Fuel Consumption & Performance
| Section | Fuel consumption | Average speed |
| Overall (laden) | 7.9 mpg (35.6 lit/100km) | 72.6 km/h |
Hillclimb times
| Castleside: | 169 sec |
| M1: | 312 sec |
Acceleration
| 0-80km/h: | 51.8 sec |
| 32-64km/h: | 15.5 sec |
| 48-80km/h: | 28.5 sec |
Brake performance
| From 32km/h: | 6.5m |
| From 48km/h: | 13.7m |
| From 64km/h: | 24.7m |
In-cab noise
| At 48km/h: | 65.0dB(A) |
| At 64km/h: | 64.6dB(A) |
| At 80km/h: | 69.5dB(A) |
| At maximum speed: | 71.9dB(A) |
| At tickover: | 57.7dB(A) |
Peter Timms drives a Renault Premium 400 for TNT out of Stoke. “No problem there,” he said as he climbed in behind the steering wheel. “The wheel is a nice size and there’s plenty of room for my long legs. I like the radio down on the dash but my initial preference would be to swap it around with the tacho. The nine-speed box copes, but a splitter would give that half-gear to allow the engine to pull even better out of a roundabout, for example. The exhaust brake needs a lot more than 1,500rpm to make it work but in the lower gears it could be quite useful in traffic. The service brakes are very strong and smooth, in fact, just brilliant at 40 tonnes. I could live with this cab all week but a high roof and flat floor would make it a lot more acceptable.
Martin Dodd, from Trafford Park, drives a Volvo FM12 380 for Blagden Packaging. “This is very straightforward. The gear change is heavier than with my Volvo. The engine continues to pull strongly even at 1,000rpm. Steering is responsive and transmits every bump in the road back to the wheel. Making gear changes without cancelling the cruise control is good. The flat dash gives room to move around but I think I would have to reach for some switches. The instruments can be seen clearly, but I would prefer the window switch to be on the door. There is more knee room around the steering column than in mine. The light trim might show the dirt if used by several drivers.
Dave Roe, from Hinckley, drives an ERF EC11380 for TDG. “Handles either side of the door are perfect for safe entry and there is no need to hang onto the steering wheel,” he says. “I’m sitting a bit higher than in my ERF. The truck gives a good ride. It has a very firm seat but gives good back support. The engine has power to spare and just pulls and pulls. The gears drop in with little shift effort and the steering is light too – it doesn’t feel like 40 tonnes. I would prefer the engine hump to be flat to give more room to move about; my ERF bunk is a bit lower and easier to sit on.
