There's nowt so queer!
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Calling all dealers who've been hoodwinked by charlatans, confronted by cranks and bamboozled by buffs — Frank Tinsdale offers words to sooth the fevered brow
WY VEHICLES attract a Ige brand of enthusiast.
lere is the very vocal and fe anti-lorry lobby which ines everything from rabid t Earthers" wanting to return le horse and cart, through !sport 2000 and the railway .ests to sensible folk who reuse the need for heavy cies but are anxious they ine as little as possible.
ien there are the myriad II boys who write to manuirers and importers seeking ets, brochures and pictures leir collections.
hen you consider that a -produced, full-colour truck at can cost over El, you can ?rstand why some manufac.s produce cheap give-away ets especially for collectors, e others throw the bulk of letters in the waste paper ket. Some boys write 3nding they are haulage rectors (Actual quote "Dear am a HOLLIJ CONTRECTIR) a others pretend their father the market for a vehicle.
lother breed which does no m (except to the truck 5man with knowledge inr to their own) is the "truck ', the enthusiast whose norlife is far removed from the icle industry but whose by is the amassing of vledge and lore about corn;ial vehicles generally.
ich persons are usually between the ages of 17 35 and the sum of their vledge is sometimes truly tening! They often appear cal and county shows, desling on a hapless salesman reducing him to fumbling, muttering incoherence.
Genuine operators listening to the conversation may decide that they were mistaken in considering this dealer as a prospect for their next vehicle purchase.
My own pet aversion is the hoaxer who telephones with what seems a genuine enquiry. Occasionally such calls come from competitors seeking prices and information which they are too cowardly to obtain by honest request but more often than not, they are from people who get some kind of perverse pleasure pretending to be what they manifestly are not.
Their knowledge of the industry is sometimes quite surprising and the tale they tell, apparently correct in all details, can fool even the most experienced commercial vehicle sales manager.
Giving a fictitious but realistic trading title and address, they will tell of the fleet they are running, the contracts they have obtained, the operating conditions and the specification of the truck or trucks they are seeking.
Such people can be expensive pests causing the manufacturer or dealer time, trouble and expense, but this does not deter them.
The only good thing one can say about such pests is that perhaps their spurious calls in connection with our industry give them a satisfaction which would otherwise be fulfilled by making pornographic calls to helpless housewives!
Finally, the most expensive and probably the most frustrating of all are the enquiries from firms who know perfectly well that they do not stand a dog's chance of raising the necessary finance for their proposed purchase but retain a forlorn hope that a miracle will occur.
The unsuspecting salesman is overjoyed at obtaining a genuine inquiry, usually for more than one vehicle and so demonstrations are arranged and even loan vehicles provided in order to obtain the business. The order is given, most often verbally with enquiries about hire purchase, leasing and so on, and then comes the crunch!
One finance company after another rejects the business until eventually the frustrated and discomfited sales rep has to admit defeat. Time and money has been expended which could have been put to much better use, yet there is no recourse.
There is little advice one can give on how to deal with all these various demands on the time and resources of the truck sales industry. Instinct develops with experience and caution often saves the day.
We must remember that we who are engaged in the road transport industry look upon the commercial vehicle as a business tool but it is in our own interests to recognise the image presented by the heavy goods vehicle to the general public.
The average person gives little thought to the benefits bestowed upon the nation by road transport, perhaps because it is always there, serving the public need in fair weather and foul. Rarely is Joe Public inconvenienced by any withdrawal of services by road transport, as he is by the cancellation of rail or air services because of strikes, "goslows" and "industrial action".
Perhaps the great mass of people would have a greater appreciation of the value of the road transport industry if the service provided were not so dependable and maybe they should be reminded of this fact.
Please note, though, I am not advocating strike action!
A great deal needs to be done to remind the country at large that the average hgv driver is not a thoughtless bully carving up private motorists on their lawful 45mph in the middle lane of the motorways but a responsible professional controlling a large piece of high-value capital equipment!
The average haulage contractor is not an uncaring moneygrabber but a normal business man who has chosen to risk his all in a highly competitive, complex and bureaucracy-ridden industry.
Our industry has much work to do to get its message over to the public at large but those of us on the sales side can play a useful part. We can, naturally, continue to promote the case for road transport among our friends and neighbours.
We can invite the general public when we launch a new model or hold open day in our showrooms and premises. We can also be tolerant of the kids who write to us and, dare I say it, be as accommodating as time and business permit to the truck buff who really does little harm.
The pests we can all deal with in our own way because they are fortunately a minority but first and foremost, we must encourage interest in heavy vehicles because only then can we present the true facts of road transport efficiency to the people who matter.
In spite of much apparent evidence to the contrary, Parliament, in the final analysis, does reflect the bulk of public opinion and it is public opinion, through Parliament, which will shape our destiny.
Welcome then, to the small boys and girls seeking sales leaflets. Maybe our message will reach their parents through them. Welcome to the "truck buff". His enthusiasm for the goods vehicle will perhaps be communicated to his own circle of friends and relatives.
Welcome indeed to all our fellow-citizens! If we can convince them of the part road transport plays in their daily lives and in their well-being, maybe in the fullness of time the industry will be allowed to exploit its full potential in conjunction, rather than in competition with rail, air and water-borne transport.