Well Boss……

Posted on June 22, 2012 by truckbloguk

“You said find safe parking, so I made the boat and was chained down, but you’ll never believe what happened…..”

There you are happy you made the boat and happy that your truck is safely lashed down, so you go for a douche and a pie. Surely this one can’t be blamed on the drivers?? Our Pilot friend Mr Shortis came across this in the Maritime Bullentin, while eating his Cornflakes at 20,000 feet. This is what the article says;

“Ferry Nils Holgersson struck the portside of a ferry Urd in Luebeck-Travemuende, Germany, at around 1815 LT May 03. Urd was berthed at Berth 3 of the Scandinavian Quay, vessel suffered 2×3 meters hole under waterline, with resulting water ingress. Crew started to pump out water with vessel’s pumps, rescue boats, firefighting boats, tugs and other service boats of the port rushed to assist. Urd also suffered serious damages in upper decks area, some trucks were damaged, one destroyed. Port traffic was affected for some time. Urd arrived from Liepaja with trucks and cars on board, offloading started later in the evening, but some 50 trucks in the lower deck couldn’t be accessed because of the damages. With water ingress in breached hull, Urd bow-tilted, and later in the evening bow rested on the bottom. Nils Holgersson arrived from Trelleborg with 63 passengers on board, vessel suffered bow damages, and was berthed at berth 6. nobody was injured in the collision. The cause of the incident still unknown. Photos from local media. Passenger ro-ro vessel Urd IMO 7826855, GRT 13144, built 1981, flag Denmark, manager SCANDLINES DEUTSCHLAND. Passenger ro-ro vessel Nils Holgersson IMO 9217230, GRT 36468, built 2001, flag Germany, manager TT-Line.”

Looks like it was a good job they had finished the loading, otherwise it may have been a little worse. Is there any where you can now park up and safely leave your truck?….Doesn’t look like it!

Water Good Idea!!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by truckbloguk

Not my title, but it is a good one! In these times of water shortages across the Southern part of the country, the North West have their own crack team, to help them through tough teams when water is in emergency supply. More from cracked pipes and problems rather than a shortage from Mother Nature. I was contacted to see if I wanted to put a piece on the blog to tell all about The Water on Wheels team and I felt it made a good little story so here it is;

Homeowners across the North West might not realise it, but over the past year they could have been among the 250,000 people who’ve been ‘rescued’ by an unlikely team of heroes – six ‘water truckers’. This crack team of H20 heroes operates United Utilities’ ‘Water on Wheels’ service – a fleet of bespoke Volvo 30,000ltr super tankers that travel to affected areas and pump water directly into the mains to ensure that properties continue to receive an ‘on tap’ service while repairs are carried out. Last year alone the water truckers, who service the entire region – from Crewe to Carlisle, helped keep over a quarter of a million people in full flow by pumping 24,770,000 litres of water into the system. The service has been so successful that United Utilities is to invest over £1million in six new 30,000ltr tankers for the fleet, a move that will enable the water truckers to mobilise almost half a million litres of water when needed.

For Emergency Plant Resource Co-ordinator John Doyle and his team of six super operatives, the investment is welcome news. He said: “The new kit means we are better equipped than ever before to provide help where it’s needed. Just recently our team kept five tankers pumping into the network for over 48 hours following a burst aqueduct in Rivington. Around 5,000 local people were kept on tap throughout and were unaware of any issue.

“These six guys travel the length and breadth of the North West with the Water on Wheels trucks, making sure that communities, hospitals, schools and businesses remain in full flow, even if their mains supply is undergoing repair work. We’re a bit like the emergency service nobody knows about.”

If thats not enough, then you can always have a little look at the video. I have to say at the time of writing this I haven’t watched it, but I will get round to it sooner or later!!

The Yorkshire Tipper…

Posted on April 29, 2012 by truckbloguk

….One of them anyway. Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t put anything the blog for a little while, that’s because I have been away for a week. I’ve spent the last week in the Yorkshire Dales, doing a spot of walking and visiting the delightfully hospitable pubs. Just as a bit of Tourist Info, try The Green Dragon in Hardraw on a wet/cold afternoon. Over 700 years old, stone floors, big comfy chairs, 7 open fires and that lovely smell of wood smoke, not to mention the beer!

We stayed in the village of Bainbridge which is in the middle of the A684 that runs East to West through the Dales. Surprisingly there were an awful lot of lorries! Most of them were related to agriculture, tippers of all types, including feed trucks like the Renault above. This orange and green 8×4 was a regular through village, much to the delight of my 2.5 year old son (not me obviously!). “Daddy there is an orange!” Carrs Billington have a number of depots around the North, but this one parked up with 2 others in the next village of Askrigg. A busy but tidy little fleet.

Next up is this smart Volvo tipper with a traditional livery from Les Clarkson & Sons from Leyburn. This is the one and only time I saw it, but even so you have to agree it is rather nice. There were endless trucks, mainly tippers that came through the village each day and if it hadn’t been for the walking and the many pub visits, I probably would have taken more pics, but I was on holiday, so you can’t blame me!!

Any way I have a huge back log of stuff for the blog and lots of leads for new content. We also have some more guest writers to feature, including another Ian Harper road trip (Author of the 3 part blog – Manchester to Manchester Via Rhodes, Greece – search in the search bar) and others. Truckfest Peterborough next weekend as well so i’ll be making a quick visit there on Sunday, so keep an eye out for a man carrying Truckblog stickers……..that will be me so say Hello! Right i’m off to now sort the other holiday photos!!

Scania V8 – Coming to the Discovery Channel

Posted on April 29, 2012 by truckbloguk

From Scania’s Press Release;

On 20–23 April, a British film crew visits Scania on assignment from Discovery Channel to shoot an episode for the popular show “How do they do it?” The episode will be 8–10 minutes and broadcast throughout the world. The theme is Scania’s prestigious V8 truck. “The film crew will document machining work on the engine, how the engine is assembled, tested and finally assembled with the chassis and cab as a complete truck off the assembly line,” says Patrik Rask at Scania Visits Management. Discovery Channel’s “How do they do it?” goes behind the scenes to discover how things are done and made. Previous episodes have, for example, covered such diverse subjects as accordions, cricket bats, submarine rescue and how hotels always manage to have hot water in showers.

On 20–23 April, a British film crew visits Scania on assignment from Discovery Channel to shoot an episode for the popular show “How do they do it?” The episode will be 8–10 minutes and broadcast throughout the world. Patrik Rask is experienced in assisting television crews in filming in Scania’s production facilities. “My role is not only to show TV crews the very best we have to offer, but also to provide a fair balance between the photographer’s need for the best shots and our interest in not interrupting production or causing accidents.”

Oman its a Scania

Posted on February 21, 2012 by truckbloguk

This is one of those quick news blogs that I thought you lot might just be interested in and also is pretty quick for me to publish. Sorry to say its another Scania, but I also just quite liked the photo!

The following info came with the photo as part of the Scania Press Release;

“In December of last year Scania launched V8 trucks in Oman for the first time, and recently, the first one was sold in the Arab country. The customer, heavy lift transport company Sinan Heavy Lift LLC, will use its new V8 to move heavy loads and transport its cranes, which have up to 1,000 tons of lift capacity. “This is the first R-series V8 ever sold within the region”, says Robert Hughes, Sales Manager, SATA LLC (Scania Trucks & Buses). “This increases the offering and range of vehicles currently being sold in the Gulf. Scania has just received new orders for two more V8 trucks: A second truck to Sinan Heavy Lift LLC and one to Mobilift & Partners LLC.”

SCOOP!! Cargo Undercover

Posted on January 25, 2012 by truckbloguk

Did you know this is a Ford Cargo? In an undercover guise obviously. The Ford Cargo is still produced by Ford in Turkey. This one was spotted in Portbury Docks on the back of an HC Wilson truck. Apparently it has come to the UK for crash testing. Judging by the undercover livery and disguised panels my detective skills hint towards this having been on road trials in Turkey or some where else. Looking how dirty it is, plenty of road dirt and covered panels mean it has been running about but without the public being able to see the finished truck. Now the road trials have finished this poor truck must have been short listed to come to the UK for crash testing R.I.P.

I have to admit that I have really struggled to find a great deal out about these Turkish built Ford’s. All I can tell you is what I have found on the Ford Media website. I’m guessing that this particular truck is a new version of the current range of Ford Cargo’s. It must be a new cab or at least a heavily face-lifted cab and likely to have a new engine or mechanical set up, as the last version was released back in 2004. I don’t know if the last version had adblue but this prototype has the tank, so perhaps this is a new engine to meet Euro emissions regulations. The Ford website says of the current range of Ford Cargo’s;

“Ford Cargo Tractors cover a range of 18 to 40 tons with different axle configurations, payloads, and chassis lengths. There are three different cab styles that enhance the versatility of Ford Cargo. These variants make it suitable for wide variety of customer needs. Ford’s heavy truck manufacturing experience dates back 40 years in history. The current Ford Cargo was launched in 2004 model year and was developed in 5 years.”

Then interestingly enough it goes on to say all about how much testing the 2004 released truck went through, including a trip to the UK for testing at the same place where this new version was being delivered too;

“The Ford Cargo Tractor was tested for 15 million kilometers (8 million kilometers road test, 4 million kilometers structural durability test, 3 million kilometers cab durability test) in total before it was launched. Besides the durability, noise, vibration, harshness and safety tests completed entirely in the virtual environment, actual field tests are also conducted. The durability tests were carried on Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium. The durability of the Ford Cargo cabs was tested in Istanbul Technical University. Ford Cargo Tractor proved its durability and reliability after this long period of stringent tests. Ford’s reputation in designing vehicles with superior driving dynamics and comfort is also valid for Ford Cargo trucks. Ride and handling performance evaluations were done in MIRA test track in England in comparison with the products of other European heavy truck competitors.”

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for anymore undercover trucks. Thats 2 within a couple of weeks, as some of my Twitter and Facebook followers will know, I spotted an undercover new Volvo here in Colchester, Essex. These things come in 3’s so what will be my 3rd?? Can you tell or show me? then send me an email or leave a comment with your undercover spots; ben@truckblog.co.uk

Probably The Best Mini Artic in The World!!?

Posted on January 22, 2012 by truckbloguk

Probably the best title on the blog ever! Ok ok that’s enough, you can have enough of a good thing I know. Carlsberg have just taken delivery of 14 of these Volvo mini artics, or Volvo FL-290 Urban Artic tractors, to give them their proper names. There are also 2 Volvo FM-330, 3 axle, 26 ton rigids in the deal too. The 16 new trucks will be split between Carlsbergs Warrington and Croydon depot’s.

The 14 urban artics are all factory built, which is a bonus as far as National fleet manager Neil Davis is concerned;

“Knowing that we can specify exactly the vehicle we want and that it will be factory-built to our requirements and not converted from a rigid gives Volvo a distinct advantage in the Urban Artic sector. Having something that is factory-built provides peace of mind.”

I have to say I thought that other manufacturers now offered factory built small tractor units, but perhaps they are still converting rigid chassis into tractor units. The press release from Volvo goes on to say;

“The Urban Artics will operate with single axle semi-trailers at a gross weight of 26-tonnes and are expected to cover around 35,000 to 70,000 km annually. A two-man bench seat is installed to accommodate a three-man crew if required for training purposes. The two Volvo FM 6×2 day-cab rigids feature a hydraulically-steered rear axle to improve manoeuvrability and are fitted with a nine-metre long curtain-side body and 2.5-tonne cantilever-type tail-lift. Power is provided by the Volvo 11-litre engine rated at 330hp. Low-profile Michelin Energy tyres are installed in order to keep the deck height as low as possible and to optimise fuel use. These vehicles will cover around 70,000-km per annum. Both artics and rigids are equipped with telematics and will carry out between 10 and 18 deliveries daily.”

DAF XT is Born – NOT Photoshopped

Posted on January 18, 2012 by truckbloguk

We’ve all seen the photo-shopped versions of a bonneted DAF, mostly the white one pulling a fridge trailer. In all honesty it doesn’t look to silly, for a few days I think it did get people wondering whether it was real or not. But now Dutch transport company A. Jansen BV, who are clearly huge fan’s of their natively built DAF trucks, have produced a real life bonneted DAF and have named it the DAF XT. I’m sure over the next few months this truck will make it to your regular truck magazine. On Jansen’s own website, there is this small explanation in the News section;

“Recently, A. Jansen B.V. on the occasion of its 40 anniversary presented a new car: the XT. This special model in cooperation with DAF dealer de Burgh in Eindhoven developed and produced. The XT, such as this implementation in the market will go (FTT XF type 105.460), is the successor of the legendary NAT models of DAF. The two new DAF XT’s battery from the end of February 2012 will abandon the fleet of A. Jansen B.V. and so also appeared on the Dutch roads.”

You can work out from the slightly dodgy translation, that there are now 2 of these real life DAF XT’s. The trucks have been produced to celebrate Jansen BV’s 40th Anniversary, just imagine what could happen when they reach the big 50!! Keep your eye’s peeled on the press, as I say i’m sure it will be making a lot or appearances. What’s your first impression? Is it like mine; The grill is too chunky, then email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk or you can leave a comment, or these day’s you can even get me on Twitter, @truckbloguk amazing stuff! Not sure who’s photo’s these are but if you let me know I can credit you. I would also like to say a big thank you to Graham Wilson for informing me of the DAF’s existence.

Lucky Little Trucker!

Posted on January 16, 2012 by truckbloguk

I think this foreign little trucker, could be the luckiest driver crossing the Fourth Bridge last year!! It looks to me a like a little 7.5 tonner with a 2 axle trailer, a slightly German look about it.

It’s Benz But Not As You Know It!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by truckbloguk

BharatBenz. That’s the name that all Indian truckers have on their lips…..perhaps.Yesterday a few Indian journalists were given a sneak preview of the BharatBenz. Daimler Truck’s subsidiary Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) revealed the new BharatBenz brand heavy-duty truck. This is the first-ever truck “Made in India”. BharatBenz will enter the ever growing Indian market for medium heavy-duty and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. This PR comes courtesy of Daimler. So you may well be able to see that the the truck has used the Mercedes Benz Atego/Axor cab and mirrors.

Andreas Renschler, the Daimler Board of Management Member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, said; “The trucks are based on existing Daimler commercial vehicle platforms. Indian specialists developed the trucks for the local market, where they are also built. This is the most effective way for us to participate in the growth of India’s volume segment. Our product range focuses on quality, reliability, and efficiency and particularly targets the modern domestic segment, which shows huge growth potential and reflects the growing demands of Indian customers.”

You’ll have to wait til the 2nd March before the complete BharatBenz lineup in the 6 to 49-ton range is unveiled. The Daimler PR says; The BharatBenz heavy-duty truck will be built on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, and the future light and medium-duty trucks will be based on the Fuso Canter and Fighter series. The new trucks will meet India’s BS III emissions standard this is a similar standard to our Euro 3 emissions.

The PR goes on to say; “The light, medium-duty, and heavy-duty range of BharatBenz commercial vehicles will be manufactured at the new plant in Oragadam near Chennai in Southern India. Construction of the plant on an area of 160 hectares is almost completed, and production trial runs for engines and transmissions have already begun. The production facility has a total dedicated investment of over 44 billion Indian rupees (approximately €700 million). The plant’s initial production capacity will be 36,000 units per year and can be ramped up to 70,000 units per year. By the end of the year, the company’s dealership network will encompass around 70 locations throughout India.”

I often think how resourceful trucks are when it comes to third world markets. We have a range of trucks released over here, then 10 or so years later the same cab / truck is still being released as a new truck some where else in the world. So the Mercedes Axor cab isn’t exactly old but it’s being used in a new guise, apply a new grill (considered to be the face of a vehicle by many!), stick on a new set of badges and Bingo! you have a new truck range. I just thought you might like to read a bit what else is going on in the world of trucks, sometimes to much European stuff need’s to be broken up by a little “World News” and also it gives you some thing new to tell the wife!

Did you know you can still buy a brand new Iveco Turbostar cab?? Now on a Russian built Ural truck.

	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: NEWS