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LORRY DRIVER OF THE YEAR DUNFERMLINE ROUND

14th May 1965, Page 46
14th May 1965
Page 46
Page 46, 14th May 1965 — LORRY DRIVER OF THE YEAR DUNFERMLINE ROUND
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How to Organize a Lorry Driver Competition

By NORMAN H. TILSLEY qUNDAY'S northern Scottish eliminating round of the Lorry Driver of the Year competition at Dunfermline can only be described as superb from start to finish. Such was the organization-and let me stress that this was the first time the organizing committee had run a contest-that not only was the contest slowed down and eventually stopped for an hour, but the prize-giving had to be advanced an hour because of the speed and precision with which the whole operation was carried out. More than 100 vehicles took part and by 3.30 p.m. the last vehicle had completed its manoeuvring tests.

What was the secret of this success? First, good planning (much of the credit for which must go to the secretary. John Paul), followed by excellent co-operation on the part of the Burgh Corporation (the vice-chairman of the event, Mr. J. P. 13. Sherriff, is Dunfermline's transport manager), the Army and Police, the various car clubs who assisted West Fife Civil Defence and George Steel, the energetic clerk of the course,

It was the Army who supplied a team of measurers who. literally "by numbers" measured each vehicle in less than a minute fiat. It was the Army, too, who supplied a dispatch rider to bring in the results from the road route observers and also provided the excellent catering. What a pity that so many of their drivers in Class C met the usual Services difficulty of not having enough lock on their vehicles to get them through the kerb-parking tests.

u 1 2 The Police provided the route observers and gave overall guidance from a road safety point of view. The Civil Defence provided the link-by walkie-talkie radios-between the three manceuvring test marshals and a control point within the Burgh transport department's depot at Elgin Street, the headquarters of the whole successful event.

The standard of driving-although generally considered to be goodobviously was not up to the level of the • organizing. The highway code questions caused no trouble at all, but hand signals, I gather, were not so good on the road test.

I was particularly impressed by the number of immaculate "working lorries" and in particular ,tippers (two of which actually had chrome bumpers) that were on parade. And the proportion of professional hauliers' vehicles to C-licensees' vehicles was pleasantly high.

The team event caused the most

interest in the score sheets that were so promptly displayed and it was the Dunfermline transport department's-team that carried away this award.

Altogether an excellent show and, in my opinion, definitely thebest organized event that I have yet attended, including the national finals. The only complaint that came to my ear was in the scoring against a particular driver in Class B---a matter soon sorted out by the national steward. Alan Havard (The Commercial Motor's editor). Now I am looking forward to next year's event which, to quote one of the committee members, "is really going to be organized! "

DU NFERN11.1 NE RESULTS

Class A-up to IS ft. and from 204 Cwt.: 1. A. Brown (Durrfermline Corporation Transport). Austin, 151 penalty points: 2, A. Hamilton (.1. Whitehead and Co. (Motors) Ltd.). Bedford, 21.11: 3. A. Starrock (Smedleys Ltd.). Morris. 203.

Class 18-16-19 ft.: 1, F. J. Burke (Dunferndine Co-op,). Commer. 17(1: 2. D. Clements (M. A. Wilson). Commcr. 171: 3, J. Kay (DunferinTine Corporation Transport). Morr:s. 156.

Class C-19.22 ft.: I. D. Donaldson (Fife County Council). S and 0.. 162: 2. R. M. Sinclair (O. L. Steele (iCleish) Ltd.). Bedford. 170: 3. J. Rain (Si'. D. Edinburgh). Commer. 185.

Class 0-22-25 ft.: 1. J. Bogie (John Hutchison (Haulage) Ltd.% Albion, Int; 2, Sgt. Sturton (3rd. Gordons). Commer. 203; 3. S1Sst. Smith (531 R ASC), Commer, 207.

Class 75 ft. two :isles: 1. A. Nish illortons Ltd.). Bedford. 220: 2, W. Row (British Oxygen Co.). Alhion 144: 3, J. Crawford Crawford Jnr.), Leyland. 327.

ChM E42)-over 25 ft., more, tint. Iwo axles: I. R. Sheyas (Walker Bros.). Atkinson. 136: 7, A. Clark (Walker Bros.). Atkinson. 330; 3. C. Merry. weather (Walker Bros.). Albion,•381.

Class F(1)--arlic. tractive units under 4 Ions, flat or sided semi-trailer up to 38 Ft.: 1, W. Deleney (incites Ltd.), Corniner. t46: 2. D. Munro (British Railways). Redford. 171: 3. W. Henderson (British Railways). Bedford. 766.

Class F121-artie. trortive nnit under 4 tons, hot or tanker semi-hailer up to 38 ft.: 1. W. Liddell (Fife County Council). Morris. 176: 2. G. Robertson (Atlas Express). Bedford, 218, Only two entrants.

Class G-artic. tractive unit over 4 tons, Rat or sided .semi.trailer op to 38 ft.: 1. G. Pollock (R. Crawford Jar.). Ley land. 350; 2, S. Annal (13r)tsh Road Services), AEC. 358. Only two entrants.

Class H-arlin. tractive unit over 4 loos. box Of tanker semi-trailer, 1. T. Dixon (Burtons Ltd.), Leyland. 434. Only one entrant.

Team Award: Dunfermline Corporation transport department. Best Aand It-licensed Vehicle Driven I Bose (John Hutchison (Haulage) Ltd.).

Best C-licensed N'ebiele Drlcr A. Brown (Dun

• frrinlint Corporation transport department).


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