THE ROUTE
Page 38
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Our test was spread over three days. Day one began at our holding area courtesy of one of Holland's oldest and biggest independent operators, Transportbedrifiif Van Opijnen. Having fuelled up at the Deventer Mobil station we covered a 176km (109mile) mixture of city and inter-city roads with an average of 64 stops en route (see map for route details).
Alter a break for lunch we were back on the road for a 232km (144-mile) motorway run which brought us back to Deventer where the tanks were topped up and the scores were counted.
On both these sections the manufacturer's driver was behind the wheel with staffers from 7TM and CM acting as observers, counting gearchanges and ensuring fair play.
Day two and the manufacturer's were relegated to the passenger seat as we took over the wheel to find out how each truck performed around a circuit that included motorway, dual-carriageway and twisting country roads. We also checked out each wagon for acceleration, interior noise and cab access.
On day three a group of professional distribution drivers gave their verdict; their comments appear on page 43.