Recently in Driving Category

Did YOU know there was a new European Commission Consultation Paper floating around on digital tachographs? No neither did I...that is until Iep van der Meer told me and if you want to let the Brussels Bureaucrats know your views on digitachs there isn't much time left....in fact you've got to respond by no later than 1 March 2010! So you'd better get cracking! Why bother? Because the commission is asking some rather worrying questions that need to be answered by UK operators...and to see the document click on this link:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road/consultations/doc/2010_03_01_consultation_document_tachographs.doc

You can respond electronically too to save time. But what exactly is the Commmission asking questions about? Well click through here to find out...

Plenty of room... Get a bus through there mate. And yes lorries use that road all the time. Sound familiar? Mr Classic and Truck & Driver's 'man in the truck' Bob Tuck has sent this selection to me and to say: "Brian, I had cause to dig out an old CD of images taken a couple of years back when I spent a day with driver Eric Bainbridge and the Iveco Stralis artic tipper he drives for the long established Binks concern... Not sure if you know our superb Yorkshire dales but here's a glimpse of driving through Hawes and of course the famous Ribblehead viaduct... And click through here for his photos riding shotgun with Binks's Stralis!

It's about time we had another 'Looking at the world through a windshield story' and Vic Hungerford in New Zealand has duly obliged us..."Hi Brian, I loved Gary Richard's story on the Mack Superliner trip in BLB and was struck by the fact that a lot of the roads on that trip were very like the roads that I was on recently, except that ours were perhaps narrower, steeper and with sharper corners, signposted to 25 and 35km/h rather than 55 or 65km/h! On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I had to go from Auckland - Gisborne - Napier - Gisborne - Napier - Auckland which takes in some quite interesting roads. On the way down to Gisborne I had to cross this unusual bridge near Taneatua. Trains no longer use this railway line but they did until a few years ago and trains certainly had the right-of-way. Might is right and all that!" Vic has also since confirmed there are traffic lights on it!

Vic goes on to say: "On the way from Gisborne to Napier the road descends from the hills down to the Mohaka River and then climbs again to go under this railway viaduct....

" ..then it then goes up and down hills and winds around a series of sharp corners and under a couple more railway bridges like this one." Now click through here for more...

Hello...what's going on here then? Sil van Wanrooij has kindly sent me these images showing as rather neat peice of reversing of a extra-long low loader in Holland. Sil says they taken by Marjan Varekamp ("Who took them on my request") so credits all round from Biglorryblog...

Sil explains: "The truck was 5-axle Volvo tractor with a 4-axle low loader carrying a 60-tonne screw piling machine. The problem was that he had to back down a  2-line dike to a typical Dutch farmhouse. When you watch this in reality you see what a magnificent machine this combination really is!" Biglorryblog is not about argue...and click through here for more...

(Picture copyright Rex Features. Do not reproduce without permission.)

Talk about perfect timing. Biglorryblog learns that no less than 900 miles of motorway roadworks are planned for August. And where do I get this intelligence. Why, from none other than a Parliamentary answer to Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker. Baker tells BLB: "Holidaymakers face gridlock and delays on English roads this August, with more than 900 miles of roadworks planned on motorways, just when families are planning to getaway this summer they face hours of misery on the motorway." Well it's not just holiday makers mate... It's the thousands of poor old Great British Truckers who have to put up with roadworks every flamin' day of their driving lives! Now click through here for more details... Unless you don't want to get depressed!

Well it's Monday morning and 'The Old Vic' and Val are off down to Cornwall after a brief sojurn in Biglorryblog Towers... But he won't be going off in this old Atki (Pete Lynch took the shot when Vic was over in Oz). No, just a VW Golf hire car. Anyroadup I've had this post from Vic kicking around my e-mail in-box for a while and it's entitled "Why I like truck driving in NZ"--and naturally it features his beloved Inter... So I thought I'd post it up as a farewell offering.

"You might like to see why I enjoy truck driving at the other end of the earth," explains Vic, "...about 19,000km away from the M25 and the A14. It's not only because we have Cummins engines and Eaton Fuller Roadranger 18-speed gearboxes, you know! Regarding the above picture, as you know, I spend most of my time carrying grape juice and wine between wineries and from various wineries to bottling plants around the country, and a lot of the vineyards and wineries are in beautiful parts of the country. In this photo where they even have sheep around the vines (in case any visiting Aussies get lonely) I was filling one trailer with wine for bottling in Auckland."

"The next stop, to fill the other trailer, was Esk Valley Estate, where the tanker drivers always try to arrive at morning tea time as the winemaker's wife makes fantastic scones, cakes etc. Cut into the hill on one side of the winery is this small and very low-yielding vineyard, called The Terraces, from which come the grapes for one of the best and most exclusive red wines in New Zealand (the world?) called Esk Valley The Terraces. Esk Valley don't pay me to say that, either!

To which BLB replies... Grow my beauties... Grow! And to read more click through here... (Not a bad place to park up either...)

After the somewhat crappy day (or afternoon to be precise) I've just had Bigloryblog has been delighted to receive an e-mail this evening from Torstein Magelssen, market communication manager for Volvo Trucks in Norway to say that he's sorted out a drive and sleep-over for me on Wednesday in the new Volvo FH16 with the extra long XXL cab (it's the same one used by the Aussies down-under...) Well hell someone has to do it and it might as well be me...! Anyroadup along with Torstein's help that Towering Titan of Truck Tittle-Tattle Nigel Hanwell (aka Volvo Trucks' UK lofty PR wallah) has also had a hand in it (though he's on holiday now... It's all about timing eh Nigel?) So I owe him a drink sometime... Or maybe even a pie. Meanwhile click through here for the XXL in all its glory.

Believe it or not there are two trucks in this picture... "Wuh? have your eyes gone Biglorryblog?" I hear you say. Well look below and you'll see what I mean...

And here it is. I have AtkiPete Lynch in Oz to thank for it too as he says: "G'day Brian, I was out at DECA training at Altona the other day but unfortunately managed to prang their nice FH Volvo! It's a Isuzu you might be thinking, but let me explain. The Volvo is one of various trucks that can be programmed into their mobile driver simulator, and the Isuzu is there to haul it around. Your friendly instructor selects the type of truck and gearbox (yes Vic you can have a Roadranger) and then throws up various hazards as you drive along. In my case a blown steer tyre bought things to an untidy end." Well it could happen to any of us Pete! Now click through here for more...

Pity poor truck drivers--once again they get it in the neck. In a survey conducted by Halifax Landlord Insurance (who'd want to insure a Landlord...? Beats me) 1,000 UK landlords were asked to give the characteristics of their most desirable tenant. And it seems that truck drivers aren't exactly flavour of the month,. I don't see why? After all as a group they're hardly ever home! According to the survey, which comes to Biglorryblog via www.homemove.co.uk the perfect tenant is a female medical practictioner aged 36-45, living in London (and presumably with a mole on her left thigh...)

In terms of preferred tenants by profession, GPs topped the poll at 24% while perversely, nurses or carers found favour with only 9% of all Landlords questioned. But least agreeable careers as far as 'Mr Good Tenant' is concerned are HGV drivers, with 19% of landlords opposed to this group.followed by taxi drivers and traffic wardens at a15% each. Well I can understand that last lot anyway And speaking of truck drivers that bloke above looks pretty dodgy---I certainly wouldn't have him as a tenant! Don't you agree?

Mind you, I'd like to have seen the survey of HGV drivers in which they were asked who was their least desirable person to share a cab with. Wonder where Landlords would come on the list......? So who would you NOT like to share a cab with?

Neat idea or what? You tell Bigloryblog. On the 5th January 2009 DWC Products of Norwich, is launching 'Truckersarmrest', a window-fitting armrest for commercial vehicles. And according to the PR blurb supplied to Biglorryblog: "This comfort product has been developed by a leading professional in the field of postural alignment and ergonomics. It can help to alleviate the symptoms of hand arm vibration syndrome and the registered design fits almost all of today's commercial vehicles. The armrest is made from durable recyclable polyurethane and manufactured in Great Britain."

Director Derek Cooper tells me: "in my previous role as a practising Manipulative Therapist, I visited many people needing treatment for problems intensified by long periods behind the wheel of a vehicle, particularly HGV's. I think that the Truckersarmrest will be of great benefit to thousands of drivers in the future." The PR blurb goes on to say: "Work-related upper limb disorders and hand arm vibration syndrome are two of the four most prevalent types of ill-health causing absence from the workplace. Statistics indicate that on average 9 days per year for each employee are lost due to illness and injury among the Wholesale Distribution and Transport sector." News to BLB, but then I probably don't spend enough time in a truck to tell the difference--which is something I'll no doubt get a rollocking over from 'The Boss'!

Of course I can see one simple flaw straight away...you can't use it when it's raining (or when it's freezing cold) which in winter happens quite alot I'm told. But then you can't have everything in life can you?

To find out more, check out their website or call 0844 414 2824. Alternatively you can send an e-mail to request literature.

Having watched BBC TV's Top Gear show last night (the bits I could see through the gaps in my fingers) I wondered what everyone else thought about it. Let me know (without going OTT please, keep you comments relevant and non-hysterical - this is BLB not the Daily Mail after all...!) - also, check out what the guys over on TruckNet UK are saying.

Clearly there's two sides to it. First it was typical knock-about stuff from Messrs Clarkson, May and Hammond. (The piano bit was funny after all...) Thus providing excellent entertainment. And who's to gainsay that? Yet I personally still felt uneasy watching a TV program that showed people racing each other in trucks with the speed limiter disconnected, knocking down roadsigns and hitting cars and each other etc. And driving through the brick wall was just plain daft (I'm surprised Clarkson didn't end up with more serious injuries.) NOT a good idea guys...

On the other hand Jeremy reminded us all that driving a truck is a skilled job and hard work. While Hammond also showed how not to hitch up to a trailer. But some of JC's remarks regarding the other 'habits' of truck drivers were in pretty poor taste... And what with their other antics I wonder if that 'serious' message got through. But I guess that's not what they set out to achieve anyway. They're not the spokesmen for the road transport industry after all, they're motoring journos and TV presenters for a popular prime time TV show.

Clearly many people would have found it funny. Mrs BLB was watching next to me and howled with laughter... And kept saying to me "Why do you keep gasping like that?" Perhaps it was just a bit too close to home to me.

Anyway post up a comment and let me know what you thought..

• Ensure your journey is essential - no point burning the fuel if you don't need to
• Keep a record of your fuel and mileage after each re-fuel - you've got to monitor it to manage it
• Plan your route - avoid getting lost or making wrong turns
• Lose the aggression - harsh braking or accelerating wastes fuel
• Travel in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine
• Ensure your tyres are at the correct pressure - tyre pressures should be checked with cold tyres
• Keep your windows closed
• Use cruise control where possible (but not in town)
  
• Make block gear changes when practicable
• Avoid leaving the engine on idle for long periods of time

As RoadTransport.com's intrepid duo conclude the 2008 MPG Marathon, check out the day's video diary.

Watch our gallant team in action as they go from Ironbridge to Leominster in four minutes.

RoadTransport.com's Andy Salter and Colin Barnett report on the first day of the MPG Marathon.

Andy Salter and Colin Barnett from RoadTransport.com are participating in the MPG Marathon economy run in a Fiat Fiorino. Here you can join them travelling from Stoke to Stockport in two minutes.