ON THE ROAD
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E The power of the 12-litre engine makes the delivery from London Concrete to Kings Cross an easy affair. The site was full of fouraxle mixers and tippers and it comfortably moved backwards and forwards around the site with constant use of the wheel lock.
The 21.5m turning circle is good, but it's not hard to imagine problems in congested housing sites. So far Lavelle has been to larger, more accessible sites; problems might arise if and when he delivers to domestic customers.
However, the road handling was effortless. Occasionally you got the feeling a tight corner might undo you but at no time did the truck look like mounting a kerb on a tight left turn at traffic lights.
The gears are a bit close but travelling across the capital's motor-mayhem you could learn to appreciate not having to go around the houses on a block change or performing the range change from third to fifth. You can pull away in low third with a full load and from fourth or even fifth when empty.
With a choice of 16 gears, travelling at low speeds across London keeping the truck moving in the optimum green with a full load proved an easy task.
Travelling back to the yard after unloading gave CM an opportunity to see how the truck kept up with the flow of traffic.
The height of the cab means you can see far and wide, allowing the driver to spot early warning signs on London's frantic one-way
systems which are marred by indiscriminate double parking.
The eight is a good, solid workhorse. Its length alone makes it less versatile than the six, but the increased payload means fewer trips, making working on major sites more economically viable.