BJS Easter Special

Posted on September 19, 2011 by truckbloguk

Just a quick blog. I found these pics when I was on a marathon scanning mission the other week. These pics stood out from the rest as I remember the job well. Back in the day I had a very good relationship with the transport office down at DFDS Purfleet (now DSV), as they were all the original staff from Coggeshall before they moved to Purfleet. So there I was, washing down at home on the Saturday morning of an Easter weekend, thinking ooo a lovely long weekend for a change as I didn’t have any work for the Bank Holiday Easter Monday, nice. Any way late Saturday afternoon I got the phone call; “Are you working Monday? We have a groupage trailer coming in at 00:30 hours on Monday morning, but it has some cable drums on which need to be South Wales by 06:00 Monday morning to avoid a factory shut down, Can you help??” Well as an all you Owner Drivers know you have to take the work when it comes. This unfortunatly meant I had to leave the Sunday evening Easter Party at a mates house early to grab a few hours kip. When I left Braintree, Essex for Purfleet I remember passing a few party goers on their way home. Any way I was in Purfleet for Midnight, the Turkish Groupage trailer turned up at 00:15 and I was loaded and away by 00:30, perfect! Needless to say the little MAN steamed off down the M4 andwe easily made our 06:00 deadline. Good Old Days!!

Polish Mini MAN

Posted on September 15, 2011 by truckbloguk

I followed this little MAN home the other evening. Heading for Harwich he was. It caught my eye, as most little MAN trucks do (Had you noticed??). It was vey very tidy for its age and when I first came up behind it, I thought it was Italian. It had that Italian look, the body work and back end just looked a bit that way inclined. It only had 9 stud wheels, so it was either a 12 or 15 tonner. I also think it could have been and Owner driver such was the tidyness for a Polish truck. Considering it had a full Roadhaus cab as well it kinda adds up to some thing a little bit more special than the ordinary. I liked it 10 out 10.

Scotts-MAN

Posted on September 9, 2011 by truckbloguk

Its been a while since my friend and yours, Steve Marsh appeared on the blog. Like the rest of us, Marshy too has been a little quiet. Only doing quite alot of what he classes as locals, France, Benelux and Germany. Apparantly these destinations dont make the best photographs! Any way some where else Marshy doesn’t get to too often is the Tartan Territory. Since I’ve know Steve, I think I only rmember him going to Scotland once before. Unfortunately Steve picked that week where Scotland suffered a lot of flooding, back in August. Oh well you can’t have every thing!! Any way Steve has a lovely little 12 ton MAN, so a little wet weather even’s the Karma a bit!

Having delivered a local to Dunkerque, a reload was needed. It turned out the reload involved meeting a Spanish 18 tonner in Calais and transhipping the cargo. Mr Marsh has apologised for not getting a photo! Having loaded it was straight up from Calais to Invergordon in Scotland, to make the delivery. The above pictures were taken on the banks of the Cromaty Firth, just south of Invergordon. For those of you who dont know that part of the world, most times you can see the coast you tend to see some sort of oil related marine vessels. As in this photo you can see Marshy artistically placed the oil rig in the background. Very artistic Steven, great wheel trims by the way!!

There is more to come from Marshy, including a fleet photograph in Lodz, Poland (not so local).

Mini Artics

Posted on July 28, 2011 by truckbloguk

Dear Readers,

So far the info regarding mini artics has been a little sketchy to say the least. I have been trying to find out, what the weight combinations on these vehicles are. I NEED YOUR HELP!?
So far, i think it is fare to say that you can obviously have a minimum gross weight of 7.5 or 12 tons depending on what you require. This mini MAN artic is based on having a Gross Vehicle Weight of 12 tons, actually MAN’s are usually plated at 11,990kg. This particular one come’s from a German body builder and mini artic manufacturer called Pagenkopf. They claim that there trailer with an MAN TGL sleeper cab can still achieve a 5.500kg payload, which obviously means that the truck is designed to run at 11,990kg. This is also given away by the fact they call it “Maut-killer”, all vehicles under 12,000kg GVW dont have to pay the German Maut charges. The other thing I found yesterday on a quote for a 12 tonner from MAN was, they state the maximum Train Weight of a 12 tonner to be 24,000kg.

You may be wondering why i dont just ask MAN or Mercedes what the weight set up is. Well I have. MAN haven’t got back to me and Mercedes Benz UK have said they are on the case, so hopefully I will here some thing back, from one or both.

Activ Cars run these Mercedes Atego’s as you will be bored of reading by now. But they badge on the door say’s this is an “823” meaning 8 tons, 230 bhp. So how do they get away with pulling 11 and 13 metre long trailers behind. They can’t be using the GVW of 8 tons, so they must be going on the Train weight……………………..oh no i’ve gone boss eyed!!

For a minute there I almost sounded like a right anorak! Can you shed any light on the mini artic debate?? If so email me, ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave your USEFULL comments below.

Transit-MAN

Posted on July 23, 2011 by truckbloguk

Good title for the piece i think. My effort was going to be White Van MAN, but i have been overruled by both the wife and Marshy. A recent trip to Hamburg for the famous Steve Marsh Express 12 Ton MAN, was an automotive based round trip vehicle fest. The export load was parts, stock and bits and pieces for the new Mclaren road car. Delivered to a posh car dealer in Hamburg and at the same time an Ontime Automotive Mercedes Atego delivered a the actual car. I have got pics of the car rolling out of the Ontime truck, but i’m sorry to say this is a TRUCK blog not a car blog, so those pics are banished to the photographic vault.
Unfortunatley this Hamburg delivery was part of a round Europe run that Marshy missed out on. Originally Steve quoted on a run starting in Paris and then on to deliver to Brussels, Hamberg, Zurich, Milan, Monaco and finally Marbella. In the end SMEX did the Paris one week and then Hamburg the following. Not quite the same as the big run but good fun all the same.
As always after a delivery there needs to be a reload. Some how with all of his contacts Steve doesn’t seem to fail on the reloading front very often. This time round a very photogenic reload was the order of the day. A complete Transit Van shell from Geeste, Germany back to the Ford Factory in Basildon, in truckblogs very own home county of Essex. Now i dont know about you but i’d say that it was rather a good fit.

Just look at those shiny wheels disc’s! Just as a note for all of our older readers, isn’t it nice to see a well equiped proper tilt?! Expertly stripped and prepped for loading, even a propper step ladder to aid our driver in his efforts, it’s almost a forgotten art, like roping and sheeting!

MAN Consistently Efficiently Tour Rolls on

Posted on June 13, 2011 by truckbloguk

As i wrote before MAN are currently running a huge European tour trying to prove that using the right equipment hauliers can save precious fuel and costs. The opening paragraph on the Consistently Efficient tour website states; “MAN Truck & Bus starts the “Consistently Efficient” Tour 2011 running from May 16 to June 17 through 20 major European cities in ten countries. MAN’s objectives are to provide comprehensive information on the subject of transport efficiency to customers and interested parties and to demonstrate how companies can effectively reduce the cost of operating their fleets of commercial vehicles while at the same time making a contribution to environmental protection. The tour blog shows transparently that up to 3 litres diesel per 100 km can be saved by trucks that are particularly efficiently equipped.”

The tour has so far been all over Europe, starting from Munich on the 16th May, to Prague, Breslau, Vienna, Eugendorf, Misano, Nuremberg, Leipzig, Hirschberg, Eindhoven, Frechen, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lille, Vitoria, Estoril, Madrid so far into Valencia tomorrow (Tuesday 14th June), the finally onto Barcelona, Beziers and then back to Munich. You can follow the remaining days of the tour here at the tour blog. Don’t worry i have given my 2 pennies worth about not coming to the UK.

Here you can see 2 of the 3 artics on the tour, parked in Prague. All 3 trucks are supposed to weigh in at 38,500 kg, but i would like to know where the weight comes from. The trailers all have clear sides and are loaded with slogan’s from the tour. I’m guessing the letters/wording are all different weights??

Much more importantly sifting throught the pictures from the tour, that can be seen here on Flickr, this little yellow TGL is obviously taking part on the tour but i think for slightly different reasons. You can see it in the background from the different stops on the tour, but is liveried in “ProfiDrive – Safety & Economy Training”, i feel i need to find out more, i will go back to my excellent German source and see what she, yes she, can tell me.

Steve Marsh Express Meets BJS International

Posted on May 31, 2011 by truckbloguk

Whilst looking about on my Flickr page i started thinking how me and Marshy were both owner’s of Hatcher cabbed MAN’s. Back in the day i had a 7.5 tonner but Marshy’s was a 12 tonner, naturally he was one step ahead. My truck definitely lived up to my expectations and was doing the mileage of any big truck if not more day after day up and down the motorway, Glasgow 3 times a week from my base in Braintree, Carmarthen daily for a week, exactly 4 1/2 hours each way every day, i loved it! Marshy was undoubtedly doing similar mileage but the majority of his was continental with a bit of UK, where i was vice versa. I never quite worked out why i didn’t do more continental?? i think it was probably that i was just so busy doing my thing i never got round to getting more into it. I used to see V99 STE around quite a lot, i often used to wave in the hope he’d wave back, but with out any luck, i think Marshy was just too busy doing his thing while i was doing mine. I think there is a big “what if” here some where. What if we had been going the same way and had had time to stop for a cuppa………….

I often wonder what would have happened if i had got more into continental express type work. There was clearly a market for it a few years back and Steve Marsh is testament to the fact there is still a market for it now. With the office job i do now for HC Wilson, each week we have a couple of job offers that would suit some thing like a 12 ton rigid, more often than not if we can’t cover it some how i end up offering it to Steve. I do wonder if I’ll ever go back to it, running a little rigid, i think the answer is one day yes it would be nice, or perhaps we should get one at Wilson’s!?

I have no idea why they are my favourite type of truck, after all a simple person would call a 7.5 tonner a van!………… that’s a totally different blog all together! I guess at the end of the day there will always be a market for these cracking little rigids with in haulage, but how many there is the unanswered question. Like all area’s of our industry the numbers have declined and only the fittest survive. These day’s with all the driving license issue’s and pallet networks offering such silly cheap rates it makes Steve Marsh Expresses daily life all the more difficult. I think what a lot of companies/customers miss is the personal touch, the knowledge that Steve loads and Steve will deliver. The load isn’t going to get transshipped 5 times and put on a number of different vehicles before being delivered. Is it that customers have realised that their goods are more important than always getting the cheapest rates? Hopefully there will always be a need for a little rigid otherwise in the years to come I’m not going to be able to buy my son one! (if he wants one of course!). Any way enough of this inane banter. Keep the little trucks rolling that’s what i say, everyone loves a Tonka toy!! So until the BJS empire is rebuilt, best you keep calling Marshy.

What is the World Coming To MAN?!

Posted on May 24, 2011 by truckbloguk

There are many things you can buy on the wonderous ebay, i myself like a little poke around to see what bargains i can find, afterall one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Regular reader of the blog, Peter Metcalf, alerted me to this item that surely doesn’t deserve to be auctioned off on the ebay?? This is a real bargain, have a read of the advert and you’ll be convinced that you need to make a bid. My wife has just pulled the laptop away from me, in fear of me making the bid! Click here to go to the advert on ebay, truckblog takes no responsibility for you making a bid!! Also the ad will go out of date shortly so be quick and be aware the link won’t work after the auction end date. In case the auction has finished, here are a couple of pics of the MAN that you missed out on………….. No i haven’t bought it!!

If by magic the sellers (SBI Logistics, Exeter) are reading this, i would love to see the new trucks, withs pics and specs for the readers to enjoy. Any way i hope you get the old one sold, send me an email, ben@truckblog.co.uk

MAN “Consistently Efficient” Tour 2011

Posted on May 17, 2011 by truckbloguk

The what i hear you say. The MAN “Consistently Efficient” Tour 2011 that’s what it says. I know i can read, i hear you say, but what does it involve?? Well the idea is that MAN are sending 3 trucks around Europe on a 10,000km trip to demonstrate how much fuel and CO2 can be saved in goods transport by road, using today’s technology. They are claiming with the right technology you can save 3 litres of fuel per 100km travelled. 3 MAN TGX artics set off from Munich yesterday on their 4 week tour of 20 European cities (although it looks to me like they aren’t coming to the UK!). There is a blog to follow the progress if you so wish, click here.

Nice yellow TGL in the corner of that picture by the way. Now because I’m not a literary genius, i don’t really know how else to say what the press release says, so i will paste in here the main info i think you’ll be interested in;

“On the Tour, two MAN TGX EfficientLine vehicles will be out to show that up to three litres of fuel per hundred kilometres can be saved in long-haul transport. The TGX EfficientLine, which was presented at the IAA in September 2010, is a truck designed for the highest level of fuel efficiency. And because the driver has a great deal of influence on the truck’s fuel consumption, an Economy training course at MAN ProfiDrive is included in the standard scope of delivery of the MAN TGX EfficientLine. In addition, the drive and suspension components, trailer, tyres, fuel and lubricants all influence the efficiency of the commercial vehicle. For this reason, MAN’s partners Castrol, Kögel, Michelin and ZF are also participating in the MAN “Consistently Efficient” Tour 2011.
The three MAN TGX trucks are carrying a very special cargo: the Tour’s messages – “Consistently Efficient”, “Save Fuel” and “Less CO2” in the form of lettering over two metres high. A transparent tarpaulin enables an unrestricted view of the striking lettering.
In order to ascertain and verify the consumption values precisely, the three trucks have already travelled the identical route, fully laden and under completely realistic conditions. This measurement run was overseen by TÜV Süd (Technical Control Board), while the MAN TeleMatics® system provided a clear overview of the vehicle data. Fuel consumption was permanently monitored by means of fuel consumption gauges and verified when the tanks were refilled.”

It seems the city list is as follows, with dates. If your out on the continent you can pop along!
Tourplan
16.05.11 Munich
17.05.11 Prague
18.05.11 Breslau
19.05.11 Vienna
20.05.11 Eugendorf
22.05.11 Misano
24.05.11 Nuremberg
25.05.11 Leipzig
26.05.11 Hirschberg
27.05.11 Eindhoven
28.05.11 Frechen
31.05.11 Copenhagen
01.06.11 Hamburg
06.06.11 Lille
08.06.11 Vitoria
09.06.11 Estoril
10.06.11 Madrid
14.06.11 Valencia
15.06.11 Barcelona
16.06.11 Beziers

New MAN Truck & Bus iPhone / iPad App

Posted on May 10, 2011 by truckbloguk

Once again MAN are pushing ahead with technology. They are still the only European truck manufacturer who are using the modern technology to its fullest. This in my book is their 3rd iPhone App and if its half as good as the other 2 it will be well worth downloading. The previous App’s were the MAN IAA Show Guide 2010 and the current MAN TopUsed App.

This new App “MAN Truck & Bus App” has been developed by PCH Berlin-Los Angeles, who look like they know what they are doing when its comes to these things, they are the creators of the IAA App after all. The new App will be available to download in the next couple of weeks, so keep checking the App Store.
The idea of this new App is to give a full overview and summary of MAN’s products and services. Covering buses as well as trucks for all you bus fans that must be good news. Saying that some of the buses at the IAA Show last year were stunning, you can see the life of “Blakey” On The Buses would be pretty pleasant these days!! The App will also give you lists of services and up to date news on the MAN group. The best bit for those who have MAN vehicles will be the GPS-based position that will locate you and your nearest MAN dealership / service partner.

As i also mentioned you will be able to view the entire MAN range from trucks to buses. As you can see you’ll be able to view each model and get a full description of what it is and what its designed for. I hope i don’t wear out the TGL page!

All in all i think I’ll be downloading it as soon as its available and I’ll also give you an update with how it works and my opinion of it. I’m sure you’ll all value that!! Well done MAN for being way ahead of your competitors, keep it going and hopefully one day the other will start doing the same. Also well done to PCH Berlin-Los Angeles for producing such easy to use and well finished App’s. I think it is also worth saying that these App’s are produced in Germany and any translation problems are none existent, they are that good! I’ll get off my corporate high horse and leave you to download the App when its released so you can see for yourselves….. (p.s. – no more use of the word App today!).

	David on Scania Centurions – The…
	Antdad on Renault AE Magnum = 1990-…
	Shu on Scania Centurion #86
	Alison sagar on Lady Louise
	truckbloguk on Centurions – Stand up

www.truckblog.co.uk

Email: ben@truckblog.co.uk

Category Archives: MAN