DRIVERS' VERDICTS
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As usual, having completed our three-day test route, we headed for a truckstop to invite some drivers to have a go and give us their comments.
"I normally drive a Daf 85.360 for Ryder out of Milton Keynes," James Cambell told us as we pulled out of the BP truck stop at Crick. "This pulls very well for 38 tonnes," he added as we reached the crest of the first hill. "It picks up well from low speed and it's got a smooth gearchange. The pedals are set fine and the clutch and accelerator are nice and light to operate. There's no play in the brakes—you only have to touch the pedal and they're there. The steering is very light but its still sensitive to the road conditions. I think it's a little bit louder than mine—the Daf 85 is very quiet—but this seat is better and the belt doesn't dig into my neck at all. I don't suppose I'd know it was there after wearing it for a while. The ride is far better than with the Daf. The dash is very nice; there aren't too many dials. It's good to keep it simple. I can see everything and I like the column stalks close to the steering wheel; they give fingertip control. I don't think a lot of the exhaust brake, and it seems to run on when I lift of the accelerator." Our test load incorporates a couple of water tanks and Cambell picked up the small amount of surge a couple of tonnes of water can give. "The lock is very good," he noted as he reversed back into a slot on the park. "This is a very roomy cab. How is it different from the Strato Cruiser cab?" We told him the Strata Cruiser has a full-width cab. "There are plenty of lights and I should think there is enough stowage space. I felt quite at ease with the engine but it would take me a little longer to get accustomed to the splitter switch" he concluded. Paul Timms also drives a Daf 85.360. He works out of Welwyn Garden City for Hatfield Express. After we had explained the idiosyncrasies of the engine he started up and drew away. "I like that," he told us. "The electronics adjust the tickover revs to load. I thought it would stall if I just lifted the clutch and pulled away in third, but it doesn't feel as though it has any weight on it. It's pulling lovely. I only needed to give it a little bit of gas to pull up this hill; I'd be struggling now in top gear. It gives a nice smooth ride...my Daf really bucks." As he snapped through the gearbox he added: "The lever is nice and short and it doesn't have to move far to engage the next gear. The detent is still a bit stiff but the change down is brilliant," said Timms as he used the splitter. "It's much quieter than mine now but what will it be like after it's done 500,000km?" Looking to the left and right as we came into a roundabout he said: "Forward visibility is OK. The steering is lovely and I can see the instruments through the wheel. What's this down here?" he asked referring to the Road Relay display. "I'd like the window switches on the door; they could be closer and I wouldn't have to
stretch." Braking firmly from speed he confirmed: -They feel good." And as we returned to
the park, "The mirrors are good for reversing and you can move them electrically to give a slightly wider view if you're at an angle. The cob is specious. There's more room in the middle than in mine and you have got the height to stand up. The colour doesn't bother me—it's the some dark grey as a lot of others—but I would suffer with that mattress on the lower bunk: it's not thick enough. The top one is more substantial; perhaps they're the wrong way round. The outside locker is a good idea but there's not enough room under the bunk. With the night heater it gets hot down there. Mine's the same and I can't put anything in it."
Cambell: "The clutch and accelerator are nice and light to operate."
Timms: "It doesn't feel as though It has any weight on it."