Transport’s latest FH500s have upped the fleet’s preferred spec to 540 bhp engines

➤

Service package also ensures BM Transport receives a high level of support throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Bigger & better As with many larger fleets, the company has found 13-litre engines rated at 480-500 bhp are the most cost-effective choice for full-time 44-tonne operation.

This power output means they are well on top of the job, but still relatively fuel-efficient. When combined with a well-equipped cab, they give the right level of space and comfort to attract drivers.

But the latest Volvo tractors to enter service cross the 500 bhp threshold and have really impressed all who have got behind the wheel.

“I was keen to try the I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission after hearing some very good reports about the level of performance it offers, combined with the potential for decent fuel economy. I sat down and discussed it with Martin Keenan at McDonnell Commercials and we came up with a suitable specification. We went for a 3.0 m tag 64 TRUCKING March 2020

axle with front air suspension and double tyres on the tag. We also opted for the D13K540 engine, an I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox, along with a Globetrotter XL cab.

I would go as far as to say it will easily keep up with a truck with 100 bhp more power output.”

Darren reports the FH540’s fuel consumption is very similar to Volvo’s 500 bhp engines, but the performance is very close to a 16-litre engine. He reckons the FH also rides and handles beautifully.

“I see this as a real step forward; we will definitely have more in the future.

Volvo have always led the way as far as truck transmissions are concerned and I-Shift Dual Clutch is definitely a step forward again,” he concludes. ■

Easy shifter “When the truck arrived, I was able to take it out for an appraisal drive and was really impressed by the effortless performance it gives, particularly on cross-country routes. The gearbox is fantastic – it really enhances the performance – but the engine hardly ever goes outside the green band. www.truckingmag.co.uk

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MY MISTAKE CHRISTMAS TREES

CHRISTMAS TREE BLUNDER ’Tis the season for a dodgy deal, some sub-standard axe work and a midnight dash from Scotland…

By Bill Dean ILLUSTRATION ANITA WATERS

I

t was Friday night and I was sitting quietly, trying to reach my government weekly target of alcohol units after a week of early-start sobriety, when Ian walked into the pub. Seeing me, his usedcar-salesman smile got even bigger and less sincere (if that was at all possible), and he strolled over, indicating to the barmaid she should bring his usual and a fresh one for me.

66 TRUCKING March 2020

Minder had just started its run on mainstream telly, that’s how long ago this was, and Ian took Arthur Daley as his role model. He could enter a revolving door behind you, yet come out in front. Somehow he always ended ahead. He had a used car pitch on the nearby main road attached to a petrol station run by his father. The attached garage was where he stored whatever dodgy deals he’d got on the go. Any servicing

of his “one owner, lowmileage, executive cars” was done under the canopy.

This usually only involved fitting a fully charged new battery so the ignition would catch, and putting three cans of STP in the engine. Valeting was done by his YTS trainee unless the local scouts were doing a fund-raising carwash. The employment exchange back then sent school-leavers out to get work experience at participating employers

and paid them an allowance. This was before they were all sent to university to graduate in Media Studies, run up a massive debt, and work flipping hamburgers.

“I heard you’ve got a run up to Scotland next week.”

This was news to me, but then he clearly knew someone who knew someone at the firm I was working for. I had won a nice little contract delivering electrical control

I would raise a pukka invoice for the job which he would pay with a cheque, his face distorted with pain at the thought of it being on the books, which I would clear before going. That way I had an out if these trees, as I suspected, were a foldingmoney job with some forestry worker.

A week later, I dropped him and two unlikely recruits off on the A9 above Pitlochry. They had saws to cut the trees – cheaper to buy that way, sort of like

covered in scratches and smelling like I’d been dipped in disinfectant, I finally got home and fell fully dressed on my bed, totally exhausted.

I passed Ian’s place on Christmas Eve and was surprised to see his pitch was still full of trees; it looked like the slopes of Ben Nevis. He blamed the fickle public’s switch to plastic Taiwanese trees in garish colours.

I didn’t like to point out that the local garden centre sold identical trees,

My curtainsides looked like a pregnant elephant about to pop out triplets.

boxes to substations around the country. Each one was about the size of a large fridge-freezer. I would fill my wagon and go off on a long, winding route for a couple of days. The money was good and because there would be another run waiting, I didn’t need to mess about with return loads. I could run back empty. Ian obviously knew that.

“It’s December and it’s Christmas tree time, so we can both make a bit of money.” Ian had realised several years previously that in December, he rarely shifted any cars – so an ideal replacement was Christmas trees. As his dodgy schemes went, it had worked better than most.

Every year he would borrow a single-deck car transporter off a fellow dealer and travel up to an obscure estate in Scotland with whoever he could con into helping. It would be

loaded as high as possible with trees to be brought back and sold. All for cash.

It paid for his three weeks in the Canaries in January.

Unfortunately, last year it had all gone wrong. He had taken the last roundabout off the motorway too fast.

Half the trees fell off. In desperation he’d offered them free of charge to motorists inching their way past the chaos to remove the mess before the police arrived. No chance; and as the magistrate noted, the only thing he did have was an insecure load. The other essentials – licence, tax, insurance, valid receipt for the trees – were all lacking.

No holiday for him.

This year it had to be all above board, or the next holiday would be at Her Majesty’s pleasure.

Whether it was the free beer or his salesman’s glib patter at closing time, I found myself shaking his hand. My only proviso was

pick-your-own strawberries according to Ian – and boxes of insulation tape to bind the branches down. I did my run and returned two days later to meet a mountain of badly trussed trees. After five hours of squeezing, pushing and being badly needled, the whole lot was loaded.

Within two miles the load had settled and my curtainsides looked like a pregnant elephant about to pop out triplets. My mirrors were useless.

Fortunately, by now it was night and the long trek South was quiet, except for the snoring of Ian and his helpers. At 3am we pulled onto his forecourt and with great effort pulled the curtains back and the trees spilled out. Aching all over,

without badly cut saw marks, cheaper and wrapped in a net so punters cut get it in their car and still see to drive.

It looked as though he’d finally come unstuck. His bad luck only seemed confirmed when I read his showroom had been destroyed by a bad fire on Christmas Day. So I was amazed at the beginning of February when a brandnew open-topped Merc pulled up to me. The tanned and sheepskin-clad driver shouted up: “Same again next year, Bill? Pine burns really well.” It was Ian. The lights changed and with a wave of his hand, the winter sun glinting off his dodgy Rolex, he roared off.

Somewhere, somehow, I’d missed out again. ■

Send us your stories!

Have you got any amusing experiences to share and want to earn yourself some Trucking goodies? If so, send your stories to: My Mistake, Trucking magazine, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL. Alternatively, you can submit your story via email to the following address: trucking.ed@kelsey.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 67

REVIEWS BOOKS MUSIC DVDS

BREAK TIME

DVDs of the month

Tomes, tunes & films to keep you entertained in the cab

By Andy Stewart PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

■ Britain’s Lorries in the ’70s Author: Peter Davies Publisher: Nynehead Books Web: www.nyneheadbooks.co.uk ISBN: 978-1871565577 Price: £26.95 (paperback) With the recent release of Britain’s Lorries in the 1980s (see our extended review in Classic Truck, starting page 78), it’s perhaps a good time to revisit author Peter Davies’ ‘prequel’.

As the title would suggest, this book presents a comprehensive

picture of the turbulent British road transport scene in the 1970s, when the country’s operators were beginning to shift their fleets away from domestic vehicles and towards models from European manufacturers. Where once British marques ruled supreme, in the ’70s our highways began to see increasing numbers of Volvos, Scanias, MANs, DAFs, Magirus Deutz, Saviems and more.

But British-made vehicles were still in the game, with the likes of Foden, Seddon and Atkinson (which merged in 1970), ERF, Albion, Guy, Scammell among others all releasing new models during the decade.

The shifting landscape of British road transport at the time makes for an interesting read; but it’s the author’s set of full colour photos (over 250) of trucks at work that proves truly fascinating.

OUR RATING

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

■ Their Little Secret Author: Mark Billingham Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group ISBN: 9780751567007 Price: £8.99 (Waterstones, paperback)

■ Rambo: Last Blood

■ Dracula

Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega Certificate: 18 Runtime: 89 minutes Price: £10 (Amazon) In Stallone’s latest hard-nut action outing, ex-military killing machine John Rambo is wrenched out of a peaceful retirement raising horses in Arizona when a misguided Mexican cartel decides to kidnap the daughter of the woman he’s become attached to. Cue a roaring rampage of revenge as Rambo hunts down and slaughters the wrongdoers. Old-school fun, but little more than that.

Actors: Claes Bang, Dolly Wells Certificate: 15 Runtime: 270 minutes Price: £12.99 (Amazon) Perhaps the best thriller on telly over the Christmas break, this new three-part miniseries from Sherlock creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat offers two episodes of first-class, scary, bloodthirsty, unashamedly schlocky, but frequently hilariously funny Hammer-style horror. But sadly, a surprise ‘twist’ at the end of episode two leads to a distinctly sub-par third chapter. But whatever – this is still unmissable for vintage horror fans.

OUR RATING ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OUR RATING ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ more to it than that. Tense, twisty, surprisingly humorous (in places) and expertly paced, this is an easy recommendation for crime thriller fans.

This latest crime thriller from thriller maestro Mark Billingham sees returning sleuths DI Tom Thorne, Nicola Tanner and Phil Hendricks tackle a baffling case of a woman’s apparent suicide – though of course, there’s a lot

OUR RATING

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

NEW & RECENT MUSIC RELEASES ■ KIWANUKA

OUR RATING

Artist: Michael Kiwanuka Label: Polydor Price: £4.99 (Amazon) Rating: 5/5 This great new album from the British musician serves as a fine follow-up to 2016’s Love & Hate.

At once harking back to the ’70s smooth jazz/funk heydays, yet also sounding fresh and modern, ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ this album offers 13 tracks that expertly blend into one another to create a superb easy-listening musical odyssey.

68 TRUCKING March 2020

■ Kind

OUR RATING

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Artist: Stereophonics Label: PLG UK Frontline Price: £4.99 (Amazon) Rating: 4/5 Proving the Welsh rockers are showing no signs of slowing down, this new album of 10 tracks is relaxed, mature, assured and full of strong tunes. Lead singer Kelly Jones’ voice is on top form, and highlights like Fly Like An Eagle, Bust This Town and Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day stand as among the band's best.

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READERS’ LETTERS REFLECTING THE INDUSTRY

READERS’ LETTERS Letter of the Month wins this fantastic Search-Impex model truck!

WAY out of line?

Regarding your recent article about the new Iveco S-WAY, it’s a pity you couldn’t have found something positive to say about it. But of course, it’s not a Scania, is it?

I’m getting fed up with looking at and hearing about Scanias in this magazine.

Adrian Davis By email

Thanks for your email, Adrian; though I think we’ve been quite fair with our coverage of the S-WAY. We’re proud to say we have no bias at Trucking, and we endeavour to judge each vehicle we test by its merits – regardless of make.

At the S-WAY’s launch event (Trucking, August 2019 issue), we were unfortunately given very little chance to get in and drive the new truck – and the driving we were allowed to do was limited to a short trip around a private test track, which didn’t give us much opportunity to see how the vehicle handles. We reported as much in the article – alongside some potential concerns over build quality, as one of the demo trucks was surprisingly already showing some signs of fatigue.

However, before Christmas we were afforded a better chance to test drive the new models (Trucking, January 2020 issue), and we actually came away very impressed with the truck.

As for Scania, I think our coverage has also been quite fair. It’s true to say the Swedish marque’s vehicles generally perform well during our tests, and operators we have spoken to speak highly of them on the whole. But of course, this is not always the case; in fact, just last issue we carried a Truck on Trial in which Scania was taken to task for its heavy-haulage provision in the UK (see opposite).

Our mission has always been to provide balanced, fair and unbiased editorial, and this is something we will continue to strive for as we head into 2020 –ed.

PRIZE SUPPLIED BY SEARCH-IMPEX Tel: 01332 873555 Fax: 01332 875757 Web: www.search-impex.co.uk

LETTER OF THE MONTH Heavy going Since I am very interested in heavy trucks, I read your recent Truck on Trial featuring a Scania R580 vs Volvo FH13-540 with interest.

However, I cannot agree with the outcome, since I have the feeling that you are comparing apples and pears.

The differences between the trucks are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

The engine weight: V8 16-litre block (Scania) vs L6 13-litre block (Volvo) Hub reduction (Scania) vs single reduction (Volvo) STGO 3 (Scania) vs STGO 2 (Volvo), thus different braking/retarder system?

Extra frame at the front of the Scania for the front hitch

in specs, the operator has been incredibly open and frank about his experiences with acquiring and running two different marques in what is a niche market. He has suffered ‘battles’ and ‘obstructions’ with one manufacturer compared with an openness from the other keen to win its business, with the latter winning on price, back-up and spec. There are many issues HC Wilson has had to endure which had led it to look beyond Scania and find an alternative from Volvo, which is now reaping dividends for it. He’s had quotes from two manufacturers for the firm’s next new (similar spec) vehicles, and here it has been quoted a price differential of over 25 per cent.

It’s my understanding that these will all have effects on the price and weight.

Peter Mesman, Arnhem, Netherlands Thanks for your email, Peter. Here’s Pip: “While I appreciate the trucks can be operated at different weight limits and have some differences

ABOVE Scania R580 went up against a Volvo FH13-540 in last month’s Trial

Get your views published!

ABOVE Iveco’s new S-WAY replaces outgoing Stralis models 70 TRUCKING March 2020

Write to: The Editor, Trucking magazine, Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berrys Hill, Cudham, Kent, TN16 3AG, or email trucking.ed@kelsey.co.uk. You must include your full name and postal address, which can be withheld upon request. Anonymous letters or those without addresses will not be published. Each month, the letter the editor judges to be Letter of the Month will win a fantastic model truck. We reserve the right to edit all published letters. No correspondence can be entered into.

www.truckingmag.co.uk

VINTAGE ROADSCENE ARCHIVE VINTAGE ROADSCENE ARCHIVE

LORRIES IN THE NORTH SETTLE IN THE SIXTIES LORRIES IN THE NORTH A LOOK BACK AT THE VEHICLES WORKING ON THE ROADS IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND DURING THE 1960S

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Lorries passing through the North Yorkshire town in the mid-1960s Plus colour shots of transport in the area 20-40 years ago

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Volume 6

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This publication features a look back at commercial vehicles working on the roads of the North of England during the mid-1960s, using nearly 200 of an enthusiast’s photographs, showing them making their way through the town of Settle on the A65, then and now an important cross-country and alternative north-south route. In addition there are another 100 or so colour pictures of lorries from the 1970s to the 1990s, offering memories of many well-known operators and their vehicles.

Please note: ‘Vintage Roadscene Archive’ is a continuation of the previous ‘Road Haulage Archive’ series and this is the 27th title published so far. You can buy individual copies at WH Smith and other high street retailers, order singles copies, including back issues, from the publisher, or take out a subscription and save 25% on the shop price.

BACK ISSUES – buy online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/rhaback Road Haulage Archive series (1-25) Issue 7 Red Van, Green Van (Post Office) ...........................£7.95 Issue 8 Heavy Haulage .......................................................£7.95 Issue 9 The Rare Ones (lesser known makes) ...................£7.95 Issue 11 Tanks for Everything (road tankers)...................£7.95 Issue 12 Circus Transport ..................................................£7.95 Issue 13 The Light Brigade (vans & pick-ups) ..................£7.95 Issue 14 Tipping the Balance (tipper lorries) ...................£7.95 Issue 15 Through Irish Eyes (Irish RT) .............................£7.95 Issue 16 Timewarp Transport (Malta) ...............................£7.95 Issue 17 Body Language (CV bodywork) ...........................£7.95 Issue 18 Well-Known Names .............................................£7.95

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YOU AND THE LAW YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

YOU & THE LAW Got a legal query you need clearing up? Our resident legal expert is on hand to offer free professional help and advice

By David Glover PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

Drivers’ hours MOVING ON I work for business that uses goods vehicles.

What happens if a driver is ordered to interrupt a break or daily or weekly rest in order to move a vehicle forward at a terminal, at parking places or at border areas?

Generally, during a daily or weekly rest a driver should be able to dispose freely of their time and should therefore not be obliged to stay in reach of their vehicle.

In most circumstances, interrupting a break, daily or weekly rest is an infringement, unless the “ferry rule” applies – ie, Article 9: a regular daily rest period of at least 11 hours taken on a ferry or a train (if a driver has access to a bunk or a couchette) may be interrupted twice as a maximum, by other activities (such as embarking or disembarking from the ferry boat or train). The total time of these two interruptions may not exceed one hour. This time must not, in any case, result in any reduction of a regular daily rest period.

These two interruptions can take place any time during the regular daily rest period, also where this daily rest period exceeds the minimum period of 11 hours and continues beyond 24 hours from the end of the previous rest period. However, at least 11 hours of this daily rest must be taken within 24 hours since the end of the previous rest period. Otherwise it should be regarded an infringement of the provision on regular daily rest).

However, at a terminal or a parking place, there may occur a sudden abnormal situation or an emergency where a vehicle needs to be moved. The European Commission has issued guidance on this subject which states that at a terminal, there is usually a driver (terminal employee) who moves vehicles, if necessary.

If that is not the case and the movement of the vehicle 72 TRUCKING March 2020

becomes inevitable due to extraordinary circumstances, the driver may interrupt their rest only upon the demand of a competent authority or terminal official who is authorised to order vehicle’s movements.

In other places (eg, at parking places, at border crossings and in cases of emergency), if there are objective emergency reasons for which the vehicle must be moved or if the police or another authority (eg, fire official, road administration authorities, customs officer, etc) give an order to move a vehicle, the driver must interrupt their break or rest for a few minutes and in that case should not be prosecuted.

If such a necessity arises, Member State enforcers must grant some tolerance following an individual situation assessment.

Such an interruption of a driver’s rest or break must be recorded manually by the driver and should, if possible, be authenticated by the competent authority who ordered the driver to move the vehicle.

Tachograph regulations DRIVING WITHOUT A DRIVER CARD Are there exceptional situations when driving without a driver card is allowed?

This is a very interesting question. DVSA states the following: Where it is impossible to use a driver card (eg, where it has been lost, stolen or damaged or is malfunctioning), a driver may drive without the card for a maximum of 15 calendar days (or longer if this is necessary for the vehicle to be returned to its premises) provided they produce two printouts – one at the start of the day and another at the end, so long as there is no change of vehicle.

Where there is a change of vehicle, then a printout will need to be taken at the start and end of the use of vehicle one, and then a printout at the start and end of vehicle two, and so on. All printouts must be marked with: • The driver’s name or driver card or licence number, so

the driver can be identified • Any manual entries needed to show periods of other work, availability, and rest or break • The driver’s signature The driver must report the problem to DVLA and apply for a new card within seven calendar days.

In addition, there is a Guidance Note on this which states: Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 165/2014 provides that if the driver card is damaged, malfunctions or is lost or stolen, the driver shall, within seven calendar days, apply for its replacement to the competent authorities of the Member State of his normal residence. Those authorities shall supply a replacement card within eight working days after the receipt of a detailed request to that effect.

In such circumstances, the driver may continue to drive without a driver card for a maximum period of 15 calendar days or for a longer period if this is necessary for the vehicle to return to the premises where it is based, provided

www.truckingmag.co.uk

the driver can prove the impossibility of producing or using the card during that period. The proof might consist of a police report on the stolen or lost card, formal declaration to competent authorities or confirmation of submitting the request for a card replacement.

Even though the period of 15 calendar days might be exceeded if an application for the replacement of a driver card takes place at the end of the period of seven calendar days and is followed by a supply of the replacement card by the competent authorities at the end of the period of eight working days, this does not change the period of 15 calendar days foreseen in Article 29(5) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 when a driver is allowed to continue driving without a driver card or a longer period if this is necessary for the vehicle to return to the premises.

A driver returning to the premises of the transport undertaking following a trip during which his/her driver card is damaged, malfunctions, or is lost or stolen, should be allowed to continue driving without a driver card during possible other trips, within 15 calendar days or for a longer period if this is necessary for the vehicle to return to the premises, as foreseen by Article 29 of Regulation (EU)165/2014, only if that driver applies for the issuing of a new card to the competent authority within the legitimate period of seven calendar days, in order to be able to prove thereafter he is expecting for a replacement card to be issued.

Such a conclusion derives from the above-mentioned provisions, and also from the idea the continuity of operations of the transport undertaking must not be disproportionately affected, provided all the other safeguards (such as printouts and manual records) specific to the driving without a driver card, apply as well.

Tachograph regulations HOLIDAY FORM I’ve heard there is a form of attestation which can

be given for drivers of tachograph vehicles who have been on holiday, etc.

Can you give me some details, please?

This relates to situations where a driver will be returning to driving vehicles which are in scope of tachograph laws after a period of holidays or sickness etc.

There is an attestation which can be completed and the European Commissions has issued guidance on this.

The form of attestation shall not be required for activities that can be recorded by the tachograph. The primary source of information at the roadside checks is the recordings made by the tachograph, and the lack of records should only be justified with an attestation if tachograph records, including manual entries, were not possible for objective reasons.

In all circumstances, the complete set of tachograph records, complemented by the form, when necessary, shall be accepted as sufficient evidence to prove compliance with Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 or the AETR, unless there is a justified suspicion.

The attestation covers certain activities during the period mentioned in article 15 (7) (a) of Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85, namely the current day and the previous 28 days.

The attestation may be used when a driver: • Has been on sick leave • Has been on leave, which forms part of the annual leave according to the legislation of the Member State where the undertaking is established • Has been on leave or rest • Has driven another vehicle exempted from the scope of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 or AETR • Has performed other work than driving • Has been available and where it has been impossible to record these activities by the recording equipment The box “leave or rest” may be used in a situation when the driver has not been involved in any driving, in other work or has not been available, has not been on sick leave or annual leave, including for instance also cases of partial unemployment, strikes or lock-outs. Member States are not obliged to require the use of the form in the cases of lack of records, but if a form is required, this standardised form must be recognised valid. However, no form of any type shall be requested concerning ordinary daily or weekly rest periods.

The electronic and printable form as well as information

regarding the Member States that accept solely this form is available at: http://bit.ly/Attestation-Form The form is accepted all over the EU in any official EU language. Its standard format facilitates understanding as it contains numbered pre-determined fields to be filled in. In AETR transport, it is recommended to use the form produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (www.unece.org/trans/main/ sc1/sc1.html).

All the fields in the form must be filled in by typing.

In order to be valid, the form must be signed both by the company representative and by the driver before the journey. For self-employed drivers, the driver signs once as the company representative and once as the driver. Only the signed original is valid. The text of the form may not be modified. The form may not be pre-signed, nor may it be altered by handwritten statements. If it is legally possible according to the national legislation, a telecopy (fax) or a digitalised copy of the form may be accepted.

The form may be printed on paper containing the company logo and contact details, but the fields containing the company information must also be filled in. ■

Marshall Glover

YOUR LEGAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED – FREE! Trucking’s law experts at FMGS Law Ltd can help with your legal queries.

Each letter gets a personal reply and confidentiality is guaranteed. Write to: You & the Law, Trucking, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL or email trucking.ed@kelsey.co.uk. Alternatively, contact FMGS Law Ltd direct on: 0844 8011422 or visit www.fmgs.co.uk www.truckingmag.co.uk

Please provide your name and address with all correspondence.

Disclaimer: No information in this column shall be construed as actionable legal advice and information is offered for general information purposes only, based on the current law when the article was first written. You should always seek advice from an appropriately qualified solicitor on any specific legal enquiry.

March 2020 TRUCKING 73

COURT & INQUIRY LEGAL

COURT& INQUIRY News straight from the courtrooms of the haulage industry’s latest legal cases

By Michael Jewell PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

MFC Transport Ltd

DISQUALIFICATION FOLLOWS FALSIFICATION OF BRAKE TEST RECORDS Wolverhampton-based MFC Transport Ltd and its sole director Hardeep Singh were disqualified from holding or obtaining an O-licence for five years after the company’s licence for three vehicles and three trailers was revoked by traffic commissioner Nick Denton for falsifying brake test records.

In April 2016, the company’s application for an increase from four vehicles and four trailers to seven vehicles and seven trailers was refused, and the licence was curtailed to three vehicles and three trailers for the period of two months, following very high prohibition rates and use of an unauthorised operating centre. In February 2019, the licence was suspended for 28 days and cut from four vehicles to three after a DVSA report had revealed continued very high MoT failure and prohibition rates.

Brakes were a particular problem, with the vehicles not

74 TRUCKING March 2020

being given any kind of metered brake test.

At the conclusion of the inquiry, the company agreed undertakings to have a compliance audit by June 30, 2019 and to have vehicles roller brake tested at every six-week inspection. Transport manager Karyn Sanghera retained her repute, but was warned if the company continued to ignore her advice or failed to implement the necessary compliance measures, she should resign – which she did on September 1, 2019.

At the latest public inquiry in Birmingham, the commissioner said that in July 2019 he received a copy of the audit report, which had not been carried out by the June 30 deadline. The report noted no roller brake tests were being carried out, contrary to the specific undertaking given at the February public inquiry.

Among the maintenance documentation presented by Hardeep Singh at the public inquiry were 12 roller brake test print-outs from Midlands Trucks Wolverhampton. He was slightly surprised to see them in view of

the auditor’s comments there was no evidence of such tests having been carried out. On closer inspection, he noticed virtually all of the print-outs had exactly the same test percentage results and the same imbalances.

Three different vehicles were involved, over a period between April and September 2019, all with exactly the same presentation weights and brake percentages.

That stretched credulity well beyond breaking point.

Other suspicious features of the print-outs included a spelling mistake in the word “imbalance”, which was always written as “imbalence”; a spelling mistake at the bottom left of each sheet where the word “RESULT” was spelt as “RFSULT”; the fact that the figures were all out of alignment; and the fact the

entering the registration number.

The third vehicle had never been given a brake test by Midlands Truck & Van. The clear implication of that report was all 12 of the brake test documents provided by Hardeep Singh were false, since none of the tests in question was dated October 3 or 8. A total of only two roller brake tests, not 12, had in fact been carried out on the three vehicles over the eight months since the public inquiry in February 2019. He further noted the brake test print-outs supplied

by Mr Woodbine differed in format from the ones provided by Hardeep Singh at the inquiry, and did not contain the spelling and other mistakes that were in the company’s documents.

Hardeep Singh said he understood the print-outs were in

Three different vehicles were involved, all with exactly the same presentation weights and brake percentages. That stretched credulity well beyond breaking point.

Midlands Trucks postcode at the bottom left of each sheet was in mixed lower and upper case.

As a result, he made enquiries of Midlands Truck & Van Wolverhampton. David Woodbine, their service manager, told him one vehicle had been given one roller brake test. There were no records of a second vehicle having been tested.

However, there was a record of MFC Transport bringing that vehicle in for one brake test on October 8, 2019. That might possibly have been an error in

the wrong format, but continued to maintain all the tests had in fact been carried out. He said he had paid cash to the person who carried out the test, which he now realised was wrong.

Karyn Sanghera said she had many times pressed Hardeep Singh to show her the roller brake test print-outs. Sometimes he had replied he was getting them done; on other occasions he maintained the annual brake test at MoT would suffice. She had never seen any brake test results until the public inquiry, when Hardeep Singh had handed the print-outs to him.

The commissioner said he was not persuaded by the explanation of Hardeep Singh that the roller brake tests were carried out on a private cash-paid basis with one of the Midlands Truck & Van staff.

That did not explain why nine of the tests achieved identical results or why the print-outs were such clearly amateur forgeries.

He concluded Hardeep Singh’s explanation was another falsehood. He considered Hardeep Singh either produced the forgeries himself or conspired to produce them.

It was difficult to exaggerate the seriousness of Hardeep Singh’s conduct. When called to the latest public inquiry, he had two vehicles tested at Midlands Truck & Van and used those genuine results to create www.truckingmag.co.uk

12 documents purporting to show all three vehicles had been regularly roller brake tested.

Given Hardeep Singh’s preference for forging brake testing documents rather than having essential brake testing carried out, and because when afforded a chance to come clean at the inquiry he preferred to maintain a bare-faced lie, there was no alternative but to find the company was not of good repute.

As this has been the company’s third public inquiry in three years, and because its response to the second was to cheat rather than to comply, there was compelling evidence to suggest it was highly unlikely to comply in the future. That in turn suggested it deserved to go out of business.

GS Couriers (Nottingham) Ltd

DISQUALIFICATION FOLLOWS LICENCE REVOCATION & REFUSAL GS Couriers (Nottingham) Ltd and its directors, Richard and Louise GethingsSmith, were disqualified from holding or obtaining an O-licence for a period of six months after the company’s North Western licence for three vehicles was revoked by traffic commissioner Simon Evans.

The commissioner also refused the company’s application for a 15-vehicle licence in the North Eastern Traffic Area.

Mr Gethings-Smith told the commissioner at a Golborne public inquiry the business had initially been able to operate with 3.5-tonne vehicles. A new franchise acquired in November 2017 had necessitated the www.truckingmag.co.uk

deployment of a larger vehicle, which was in scope of O-licensing. His knowledge of O-licensing at that time was “non-existent”. He therefore placed an advert for a transport manager (TM). Jamie Bogg offered his services and a substantial fee was agreed with him to oversee the licensing process.

Mr Bogg was “very credible”.

Upon Mr Bogg’s appointment, he had obtained a “glowing” telephone reference from a former employer, the Mark Group Ltd, where it was said he had held a similar role. He accepted with the benefit of hindsight that everything he had been told by Mr Bogg was “a complete lie”.

He agreed he did not supervise Mr Bogg and he “took everything at his word”.

He said he had requested Mr Bogg to make a further licence application in May 2018 to increase the number of vehicles that could be operated, as business demand had grown.

In late May 2018 he had been assured by Mr Bogg the necessary authorities to enable the business to operate up to 15 vehicles had been obtained, and a maximum of nine vehicles had been used thereafter. He acknowledged he had no appreciation of the requirement for vehicles to display O-licence identity discs in their cabs. He had been told his general manager, Andy Akers, had himself signed a second TM1 application form. He had only subsequently become aware that application was the one which had subsequently led to the purported appointment of Mark Scholey as TM. A decision had been made in July/August 2018 to withdraw

from a business franchise arrangement, which had led to a move to smaller premises. He had tasked Jamie Bogg to make all the arrangements and to change correspondence addresses and update records.

He had never appreciated the new operating centre was in the North Eastern Traffic Area, and therefore required a new licence.

The use of the unlawful operating centre had ceased once it had been discovered no change of application had been made.

It was only when he was contacted by the Central Licensing Office in March 2019 that he had come to appreciate the nominated TM on the licence was in fact Mark Scholey, and not Jamie Bogg. While he had thereafter demanded to see and to speak with Mark Scholey, he had never done so, until meeting him at the public inquiry, having been told Mr Scholey’s wife was ill with a heart condition. When Mr Scholey had not attended two planned meetings in April 2019, Jamie Bogg had said his own circumstances had changed and he was once again available to hold the TM position himself.

The commissioner said a TM1 form was filed on May 10, 2019, wherein Jamie Bogg was himself nominated as the TM and a CPC certificate apparently in his name was produced.

What were then termed “discrepancies” were noted by staff, both in the fonts used and the layout of the CPC certificate.

It was also recognised the certificate number, which always incorporates the date of birth of its holder, did not do so in respect of the certificate produced for Mr Bogg. There were serious concerns it was not a legitimate CPC certificate.

Mr Gethings-Smith said a hard copy of an O-licence for 15 vehicles in the North Eastern Traffic Area had been produced to him by Jamie Bogg. He now accepted it was a forgery. There was a showdown with Jamie Bogg. He had denied any wrongdoing, but his contract was terminated.

Mark Scholey said he did not recognise his signature on the TM1 form, which had been submitted for the GS Couriers licence. He had never carried out the TM’s role, or received any money for it, or previously met anyone from the company.

The commissioner said the North Western licence was granted on a false premise. It was believed professional competence for the licence was being met by the appointment of Mark Scholey, when that was not the case. It was admitted the company unlawfully operated more than three, but not more than nine, large goods vehicles outside the terms of the North Western licence from May 2018 until June 2019.

Mr Gethings-Smith had so little knowledge of O-licensing that he was manifestly ill-equipped to meet the undertakings he had signed up to. He exercised no supervision of Mr Bogg and never sought any positive affirmation about the grant of the licence. His personal failure to exercise even the most basic checks of the application form, and to allow his manager to take the same approach amounted to wholly reckless failures, entirely unbecoming of a licence holder and entirely reprehensible. His subsequent conduct and the failure to make proper enquiries were such as to allow himself to be duped by Jamie Bogg and to be “fobbed-off” for long periods, such that the holding of an Olicence obtained by a deception continued for much longer than ought to have been allowed to be the case.

While he considered Mr Gethings-Smith would probably have been unaware, at least initially, that he had taken on someone who would carry out such deceitful acts, his inadequate business practices and subsequent repeated failures to get to the truth were such he did not recover the position when he could have done.

Finally, the commissioner said since Jamie Bogg did not hold a TM CPC, he had no power to make any a formal direction in respect of him. He was however directing that a copy of his decision was forwarded to his email address. ■ March 2020 TRUCKING 75

DIARY DATES 2020 We recom e nd you c events are m still going ahheck ead before settin g out.

February 22-23, 2020

SPRING TRACTOR WORLD & CLASSIC COMMERCIAL SHOW

Trucks and tractors on display (mostly indoors) at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern. http://bit.ly/STWCCS2020

April 28-30, 2020

TRUCKFEST PETERBOROUGH

See the latest trucks and tech at the biggest industry show, taking place at the Birmingham NEC. https://cvshow.com

The big show is back at the East of England Showground, but on the Saturday and Sunday this year. www.truckfest.co.uk

May 13-14, 2020

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY IN TRANSPORT

Logistics update at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. www.itthub.co.uk

May 20, 2020

Reduce costs and improve service at this big event taking place Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. www.microliseconference.com

June 10-11, 2020

UKIFDA EXPO

Take a look at the UK’s largest oil distribution industry event at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. www.fpsshow.co.uk

Holding a tru cking event?

Give us the details and we’ll try to in clude it.

Send to: Truc king, Kelsey Media, Cudham Tith e Barn, Berry Cudham, Ken s Hill, t, TN16 3AG or information email to trucking.ed @kelsey.co. uk

May 9-10, 2020

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW

MICROLISE TRANSPORT CONFERENCE

FREE PUBLIC FOR YOUR SH ITY OW!

May 16-17, 2020

DEVON TRUCK SHOW

See some of the West Country’s brightest and best at the Smeatharpe Stadium, Clayhidon, Honiton. Info at www.devontruckshow.co.uk

May 30-31, 2020

TRUCKFEST NORTH EAST

Superb working trucks on display at the big commercial vehicle event at the Wolsingham Showground. www.truckfest.co.uk

June 13-14, 2020

CLASSIC & VINTAGE COMMERCIAL SHOW

Come and see some of the very best oldie trucks on show at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

June 20-21, 2020

KELSALL STEAM & VINTAGE RALLY

Classic commercials of yesteryear are front and centre at this leading vintage vehicle event in Ashton, Nr Chester. www.kelsallsteamrally.co.uk

July 28- August 1, 2020

WAR & PEACE REVIVAL

Check out one of the largest military vehicle spectaculars in the world at The Hop Farm, Kent. Details at www.warandpeacerevival.co.uk

August 8-9, 2020

WESSEX TRUCK SHOW

After a year off, the big Yeovil show is back with more top-class commercials, arena events and more. www.wessextruckshow.co.uk

76 TRUCKING March 2020

August 12, 2020

September 12-13, 2020

Peruse a fine collection show trucks at the Tarland Showground, Tarland, Aboyne. More information at www.tarland.org.uk

Be sure not to miss a weekend of vintage trucking fun taking place at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

TARLAND TRUCK SHOW

RETRO TRUCK SHOW

www.truckingmag.co.uk

CLASSIC TRUCK BRITAIN’S LORRIES IN THE 1980s AWD TL 17-ton gross tipper, produced after the 1987 David JB Brown takeover of Bedford. AWD survived for only five years

HISTORY MASTER The 1980s saw the decline of British-made trucks and consolidation by the continentals. A new book by leading author Peter Davies tells the story

By Ed Burrows PHOTOGRAPHY PETER DAVIES

I

f you have a shelf or two of road transport books, it’s likely the titles include at least one by Peter Davies. The former Bedford publicity man has had a richly productive second career as a writer and photographer on truck and road haulage subjects. His dozen or so books have included impressive make histories and decade-by-decade records of Britain’s transport scene since World War II. These have recently been joined by a

78 TRUCKING March 2020

fourth volume, Britain’s Lorries in the 1980s. Like the three earlier titles in the series, it is published by Roundoak and available from the publisher’s transport and construction equipment online bookshop arm.

The new book chronicles the period during which, confronted by continental imports, once-thriving British marques variously capitulated, entered terminal decline or were ‘rationalised’ out of existence. www.truckingmag.co.uk

26 MAKES

Commer Commando, re-badged Dodge after Chrysler’s 1976 Rootes takeover.

Ripponden ran nearly 100 parcel vans

When World War II ended, there were 26 British truck manufacturers. The government’s foreign earnings drive resulted in the country becoming the world’s number one truck exporter.

job. Straight out of school, he moved from the family home in Wales to Luton, taking up a position in the publicity department.

And there he stayed, for almost 30 years, until General Motors closed its UK truck manufacturing operation down in 1986.

He progressed from trainee to brochure maestro and hands-on all-rounder. And in Peter Davies’ case, hands-on publicity executive responsibilities extended to scaring journalists half to death on Army training areas like Bagshot Heath, demonstrating the cross-country agility of the MK and TM 4x4s – Bedford’s immensely capable military

Iveco-badged Cargo after Iveco’s 1986 merger with Ford Europe’s truck side.

GVW of this drawbar outfit was 28 tons

The book also commemorates some well-known hauliers which alas are also no more. Adding to its value as a historical record, it benefits from drawing on the massive archive of photos taken by Peter Davies that in every case depict a vehicle in its everyday working environment. The liveries, the bodywork, the loads and even the backgrounds combine to portray the 1980s haulage scene as it really was. This creates an authenticity impossible where images in a book are mainly recycled manufacturers’ press photos or are shots of pristine restorations on parade at classic vehicle events.

Giving truth to the aphorism that ‘the child is the father of the man’, www.truckingmag.co.uk

with his interest heightened by his father, who drove trucks and buses, Peter Davies readily admits to having been obsessed with trucks since boyhood. He was determined that, after leaving school in 1957 after taking A-Levels, he would work in the industry in whatever capacity matched his talents and turn of mind.

Eight-legged treats In those days, eight-wheelers were the standard maximum gross heavies.

They captured his imagination to the extent that his career ambitions were focused on working with one of the elite eight-legger builders – Foden, ERF, AEC, Atkinson, Leyland or Guy. But it was Bedford that offered him a

ABOVE Transport vehicle historian Peter Davies has a dozen or so books to his credit March 2020 TRUCKING 79

CLASSIC TRUCK BRITAIN’S LORRIES IN THE 1980s 208 bhp Bedford ‘Blue Series’ turbodiesel powered TL 2440. Seen here in 1983, three years before Bedford’s closure

244 bhp DAF 2500 with penthouse sleeper operated as a high-cube drawbar outfit for transporting paper products

UK roads most certainly ticked a box, though bragging rights were offset by the rollocking he received over loss of the trade plate.

Diesel in the blood Having been excited by trucks from an early age, Peter Davies was surprised to find that for a large percentage of his colleagues, working in the industry was just a job. Energy provided by enthusiasm for the task at hand is what drives progress in many fields – and also leads to books like the subject of this article. But Peter Davies’ innate enthusiasm has propelled his interest to an even higher level. His magnum opus is The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trucks, an authoritative A to Z of over 280 past and present world truck makes.

There is quite literary no other current

derivatives of its civilian-market offerings. Work could scarcely be more fun than that.

Hard to believe, but in 1960 Bedford production exceeded 100,000 units.

The big numbers were sustained throughout the 1970s – but, reflecting a central theme of the book – by the mid-1980s annual output declined to under 15,000.

One incident he recalls was being asked to collect a GMC Brigadier bonneted 6x4 from Liverpool Docks 80 TRUCKING March 2020

for eventual exhibition at the 1978 NEC Motor Show. Barrelling down the M1, the unique sight of the big Yank must have caused more than a few drivers of other trucks to disbelieve what their eyes were telling them. Only when he finally parked up at Bedford’s Dunstable truck manufacturing plant did it become apparent that, somewhere along the route, the rear trade plate worked itself adrift. As a born truck enthusiast, driving the big GMC on

ABOVE Foden 4300 eight-legger flat. Pictured in 1988, four-axle flatbeds were disappearing, displaced by artics www.truckingmag.co.uk

BOOM TO BUST

ERF E6 twin-steer, a configuration favoured for reefers with front-mounted refrigeration units to avoid front-axle overload

After 40 years of heroic success, the 1980s saw the bubble burst. By the end of the decade the only British-owned makes left were ERF, Dennis, SD and Unipower.

Turbulent times

Hard to believe, but in 1960 Bedford production exceeded 100,000 units. book like it. The product of thousands of hours of diligent research, the present updated edition draws on the author’s earlier works in this vein, the first of which was published 20 years ago.

Away from the day job, Peter Davies’ enthusiasm led to active involvement in preserving and restoring a number

of eight-wheelers, the layout that in its heyday set Britain’s heavies apart from the Continent and North America. Peter Davies is currently president of the Commercial Vehicle and Road Transport Club, which he helped found and which has some 400 members in the UK and elsewhere.

After Bedford’s closure, it was natural for Peter Davies to freelance for AWD, which took over GM’s Bedford operation in 1987. AWD was relatively short-lived – partly the consequence of lacking a suitable response to a market that was by that time dominated by sophisticated 32-38 tonne artics instead of the light/medium trucks that had been Bedford’s forte. While Bedford had an answer on paper in the shape of the TM, it was tainted by the initial decision to use Detroit Diesel twostrokes; engines that were great for their US home market, but insufficiently frugal for UK conditions.

Fortunately for history, after the demise of AWD Peter Davies channelled his knowledge – and photo 6x4-based Hino eight-wheelers built by J Harries (Assemblers) in Dublin found a market with demolition contractors

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 81

CLASSIC TRUCK BRITAIN’S LORRIES IN THE 1980s

Narrow-cab T45 range eight-wheeler, introduced by Leyland after a Leyland agent had success with six-wheeler conversions

archives – into books like Britain’s Lorries in the 1980s. Illustrated with over 275 of his own photographs, it divides into four sections, respectively covering four-wheelers, six-wheelers, eight-wheelers and artics. These are preceded by a perceptive commentary on the market dynamics – and political factors – that changed UK truck manufacturing and the road haulage industry in the peak years of the Thatcher era.

jobs. This was in stark contrast to the hopeful outlook in 1980, which saw the launch of a clutch of new British truck models that included Leyland’s Roadtrain artic tractor and the wider T45 series and Bedford’s light/medium

payload TL. And to meet the demand for more powerful Fodens, SeddonAtkinsons and ERFs, Gardner unveiled the 265 bhp 8LXC straight-eight.

The book reminds us of the vociferous and misguided anti-truck A Volvo 10x6! This FL10 tractor unit is mated to a Multidrive permanently coupled tipper trailer with steer/drive axles

Catastrophic climate Reflecting a view that the government policy-making machine of the time had scant understanding of the management of change, the author points out the decimation that took place in the 1980s across Britain’s once-thriving truck manufacturing sector cannot be understated. By the end of the decade there was little left of an industry that had previously earned valuable export income and provided many thousands of skilled 82 TRUCKING March 2020

www.truckingmag.co.uk

RARE MAKES

Air-cooled V8 diesel-powered Magirus, which became part of Iveco. ‘Maggies’ were assembled in Cheshire for a time

With only six main commercial vehicle makes today, it’s hard to reel off the 28 on the UK market in the 1980s that included AWD, Britannia, Dennison, Ebro, Quest and Steyr.

By 1982, some 900 local British councils had introduced lorry bans. lobby that existed in those days – the 1980s equivalent of today’s Extinction Rebellion protest movement. By 1982, some 900 local British councils had introduced lorry bans, a glaring example of officialdom’s disgraceful ignorance of how the nation’s supply chains actually work.

But there was worse. Leyland – propped up by the government – rejected a takeover bid from General Motors of the US. At the time, GM was the world’s largest manufacturing

group – and Bedford’s parent. The rebuff contributed to GM closing Bedford down. Leyland was ultimately rescued and reversed into DAF by PACCAR, parent of Peterbilt and Kenworth and (from 1980) Foden.

Britain’s Lorries in the 1980s is available from Nynehead Books (www.nynehead-books.co.uk), price £25.95 (plus shipping). It is an excellent read, nicely printed, and its wealth of photos are accompanied by informative extended captions. ■ A Peter Davies personal favourite, a grey-and-red liveried three-axle Leyland Roadtrain artic hauled 38 tonnes gross

www.truckingmag.co.uk

March 2020 TRUCKING 83

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Royal Mail operations are 24/7, meaning driving vacancies are readily available on days, nights, weekends and even the odd day to suit every individual. All work is ongoing and flexible and will be available from September onwards.

Louise Owen, Pertemps director, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our driving division has grown considerably in recent years and we continue to expand our operations throughout the UK at a rapid pace. It is through our key partnerships with businesses like Royal Mail that we are able to offer more jobs than ever before to C+E drivers and through our Driving Academy that we can get more new drivers out on the road.â&#x20AC;?

Pertemps was formed in 1961 and now boasts over 100 offices across the country. New and experienced drivers who are interested in discussing opportunities can contact any Pertemps branch in Coventry (024 7663 1199), Rugby (01788 578888), Northampton (01604 232333), Peterborough (01733 294554), Leicester (0116 255 9411), Daventry (01327 220483) and Birmingham (0121 4564555).

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Contact details for your nearest branch can be found at www. pertempsdriving.co.uk whilst

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TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW LOCALLY, TEXT US NOW ON: 81400

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Logistics PeopleYOUR recruitsINJURY TAKING and represents PERSONALLY way to the top.â&#x20AC;? some of the most professional HGV results speak for themselves. I really enjoy The Logistics People is currently drivers in the UK so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a match made See working with Carl and all his team, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in recruiting for drivers nationally. There our heaven.â&#x20AC;? incredibly proud to have an association are guaranteed hours and shifts ACCIDENT Carl Stairs, Managing Director of with such a fantastic bunch of people. available along with excellent rates 4 1 0 5of pay. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re People, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are extremely You have nothingLogistics â&#x20AC;&#x153;Commercially the relationshipÂ&#x2020;works to pay if your claim issays; lost looking for or are proud to we be ensure supporting you have full insurance cover Tom in the BTCC well - the Motorsport world is 100% reliant feat in driving work, please on for the second year running. We have ureinterested Â&#x2020; We obtain as much on HGV drivers, without them we built e call The Logistics People on pag compensation wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for you as possible 8 01536 and are willing to take your claim to Court to achieve this Â&#x2020; Our service has been tried, tested and recommended by professional drivers for many years Â&#x2020; Â&#x2020; For more details about us and

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Read the paper online at XXX USBO TQPSUDBGF DP VL Kettering-based company The Logistics People is one of the leading driver recruitment agencies in the industry after demonstrating major growth in a short period of time. The Logistics People was formed in 2014 by Carl Stairs, and has since grown from a one-man team to a company that now employs over 20 office staff, and is placing over 1,200 driving shifts per day with multiple blue chip clients.

Logistics People formed a strong from relationship with Tom Ingram back in 2016 and has been a proud sponsor ever since.

Tom Ingram, BTCC Toyota Avensis driver, says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m absolutely over the moon to be sponsored by The Logistics Centres People in the 2017 MSA Dunlop BTCC. across the As far as a link up of combined values UK goes, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think there are many better We give ÂŁ5 to partnerships. I think the story behind The charity from for Logistics People brand, which has shown every medical incredible growth and performance, is one a relatively small, close team working that lines up very well with our own goals Logistics People recruits and represents incredibly way hard to and the its top.â&#x20AC;? reputation and and ambitions. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a small independent some of the most professional HGV results speak for themselves. I really enjoy The Logistics People is currently team competing in the toughest Motor Centres drivers in the UK so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a match made working with Carl and all his team, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in recruiting for drivers nationally. There across the or 0870 6091540 racing championship in the country, and heaven.â&#x20AC;? incredibly proud to have an association UK are guaranteed hours and shifts managing to outperform some of the Carl Stairs, Managing Director of with such a fantastic bunch of people. available along with excellent rates big manufacturer backed teams who We give ÂŁ5 to Logistics People, says; â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are extremely â&#x20AC;&#x153;Commercially the relationship works of pay. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for or are charity for completely dwarf us in terms of resources well - the Motorsport world is 100% reliant proud to be supporting Tom in the BTCC interested in driving work, please every medical and experience. for the second year Cotswold running.

Medicals Ltd We have on HGV drivers, without them we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t built call The Logistics People on Coverdale House â&#x20AC;&#x153;Similarly, with Logistics People it is 01536 a a fantastic relationship with Tom and we team working Little Sodbury End evenrelatively make small, Logistics People recruits and represents 726870, text HGV to 60060 or visit to theclose race circuits, the incrediblyithard are Bristol in BS37 6QE doubt that he can make it all the way to the top.â&#x20AC;? and its reputation and someno www.logisticspe of the most professional HGV ople.co.uk results speak for themselves. I really enjoy The Logistics People Charges include VAT is currently drivers in the UK so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a match made working with Carl and all his team, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in recruiting for drivers nationally. There or 0870 6091540 heaven.â&#x20AC;? incredibly proud to have an association are guaranteed hours and shifts Carl Stairs, Managing Director of with such a fantastic bunch of people.

Logistics People, says; â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are extremely available along with excellent rates â&#x20AC;&#x153;Commercially the relationship works of pay. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for or are well - the Motorsport world is 100% reliant proud to be supporting Tom in the BTCC interested inSteven driving work, please Call for the second Hinchliffe year Cotswold running.

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ob opportunities for drivers are at an all-time high at Pertemps Driving Division thanks to a successful working partnership with Royal Mail.

As peak season approaches, the partnership has vacancies for C+E and 7.5 tonne drivers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; regardless of experience. This is in part down to the established recruitment agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very own Driving Academy which is opening doors for even the newest of drivers. The business has invested over ÂŁ1m in driver training from its Driver Training Division, based in Crick, Northamptonshire. The Academy recently celebrated training its 1,000th driver since it was launched in 2009.

Pertemps Driving Division is the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest agency supplier of drivers and works closely with some of the most recognised transport and haulage operators around, as well as supplying drivers to local businesses nationwide.

One of its key clients is Royal Mail who have worked with Pertemps for years to place drivers into the National Distribution Centre in Crick, National Parcel Force Hub in Coventry, Birmingham Mail Centre, South Mids Mail Centre and Peterborough Mail Centre, as well as other depots across the Midlands.

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In line with Optifuel Lab 1 and 2, and more recently the Urban Lab 2 project involving now distribution vehicles, Renault is undertaking the development of a new experimental combination fuel designed to consume 13% less a than a standard trailer pulled by Range T truck. four on focusing be will work The key priorities, namely: of a) optimising the aerodynamics tractor/semi-trailer units, b) developing connected tyres with low rolling resistance, only for assessing technology c) introducing new fuel-saving It production in the medium term. aimed at further reducing the driving aids and traffic conditions at the end of is worth noting, however, that over fuel consumption of trailer d) improving the drive line (engine, 2018. half the technology tested in our trucks, but also in preparation gearbox and rear axle) through a François Savoye, Energy previous vehicle laboratory, Optifuel for the requirements of future new generation of Rankine heat Efficiency Strategy Manager at Lab 2, was then used in standard regulations, within the EU, on the recovery systems and use of Renault Trucks, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The technical Renault Trucks Range T trucks.â&#x20AC;? achieve to CO2 emissions of heavy goods special lubricants. developments are aiming The FALCON project, which is vehicles, together with the volumes, With the exception of the Rankine a maximum return on investment Renault offers 2020, in end due to dimensions and tyres. system, this technology is set to of two years in normal operating a new laboratory on wheels not be integrated into a demonstration conditions, with a view to starting

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LAST DROP BILL DEAN

PASSING JUDGEMENT Close encounters of the police kind…

By Bill Dean PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

R

ecently police have started doing “sting” operations to fine/educate motorists who pass too close to cyclists or horses. Involving a day’s work for a team of officers, the complaint that the blue line is now so thin, burglaries can only be given a crime number and routine patrols will only happen on telly rings somewhat hollow.

Driving too close to cyclists and horses is dangerous and an offence.

Interestingly, the Highway Code (Rule 139) says only to give them “at least as much room as you would a car when overtaking,” and does not specify any distance. Given a bus route road can be only 6 m (19 ft 6 inches) across and a wagon/bus, including mirrors is at least 3 m (9 ft 9 inches) wide, when one passes the other that gap can be the width of their two mirrors.

But also under current law, anyone – no matter how young or inexperienced – can throw their leg over a one-ton animal that evolution has primed to respond to stress and danger by bolting at high speed. And that on said animal they are fully entitled, without insurance or licence, to enter the busiest main roads in the country except where specifically banned. Equally anyone, equally unskilled or insured, can mount a bicycle and do the same.

But why exercise this legal freedom if it means torturing a dumb animal by exposing it to thundering wheeled monsters? Why wobble over grids and potholes next to speeding metal protected only by Lycra and a polystyrene helmet? Dr Beeching ensured a wonderful supply of redundant track bed for bridle paths.

Sustrans is working hard to provide safe cycle routes across the country away from trunk roads.

In October 2016, I sat with my egg and chips watching The One Show. That nice Matt Baker announced a short piece they’d done with West Midlands Police to improve cycling safety. Interesting.

Was it copying Manchester’s crackdown on Wilmslow Road cyclists running red lights? Or perhaps it was promoting Bikeability, the update of the Cycling Proficiency Scheme, teaching good road skills early.

No. It was an officer in civvies cycling well out from the kerb on a major Birmingham road. Any vehicles which couldn’t or didn’t encroach on the opposite carriageway to pass were pulled over by his colleagues down the road. This inevitably meant a number of lorries, including a council bin wagon, with the drivers either getting fined or cautioned.

However, it was the piece to camera, with demonstration, which had me choking on my chips. The lead officer stated on prime-time TV it was safer on main roads for cyclists to travel side by side as it would take vehicles less time to pass them.

Really? This was a group of Road Traffic Unit officers telling cyclists to break Highway Code Rule 66: “Cyclists should ride in single file on busy roads,” and, even worse, not understanding the effect such a rolling road block would have on following traffic.

My complaint to the BBC was batted away with a bland “We can only follow police advice.” Clearly the thousands of our money they spent compensating Cliff Richard after police inspired intrusion has not sharpened any minds among its investigative journalists.

There then followed a long exchange of emails with Dean Hatton, Superintendent Central Motorway Police Group (why, when cyclists aren’t allowed on motorways?). His ability not to answer questions was at politician level.

The empty roads of the 19th Century have long gone and aren't coming back.

98 TRUCKING March 2020

He finally wrote: “We have taken on board your feedback… the officers have been made aware of it.” A perfect example of: “It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear.”

Feeling I’d got as far as I could and it was too local to write about, I filed it away as dead. Then last week I went horse riding (yes, and I also cycle!), and my fellow rider mentioned Greater Manchester Police had done a similar operation called Safe Pass in Slag Lane, Leigh. A young girl had been knocked off her horse there, so a team of eight officers, another quiet crime day, set up a similar operation with two officers, in civvies on horses. This was done in partnership with the British Horse Society (BHS). Some 40 cars were stopped and drivers spoken to.

To be fair, few horse riders go on the crowded roads cyclists do. However, one question arises from the two reports: Do the police really understand what’s needed to make cyclists and horse riders safe in traffic?

In Birmingham, it was the stupid ‘two abreast on busy roads’ advice. Here it was the horses not wearing leg bands (hi-vis anklets, something the BHS insists on). Why do they? Because a car driver’s eyes are normally focused on the light clusters of the car in front. It brakes, he brakes, etc. At that height, an unadorned horse’s legs merge into the hedgerow. The driver doesn’t see its body, even if its rider is hi-vis jacketed; it’s above his eye line. Australian, Canadian and American police understand this, and their horses have them. They don’t even have shaded country lanes. Our mounted police don’t.

The quiet, empty roads of the 19th Century have long gone. They aren’t coming back. Vehicles, however powered, are here to stay and will become ever more numerous. A serious debate is needed about what access these two vulnerable groups have to main roads.

Harassing motorists is not the answer. ■ www.truckingmag.co.uk

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