And just in case you missed out...
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We took the opportunity to speak to visitors to see what they thought of Commercial Motor Live
Andy Boyle OBE, MD, ABE Ledbury I came to the show with a broad mind, not knowing what to expect. As far as the ride and drive is concerned, it was very good indeed. I have driven the Isuzu 11-tonner and the Mercedes-Benz Actros; Isuzu is a known product that is moving in the right direction, Actros is a complete breath of fresh air, it has come on in leaps and bounds and if Mercedes-Benz is interested in selling it to me, I shall be interested in listening to them. Mercedes-Benz has come here very professionally, it has a product it wants the world to see. Also, Commercial Motor Live provides another opportunity – networking.
Linda-Louise Crawford, transport administrator, Boughey Distribution I have taken part in the ride and drive with the Volvo trucks and driven the Eddie Stobart truck. I absolutely loved it. I haven’t got my licence so it’s the first truck that I have driven. It felt really comfortable, it was good to drive and now I will go and drive some other vehicles. I am going to see senior TC Beverley Bell in the enforcement issues and responsibilities seminar, and find out about some legislation issues. The ride and drive has been fantastic and I would love to come back again.
Graham Binstead, transport manager, Linton Fuel Oils
I was looking to do a ride and drive of the Scania Euro-6 R440 vehicle. I am very impressed with the truck and it was great to get an insight on new technology coming through and see how it affects us. I really want to see what other vehicles are in the market that compare with the Scania. We run a Scania fleet; we don’t look to change that but we like to look to see what is in the market. For me, the best thing about Commercial Motor Live was the driving experience and understanding the feedback the truck gives you and how we can incorporate that into the business. This should be a bigger event, the industry would benefit with more operators here. It’s a step in the right direction.
Phil Green, MD, Green Line Vehicle Rentals I had some great fun off-road with the 4x4s, they had a new Ford Ranger there with the 3.2-litre engine – it’s a nice bit of kit. My main reason for coming here was to drive the Mercedes-Benz Antos and I was very impressed. It’s the first rigid, fully auto Mercedes I have driven and the combination of the automatic box and engine power on the vehicle, grossed to 15 tonnes, had a fantastic balance. I am about to go over to Volvo and drive one of its trucks as I have never driven one. Why go to a seminar when the sun is out, why sit inside? Talking to people here, it’s clear fuel consumption is becoming more important. Jon Bennett, MD, B&C Transport; operations director, B&C Engineering I have driven a Scania R560, looked around the stalls, eaten the hog roast, and enjoyed the day. I have driven an Isuzu: B&C Engineering is an Isuzu franchise, but in the haulage company my fleet is Scania due to issues of size, as Isuzu only goes up to 11 tonnes now. I was going to the seminars because they were all free but I got sidetracked. I’ve come to see the newer vehicles, and it’s nice to see the launch of the Volvo FH. It’s also good to see a new range of trucks in one place and to drive them loaded is a benefit. The Euro-6 vehicles look a lot different and Commercial Motor Live provides a chance to touch base with people in the industry. The event is very good, I would recommend it to anyone in the industry.
Geof Driscoll, director, Transport Compliance Solutions I have looked at the new Volvo FH, which I would have loved to drive but it’s only on display. I also looked at the Mercedes-Benz Actros Gigaspace. The key benefit from Commercial Motor Live is that I met people, learned about modern technology, and some interesting facts and figures about where we are in the training industry regarding Driver CPC. Everyone has been helpful at the show – it’s been a good day.
Peter Holdsworth, head of scheduling, Keystone Distribution I have attended some of the seminars and was interested in the out-of-hours deliveries seminar and the Quiet Delivery Depot. The key thing from this event was the silent matting for delivery of roll cages in the Quiet Delivery Depot. I have driven the Mercedes-Benz Actros dual-fuel truck – it drove very well and I was surprised to find it was fully loaded. We are looking at the possibility of more alternative fuels: we use chip fat with one customer’s fleet, McDonald’s, which comes back from the customer and we process it. But we need a little bit more, we aren’t running at 100% bio, so we are looking to fill the gap. There is a future for this event, there were things here I didn’t expect to see that will be helpful for our out-of-hours deliveries, and we picked up some contacts to approach problems we have had in the past.
Robin Tate, fleet and facilities manager, Yusen Logistics
I have been to a couple of the seminars – fuel efficiency and legislation. I caught up with current trends and what is going on and I have driven the Renault Premium 18-tonne rigid. We operate mainly Daf and Scania, however, the Renault was gener
ally good. Commercial Motor Live is a good opportunity to drive trucks and see if the feedback from the drivers is correct in my own opinion. The event has been very good, it’s a chance to get in the truck and drive around a challenging circuit and catch up with a few people. I would definitely come back to this event.
Sean Anderson, truck driver, Redcar I have been to a couple of seminars to help me with road traffic legislation. I have also driven the new Mercedes-Benz Actros, the Scania 730, the Renault Premium, and I’m about to drive the Renault Kerax. This is an opportunity, especially for agency drivers, to come to an event like this and drive the latest vehicles that hauliers get into their stables. Being able to drive these vehicles, which we wouldn’t normally be able to drive, offers more experience for us. It’s well worth coming to and I would definitely come again.