Maintenance Better Than Driving
Page 61
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TRE , standard _ of maintenance _seemed. to be .higher than the -general level of skill shown• by drivers in last Sunday's eliminating round of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition at Hawker's .Airfield, Slough. Mr. John R. Shepley, who supervised the voluntary maintenance examination on behalf of the Traders Road Transport Association, reported that it was practically impossible to fault the vehicles.
The improvement in their condition, as compared with those at Slough, last year, was such that nearly half the entries scored maximum points. The efficiency of lighting in particular was far higher than before. All but four of the vehicles entered for the-maintenance competition were operated under C licence. .
Prizes for the best-maintained Clicence vehicle and for the best oiler over 6 tons payload capacity went to a 20-year-old A.E.C. owned by Limmer and Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co., Ltd., and driven by J. A. Beale. R. McCormack's beautifully turned out Scammell 3.600-gal, frameless tanker, which now has transparent plastics panels in the bonnet sides to reveal the immaculate Gardner engine, was the best-maintained other-that-C-licence vehicle. It is owned by the Crow Carrying Co., Ltd. .
Sixty-nine vehicles took part in the eliminating round. The 10-mile road section revealed that the greatest weakness of drivers was hand signalling.
Manceuvring tests consisted of the two nationally prescribed exercises (kerbside parking and the estimation of vehicle width), plus a third in which competitors had to drive forward to a line and then reverse at right angles to come to rest with the rear panel of the body parallel with a barrier. There was no restriction on width.
The accuracy with which competitors estimated the minimum space through which their vehicles could pass was uncanny until, at the end of the morning, it was discovered that the movable post of the pair of pylons in test 2 was not .being shifted after 'each 'driver had completed his test. The re§alt was that subsequent drivers had merely to note the margin allowed by their predecessors and either increase or reduce it.
Several driver, i tried to be too clever and narrowed the gap to " cigarettepaper 'tolerance, so that, although they could drive forward through it, they knocked a pylon in reversing. As identical types of vehicle were allowed to follow one another consecutively, the width-judging test became something of a farce.
As always, the kerbside parking exercise was the most difficult and some of the competitors finished in extraordinary positions.
Highest marks of the day went to H. L. D. Hind (Austin, S.P.D., Ltd.), who scored 461.9 out of 500. He was also class D winner. His neat performance in the kerbside parking test earno,d a round of applause.
Drivers entered by the Express Dairy Co., Ltd., set a high standard and J. Tiller (Morris), who won class A, was ;.%pplautled for -his well-controlled kerbside parking.
RESULTS • Class A, up lo 15 ft.
1-I. IL Tiller (.Morris. Express Dairy Co.. Ltd.). 431,6 marks; 2-W. Edwards (Austin.
owner-driven), 405.3 marks; 1-Torsgood eviorriA, 3. R. Campbell, Ltd.), 395.3 marks. Class B, /5-19 ft.
1-W. T: Evans (Cornmer, Mat Cottage Laundry), 266.5 marks; 2-D. S. Gabriele (Austin, Tohn Dale. Ltd.), 265.5 marks; 3-K, Wright (Bedford, Limmer and Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co., Ltd.), 240.4 marks.
Class C. 19-22 ft.
1-M. F. Dodd (Thames, Weston Biscuit Co.. LW.), 418.9 marks; 2-C. A. Dairies (Austin, Fred MITTS, Ltd.), 400.4 marks: 3-11. Newell (Bedford. Express Dairy Co., Ltd.), 372.9 marks.
Class I), 22-25 ft.
1-H. L. D. /find (Austin, S.P.D.. Ltd.), 461.9 marks; 2-1. 3. Holliman (Bedford, Express Dairy Co., Ltd.), 412.1 marks: .3.-S fond (Thames, Wes= Biscuit Co., Ltd.). 398.4 marks.
Class F„ over 25ft.
G. Orford (A.E.C.,• British Road Services), 423 marks; 2-A. E. Burridge (Foden, Tate and Lyle, Ltd.), 421.3 marks; 3-1t. I. Cox (Les
:and. Lincoln Electric Co., lad.), 419,3 marks. Class r, Articulated (Trudy). Under 3 Tons
Unladen) 1-S. I. Hargis (Bedford. Tate and Lyle, Ltd.). 37) marks; 2-W. H. Painter (Bedford, Express Dairy Co., List.), 342.3 marks; 3-C. Tickner (Bedford, Tale and Lyle, Ltd.), 339.6 marks.
Class G, Articulated (Tractor Over 3 Tons
lnladen)
1-W. G. Finn (Comma, British Light Sled Pressings), 349.9 marks; 2-4. ,Tewers (Seddon. ,Rilaurevksera . re Glass Cif., Ltd.), 314.3 marks; 3-R. F. Ralph (13.1)1.C., T, Walt and Sons. Ltd.), 3(19.5