1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220 
On the eve of the Earls Court Show, which will
Page 51
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
focus attention on the industry's essential equip/net-it, it is salutary to be reminded b) the I.Dolr championships that only the skill and effort of the country's professional &iv ing force turns this mass of inert hardware into productive transport
It is a fact which should claim the increasi attention of Vehicle and equipment manufacturers. British makers have gained a reputation for building sale commercial 'chides — supporting the skills which a Cornish champion and an Aberdeenshire runner-up in the ( '11-sponsored contest have demonstrated to be nationwide'. Such skills are valuable not only in their own right but as an example which must hay e effect throughout the industry: in his message to LDoY finalists, the Minister for Transport rated the skill and consiOeration of lorry drivers as the most important factor in the encouraging fail in the commercial vehicle accident rate. gut skill and safety apart, manufacturers are being compelled to appreciate that drivers are voting with their feet — by refusing to drive vehicles whose comfort standards fall below the high standards set by the Continentals.
Even the Show briefing material from Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders concedes that, with one or to Texceptions, British heavy trucks have not until recently been able to match the softer ride and well-finished cab interior which have become such a selling point for the imported truck. in a CM spot check this week, big operators have confirmed that driver preference as well as quicker delivery is a factor in the widespread trend towards re-equipment with Continental heavies. It looks as though the dramatic improvement in cab comfort among British makes has come onl) just in time. the
Neither manufacturers nor operators can rest on their laurels in this regard, even if another recession puts drivers on the labour market: ever) lesson from abroad teaches that skilful and industrious heavy-truck drivers become harder, year by Near, to find and to keep.