BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Page 46
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BY THE HAWK
• This is the story of a very brave cow which made an unsuccessful dash for freedom. During its final trip to the slaughter house it leapt from its lorry on to the roof of a car carrying the provincial governor of western Mugla, Turkey.
The car was a wreck and the governor, his wife, driver and security guard suffered slight injuries. Bad planning. What it really needed was a getaway truck.
• EC legislation, relating to the compulsory fitting of antilock systems to all new trucks registered after the autumn of 1991, has sent Bendix engineers skating away to the frozen waters of northern Sweden with two of its latest systems for tractive units and trailers.
Testing of six fully-equipped vehicles on frozen lakes, by Bendix engineers from Bristol, Milan and Elyria in the US over the past three months, is just one stage in the development of the Bendix AL2 and AL4T systems.
Let's hope its gripping stuff. • To many enthusiasts the Forties and Fifties were the golden age of road haulage: British Lorries of the 40s and 50s matches the vehicles it celebrates in the style they deserve. It is a no-nonsense account of their development set against the background of the evolving industry, packed with reminiscences, evocative period photos and a sprinkling of large colour photos.
Author Peter Davies has avoided the temptation to make this a worthy but dull allencompassing history. Instead he uses a chatty style to impart the background in an eminently readable opening essay.
With that background the reader can browse through the remainder of the book, which is a priceless photo album complete with extended captions. Sections of four-wheelers, artics, six-wheelers and eightwheelers are each prefaced with a short article to set the scene; the 128-pager (£12.95, plus £1.50 p&p) concludes with an A-Z guide to manufacturers of the period and a useful index.
British lorries of the 40s and 50s is published by Roundoak (ISBN 1-871565-01-4) and distributed by Nynehead Books, 7 Roundoak Gardens, Wellington, Somerset TA21 OBX. • Operator profiles are some of the most popular features in Commercial Motor, learning of a haulage company's evolution is always entertaining, and often instructive. Classic Hauliers is one of those good ideas that's such a natural you wonder why it hasn't been done before: a collection of well-illustrated profiles of some of the best-known fleets on the road.
Enthusiasts will be pleased to see that author Bob Tuck has laid great emphasis on the vehicles themselves, even including complete fleet details of each operator. He examines 15, ranging from leading names of the 90s to great names that are no longer on the road, but deserve their place in the trucking haul of fame. The pictures are plentiful, the style is anecdotal and the captions are detailed. From specialists in reefers, car transporters and Special Types to family firms and own-account fleets, Tuck offers hours of enjoyable reading to those inside the industry, and a wideranging insight to road haulage and the trucks, and personalities, that make it what it is.
The book might have benefited from more colour pictures, but at £12.95 for 128 packed pages it is good value and is a long-overdue addition to the road haulage library.
Classic Hauliers is published by The Fitzjames Press (ISBN 0-948358-02-5) and distributed by Motor Racing Publications, Unit 6, The Pilton Estate, 46 Pitlake, Croydon CRO 3RY.