Showing its class
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It was typical Truckfest weather— everything from mid-summer heat to fickle spring chills. It was also a typical Truckfest turnout of some of the best-kept, best-prepared wagons in the world. It says much about road haulage that more than 100,000 paying visitors turned up simply to see the industry strut its stuff. As always, the sheer class of the vehicles entered for the awards was only matched by their variety: the judges faced a daunting task—especially on the N-reg entries!
But Truckfest is not just the most exciting vehicle show in Britain: thousands of the visitors to the
trade exhibits were professional hauliers and, with some operators reporting that business is booming, many of them were prepared to do business.
Around the main arena family visitors were kept amused by the usual range of thrills and spills; celebrity guests included stars from London's Burning and a quartet of Gladiators. The heart of Truckfest, however, remains the vehicle competitions and with more entrants than ever before, hundreds of operators were content to sit around their trucks swapping yarns. ..it was one hell of a weekend.
TMD was set up by Terry Docherty three years ago and runs four Volvos specialising in low-loader work. The firm makes weekly runs to Ireland with regular backloads, some to Scotland. As well as the top-weight artics, TMD has a beavertail sixwheeler for smaller loads and handles of lot of work for the railways. Driver Russell Hunt, pictured, says the fleet is on the go seven days a week.
The CM team was rushed off its collective feet handing out regalia while our disco kept the crowds amused. Backstage things were more serious as a continuous stream of worried drivers took advantage of our free eyetests designed to see who will meet the threatened tough Euro standards. Thirsty Truckfest entrants were also kept supplied with free tea and coffee by our mobile refreshment stall.
Robert Haunton believes in cutting a dash while prepping his wagon for the Truckfest judges; normally the family firm is too busy for such pastimes; it runs four trucks from its Wragby, Lincs base hauling farm produce and general loads from Immingham. The family firm is run by Robert, his brother Michael and their mother, Ann. Shirley Transport of Stoke-on-Trent is celebrating its 60th year in the business; it runs 55 vehicles, mostly tankers hauling chemicals, oils and fats. Five of them were at Truckfest competing in the Best Kept Fleet class; one of them was also entered for the Best Kept Working Truck. Mick Shirley (sporting his Manchester United top) is pictured with driver Clayton King and Clayton's son Ax).
The Bartlett family has haulage in its blood. C runs his outstanding F and a FLIO eight-leggr his brother Joe runs th Fodens (two eight-legg and an artic) while the father runs a dozen tiF pers. Gary was parker up to his old friend Ga Coles, whose Scania 1 (driven for Gary's fath, Firm Coles & Sons) giv( the F16 a run for its money. The cosmetics Gary around £5,500; no wonder it draws crowds wherever it sto Shcnie Jones takes particular pride in keeping his Volvo immaculate—it spends much of its time miles deep in the forests of Mid and South Wales where it regularly gets bogged down and the going is tough enough to knock out a set of tyres in 4,000km. The family firm was started by Shane's father Harold back in the sixties; it now runs eight vehicles and about half of its work involves round timber haulage. Stephen Fern, trading as SIN Haulage of Barnsley, bought his 1978 Kenworth in 1991 during a holiday in the US: he also runs a 1979 Kenworth and a Daf. His view is that if you drive a truck it may as well be one that you like. The Kenworth was off to Cornwall after Truckfest; in its time in the UK it's also been as far north as the Isle of Skye. Exactly 10 years ago K Auld was made redundant from his driving jc He took out a bank Icx and set up as an ownei driver. It was a good move: the firm now run a mixed fleet of 13 veh cles with a turnover of 1.6m. The wagons weren't specially prepared for Truckfestthey're always immacu late. As Auld says: "A I of our business is food related—you can't do tl with mucky trucks. Caterpillar's recently announced Euro-2 version of its 14.6-litre engine sits neatly beneath the Peterbilt cabin. Rated at 550hp, the electronically controlled in-line six churns out a massive 1,800Ibft of torque. It will make an interesting alternative to the 530hp Cummins when it arrives in the autumn. Foden is dipping its American toe in the trucking water by showing this South African spec Peterbilt 6x4. It's far too heavy for the UK but with just the US cab and Foden lightweight chassis and driveline it will weigh around 8.2 tonnes. Prices will start from around £56,000 and options will include a high roof and three cab lengths. UK Peterbilts started out as a tentative marketing exercise but if Foden can take orders for 20 units it will become reality.
ERF's high-volume, high-spec Olympic cab appeared in an unusual application: on a 17-tonne rigid chassis with a demountable box body. The 210hp EC6 is one of a pair operated by Witts Transport delivering hospital supplies. ERF also announced the EC twin bunk—a cab offering the same space as the Olympic but with a lower spec.
Since the XL high roof cab was launch at the Paris show, Volvo has taken orders for 60 for the UK, mainly 6x2s. Its engine cover is 130mm lower and its bumper to back of cab (BBC) dimension is some 50mm deeper at 2.36m. Renault showed off its facelifted 7.5tonne Midliner 5135 for the first time at a UK show. In time a 2.3m wide version of the Premium cab (above right) will be used on Renault's non-HGV rigid.
Nene Trailers exhibited this plant-carrying outfit, built for Lely's of St Neots. Drawn by an MAN 18.323 4x2 with Atias 155.1 15t/m crane and pulling a step-frame plant trailer it built to haul £140,000 of Ford tractor and hay-baling gear. Nene is extending its product range and is offering customers a "total engineering package" on drawbars.
Some of the chassis manufacturers showed their wares in garish metallic finishes or exotic, airbrushed fantasy murals; it made a pleasant change to see Seddon Atkinson's lineup of traditionally signwritten Strato wagons. How many people can you fit in a Renault? The new Renault Premium tractive unit turned up at Truckfest, and the punters swarmed all over it. This was the first UK showing of the high-roofed version of the Long Distance cab, which upstaged even the Magnums on the stand.
MAN's mighty 18.603 made its first appearance in the UK at Truckfest: the 600hp F2000 tractor is the most powerful standard truck in Europe, and drew some of the biggest crowds at the show. One long-distance operator couldn't wait for the right-handdrive model to arrive in September. "After 14 years of Volvos I'm due a change," he said. Own-account operator Quality Foods have been creating new themes to decorate its fleet of three vehicles since coming to Truckfest. This year saw The Terminator emblazoned on the side of the 38tonner. The Bradford-based firm, exports oriental food and foil containers to Germany, Holland and Italy. Driver Brian Crabtree has spent three arduous weeks repainting his vehicle after a decorating van overturned in front of him last month spilling paint all over his pride and joy!
Former soldier Eddie Gourlay has been driving for Yorkshire-based British Bacon Supplies for three years and says the company has just come through one of its busiest periods following the BSE scare. He has been coming to Truckfest for three years entering three of the company's fleet of Scanias for best-kept fleet.
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paign ied by s Doug Croisi jpicntiried) for y Former fireman of 20 years, Dave Berry has spent the past 18 months restoring a 1931 Leyland fire engine that appeared in th 25 August 1931 edition of Commercial Motor. The prototype engine saw active service for Bristol City Fire Brigade before being used in a Sussex chalk pit. Ten trucks belonging to Sleaford-based MC Mountain & Son travelled down from Lincolnshire to attend their seventh Truckfest. The firm transport bulk grain all over the UK and have recently added international work to the portfolio. All the vehicles are Scanias because, they say, the boss gets a good deal.
The Transport & General Workers Union has appointed Ron Webb as its new national officer for the Road Transport Commercial division. Eleven years a bus driver with London Transport, he has experience in the food industry and will be negotiating nationally on 111EG members' behalf. Owner of .I&S Haulage, Ian 1 from Merthyr 1 paid just £2,0( this 1983 Ford Transcontinent years ago. He daily hauling k per trailers, alt he concedes it to drive as the box lacks sync mesh. The trucl from the Merth Hoover factory still runs on th( no) gearbox Hundreds of drivers mode their way to the Drivers Action Movement stand to sign their petition protesting at the eyes changes. DAM will be appearing at the Transport Select Committee investigation into truck enforcement, and will ha petition to the Prime Minister on 1 July, the date the eyesigl changes were originally due to be introduced.