BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Page 49
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By The Hawk
Training Mechanics A reader has written to me telling of an interesting vehicle he saw while on his travels on the Continent. This vehicle (pictured above) travels Europe for the Fiat organization. It functions both as a mobile school for tractor mechanics at dealers and as a mobile exhibition stand.
As a school the vehicle saves the substantial expense of having to bring in personnel to a factory school. As a show stand it overcomes the difficult problems involved in stand erection.
The cabin section contains an area where the driver and exhibition personnel can sleep. The side can be raised to !orm a canopy so that tractors and charts are easily exposed to public view. When the show closes the stand can be quickly closed and the vehicle driven away. Very useful!
U ncommon Marketing You may have seen state n ents recently that Fiat, Renault and Volkswagen were ;oing to agree among themselves to rationalize their car and possibly light van) models to avoid competing at he same levels—in effect an agreed division Of the market. [his has not met with universal approval. I see that the 7'rench Minister for Industry has now said: " Manufacurers should diversify their range. Pending agreement vith our European partners on a common investment lolicy, which is clearly necessary in the motor vehicle ield, our manufacturers are fighting back by agreements ailored to meet the needs of each concern and are tending a jointly organize the purchase of manufacture of certain ccessory parts, or even market research and after-sales ervice."
Monday evening was a iensorable occasion for the Institute of Road Transport :ngineers. Members of their Council and a few guests set at dinner in London to hear I.R.T.E. President Roger ,Iresham Cooke, M.P., give his address (reported on page 6) concerning the status of road transport engineers. As ir William Black (chairman for the evening) remarked, could well turn out to have been a unique occasion in sat both the past presidents—himself and the retired ditor of "The Commercial Motor ", G. MacKenzie inner—the current president, Mr. Gresham Cooke, and se president-elect, Mr. E. B. H. Elsbury, were all at the ime table. tour Together
The I.R.T.E. will be cele,ating its 21st birthday next year, and only four presidents that time proves the value which they place upon their -esidents. As Sir William said, the I.R.T.E. presents its
1 Next Year
image to the world largely through its president at the time. Judging by his "maiden speech" Mr. Elsbury should prove a worthy successor. He treated those present to a lively exposition on the need for road transport engineers
to do something about the image of the industry. The senior executive on the road transport engineering side should be a technologist, and if we are to shoot for higher standards this must be the target on which we set our sights ", he remarked.
Reticent Why, I wonder, are tarpaulin
makers-up so reticent about the goods they are selling? I ask this as a result of the comparatively poor response a colleague had to letters sent out to 82 firms listed as supplying lorry covers. He was seeking information to prepare a Buyers' Guide on this subject. Leis than half of the firms approached did not reply to either of the two letters sent them. Not good business, surely!
Helpful • One of the firms that did reply sent in a sample of a very useful card which they attach to the sheets they sell. This long-established company, J. H. Peck (Wigan) Ltd. lists on these cards eight tips to ensure the best possible service from the cover. It is, in fact, a succession of dont's which. read as follows:— DON'T fold up and rut :two, when wet, but hang to dry first if possible. DON'T allow to flap about in the wind, but see that all tiecords are secure. DON'T use for keeping the load in place on the lorry. The cover is made
For protection not in replace loading ropes.
DON'T secure the load with the loading ropes over the cover. Make fast the load first and then secure the cover over all.
DON'T put excessive strain on the tiecords. They are for the sole purpose of keeping the cover in place, and need only be tight enough to serve that purpose, DON'T pull the cover into mice over sharp corners of cases, etc.. but protect
it from these as much as possible. •
DON'T condemn a new cOver if there is moisture on the underside after the first time in use. New covers often sweat in this wag, but the trouble will disappear with further use.
DON'T blame a good cover for faults arising from careless handling.
Beautiful Ever seen a beautiful lorry
driver? Nor have I. Could it happen? It could. Where? In America--where else? I've just seen a picture of this enigma in a U.S. publication called New York JournalAmerican —don't worry the sex is (very evidently) female! The lady is Jeannie Manning, a 26-year-old blonde, who claims to be the only truck driver to have done "summer stock " as an actress. Having graduated from the Texas College of Arts and Industries with a bachelor of science degree in music 'she now drives a 9-ton truck.
The chassis (Jeannie's) we're told is 38-25-36, which is no doubt a welcome change for other American truck drivers in the vicinity. This must make a very pleasant change from 44-34-44, which, seems to me is rather more common in this particular job. Jeannie is single--but she has a boyfriend. A truck driver? No —a psychiatrist.