BigLorryBlog

Want to save money on your tyres? Well here's a clever little device from T-Comm Tracking & Tracing of The Netherlands which means you can quickly check your truck tyre pressures at a glance and save money along the way. And you can see it at next week's CV Show too.

Known as "P-eye", the little gadget has taken two years to develop. It is easy to use. All you have to do is unscrew your tyre valve cap and replace it with the P-eye which measures the preset minimum tyre pressure. And if it drops more than 5% below the ideal pressure the LED lamp on the end starts blinking. The driver knows then that the pressure of that particular tyre is too low and that it should be inflated.

And the clever bit is when your fleet is parked up on site, you don't have to check every single tyre on your vehicles just look for those where the LEDs are blinking. Now clic through here for news of a anti-theft version...and the sums that make it good financial sense....

Yes it's that time of year again when CV Show Fever hits us all...and you're wondering 'How on earth am I going to spare the time to get there?' Well don't worry, as once again we'll be running our special Road Transport TV webcast from all three days of the Birmingham show in association with Chevron Global Lubricants and presented by that famous music hall double act of 'Salter and Weatherley' (Surely 'Weatherley and Salter'--ed?)

The webcasts will kick-off before 18:00hrs each evening of the show (that's Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) and we'll bring you all the highlights including all the major truck, van and trailer launches.

And naturally I and my team of Biglorryblog bloggers (including our very own webmeister Toby Clark who'll be doing his webby thing on the CM stand) will be posting up the weird and the wonderful for all to see on this link.

To see a preview of the webcast and to get you in the mood why not click on this link too for RoadtransportTV

And for something 'completely different' why not check out ace-snapper Tom Cunningham's show blog by clicking through here...especially if you like contortionists!

Can't make it to the CV Show? Well don't worry, as once again we're running our special Road Transport TV webcast from all three days of the Birmingham show in association with Chevron Global Lubricants and presented by that famous double act of 'Salter and Weatherley'.

The webcasts will kick-off before 18:00hrs each evening of the show (that's Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) and we'll bring you all the highlights including all the major truck, van and trailer launches.

Moreover, my team of Biglorryblog bloggers (including our very own webmeister Toby Clark who'll be doing his webby thing on the CM stand) will also be posting up the weird and the wonderful for all to see on this link.

Meanwhile, to see a preview of the webcast and to get you in the mood why not click on this link too for RoadtransportTV Then don't forget to tune in tomorrow after five when you can see our Day One webcast from the CV Show--only on RTTV!

OK so the CV Show doesn't open 'officially' till tomorrow when it's press day but I thought I'd post up a selection of shots that caught my fancy. Starting with these two classic vans. Above is, I assume, a Ford Anglia, rather than a Thames...did they make their own version of the Anglia BLB anorak army? Then there's this rather nice Morris commercial...not sure of the date, answers please.

And now for something a bit more up-to-date, wandering around the halls I spotted this new, 'made-in-Turkey' BMC eight-legger---the bloke on the stand told me it's the first time they've had one in the UK. It's sporting the new, facelifted 'Professional' cab on top of a Cummins ISC-Series engine.

Meanwhile, click through here for a very FAST artic...and a picture of Volvo's new I-Sync auto box

And was Jerusalem builded here, among these dark satanic mills....or was it the new VW Transporter Sportline kombi? Yes it seems that for van man, black is the new white and the latest 'must-have' light commercial colour scheme. And you clearly want to get back in the black at this year's CV Show where the Sportline makes its official debut.

And naturally along with a coat of black paint you'll want lowered suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, chrome grilles and side rails, front and rear spoilers and body coloured bumpers, door handles and mirrors. What's more standard specification of the range-topping Sportline panel van and kombi now includes a new bespoke black leather upholstery with Sportline logo and white stitching.

And lo and behold it can actually carry something too---no really---thanks to the sliding windows for the rear seat passengers, a three-seater folding and tipping rear bench seat, and closed rear panels. Is Biglorryblog convinced...?

Anyroad up, according to Ralf Schueler, Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
‘We know the Sportline kombi will appeal to owner drivers or company car drivers needing a versatile and distinctive vehicle.’

Black certainly features alot at the show, not least on the Ford stand too where you can find a Transit SportVan revealed in 'Panther Black' with silver stripes. Oh goody. Meanwhile, click through here for a pick-up with a touch of Le Mans about it.

Can't make it to the CV Show? Well don't worry, as once again we're running our special Road Transport TV webcast from all three days of the Birmingham show in association with Chevron Global Lubricants and presented by that famous double act of 'Salter and Weatherley'.

The webcasts will kick-off before 18:00hrs each evening of the show (that's Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) and we'll bring you all the highlights including all the major truck, van and trailer launches. And the first one should be 'live' now (or it soon will be!).

Moreover, my team of Biglorryblog bloggers (including our very own webmeister Toby Clark who'll be doing his webby thing on the CM stand) will also be posting up the weird and the wonderful for all to see on this link.

Meanwhile, to see the Day One webcast click on this link for RoadtransportTV Then don't forget to tune in tomorrow after five when you can see our final Day Two webcast from the CV Show--only on RTTV!

How about this for a 'used truck'? No really. The '05 plate is a giveaway--that and the fact that this immaculate Actros [Nick Smith has since quite rightly pointed out it's an Axor...BLB! I blame the bright orange colour] on Merc's CV Show stand had 140,000 klicks on the clock (is that all?). But either way Biglorryblog is VERY impressed by this superb 2543, which is yours for just £174.95 a week---a snip I'd say, if only for the striking pearlescent orange paint finish on it. As the lean, mean eating-machine on the stand (aka PR man Ian Norwell) quite rightly stated: "I dare you to find a better paint job anywhere in the show). Well Coles may argue with you Ian---but I won't.

Meanwhile, should you find the above a touch garish (and why would you?) then you can always have this Black Beauty--also used, and also an '05 plate, for a tad over £222 a week. And as the man standing next to this stunning 2546 MegaSpace 6x2 said in a loud voice: "Three years old--you'd never guess it"

Indeed, if this is the kind of quality that Merc is knocking out on its used trucks, why would you want to buy new? (And whatever happened to rhetoric questions?). Meanwhile, click through here for some really groovy seats!

Spotted on the Iveco stand this dynamic duo...of a red Formula 1 Ferrari and an equally 'well-red' Iveco Stralis tractor also featuring the famous 'prancing horse'. Now I know alot of people like F1. But I make no secret of the fact that it doesn't float Biglorryblog's canoe. However, I can't deny it attracts the punters. But given the choice between driving a racing car or a Stralis I know which one I'd go for...and the clue as to my final choice is you can couple up to an trailer a darn sight easier with it. Anyway, lest you think I'm an old grumpy, click through here for a picture of the racing car.

I came to the CV Show at the NEC with the intention of looking out for any new products or services with an environmental bent - on fact, it's been more difficult to find a stand which doesn't have a 'green' angle.

Anything which saves money (or is claimed to save money) has been given a green spin, and even those stands which aren't explicit about their environmental credentials seem to feature a lot of green - the colour, that is. Thank goodness for Roadtransport.com's all-red stand (number 7-030 - come up and see us here tomorrow).

But a few of these environmental claims are rather more interesting:

Can't make it to the CV Show? Well don't worry, as once again we're running our special Road Transport TV webcast from all three days of the Birmingham show in association with Chevron Global Lubricants and presented by that famous double act of 'Salter and Weatherley'.

The webcasts will kick-off before 18:00hrs each evening of the show (that's Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) and we'll bring you all the highlights including all the major truck, van and trailer launches. And the second should be 'live' now (or it soon will be!). And if you missed day one don't worry as you can still see that too.

Moreover, my team of Biglorryblog bloggers (including our very own webmeister Toby Clark who'll be doing his webby thing on the CM stand) will also be posting up the weird and the wonderful for all to see on this link.

Meanwhile, to see the Day Two webcast click on this link for RoadtransportTV Then don't forget to tune in tomorrow after five when you can see our Day Three webcast from the CV Show--only on RTTV!

Yes I've been a bit slow in blogging today---Bigloryblog has been busy doing the old webcast stuff. But anyway here's some nice pictues of some classic trucks I spotted whilst wandering around the show. So for a midnight pie-fest what are they?

I must say I do like the idea of sprinkling the CV Show with a selection of Golden Oldies.

This magnificent tanker was the 'Gate Guardian' to the TankCon section of the show. But what is it? Now click through here for some more.

The overwhelming impression at this show is that there are electric vehicles everywhere. Whatever you think of their true environmental credentials (all that electricity has to come from somewhere) they have certainly convinced the large companies which are queueing up to have at least a few electric vans or trucks on their fleets. UPS is a case in point, with this Modec:

You can see Andy Salter of this parish driving a Modec in the first of this year's RTTV video reports.

And then there's this thing (we're not quite sure what it is):

If Hollywood ever gets around to making an A-Team film, who’s going to play what parts? We’ve just had a chat in the office, and decided that the best men for the jobs would be George Clooney as Hannibal, Brad Pitt as Faceman, Jim Carey as Murdock and Michael Clarke Duncan as BA Baracus. As for the van, there can only be one choice, the 2008 Renault Trafic – NOT!
But if you think this is bad casting, check out some of the other attempts I’ve just found on the web.

Click below for more B-Team vans

You won't pry the gun from this truck's cold, dead hands:

Couldn't make it to the CV Show? Well don't worry, as once again we're running our special Road Transport TV webcast from all three days of the Birmingham show in association with Chevron Global Lubricants and presented by that famous double act of 'Salter and Weatherley'.

The webcasts will kick-off before 18:00hrs each evening of the show (that's Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) and we'll bring you all the highlights including all the major truck, van and trailer launches. And the last (Day Three) should be 'live' now (or it soon will be!).

Moreover, my team of Biglorryblog bloggers (including our very own webmeister Toby Clark who'll be doing his webby thing on the CM stand) will also be posting up the weird and the wonderful for all to see on this link.

Meanwhile, if you missed the first two webcasts don't worry as you can still see them, plus the final Day Three webcast click on this link for RoadtransportTV!

On the Volvo stand at the CV Show they had a very talented young British automotive designer who I got chatting to---and I promptly lost his card (I've asked that Towering Titan of truck tittle-tattle aka Volvo PR geezer, Nigel Hanwell to send it to me). However, since I posted this entry Volvo's John Comer has come to the rescue and tells me: "Miles Waterhouse was the designer who did these drawings, and his colleague who did the presentation of the 2020 Volvo truck and animation is James Dex. Both are former students of the automotive world renowned Coventry Transport Design course and work in Volvo Truck design centre in Gothenburg." And talented blokes there are too---meanwhile here's the artic of the future from Miles!

Very slippery I should think...though I'm not too sure about the sleeper pod in the back

This one looks more to me like the day cab version...Now click through here for more....

Following on from my previous blog here are some more design studies from the talented (and tall) young automotive designer Miles Waterhouse who is a former student of the world-renowned Coventry Transport Design course and who also worked in the Volvo Truck design centre in Gothenburg. I met him on the Volvo stand at the CV Show. Meanwhile, let's kick off with some of his tippers of the future..

Now how about this for an airport fire crash tender?

And for a real surprise click through here for the dustcart of the future,..naturally on a Volvo chassis!

There was Biglorryblog, on the last day of the CV Show at Brum last week, walking in from the N3 car park when I spied a line-up of smart new tippers including this Iveco Trakker belonging to none other than legendary Scottish tipper operator Yuill & Dodds. And get the name on the front...

Anyway for some reason it got me thinking about the old Andy Stewart song: "The Scottish Soldier" so I thought I'd come up with my own Biglorryblog lyrics.

There was an 'Outlaw', a Scottish 'Outlaw'
Who tippered far away, and bulkered far away
There was non bolder, on the hard shoulder
He's tipped in many a pit, and fought and won.

He's seen the glory, and told the story
Of Kerax glorious, and MANs victorious
But now he's sighing, his heart is crying
To leave this car park of Birmingham.....and at that point I ran out of steam (and all the makes of old Yuill &B Dodds tippers too!) Anyway if you happen to have any old pictures of Yuill & Dodds tippers then send them to me and I'll try and do better next time!

Meanwhile, for a pie, or should that be for a haggis?...What 'green hills' did the Scottish Soldier want to leave to return to his homeland? And what famous Scots TV Show did Andy Stewart front up? John Henderson you should get this with your eyes closed!

Meanwhile click through here for something completely different....