Juggernaut promotion
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
T found the letter by Jack CriNsfield of the 1 Drivers Action Movement (CM 27 June-3 July) extremely interesting, especially his remarks that most motorists believe juggernauts are a pain, and don't understand the need for such large vehicles on our roads.
Despite the valiant efforts of your journal along with the Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and many other bodies, very little positive information ever reaches the general public. If any does it is invariably of a negative nature, -motorway pile-ups and so on—I feel now is the time for the whole of our industry to get into the public domain with a programme that has a positive message.
A simple, practical information exercise might be to enlist the co-operation of some of the giant grocery chains. At selected sites they could display a 38-tonne reefer in the firnis livery in the car park, possibly with someone to answer questions. This could be backed with a simple leaflet given to each Customer at the check-out desk.
One side of the leaflet would show the corn. mitment of the store to its customers in the cleanliness of their product handling, especially in the area of temperature-controlled products. It could also point out the number of
cars needed to empty the "juggernaut". The other side could be devoted to car driver awareness, like allowing a truck to pull out to overtake to reduce traffic bunching. It would help to inform them that new trucks have speed limiters and emphasise that 90% of the truck drivers on the roads today are handling equipment worth in the region of 11(X),000 and are true professionals.
This exercise has, I feel, a positive element for all parties concerned, not least the supermarkets, and shows an environmental awareness both for their customers and to road transport. It would also demonstrate to bodies like the MA. RI IA and the truck manufacturers a desire to project our industry in a better light than it currently enjoys.
What prompted this idea was my attendance of MIRAS 50th Anniversary event at Nuneaton where a superb programme had been laid on with visits to the various laboratories, trips round the high-speed circuit in Jaguar cars, and people queuing up to be given a ride in one of the four 38-tonne artics. Most of those people there were from the motor industry!
This is only the seed of an idea, but who knows, possibly a plant may grow Bill Montague
Bravely Transport Advisory Committee.