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28th July 1994, Page 32
28th July 1994
Page 32
Page 33
Page 32, 28th July 1994 — Perfect tinli
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

When Cheshire haulier Roger Bettley heard that he'd won a Cumminspowered Strato tractor for a year, courtesy of CM and Seddon Atkinson, it was the answer to a prayer, in more ways than one.

Roger Bettley knows a lot about truck crime. The Elworth, Cheshire-based specialist haulier has featured in the statistics no less than five times.

A disturbing pattern links the thefts. All but one of the trucks were Fodens, between two and three years old and fitted with specialist equipment. And all were stolen around Christmas time.

On one occasion Bettley was entertaining 30 guests in a local hotel. Talking to one of his drivers he asked whether his truck was being serviced as it wasn't in the yard.

"He said no, so I told him 'Well it's not there now'. We both left the party and went back and found we'd had two trucks stolen."

Bettley has no doubts they were stolen to order: "Until the last one they were always Fodens. What with them leaving Leyland Dafs and ERFs the gang was targeting us."

Losing the vehicles was bad enough; the effect on Bettley's insurance bill had longerterm implications.

"After we'd had all the vehicles stolen we'd had a big payout on each one," he explains. "But then the Prudential pulled out of the fleet market and my broker had an almighty job getting us placed. During this time our policy leapt up from £30,000 to £70,000 if we wanted fully comprehensive. In the end we had no option but to take the risk on third party. We ran it for a year—then we got hit again." Theft number five was the final straw, says Bettley: "We said we can't go on like this. We've got to start having some breaks."

Having spotted the Commercial Motor/Seddon Atkinson Win-a-Truck competition last Autumn he entered, hoping that his luck might still be good.

"I thought this would be nice to win," he says. "It might be just the break we need, to kick-start us and get us going again. I entered then forgot about it." So it was a surprised Bettley who received a call in February saying that his name had been picked out of the hat.

"I just couldn't believe it," he recalls. "I'd got back that vehicle which had been stolen. For me to actually win a vehicle that was going to work for me for a year—it was as if all my prayers had been answered." His insurance worries have also been answered by Truck Safe Insurance Services of Burnley which has provided Bettley with fully comprehensive insurance at a highly competitive price.

Since March the Cummins L10-powered Strato tractor has been busy, working just about seven days a week on day and night runs pulling a triaxle tanker on chemical and water treatment contracts alongside the other vehicles in Bettley's 10-strong fleet. So how does he rate it, not least on fuel economy? "I like it very much," he says. "It's been doing in excess of 8mpg running fully loaded 6070% of the time pulling a hydrochloric acid or caustic soda tanker. It fits in with our fleet policy of operating trucks at 38 tonnes around the 325hp mark. All the ERFs and Fodens are 325 Cummins/Fuller/ Rockwell so the Strato's a typical fleet vehicle for us."

After starting his working life as an apprentice at nearby Foden, and having handled Foden's parts distribution business exclusively since 1983, Bettley has a strong affection for the truck with the kite mark. Could a Strato replace the 4000 Series in the fleet?

"It compares very favourably," he says. "It's the newest vehicle in the fleet so it has all the latest innovations. It's got the latest Euro-1 325 which has a bit more torque than the previous LW."

Drawing on his early years working in Foden's vehicle development department, Bettley specced the Strato carefully before finally taking it on: "I had the standard diff changed. I couldn't see the point of having it

geared for 70mph if it's limited to 56mph. I thought at 56mph it'd sniff a bank and die, because we do carry 23 tonnes. We had a higher ratio put in which gives us better acceleration and gradeability.

"It'll go to Birmingham and back without changing out of top gear," he adds, "and go up Keele bank to the services in top at 56mph, so journey times haven't been hit." Bettley has deliberately let different drivers have a go: "We've swapped around to get some feedback and see if the economy changes. We've had a big lad, 15-stone, jumping in and out of it. If anyone was going to find out whether the interior will last he'd find it. I also put the newest driver on it; he's taken to it like a duck to water." Bettley regularly takes a turn behind the wheel: "It's got plenty of room inside for UK operation," he says, "even though it's a single sleeper. It lacks a bit of storage space but the ergonomics are very good."

So far the Strato has been behaving itself. There was an incident in the first week when an exhaust brake feedpipe sited too close to the turbo melted on a trip up the M62 causing all the air to go, but apart from that it's been reliable. "Sabre, Seddon's call-out service, was prompt in coming out and putting it right," says Bettley.

Bettley's local dealer, Parton Motors of Stoke-on-Trent, has also impressed him: "They've been very good," he says. "OK they've known it's going to be written about but they've been very helpful. What I do like is the fact that we can work the truck day and night, drop it in on midday Saturday and have it serviced Saturday afternoon. They're very flexible."

As with all CM Win-a-Truck competitions, the winner can buy the truck after the first free year. The Strato's halfterm report has been good. But will Bettley take the plunge when the 12 months is up?

"If the money is right I'll definitely put it in the fleet," he says, "I'm that pleased with it. Partons have already been talking to me about a sister motor to it."

"Fodens will always be number one choice," he concludes. "But if I want another Cummins/Fuller/Rockwell truck then a Seddon Atkinson like this one could well be the vehicle. It's got good driver acceptability and decent parts and service—that ranks high with Me."

by Brian Weatherley


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