Going places
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It's the turn of Warrington-based dealer Trucks2Go under the Webwatch microscope.
Words: James Clark Company: Trucks2Go Address: http://trucks2go.co.uk The revamped Trucks2Go webste opens with a short Flash introduction of the sort that was in vogue a few years ago. Fortunately, you can click the 'skip intro button to move on to the homepage proper. Here you will spot another annoyance a moving popup promoting "This month's website games". Again, just close this down or wait for it to disappear of its own accord.
But don't let these initial niggles put you off, because almost everything else about the Trucks200 site is top-class starting with the big, bold homepage. A prominent feature here is a sliding gallery across the centre, showing a selection of 'featured vehicles'. Click on any of these to go through to the product page.
Product search
Apart from the gallery, there are three main ways to find stock on the Trucks2Go site. The first is to select one of the categories in the horizontal navigation bar: trucks, vans, trailers, or plant. The 'trucks' category is subdivided into rigids and tractor units.
The second is to use the drop-down menus to specify a make and/or type of truck, for example 'Iveco' and '6x2 tractor unit'.
The final way to find stock is to use the homepage search box. Brilliantly, this brings back results from both the stock list and the rest of the site search for 'OAF', for example, and you will see DAFs for sale, followed by Trucks2Go news stories mentioning OAF, then photos of DAFs.
If you use the search box or the drop-down menus, you will have the option to refine your results by specifying a price range which is of little use, because prices are on application.
The product information page is quite standard, with information on make, model and mileage. and a brief description. A handful of good-quality photographs are given for each vehicle. and clicking on one will open a larger version in a pop-up lightbox'.
All the major manufacturers are represented, with a 2010 10-plate Volvo Fl-1520 Globetrotter 8x4 heavy haulage tractor particularly taking our eye. One feature that Webwatch likes is the 'wish li rather like the Amazon feature of the same narnE Should you spot a truck that interests you, clickt 'star' icon to add it to your wish list. Then, at any point, click the 'Your Wish List' link in the top-righ any page to see all your starred vehicles in one place.
Registering with the site enables you to sign up for the Trucks2C newsletter. Unfortunately the wish list and the login system aren't connected. so you can't log in on another computer later and see your list.
Trucks2Go has a presence on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Links to all of these can be found at the bottom of the homepage.
The site also contains information on Trucks2Go's export and fine services, the latter including an online enquiry form and monthly repayment calculator.