;econd guessing' the cv trends
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iE END of the year always ings its host of manufacturers' id traders' predictions for the Lure trends of the commercial :hide industry, but one man hp reckons he has out-guessed em all along, is 78-year-old ick Hutchinson.
Jack could lay claim, although never would, to being one of e "grand old men" of the inistry in the UK. Unlauded for e most part, he has been active n the cv scene since his birth y.
In 1921, when he first gained s lorry-drivers' licence to drive ,r haulage contractors Walter's arriers of Stockton-on-Tees, his ehicles had solid tyres — but 'en, life in the industry hasn't lways been a smooth ride ince.
After 24 years as workshop upervisor for current emloyers Sadler Transport, receded by a varied career rhich included working as a iotor fitter, a fleet engineer, running his own garage, and spending a spell as a director of Teeside Carriers, Jack has a fair idea of how the commercial vehicle has been developing.
"However, I haven't changed my views radically from the original speculations I made as a founder member of the IRTE back in 1945," says Jack Hutchinson. "Even back then, one could see that trucks would drastically improve their braking systems and gearboxes.
"In 1945 I advocated the development of synchromeshstyle braking systems instead of the old crash-boxes, and the use of hydraulics instead of purely mechanical braking systems. I thought that suspension would stay with leaf-springs, however, instead of the much smoother ride one now gets with parabolic springs.
"Alloy bodies were destined to be a thing of the future to replace the old timber bodies, but I'm marvellously impressed with the new alloy wheels provided on the DAF FTG 3300 DKX tractors, two of which have just been delivered by North-East DAF Trucks to Sadler & Co.
"Also away back in 1945, I talked of the development of power steering, but internal lighting, air-conditioning, heating, and modern sleepercab design provide comfort for drivers which would have seemed out of this world to me 40-odd years ago, when drivers used to steal road-side oil lamps and place them on the cab floor to keep themselves warm."
Jack has some ideas about the future of truck design as well, which he hopes are 40 years ahead of anything the manufacturers like DAF have thought up, but he's not saying anything until the offers come in.