Truck and driver UK TruePDF march 2019

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 20195REGULARS 6 News Industry update on who’s got what, including three Iveco Stralis X-Ways for Nixon Hire and 18 Mercedes Actros 2545s for Samworth Brothers 10 From

MARCH 2019 / £3.95

Incredible 141 V8 Scania restoration by Charles Russell

Daf XF: A rigid approach in the Borders

Volvo for sail:

A nautical but nice F89

Flat out @ 44 tonnes

FH750 put to

the test over three days

THE SHINING

Manufacturers of Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems

Offi cial suppliers of DINEX and KLEERS products. Any TRUCK, Any SHAPE, Any SIZE

FULL CUSTOM PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

TO THE POINT

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 20193

Dougie Rankine Editor, Truck & Driver

COUNTY LINE

I’m writing these words in the middle of January, this being the first issue of T&D we are

putting together in 2019 On the one hand, the start of the new year is quite exciting, with

a number of shows and events announcing dates Blue skies, long days and truck shows will be here soon, and honestly we can’t wait Hundreds of thousands of members of the public will attend truck shows to admire our trucks.

Which you would find weird if you read a lot of social media, as nobody has anything positive to say about trucks or transport The tone of a lot of these enforcement accounts

is brutal at times It wouldn’t be so bad if there were more posts telling the public at large about the good, safe lorries they encounter.

Anyway, thanks to Brexit, the county of Kent is one of the hottest topics in the industry and the country in general Someone asked why we don’t report on Brexit in the

magazine, and the simple reason is I don’t think it’s possible in a four-weekly publication The news moves so fast, and updates and advice are published online immediately by the likes of the gov.uk website, the FTA and RHA.

Kent itself, however, has gained a reputation as being very anti-truck There’s a lot of myth and misinformation to pick through online, so the only option is to go and see it for ourselves and speak to the people at the sharp end; drivers, truckstops, local residents and, hopefully, local councillors I’ve decided to run a series of reports on the county and the situation regarding truck parking.

To begin with I recently took a trip to Ashford Truck Stop, where I met general manager Darren Smith It was a really enlightening visit and I learned a lot.

I hope you find the report – see page 78 – interesting.

Contact our Classified

sales team on:

Katy Court, Roger Prebble

Main cover photograph

Truck & Driver is published by

DVV International Ltd, Sixth Floor,

Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton,

Any material, words and/or photographs

submitted to T&D will be considered as

intended for publication

24 Nifty 750

A real test of Volvo’s FH16 750 6x2 at 44 tonnes over three punishing days: editor Dougie hauls plant and machinery around Scotland for operator C&R White

34 Super heavy

… and we follow up by winging off to Sweden and putting to the test an I-Shift-equipped FH16 750 8x4 with an incredible gross weight of 140 tonnes

36 Going Dutch

Staying on the heavy side, a report from the Netherlands

on 2018’s annual Special Transport & Mack Show

36

44 Quality in motion

Charles Russell may be known for his stunning Scania

1972 LB140; what about his spectacular 1977 LBS141?

52 Editor’s Choice

After you: Manners Transport breaks an enduring Daf habit by choosing a Scania S730 as its new flagship

60 Lug log

A blow-by-blow account of a mighty move in Spalding

by Allelys using a pair of MAN TGX 41.680 XXL 8x4s

78 The Kent Reports, Part 1

Dougie kicks off a series of reports on the truck parking situation in Kent This month he visits Ashford Truck Stop

84 Volvo for sail

This Volvo F89 owned by Mike Philips has a colourful history and hauls an 1894 sailboat all over Europe

Newstrade enquiries: Tel Marketforce on 020 7633 3300

Back issues: Tel Katy Court on 020 8912 2148

Reprints: Tel Tim Noonan on 020 8912 2172

Subscriptions: Tel 0330 333 9544, email customercare@

dvvsubs.com or apply online at www.tanddsubs.com

Credit card orders Tel 01444 475635 Address: Truck &

Driver Subscriptions, Quadrant Subscription Services,

Rockwood House, 9-16 Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3DH, UK.

Please make cheques payable to Truck & Driver

Distribution: Marketforce, The Blue Fin Building,

110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU Tel: 020 3148 3333

66

84

April issue on sale

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 20195

REGULARS

6 News

Industry update on who’s got what, including

three Iveco Stralis X-Ways for Nixon Hire and 18

Mercedes Actros 2545s for Samworth Brothers

10 From the Sharp End

On social media, why can’t drivers ask questions

without fear of reprisal, asks David Russell

12 Letters

A reader calls for courtesy and respect; In

praise of Pete; More on the Winter of Discontent

14 The Law and You

Two pages on all the latest changes to driver employment law This month: HMRC goes digital

Top tips on cooking in your cab when on the road

50 Scenes from the Road

Our regular series depicting terrific trucks carrying out everyday life on the blacktop

98 The Blunt End

This month’s tale of driving, daring and disaster:

a boss encounters a truly calamitous character

52

Cover

story

Nixon Hire has expanded its 100% Iveco tanker fleet by adding three 26-tonne Stralis X-Way 6×4 rigids – among the first vehicles of their type to be delivered in the UK.

Local dealer North East Truck & Van (NETV) secured the order thanks to the proven reliability of the Iveco heavy truck range and the payload advantage offered by the new Stralis X-Way.The vehicles complement three Trakker rigid tankers already in service and will supply clean water

to customers across a range of sectors

Graham Wood, group logistics manager at Nixon Hire, says: “We know how reliable Iveco trucks are because we’ve been using them for years But the Stralis X-Way adds another dimension to our fleet, giving us a bigger payload and even better performance for our long-distance work.”

for Nixon

What a lot of Daf XFs!

Hegelmann Transporte Group is expanding its fleet with no fewer

than 540 Daf XFs The 480 Super Space Cab tractor units will be

supplied to the south German company on a programmed delivery

throughout 2019 and 2020

Hegelmann Transporte was established in 1998 and has specialised in just-in-time transport for the car, heavy and food industry Hegelmann’s 4000 employees, 2000 trucks and 2000 trailers operate from the Algarve to the Chinese border

The company’s headquarters are located in Karlsdorf-Neuthard, north- west of Stuttgart

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 20197

8Samworth opts for Actros, Ocado goes for gas

Jumbo electric

This may look like a normal Daf

CF but it is in fact the first

fully-electric model to enter service

CF Electric has been

developed in a joint venture

between Daf and VDL and will

be used by Dutch supermarket

Jumbo to supply its shops in the

south of the Netherlands

With a 100km range,

30-minute quick-charge and

90-minute full-charge time, the

truck is the perfect solution for

zero-emissions delivery into

cities, especially those with ultra

low emission zones

The horsepower is a modest

280 but that doesn’t tell the whole story as there’s 2000Nm of torque available from a standstill

We here at T&D like it

Transport in the next few years is going to change a lot An electric truck like this won’t replace your

XF Super Space 530; electric, hybrid and gas trucks are going

to be used increasingly for urban distribution instead of diesel

The Electric CF is cool because it’s a proper lorry From the driver seat it’s as conventional

as a normal CF and we like that

SK chooses FH

eMAN has the power

Porsche has put a full electric MAN eTGM, the first vehicle of its kind in Germany, to work at its Stuttgart factory The 32-tonne 360hp truck uses Li-ion batteries, has a range of 130km and can

be fast-charged in

45 minutes

“With the MAN eTGM, electric commercial vehicles have taken a big step towards maturity and can now reliably play on their strengths in day-to-day operations,” says a Porsche

spokesperson “The findings gained together with Porsche in regular plant logistics will then feed into a first small series, which

we would like to offer as early as this year.”

The vehicle is used in delivery traffic on the nearly 19km-long route between Freiberg at the Neckar operation site of logistics partner LGI Logistics Group International GmbH and the Porsche plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen In total, the use of the eTruck avoids more than 30,000kg of CO2 annually

SK Distribution of Buxton, a Palletways network member and express pallet delivery specialist, gained a new owner late last year – and with a new broom has now come new metal as well, in the form

of a new Volvo FH500 6x2 tractor unit

“I came into the business as general manager about a year ago and I’ve worked with Volvo throughout my career,” says Vic Smith, now

MD of the Derbyshire-based haulier “I’ve had my own trucks before and ran Volvo because they’ve always been spot-on for me.”

Supplied by Mark Lingard, customer solutions manager at Thomas Hardie Commercials Ltd, the new Volvo FH tractor is fitted with a Globetrotter cab and D13K engine rated at 500hp

IN THE NEWS

Ocado opens gassing station

Online supermarket Ocado has opened its first natural gas

refuelling station at its Hatfield Customer Fulfilment Centre

Ocado is the first UK retailer to self-fund the purchase of an

onsite grid-connected station outright

The site launched with 29 trucks powered by blended

biomethane, a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Replacing

existing diesel vehicles, this represents 20% of the online

retailer’s HGV fleet, an industry-leading figure

Environmental benefits of switching to gas include 99% less

particulates emissions and 70% less nitrogen oxide than the

latest diesel standard The new vehicles will reduce the Ocado

HGV fleet’s CO2 emissions by 29% annually and are on average

50% quieter than diesel trucks Ocado’s gas refuelling station

has been designed and built by Gasrec

Actros galore for

Samworth Brothers

Leicester-based Samworth did some careful

evaluation of Actros demo units before

placing an order for 18 new tractor units,

supplied by East Midlands dealer Mertrux

Truck & Van All are Actros 2545 models

with flat-floored StreamSpace cabs, Safety Packs and optional, fuel-saving Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) systems

Samworth Brothers trialled 450hp and 480hp versions of the second-generation OM

471 12.8-litre straight-six Both performed well, returning in excess of 10mpg when pulling single-deck trailers, and only marginally less with twin-deck trailers

The 450hp unit was slightly ahead on consumption, however, so it is this engine that powers the operator’s new fleet

The Mercedes-Benz Safety Pack bundles together the ground-breaking Active Brake Assist 4 emergency braking system – which incorporates a world first in the shape of pedestrian recognition – as well as Proximity Control Assist and a driver’s airbag

New Scanias for Spiers & Hartwell

A dozen new Scania S500s are set for Spiers & Hartwell Since taking delivery of the New Generation S500s in 2018, S&H has experienced improved fuel efficiency, up by an average of 12% across the fleet.Adrian Lake, S&H operations manager, says: “We achieve 9.5mpg with the new vehicles; we were getting 8.0-8.5mpg with the previous generation With a fleet of 50 trucks, this can quickly add up

“We have a long-term partnership with Scania Some companies may think that using one company for everything – vehicles, telematics, driver training, repair and maintenance – is a risk, but for

us it’s a comfort knowing that everything is being taken care of by Scania and it makes it simpler for us.”

A PACCAR COMPANY DRIVEN BY QUALITY

ｓｴ･ｰ ｩｮｴｯ ｬｵｸｵｲｹ

ｔｨ･ ｎ･ｷ ｃｆ ｴ｡ｫ･ｳ ､ｲｩｶ･ｲ ｣ｯｭｦｯｲｴ ｴｯ ｮ･ｷ ｬ･ｶ･ｬｳ ｯｦ ･ｸ｣･ｬｬ･ｮ｣･Ｎ ｔｨ･ ｮ･ｷＬ ｳｰ｡｣ｩｯｵｳ ｩｮｴ･ｲｩｯｲ ｷ･ｬ｣ｯｭ･ｳ ｹｯｵ ｷｩｴｨ ｢･ｳｴＭ ｩｮＭ｣ｬ｡ｳｳ ｳ･｡ｴｳＬ ｢ｵｮｫ ｡ｮ､ ｦｩｴ ｡ｮ､ ｦｩｮｩｳｨＮ ｔｨ･ ｮ･ｷ ｰｯｷ･ｲｦｵｬ ｍｘＭＱＱ ｡ｮ､ ｍｘＭＱＳ ･ｮｧｩｮ･ｳ ｯｦｦ･ｲ ｣ｬ｡ｳｳＭｬ･｡､ｩｮｧ

ｰ･ｲｦｯｲｭ｡ｮ｣･Ｎ ａｮ､ ｢･｣｡ｵｳ･ ｴｨ･ｹ ｯｰ･ｲ｡ｴ･ ｡ｴ ｶ･ｲｹ ｬｯｷ ｲ･ｶｳＬ ･ｮｧｩｮ･ ｮｯｩｳ･ ｩｳ ｲ･､ｵ｣･､ ｴｯ ｬ･ｶ･ｬｳ ｵｮｭ｡ｴ｣ｨ･､ ｩｮ ｴｨ･ ｩｮ､ｵｳｴｲｹＡ ｔｨ･ ｎ･ｷ ｃｆＺ ｡ｮ ｡ｬｬＭｲｯｵｮ､･ｲ ｷｩｴｨ ｴｨ･ ｰ･ｲｦ･｣ｴ ｣ｯｭ｢ｩｮ｡ｴｩｯｮ ｯｦ ｳｵｰ･ｲｩｯｲ ｣ｯｭｦｯｲｴ ｡ｮ､ ｬｵｸｵｲｹ ｦｯｲ ｴｨ･ ､ｲｩｶ･ｲ ｡ｮ､ ｭ｡ｸｩｭｵｭ ｶ･ｨｩ｣ｬ･ ･ｦｦｩ｣ｩ･ｮ｣ｹ ｦｯｲ ｴｨ･ ｯｰ･ｲ｡ｴｯｲＮ ｎｯ ｷｯｮ､･ｲ ･ｸｰ･ｲｴｳ ｡ｷ｡ｲ､･､ ｩｴ ｉｮｴ･ｲｮ｡ｴｩｯｮ｡ｬ ｔｲｵ｣ｫ ｯｦ ｴｨ･ ｙ･｡ｲ ＲＰＱＸＮ

FROM THE SHARP END

David Russell

Retired truck

driver

Social media can be an unforgiving

place David Russell reckons it’s

important for drivers to be able to ask

questions without fear of reprisal

KINDNESS

COSTS NOTHING

Often attributed to Voltaire is the quotation: “I

disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Free speech is a luxury we all take for granted these days Speaking plainly is all very well but there is no need for it to be put over in an aggressive or insulting manner Good manners and civility cost nothing If you can’t say anything nice, it’s sometimes better not to say anything at all

As someone who embraced social media from its faltering start, I am increasingly adopting a policy of not commenting on posts owing to the predictable level of vitriol poured on people for having the audacity to have an opinion which differs in any way from that of the poster or his/her acolytes Drivers of my generation learned our trade

by talking to each other, face to face There was a hierarchy

The newer drivers asked their slightly older workmates

The old salts were generally grumpy sods (not me, guv!) but would generally keep you right rather than let you make too much of a fool of yourself If you didn’t know

something, you asked There was often mild ribbing but you got the help needed then went ahead and did the job

A thing of the past

Fast-forward to the present day Drivers have fewer opportunities to actually talk, other than in supermarket

DC drivers’ rooms Most people there are so engrossed in their own world with their mobile devices that normal conversations are often a thing of the past

Drivers’ groups on Facebook can be very toxic places

with some very entrenched opinions Every self-important

know-it-all with extreme views seems to inhabit cyberspace

Drivers seem to miss the irony of filming on their mobile some perceived indiscretion by another driver then setting

up that driver for ridicule by posting the clip A simple bit

of help or guidance might have averted the problem in the first place The people criticising a poorly-executed

reversing manoeuvre by a newbie have short memories

A driver innocently asks a perfectly sensible question and promptly has his/her self-confidence destroyed following the acerbic response The guys (and girls) providing the

‘witty’ replies probably have their tongues firmly in their cheeks, but humour is a very subjective thing that is tricky

to convey in print

I recently saw a post by a Portuguese lad who had asked for advice on how to write a basic covering letter to the DVLA to exchange his CPC card for a UK one, as his English skills weren’t quite up to the job He was called all sorts of unprintable names by guys whose English skills were quite plainly questionable I suspect that, with the roles reversed, they might struggle to write to the authorities in Lisbon to do the same thing A simple PM from me offering to help was too late He’d gone He’s going to feel very welcome in perfidious Albion

After retiring in 2016, I quickly got bored and did some training and assessment work for a former employer He gave (and still gives) newly-qualified drivers a start I always told them: “There is no such thing as a daft question if you don’t know the answer.” Far better to get the answer that way than be the perpetrator of some life-changing catastrophic event

Changing the subject…

The contempt with which many drivers seem to regard the enforcement authorities never fails to amaze me Never happy to be subjected to their attentions themselves, many seek to deflect by asking why they are not pulling in ‘Johnny Foreigner’ They do, all the time!

When I started out HGV driving, there was an unwritten rule Don’t draw attention to yourself If you went about your business quietly you were left in peace Traffic cops and the DVSA like a quiet life; if you wind them up there is only ever going to be one winner And it’s not you It’s all about ticking boxes Be polite and helpful and, magically, you are soon on your way (most of the time, anyway).Finally, the Driver Standards Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency were amalgamated on 28 November 2013 The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency was created Five years later, why are so many still calling it Vosa? I stopped calling them The Ministry and the Wheel Tappers last millennium Time to move on l

There is no such thing

as a daft question if you don’t know the answer

DONINGTON-PARK.CO.UK - 0843 453 9000

WEEKEND ADMISSION (ONLINE*/GATE) £32/£40

EACH DAY ADMISSION (ONLINE*/GATE) £20/£25

CHILDREN UNDER 13 GO FREE

*Advance tickets available until midday Thu 8 August Postage fee applies Calls will cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge.

In association with

1,000

SHOW

TRUCKS

ARENAFULL RACE PROGRAMME

SITUATED JUST OFF

THE M1, SOUTH

OF DERBY

FEATURING THE BRITISH TRUCK RACING ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP

SEE WWW.CONVOYINTHEPARK.COM FOR THE FULL LINE-UP!

dougie.rankine@road transport.com NOTE: We reserve the right to

edit your letters Your name and/or address can be withheld if you wish but if we are not told your details we will not publish your letter.Anti-social media

It’s great to see how you’re

settling into your role as T&D

editor, Dougie The cheek social media posts are great and hopefully they’ll continue without people getting too serious

tongue-in-In reference to your February issue editorial column, yes, the news on

social media is pretty grim,

but before the industry can be taken seriously there needs to

be a lot of growing up from ourselves, the drivers

Every social media post where an HGV driver is involved receives a battering

of ‘if you’ve got it, a truck brought it’ or ‘car driver’s fault for dithering’ How, exactly, does that excuse bad driving from those in HGVs? It’s no wonder we’re stereotyped

The state we treat each other is shocking nowadays too, holding each other out, tailgating… We’re meant to be above the level of Joe Public and their lack of awareness

I know it’s difficult not to react, but how do you think it looks to the other people around? Another angry trucker having a tantrum; bit pathetic, I’d say These are the people who work at factories or live near industrial estates who

don’t want us anywhere nearby, and it’s no wonder

Until we treat each other and the public with respect, there is no chance of stopping the hatred of trucks I’m no saint and don’t claim to be any better than anyone else, but I do try to keep my ‘road rage’ to myself

A thank-you wave when a car waits/lets you out, or a

“sorry” when your auto gearbox has launched you in front of someone on a roundabout, would probably start to alter opinions

Anyway, good luck with the

campaigns Maybe taking

trucks into schools as T&D

has done in the past would be worth a revisit? After all, if children take the info on board, they’re bound to pass

it on to their parents as they curse the Co-op lorry slowing the school run

Name & address supplied

• Very interesting points there

It’s a bit of a vicious circle with regard to the public’s

relationship with trucks

People just aren’t nice to each other a lot of the time Maybe

we should write a guide to being a courteous trucker/car/ van driver and see if we can make it go viral! – Dougie

You can’t

beat Pete

I enjoyed the feature on Peter

Davies (above) in the February

issue of Truck & Driver The

man’s a legend in the trucking

industry, with decades-worth of

great photos Many thanks!

John Connor, via email

• On page 60 you can read an

article by Peter on a heavy-haul

move! – Dougie

Striking out

I read the article ‘The Longest

Winter’ in January’s issue and

am amazed that so much can be

concluded from so few

informants! On TruckNet.UK

there were a total of six

contributors, while the article

itself seems confused as to which

year it refers to

I submit, for your

consideration, another point of

view of that winter for

publication I appreciate the

feature is not short – the

responses would not fit into the

From the Sharp End page – but

I offer it to provide balance

Alex Saville, via email

• Alex has sent us a hugely

interesting piece regarding the industrial action in the 1970s in response to the feature published in January It arrived too late to squeeze into this issue, but look out for it next month – Dougie

• Improved towing

• Fewer gear changes

• Smoother driving experience

• Shorter journey time

• All vehicles are custom tuned

PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING LTD

Specialists in electronic engine performance upgrades

Powerchips offer you electronic engine management upgrades

to improve many factors in the way that your vehicle performs

www.powerchips.com Tel: 01260 279604 / 298532

Unit 6, Newman Close, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4TR

THE LAW AND YOU

– and it’s a potential headache that

has nothing to do with Brexit It’s all

about digitising the UK tax system

Barely three days after Brexit, businesses will be

facing what many consider to be the biggest change for years in how they deal with HMRC – and none

of this has anything to do with leaving the EU The changes, which apply to every transaction a business records, come from what HMRC calls Making Tax Digital – MTD And, as might be expected, the impact is going to

be felt most by the smallest of hauliers

Jason Piper, senior manager for tax and business law at the ACCA, a professional accounting body, says: “The underlying goal of Making Tax Digital is to transform the whole UK tax system, both HMRC’s internal IT infrastructure and the way that taxpayers engage with it.”But the rollout has been slowed by the snap 2017 election and the Brexit referendum Initial plans to force virtually all businesses to keep their records for profits taxes digitally from 2018 were abandoned; now only the minimum is being put in place

The impact on firms

In essence, from April 2019, MTD will apply to VAT for

all businesses above the compulsory registration threshold

of £85,000 Income and Corporation Tax will follow at some point The costs of fuel and units alone mean that no haulier will be outside the regime

DIGITALLY

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201915

Words: Adam Bernstein / Main image: Shutterstock

MTD won’t apply to businesses not (yet) registered for

VAT because, as Piper notes, “even if these businesses do

subsequently register for VAT, they’ll be outside of the

regime until 2020” Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily

mean they can relax

Firms need to prepare because MTD alters how the

online filing process works and makes a huge change to

how their VAT submissions are made HMRC’s existing

web portal will close for MTD filers; they’ll need to use

specialist software to create and submit their return

Loss of control

“But the biggest, unprecedented, change,” explains Piper,

“is in how much control HMRC’s processes will have over

how you run your business At present, you submit your

VAT return to HMRC in their prescribed digital format so

it’s easy for them to process But you’re in control of how

the records that help you work out the nine numbers you

need for the return are kept

“Under MTD, it’s not just how the nine figures reach

HMRC that’s legally regulated; it’s how they’re calculated,

and the format of the records that support it which is laid

down in law.”

Piper explains that every transaction will need to be

recorded digitally (on a spreadsheet or in accounting

software) and those records have to automatically drive the

return calculation Hauliers will need to be online-aware or

have a very accommodating accountant

There are some exemptions to the scheme, but the bar to

clear is very high These include being a (serious) member

of a religious order that shuns technology, being ‘digitally

excluded’ with no or poor internet coverage, or where the

change would have a hugely disproportionate negative

financial effect on the business

Action to take now

Piper says that the first step is to establish if the accounts

software package used supports MTD filing and record

keeping – it might not Some suppliers are asking

customers to move from desktop licences to cloud

subscription services, which will be far more expensive in

the long run But for firms not using any digital tools, then

as Piper says: “You’ll need to start, and quickly do your

own research to find a suitable product.”

He reckons that there will be an official HMRC tool, but

businesses might do better to search out resources that

accountants use – accountingweb.co.uk may help.

Luckily, spreadsheets can still be used for basic record

keeping But here Piper says that firms will need a filing

package as well, known as ‘bridging software’

“In a variation on the current practice of phoning your

accountant every time with the nine figures, you could post

them a USB stick or email a spreadsheet with all your

records (in the right format) once a quarter

“Their software could do the rest, but it’s likely to cost

more than the current equivalent.”

Of course, doing this means that there’s scope for things

to go wrong, and it will mean accountants doing more –

which will be reflected in their bill

Summary

Making Tax Digital is not going away and it will disrupt how a business copes with, and reports, its VAT Those that don’t prepare will find themselves sitting on a cliff edge once the present online portal closes next April The answer is to prepare now

●Under MTD the present online portal for reporting VAT will close from April 2019

●Check if your current accounts package supports MTD

●Spreadsheets are fine, but you will need ‘bridging software’ to send VAT data to HMRC

●See if you can apply for an exemption from MTD on the basis of cost (or lack of decent internet access)

●More detail can be read by searching for ‘VAT Notice

700/22’ – it will be found on the gov.uk website. ●

The view of the Road Haulage Association

Colin Snape, deputy policy director at the Road Haulage Association, says the road transport sector is likely to be adversely affected by the implementation of Making Tax Digital (MTD)

“Our sector is made up of SMEs [Small to Medium Enterprises], mostly micro-sized firms There are 80,000 Operator Licences and 50,000 of them belong to firms that are very small, probably fewer than 10 staff And 28,000

of the 50,000 belong to owner-drivers – one-man bands.”

Of course, firms that are larger will, as Snape says, “have a reasonable admin set-up, will be aware of this, and will all do their best to comply” But as

he is also aware, the very small operators “are normally driving their lorries and have little time for admin unless they use an accountant”

He is firmly of the view that many SMEs are not even aware of MTD – his feeling is that the level of preparedness in the haulage sector is similar to other industries, “which pretty much sums up HMRC’s communications” Snape is in no doubt that “any additional administrative burden will no doubt force more small hauliers to throw in the towel”

The RHA is planning to notify its members of the change and point them to the relevant information But the problem is that the RHA struggles “to communicate with the really small guys and there are many operators who are not members” They’re going to miss out

Adam Bernstein is

a freelance business writer who covers a variety of subjects that include law, finance and management

Y0UR PLACE

Welcome to our section devoted exclusively to your contributions This is the place if you have any pictures you want to share Anything from weddings to funerals, children to dogs, truck shows to road runs, amusing or serious, we would love to see them If it’s your favourite shunter or your child’s drawing, send them in The only rule is that they should be truck related Please email your

contributions to dougie.rankine@roadtransport.com or post them to Your Place, Truck & Driver,

DVV Media International, Sixth Floor, Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1JB

Sutherland stunner

Sean Mackay sent us some incredible

photographs of his Scania at work in

Sutherland in the north of Scotland We’ve

included a few here, but look out for more of

these in an upcoming issue soon Wow, Sean,

just wow Top work there

“I’m an employee for Mackenzie Scourie,

a small operator running three artics and a

couple of eight-wheelers, also various plant

The company is based in Scourie, Sutherland,

in the north-west Highlands of Scotland

“The lorry is a 2017-registered R580 used for general haulage but the majority of the time the main contract is transporting harvested salmon in tankers from Sutherland and the Western Isles to the factory for processing All photos are taken either in Sutherland or on the Isle of Skye.”

Specced-up MercsMike Wigfield’s employer, Tewkesbury-based Hydro Building Systems, has just replaced its fleet of six vehicles, staying with Mercedes-Benz for the third time in a row

“The vehicles are all 2536 rigids with BigSpace cabs featuring fridges and microwaves, flat floors, active cruise control and PPC All the chassis have rear steer and two of the chassis have drawbar couplings fitted The bodies are maximum legal length with racking

at the rear to enable pallets to be carried double height.”

Always good to see rigids specced to the same level as tractors!

18 Shunter of the Month 20 Truck of the Irish part 2

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201917

All-singing,

all-dancing

610hp FH16

“I’m a lucky boy,” writes Steven Johnston

“I’ve been driving for 22 years doing various things, including the Continent for five years

This is my third truck at Forsyth, having previously had an MAN and a Scania

“The Volvo has a TV, microwave, fridge/

freezer, full leather kit, custom storage lockers and Dura-Bright wheels,” he adds

“It has an 85-tonne crane with six extensions and, I was told by the builder of the vehicle, it is the first one in Scotland.”

OBITUARY John Williamson (1937-2018)

T&D reader John Williamson was taken on his final journey in Walsall by the 1950 Leyland Beaver of Vintage Lorry Funerals.John’s career started with BRS and he went on to work for 17 companies in the Midlands; the most memorable jobs were runs to the Middle East delivering beds to Saudi Arabia and returning with melons from Yugoslavia

On his last trip to Saudi in 1977, his truck broke down and, unable to get any funds from the company, John worked locally for eight weeks on building sites to generate enough cash to get home John even sold parts from his stranded truck He flew home on Concorde and gave the balance of the money to the company that had sent him to Saudi At the time there were public executions in Saudi Arabia and John vowed that he would never go back.John is deeply missed by his wife Jean, their children Steven and Jeanette, eight grandchildren –especially Jack and Jemma, who John saw the most –and two great-grandchildren

Our condolences from all at T&D.For more information about the activities

of the Leyland Beaver, call 01225 865346

or visit vintagelorryfunerals.co.uk

Healthy new food at

Chippenham Pit Stop

A major £250,000 kitchen extension at the

award-winning Chippenham Pit Stop is

being celebrated by the introduction of more

lower-calorie ‘High Performance’ meals

Truckers from across the UK and Europe

and diners from neighbouring villages have

already given the thumbs-up to the Pit Stop’s

High Performance Breakfast, which costs

£4.95 and weighs in at under 500 calories

Chippenham Pit Stop’s health campaigns coordinator, Lisa Hatherell, says: “The trick has been to produce a breakfast – including poached eggs, bacon, toast and tomato, with

a veggie option – that is tasty and sets people

up for a day’s work yet will not put on those extra pounds.”

Y0UR PLACE

Here’s a weather-worn but still very tidy Volvo FH12 V1 shunter Aren’t these V1s starting to go up in value a bit? Niall Barker sent us the picture “It’s a 1997 model with a 4-over-4 box It’s done 1.4 million kilometres (which is less than some

of the roadgoing units in the fleet) and it used to work for Bibby distribution; you can still see the sticker outline

“It used to haul steel for Hendersons of Selby but once the London LEZ came in it usually moves trailers between the two yards and goes out on the road when trailers need to go for MoT It even has leaf springs on the rear This was my favourite truck to use when I worked in the yard!”

SHUNTER

OF THE MONTH

Canadian Kenworth

Ian Sloan has one cool Kenworth He’s sent us a picture

of the truck in Edmonton (not the one located in north

London – Dougie)

Ian says: “T&D did two stories about myself in Canada

One was about moving from Scotland to Canada, the

other was a road trip I did here with George Bennett

“My T680 has a 510hp Paccar MX in it with an

automatic 18-speed Eaton transmission Keep up the

good work, I enjoy getting my T&D every month here!”

Devon Truck Show organiser Mike Quartley

got in touch to tell us about this year’s event at

Smeatharpe Stadium near Honiton in Devon,

taking place on 11/12 May The show supports

and raises funds for the United Truckers

Children’s Convoy and baby loss awareness

charity Single Yellow Rose

Mike tells us: “So far we’ve had over 300

trucks book in at what is becoming a hugely

popular show

“For drivers we offer an on-site truck wash

provided by UK Truck Clean Taunton, a secure

weekend trailer park with 24-hour security, late

bar and disco on Friday night, live band disco

and a late bar Saturday night

“There’s also a full funfair, a truck driver

banger racing challenge on track, a stunt show,

regular truck parades around the racetrack,

and most of all a bloody good atmosphere!”

Devon Truck Show

@TheCVShow Get your FREE ticket Register today www.cvshow.com

2019

THE

CV SHOW 30 APRIL - 2 MAY • NEC • BIRMINGHAM

THE UK’S LARGEST COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW

The showroom for excellence

One event Three days Build your industry knowledge at The Commercial Vehicle Show

2019 in an interactive way Explore the latest products and developments in the show halls

and discover the dedicated Cool and Workshop zones.

The Commercial Vehicle Show 2019 is the showroom for excellence, providing an ideal

opportunity to network and engage.

Visit us at the NEC Birmingham, Tuesday 30th April – Thursday 2nd May 2019.

Y0UR PLACE

Right: Scania S580 owned by David Jameson

at the Keep Er Lit For Ellen Show 2018

Mark Speers and Barbara Philips from Mad4Power Multimedia sent us some more Irish truck pics from last summer

Above: Taken at Trucking for Dad 2018, this is the stunning T730 belonging to A & M Commercials

Above: Two Scania R560s and one R500 owned by Multicrete Precast Ltd Taken at the Mid Ulster Truck Festival 2018

Left: Captured

at the Causeway Coast Truck Fest – James Donnelly’s Scania R620

Turkish

rarity

Regular contributor Alex Saville spotted

this unusual Turkish BMC at the Shows

on Tarbert Pier, Argyll, last summer

Send T&D your photos of interesting trucks and we’ll pay £10*

per pic for each picture published – and £30* for the Star Photo

*In the form of a high street voucher, exchangeable anywhere

PICTURE Send us your photos! POST

For digital images, set your camera to its highest-quality setting and email them to

dougie.rankine@roadtransport.com only and not to any of our other email addresses If you send prints (we

would rather you didn’t) and want them returned, add your name & address to the back of each one Please

don’t send prints taken from digital images Send your prints to: Dougie Rankine, Picture Post, T&D, DVV Media

International, Sixth Floor, Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1JB

NOTE: The photographer owns the copyright to his or her submission All material submitted to Your Place/

Picture Post is on the understanding that T&D retains the right to use it again, possibly in other formats, in the

future Also, T&D cannot be responsible for material mislaid or lost in the post.

OWAIN WILLIAMS: Volvo FM11 450 Globetrotter and For Farmers non-tipping trailer, which is run out of Carmarthen

GARY WATERFIELD: This rare-spec MAN TGS looks in fabulous nick for a 56-plate Gary tells us: “Our MAN tipper grab, here about to leave for show duties, is used every day!”

DARREN FARRELLY: Scania S580 V8 “Operated by Boles Hire ,

this truck is pictured in Dublin with two new Manitou

telehandlers, having been delivered from London”

Each month the sender of the ‘star’

picture will also receive a superb 1:76-scale modern truck model, from Oxford Diecast, that retails at around £18.95 See the full range

of models on the website

oxforddiecast.co.uk

STAR

PHOTO H

JIM KING: Scania P250 belonging to the Felinfoel Brewery of

Llanelli Pictured at the Esplanade, Tenby, Pembrokeshire

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201923

The best of this month’s readers’ snaps

DEREK O’TOOLE Volvo FH V3 “The blades were taken from

Galway to Tipperary on conventional extended trailers and

each blade was then mounted on the blade lift trailer”

PETER SUTHERLAND: Volvo FH13 Globetrotter Alex Campbell

of Nigg, a village in the Scottish Highlands, has just taken delivery of this new tag-axle timber-hauler

BEN BROOKSBY: Scania R450 Highline of W H Richardson & Son “My truck, taken on Hull docks, waiting to load,” says Ben

STAR

PHOTO

£30 WINNER

H

TRUCK IN SERVICE

T&D hits the road

with the mighty

beast No point in messing

about with clever opening

sentences We hook it into a

low-loader and spend three days

hauling plant equipment around

Scotland and even at 44 tonnes you

barely even know it’s loaded

The truck is of course designed to

operate at much greater weights, but

running under standard C&U

regulations in this country it’s so

awesomely effortless that it’s clear to

see why so many people have bought

them, as well as the previous

generations such as the 700

Volvo had arranged for me to use its

NIFTY

750

Words & images by Dougie Rankine

TRUCK IN SERVICE

demo unit back in the summer, long

before the editor’s job on T&D came

up I was looking forward to it – who wouldn’t? Normally I’d have gone and hauled standard trailers with it, but since circumstances had changed I figured there was an opportunity to place the truck with a haulier who would really put the truck to test

Step forward C&R White of Perthshire The family-run firm operates four Volvos, a late Euro 5 FH540, a V2 FH660, a V3 FH700 and

an FM450 The latter three are on bulk tipper work, the 540 shifts plant, and this latter truck is driven by Ramsay White I send him a message

to see if he fancies a shot of driving a

750 for a few days Well, durr

The truck is dropped off at Volvo’s Broxburn dealership near Edinburgh

in early December – perfect timing, as

I sat my Transport Manager CPC exams the previous day and, having been chained to a desk for the best part of a month, it’s great to get out and do some proper work I hate early starts so I put all my kit in the truck and sleep in it in Broxburn, meeting Ramsay early the following morning

to swap his 540 for the 750

Familiar FH

I had a rear-steer tag 540, which was featured in the December issue, so the

FH cab set-up is fresh in my head

There are plenty of storage areas in the FH and although I only expect to

be away for three nights, I still bring with me an unfeasible amount of crap

To summarise the FH750 cab specification: nice big fridge, comfy mattress, microwave, coffee-maker, satnav, DAB and air-con seat And a set of curtains in a really weird greeny-yellow colour

Our first task is to pick up a tar planer from Edinburgh and drop it in Stirling, about 20-tonnes-worth of machine What you’ll find is you need

a featherlight touch on the throttle with the 750’s big 16-litre; too heavy and it’ll baulk and try to spin its wheels when running light, especially

if the roads are greasy Drive it in your slippers or your socks It takes a little getting used to in the horrible rush-hour traffic around Sighthill

With the tar planer loaded, there is

no noticeable difference in

Drive it in your slippers or your socks

It takes a little getting used to in the

horrible rush-hour traffic around Sighthill

Above: 20-tonne tar

planer was moved

from Edinburgh to

Stirling and back At

the wheel of the 750,

you don’t even notice

there’s a load on

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201927

performance at all, which can be

disconcerting because if you’re not

used to the power you’ll forget you are

loaded The engine brake is excellent,

being capable of hauling the truck to a

stop Once we drop off the tar planer,

it’s on to East Kilbride to collect a load

of filthy metal stuff I have to reverse

off the main road and then up through

a housing scheme to a building site,

where the local residents have, as is

standard practice, left their cars in

awkward spots

The low-speed throttle control is

about perfect, I am able to thread the

trailer round no problem, although I

do hit a raised pile of Type-1 with the

nearside drive wheels, causing some

wheelspin After that is loaded, I

proceed to drop all the bits and pieces

off and swap cards for Ramsay to get

behind the wheel

Valuable experience

He’s been working away with his

low-loader for the past few years, slowly

building up a reputation through word

of mouth for reliable service

Ramsay grew up on a farm and

worked as an excavator/machine

operator before going into driving, so

the big advantage when it comes to

moving plant and machinery around

is that he knows how to drive it all and

is trusted by the customers to pick it

up and drop it off by himself

Ramsay started off with a couple of ERFs before buying a Volvo FH “The ERFs were great trucks but they were getting hard to get parts for,” he says

He picked up his 2013-registered

540 two years ago, having looked about for some time for the right truck The 540 variants are quite rare and the engine is mechanically different to the 500; it’s not just a matter of a software re-map

The top-output 13-litre is a strong performer, superb at 44-tonnes work, and Ramsay has been delighted with his He’s quick to note though that the

750 is simply in a league of its own, immediately mirroring my reaction –

“It just doesn’t feel like it’s loaded” –

when it very much is loaded The

truck is equipped with Volvo Dynamic Steering, making it super-light at low speeds “This is brilliant,” says Ramsay, “you really notice this when

Above: Three pieces

of equipment were picked up from the middle of nowhere Ramsay White has experience in loading all types of plant, essential in this line of work

you compare it with my Volvo.”

He rarely has to do nights out, so our plan is that we take the truck back

to his base at the family farm and I’ll sleep in it there so we’re ready to go the following morning I enjoy another great sleep, helped by the fact there’s

no noise anywhere

First job of day two is to drop off an excavator at a yard down some side-street in a tiny village somewhere, I dunno, out the back of Dundee somewhere? This would prove to be a theme The truck and trailer only just squeeze round the junction, not helped by the fact that the chassis is a long-wheelbase mid-lift One of those rear-steering tags would have been ideal, but we get by without clipping any kerbs or verges

Riding on air

We spend most of our time well off the beaten track, traversing Glen Devon Here there are several sharp corners and narrow sections where if you meet a truck coming the other way it’s necessary to come to a complete stop The full-air-suspension Volvo takes all of it in its stride, mopping up the rough surfaces with ease without pitching and rolling – we aren’t exactly hanging around

We only just make it to a site in Crieff before the last man there leaves for the day (at 3.30pm, you cheeky

sod) to pick up a JCB He is persuaded to let us in and we only just manage to get the truck turned to face back out, the long wheelbase making things a bit trickier

At one point we are down two miles

or so of single-track road to pick up a JCB excavator from a farm; it’s pitch dark, foggy and for some reason there are about a dozen cars wanting to use the road too “Welcome to my world,” laughs Ramsay It’s impressive watching him keep a mental record of all the places he has to go and the items that have to be picked up and dropped off

The fun and games continue with

me behind the wheel later on Another excavator has to be dropped off at a

‘site’ somewhere in Fife I quickly come to realise that ‘site’ doesn’t mean a building site, or a nicely

Above: You’d be

dubious taking a car

to some of the

locations! The Volvo

did well, but a tag

rather than mid-lift

would’ve been ideal

Above right: A

Globetrotter XL with

all the options

ticked is about as

posh as it gets Not

sure about those

curtains though

TRUCK IN SERVICE

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201929

surfaced compound; oh no, a site can

also be a patch of mud We have

directions but initially I miss the

right-hand turning, just before

a modern high-school

Mainly because the ‘road’

– and I use the word in

the loosest possible

sense – looks more like

I turn in and ease up the

hill Crunch Wheelspin I try

a couple of things, including the

diff-lock, but we are stuck and

blocking the road It turns out the

The big excavator had to be

on site in Aberdeenshire for a Friday afternoon deadline The pair made it with time to spare

Ramsay White drives an FH540 for his family business, C&R White, so he’s the ideal man to put the 750 through its paces

TRUCK IN SERVICE

T&D VERDICT

This truck was worked hard over a testing three days

What quickly becomes apparent is that it’s not all about

the power Everyone knows that these big 750s slow

down for nothing What’s so impressive is the overall

ease of driving the Volvo You do have to respect the

engine’s hefty torque, the 16-litre requiring just the

lightest of touches on the throttle

The FH is such a well-thought-out truck, from the

steering wheel controls to the dash layout and driving

position I suffer from sciatica, a painful malady that had

got worse since taking on the editor’s job as I was sitting

at a desk much more Three days in the Volvo and I felt

great, no pain at all

We will be putting a variety of trucks to work as much

as we can throughout the year – proper work, no

playing about on press tests The marker for the start of

2019 has very much been laid down!

trailer has ground out on the road

Ramsay raises the suspension on the trailer and, with a fair bit of wheelspin, the Volvo gets moving once more If you didn’t have specific directions, you’d never have driven down here

We only just make it round one hander and are then faced with a steep climb over a blind crest Ramsay goes for a look and confirms it’s okay, the

left-‘site’ is an old farm building on the other side We get the excavator off and head back out to the main road

“It’s like this all the time on this sort

of work, you just have to get on with it,” he grins – followed by the pained

shout of “aaargh!” as a branch springs through the open window and whacks him in the tit Ouch

Dead-on 44 tonnes

The final day’s work is the most thorough test – a big new excavator and buckets, from Doune in Stirlingshire up to a new substation site north of Aberdeen near New Deer This will bring the gross weight

to dead-on 44 tonnes Just to make things a bit more spicy, the customer phones just after we get on the road to tell us that the machine has to be on site by 3pm as it shuts early on a

Above: Great care

must be taken when

meets its sibling at

the Volvo dealership

at the week’s end

Friday Everyone loves a driving challenge, right?

The big Volvo hauls itself up to the limiter and that is exactly where it stays The Cairney braes (‘hills’ to Sassenachs – deputy editor) on the A9 between Stirling and Perth are a stern test for any truck, and if it isn’t for us getting held up by another truck it’ll have gone up there all the way flat-out without breaking stride

The Aberdeen bypass is yet to open

so we take the route through the city round by the docks The torque, and the smoothness of the I-Shift ’box, really come together on the busy urban roads; the truck is so easy to use, you can concentrate on keeping your eye on those excellent mirrors Effortless is the word that keeps coming up

The path north of Aberdeen snakes its way north and gets progressively narrower until we hit some small back roads and meet the huge, muddy site The place is an absolute quagmire, but health and safety dictates that the unloading has to be done in a specific place, not on the nice dry bit

Anyway, with the machine dropped off and with half-an-hour to spare it’s time to head back to Broxburn and swap the trucks back over Perhaps Ramsay will be getting one of these at some point? When it comes to change the next truck on the fleet, it wouldn’t

be a surprise, put it that way! ●

NEXT MONTH…

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201931

Truck & Driver April 2019 issue on sale 26 FEBRUARY – DON’T MISS IT!

Because driving ain’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle

PLUS

Behind the scenes: British Truck Racing team Iveco’s unsung hero: Working a Stralis 570XP

Jess Richardson and her P-cab Scania

Glorious Golden Griffin

Mike Ponsonby’s Limited Edition R580

YOUNG GUNS: Spotlight on the next generation of drivers

Getting your licence in 2019

Sandy Arthur talks training

Lookin’ out for Lynda’s Transport’s custom Daf CF

Wrecking crew: Trainee mechanic to driver of a £400k Volvo FH recovery truck

Learning to drive in the good old days!

So now you’re a lorry driver! Top T&D

tips and advice for newbies

FOOD TO GO

SIMPLE

STIR

FRY Welcome to Food to Go, our series on eating well when out

on the road In this issue, lorry driver and food enthusiast

Luke shows us how to make a tasty, simple stir fry

While it’s nice to sometimes

go all out and make elaborate dishes, the key

to cooking on the go is simplicity Hence the best meals are those that generally involve one pan, not only since normally we have only one hob but also it makes everything

much easier to clean up! You could go the whole hog and even eat from the pan, but I was well brought up and usually prefer plates

In my opinion, one of the best pan dishes is a stir fry Super-easy, super-fast and really simple to adapt

one-to your particular tastes You can

choose pretty much any meats you like (or no meat if you prefer), any veg, and a wide variety of sauces, from Kung Pao to black bean to my preferred sweet & sour I tend to buy whole chicken breasts and dice them myself as I like chunky bits of meat They cook better and dry out less

You can follow

EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED

You can prepare most meals on the road with a very basic set of implements, as follows:

Basics: Small gas cooker with spare gas bottle; frying pan

with lid; small saucepan; plate; bowl; knife, fork and spoon; plastic cooking utensils; kettle

Advanced: Whisk; box grater; measuring jug; wok;

scissors; chopping board

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201933

l Rice or noodles (optional)

– can be boiled in water or

placed in a microwave, if

your truck has one

CHECK FIRST: You may

want to check your

employer’s/insurer’s policy

on using a stove in the cab

METHOD

1 If, like me, you use a

whole chicken breast, pop it

out of the fridge 30 to 40

minutes before cooking to

allow it to warm a little

Cooking ice-cold chicken

can cause the outside flesh

to dry out by the time the

middle is cooked

2 Pop your pan on the heat

and add a drop of oil – not a

huge amount is needed

(Frylight spray is handy and

has fewer calories) Once

hot, add the diced chicken

Instead of salt, I usually add

a few splashes of soy sauce

as it adds beautifully to the

flavour Not essential though

3 Once the chicken is

browned on all sides and

has been cooking a minute

or so, add your veg

(mushrooms are optional) I

often use a stir fry kit from

the fruit and veg section of

the supermarket, as buying

all the separate items can prove

wasteful You’ll get two or three stir

frys from a kit If feeling particularly

hungry I also occasionally add egg

noodles, usually supplied with the stir

fry kits Rice also works

4 Cook your veg and keep an eye on

the chicken; cut into a larger piece of

meat to make sure there is no pink

inside Again, with the veg it is down to

preference how much you cook it I like

it to retain a bit of a crunch (or, to be posh for a moment, al dente) Just before it is finally all cooked, add your choice of sauce Half a jar is generally sufficient – you don’t want a soup Stir

in well Leave to simmer for a minute or

so to allow it to warm through

5 And serve! As a garnish, I find some

quartered fresh uncooked tomatoes work a treat, but again not essential l

Words & images by Luke Vernon

1 Main ingredients

2 Use only a small amount of oil 3 Add the veg

4 With sauce added, let it simmer 5 The finished item, ready in 10 minutes!

Opt for rice or noodles; both are easy to cook

ROAD TEST

Bred last? Nothing

to do with family ranking, it’s simply Swedish for ‘wide load’ The latest I-Shift ’box, and other clever Scania technology, makes moving 140t with the FH750 a cinch

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201935

Words & images by Dougie Rankine

SUPER

Grossing at 44 tonnes is easy for an FH16, so

we go to Sweden and add 96 tonnes more!

When we put the lightweight

FH16 750 6x2 to work

recently (see page 24) and

discovered it dealt with 44

tonnes gross so easily, we couldn’t help

think it would be good to really load

one up and see what it could do

We mentioned this to Volvo’s

demo-god Martin Tomlinson, who was a

guest on our podcast, and he suggested

that a trip to Sweden was in order, to

Volvo’s HQ in Gothenburg, where

“we happen to have the ideal vehicle”

He wasn’t kidding, either; pictured

here is an 8x4 FH16 750 featuring

heavy duty chassis, hub reduction and

the latest I-Shift gearbox with

ultra-low crawler gears Hooked up to a

Goldhofer multi-axle steering trailer,

the set-up is weighed down to the tune

of 140 tonnes… Blimey

We get behind the wheel, fire it up

and off we go The truck is being used

for customer demonstrations so it’s

currently fitted with extra seats

Martin and I are accompanied by Volvo Sweden’s press test specialist Calle Wiman, a former driver

“You’ll be surprised at how well the trailer will follow you,” he says, and he’s right It’s really intuitive

Handy, that retarder…

And the pulling power from the big 16-litre? Wow Now we really do know

we have a load on, but it can handle it

no problem There’s a retarder fitted here, which is handy as it’s quite an interesting sensation having 140 tonnes shove you down a hill

This latest I-Shift is full of clever technology The truck knows the weight it’s dealing with and it knows the incline Calle suggests we do a hill start, and off it goes, automatically selecting the correct ratio

He also explains the ‘engine cruise’

function, which is standard on all FH

and FM models Who knew?! You can use the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel to set your engine revs like a hand throttle and the 750 just gently moves away at walking pace, and you can increase and maintain the speed precisely in tiny increments

And if you need to, there is a set of switches on the dash to transfer the load to the drive-wheels or onto the steer-axles as necessary

How something you imagine would require such strength and brute force

to move can be put in motion with the most gentle of touches and with such refinement is nothing short of amazing

Once you get moving it’ll keep going too; you could probably get up

to some impressive, albeit inadvisable, speeds if you had enough room

What a bit of kit Now we’ve seen both sides of the 750, the Volvo proves

it is capable at both the normal and the extremely abnormal ●

HEAVY

TRUCK SHOWS

Head-turning Schoones Volvo 10x4 recently won first prize at the prestigious Assen Truck Show Below: Historic Mack and, in the backgound, modern cranes

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201937

Words & images by Tim Cotton

DUTCH

Like your trucks on the heavy side and have a penchant for the Bulldog? Then look no further than this annual Netherlands celebration of special transport and the Mack marque

TRUCK SHOWS

For enthusiasts of heavy

transport and cranes, the Borchland complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands was the only place to be on the final weekend of September 2018 which, fortunately, turned out to be warm and sunny It was the venue for the Speciaal Transport & Mack Dag, held across the road from the Ajax Stadium and Ziggo Dome music venue.The show focuses on heavy transport, cranes, historic vehicles and, of course, Macks The Bulldog has a large following in our European neighbour and Dutch manufacturer FTF used a number of Mack components in many of its vehicles The show is organised annually by Willem Kuiper and Jan van Wees, attracting vehicles from the Netherlands, UK, Germany and elsewhere Heavy transport specialist Mammoet and Nooteboom Trailers have both been loyal sponsors of the event for many years Liebherr also supported the show this year

Crane jibs ensure

that the showground

can be spotted from

some distance away

TRUCK & DRIVERMARCH 201939

Top, from left: Herpertz Volvo coupled to a Nooteboom trailer with single-axle dolly carries

a Sennebogen crawler crane; Heavy duty Mack M45 was carried into the show by Jos Blom Cranes and Transport It has a 12-cylinder Cummins engine and a GVW of 75 tonnes; As usual, Mammoet brought a large number of cranes and ballast trucks to the event

Middle, from left: Van Herik Mack is a regular on the Dutch show scene; J Brouwer operates

an immaculate fleet and is a Mack Dag regular

Below left: Another Schoones stunner

Below: Vintage MAN; a large classic contingent is always in attendance

TRUCK SHOWS

Clockwise from

above, this page:

Local crane hire

firm Jos Blom has

company was a

first-time show visitor;

runs a large fleet of

plant & agricultural

machinery and uses