• Seen the latest TV commercial for Vauxhall cars? It
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features a car transporter from which different models are surreptitously snatched by enthusiastic would-be owners.
One can be sure that a year, or even six months ago, the transporter would have been on a Bedford TM chassis. But following General Motors' withdrawal from the European truck scene the choice of vehicle obviously became a matter of some political headscratching at Vauxhall.
The chassis eventually chosen was a Mercedes 1625S, whose three-pointed star is glaringly conspicuous by its absence. German associations visible to the car-buying viewer were clearly thought undesirable; they might have prompted the thought that some Vauxhall cars are imported from Germany . . .
• Ten years ago a man from the ministry was given a mission — to boldly go eat a meal where no self-respecting gourmet would be caught dead. That's right. The poor man had to eat a meal on both sides of every motorway service area in Britain.
That man was Peter Prior. Chosen to become chairman of a government inquiry to investigate ways of improving Britain's service areas, Prior survived the ordeal and came back with his report. Among the things he found were poor facilities, chips with everything, badly trained staff and unrealistic fuel prices.
"I think you can say that in 1977 during the inquiry I should have been awarded the DFC for being in the Disgusting Food Club. Food was served in bulk and in poor quality. Today," says Prior, "there are health foods and excellent light meals of high quality."
He makes no mention of slack security in the car, coach and lorry parks where vehicles are broken into, the frequent arrival of bus loads of violent and threatening sports fans and the lack of real "truckstop style facilities for the professional drivers". Peter Prior should have stuck his head round the door of a couple of proper transport cafes to get an idea of what I mean.
Two such cafes in the West of Scotland have made it to the top 40 of truckers favourite eating places. Molly's Place at Harthill, and the Star Cafe at Lesmahagow are famed for their bacon butties and big breakfasts.
Each place nominated for inclusion in a new guide was rated for its food, friendliness and atmosphere. The author of the guide, Franklyn Wood, claims all truck drivers demand good food and value for money (are you listening, Mr Prior?).
He said, "The best test of a truckstop is how many people like it and use it, so those that appear in the guide represent the very best of British transport caffs."
Both the Star and Molly's were said to dispel forever the myth that cafes had a `greasy spoon' image. • In last week's Truckfest report David Miller's immaculate Sc.ania 142 was described as dripping with chrome. It's actually stainless steel. Also Steve Peckham's truck is a Scania, not a Volvo.