DRIVERS' VIEWS
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• PETER BRUCE of Rosman Transport called In at the BP truckstop at Crick in his Volvo F1112 420 drawbar on his way up country from Mon, Kent. "It's got tiny mirrors," he said, almost as soon as he got into the Alpha. "My Volvo has a greater steering rake which allows you to hold the wheel rather than rest on it. I've not used the Eaton 16speed before. It's all right but the gearstick rattles. The engine Is quite torquey. It's not as strong as mine but it does lug. I'll give It that It's down to 1,000rpm and still hanging on up this hill. I've not been in a Foden before. Its comfortable bull would like more headroom. I don't like this high engine cover—mine has a flat floor. The ride is OK but it's noisy. The brakes pull up quite sharply and the Jake does its job. I'm 5ft lin and this side visor does not come down low enough for me, but some thought has gone into the curtains."
drives an F90 MAN 370 for Viamaster out of Bradford. "Entry is about the same as for the Daf 85," he told us as he climbed in. "Clutch engagement is a bit high on the pedal. Power is about on par with the Scania 380 but it pulls a lot better than my MAN. The seat has nice lumbar support and the ride Is smooth. There are no obvious blind spots. You can see through the gap between the mirror and screen pillar on the nearside; Its performance is impressive. It's a good fleet motor."
• DAVE LOVETT drives a 11112 340 6x2 rigid, usually with an A-frame trailer. for Flegg Transport based in Aylesbury. "The driving position Is quite low but it suits me," he said. "Visibility is better than mine on the nearside. The cab doesn't sway as much as the bigger XF from Batt don't like the clutch; it engages right at the top of the pedal and it's a bit sharp, too. The brakes have a nice feel. The pedals are light and so is the gearshift. as well as being positive. There seems to be a slight delay in response to the accelerator. It's good to see cruise control on a fleet truck. A lot of people don't like the engine brake to come on with the overrun. At 40 tonnes the Jake seems to be superior to the VEB on mine and the two levels of operation is a good idea."