ESSO SURPASSES ITS HAT-TRICK
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Esso has done it again. One of its drivers has won Lorry Driver of the Year for the fourth time in recent years, but, for a change, the top driver was not threetimes winner Colin Burrows, the man-in-the-hat. Jack Semple reports on this year's event, which shared centre stage with Grand Prix truck racing.
ESSO maintained an astonishing record in Lorry Driver of the Year competitions with its fourth win since 1975.
Three-times champion Colin Burrows from West London came a close second in his group this time, but Ken Davies from Manchester terminal finished a clear winner in the drive-off at Silverstone against nine group winners.
Ken was well prepared, with Esso's help. Usually, he drives a Seddon Atkinson tractive unit. But for the competition, he got hold of a Volvo F7 tractive unit from Caernarvon, one of just a handful in the fleet.
Vision and tickover are better on F7s, he said. This makes them ideal for LDoY. LDoY is a national competition, with area heats held throughout the spring and early summer. These are staffed, like the national finals, mostly by volunteers. Around 1,500 to 2,000 entrants compete, mainly (but not exclusively) from larger fleets.
The belief behind the competition is that drivers who are regularly tested are safer and more responsible, and present a better image of road transport, than those who are not.
Ken Davies agrees: "It really helps me in my job". His work is mostly local deliveries in the Manchester area. While he would like to see more open road work in LDoY, the manoeuvring tests are highly relevent to what he has to do when delivering or moving his lorry in tight areas.
Tests in LDoY arc done entirely in the drivers' own entered vehicles, until the drive-off. Then, they have to manoeuvre five trucks (supplied by Leyland) ranging from a Sherpa van to a Roadtrain attic. Tests are designed to measure particularly the ability to judge accurately the position of the rear and nearside of the vehicle; and close parking skills the five lorries have to he parked in a row as close together as possible, starting with the outside t. vehicles. It all adds up to a tough tr. skill and versatility, with the accent precision instead of speed.
Runner-up Dave Goddard, who usually drives a van, did very well ii judging the parking distance needed, some of the manoeuvring tests let hi down. But he came about as close a: any van driver has to winning LDo` least in recent years.
Two new classes were introduced this year, recognising that drawbar combinations now take a significant share of total lorry numbers in Brita share which is almost certain to gro,
The contrast between the new ant former venue, Cranfield, was strikir LDoY is the traditional, meticulous, slightly staid face of road transport. sat a little uneasily in the middle ofi Silverstone circuit amid the huge cr( which had come to watch the brash, expensive new sport where works t( and professional race drivers put on spectacle which has nothing to do w safety, or the real world of road haulage.