Transport in Ulster
Page 37
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This year is the 50th anniversary of Northern Ireland's self-government, which the province is marking with events such as the Ulster '71 exhibition at Belfast: In this week's issue, CM takes a look at some aspects of the current road transport scene in Ulster—in road haulage, transport legislation, training, distribution and not least in the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition, which is supported with great enthusiasm by Irish drivers, employers and voluntary helpers.
Ulster looks to 24 men for glory
by lain Sherriff
ON SEPTEMBER 12 this year the biggestever Irish contingent will be competing in the National Finals of the Lorry Driver of the Year competition at Bramcote, near Nuneaton, Warwicks. In all, 24 men will be coming to Britain from Ulster in an attempt to emulate the achievements of the Londonderry team of 1968 and Sam Gray in 1969.
It was three years ago that Londonderry won the team prize at the Finals and a year later when Sam Gray became the first Irishman to win the supreme award. This year Ulster will have three teams at Bramcote from Belfast, Londonderry and Portstewart, and while it would be foolhardy to attempt to forecast anything with an Irish connection, the Belfast team has every appearance of being the strongest of the three. Sam Gray is back and another two of last year's finalists, J. Campbell of Kraft Foods Ltd, and T. Burrows of Shell-Mex and BP Ltd, will help to overcome the big occasion nerves of the other five members of the team.
The Londonderry team has only one previous finalist in its ranks, and he is Alec McQuillan, who attended last year's Finals as a driver with the Ulster Chipboani Company; this year Mr McQuillan is driving for W. J. Watt. The Portstewart team members are complete newcomers to Bramcote, but they qualified in fine style last week.
One of the features of the three Irish competitions is that each one has an exceptionally long road route. Year by year these routes are never less than 20 miles long, and this time there was one of 40 miles. Surprisingly enough, competitors seemed to enjoy this section of the competition, and it is a feature of the road route that in each of the three centres the marshals are out of sight of the competitors. Each of the three centres is organized either by Rospa or the local road safety committee with hauliers participating only as entrants. The Belfast centre this year, however, had the added support of the Northern Ireland Road Transport Industry Training Board and its facilities at Nutts Corner. It is understood that this might well become the permanent home for the Belfast competition. So great is the enthusiasm for road safety and the LDoY competition, that there is talk of setting up two more centres, ore at Newry and the other at Enniskillen.
The Belfast men who will carry Ireland's colours at this year's final are E. T. Lester (Post Office Telephones); J. Campbell, (Kraft Foods Ltd); R. McKay (BOC); T. Burrows (Shell-Mex and BP Ltd); S. Gray (N. I. Eggs); W. Townsley (Shell-Mex and BP Ltd); J. Millar (Cawoods Containers Ltd); and R. Ashton (Esso Petroleum Ltd). The Londonderry men are J. McClintock (Post Office Engineering); V.McFarland (Londonderry Development Commission); P. Anderson (P. M. Murphy and Co Ltd); W. Leck (Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Co Ltd); B. Olphert (Robert Keys Co Ltd); J. McCough (Shell-Mex and BP Ltd); A. McQuillan (W. J. Watt); and P. McLaughlan (Millanda Bakeries). The Portstewart winners are listed elsewhere on this page.