DRIVERS' VERDICTS As usual, CM canvassed the views of a
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group of professional truck drivers to see how they liked the R113-380 tractor.
We met Alan Worley in a Renault R380 at the truck stop just off Junction 13 on the MI. He has been driving Class 1 vehicles for the past 22 years and works for F Swain and Sons of Poynton, Cheshire. He made the three-step climb into the cab of the Scania 113 easily before making himself comfortable behind the wheel. Looking around, his first comment was: "The sweep of the dash cuts the room down a bit. With the old 112 Scania you could walk straight through. What you want in a sleeper cab is plenty of space. It's got good vision all round though."
We headed out on the road straight into a busy roundabout and as we were forced to stop Worley had to look down at the gearlever, with the unfamiliar three-position gate, before dropping it into second low. Then he pulled away smoothly and changed up using the splitter in every gear, gaining a feel of the controls, and on up through the range-change. "The collar 'doesn't move very much," he commented. "If the travel was a bit longer it might be more positive but it pulls all right and it's got the edge on my 380. It's quiet but the Renault is n little bit quieter. I've always liked Scanias and if I had the choice I would have one but I don't think it's as comfortable as the Renault. You won't get many complaints about this vehicle though. It's well thought out. The older cab didn't have enough head room; that's where it fell down. The bunks looks big enough though. It would be very nice once I got used to the gearbox," he said, as we pulled back into the truckstop. On his way out of the cab he noticed the little bladder under the seat. We told him it was to pump up the lumbar support in the backrest. "That's a good idea."
Pete Martin: "It felt like it was emp coming up that hill."
Eddy Kelly of Barraclough Haulage from Barnsley drove up in an older Scania 360 which we thought might make an interesting comparison. Straight away he commented on the seat: "It's more comfortable than my 360 but the brakes are not as good. The pedal has got a longer travel and it feels spongey. It's got more go in it and the range-change is a definite bonus. It's positive and quicker. I'd like to borrow the roof section to put on to mine—it gives a lot more height. The steering feels lighter and so are the pedals. They need nowhere near as much effort." He didn't think there was any improvement in the exhaust brake and the visibility was pretty much the same as his. "Mine is on steel; the air suspension gives a better ride."
As we pulled in and turned the engine off he said: "The key is another improvement." It's got central locking as well, we told him.
Pete Martin drives a Leyland Daf 85 Series 330 for Gables near Dunmow. "The cab is high isn't it? But the three steps make it a bit easier to climb in," he told us. Out on the road he said: "The gears drop in easy. I used to drive a 142 with the vee-eight engine and that had some power but this doesn't feel like it's running at 38 tonnes at all. It felt like it was empty coming up that hill. I'd have to change down three gears in mine. The'driving position is comfortable and it handles all right but it wanders a bit on the dips. It's got plenty of room above my head and there are a lot of pockets and shelves to put stuff in. I like the lip on the front of the bunk. I think I could sleep on that. The truck would take a bit of getting used to with all of those switches on the fascia and the unusual gear change: mine has a collar but it rotates for high and low mine. The air vents in the doors are a very good idea; they'll keep you cool. I swing the sun visor round on mine to give a bit of shade at the side but changing direction all the time it's never in the right place for long." He asked if the voltage of the cigarette lighter was suitable as an ancillary power point. We had to tell him that it was 24 volts. All three drivers adapted quickly to the transmission's three-slot gate but there was a tendency to use the full scope of the free-revving engine. Only Kelly, who is used to Scania's torque, kept it in the green all of the time. "I don't like wasting fuel," he told us.