The UK road transport industry heads to Birmingham this weeks for the CV Show, this sector's showcase for all the new trucks, vans, trailers, bodywork and other ancillary products.

If it's not in your diary yet, there's plenty of time to blag a day off and head to Brum, but if you really can't make it, then settle back, log into RoadTransport.com and enjoy the spectacle, brought direct to your desktop each day.

We've got RoadTransportTV, sponsored by Chevron Global Lubricants, which will be broadcasting every evening for the duration of the show. Myself and Brian Weatherley will be hosting the show where you'll get the first footage of the new launches from Hino and Isuzu, as well as exclusive interviews from all the top executives at the truck and van manufacturers.

For the press the CV Show week at Birmingham kicks off with a day of press conferences as the assembled visitors do their best to secure a few column inches for their wares. Both Commercial Motor and Motor Transport are well represented at this affair with us all scribbling like crazy to make sure we get every last quote and news item.

I've just come out of the Renault Trucks press conference where the French truck builder revealed lead times for its Kerax multi-wheeler construction range stretch to the early part of 2008, some wait if you're in the market for a new eight-wheeler! For new tractors you can expect to wait until November, while for the lightweight product you'll probably get your motor in September.

Also at Renault Trucks, Bruce Allison the sales and marketing director has announced his retirement, while at the show the company will unveil its new Maxity 3.5-tonner (a re-badged Niassan Cabstar) and the Euro-4 version of the Renault Mascott.

So far today I've covered the unveiling of the new RHA logo - judge for yourself.

It looks fresh and modern, but I hope they haven't paid too much for the creative execution. New look or not, the message is still the same and it's good to see old friend Jack Semple putting himself about as the new director of policy at the RHA. Jack was a cracking journalist on Motor Transport and we're all looking forward to Jack cracking heads in government in his new role.

The press conference was notable for the RHA's launch of its answer to the ills of road congestion. On the face of it this appears to be a well considered piece of research, although the alternatives to the government's road pricing scheme appear limited to building more toll roads and allowing the cities to expand into green belt areas thus letting people live nearer their place of work. The Greens will no doubt have a field day.

From the RHA presentation I took a quick spin out into the halls of the show to get a swift look at the new Isuzu and Hino products launched at the show. The Isuzu looks particularly attractive. Further details in a later blog, when I've got some snaps to show you.

The doors are open and it's all systems go at Birmingham for the CV Show 2007 and what's more no hangover for yours truly!

Last night, the press descended on Ford and Daf for their annual pre-CV Show press dinners. From the cut of the journalists on parade in the press centre this morning at the show, both were restrained affairs.

I was out with Ford - Stratford-upon-Avon, nice bit of roast pork with a decent drop of red to wash it down - and there's plenty of news from Ford at this year's show. Chief among the announcements is a new 200hp, five-cylinder diesel engine to power the Transit. With 470Nm of torque on tap, this sort of power output is more akin to an 18-tonner than a van and with this sort of performance available I'm getting a bit worried that the legislators may soon have panel vans in their sights for increased regulation.

Also new from Ford is a 4.6-tonne version of Transit, a performance improvement for the Ranger pick-up and the launch of the new Transit SportVan.

More from the CV Show blog later...filming is starting for RoadTransportTV.

Amid the huge swathes of colour washing across stands at the CV Show, one colour seems to dominate the entire NEC without any physical presence - green. The green revolution is probably an over-statement - the green vistas have rather drifted lazily into view over the past two years until a level of critical awareness has been achieved amongst buyers than the suppliers can no longer ignore it.

There may be little honour and no scruples in advertising but it would appear that on occasion the industry is sadly lacking in common sense as well. Visiting the ladies' loo at the NEC - it's the coffee on every stand that gets you - I was intrigued, then dismayed and finally spitting mad to find a Mercedes advert on the back of the door with a picture of a gorgeous woman, bearing the legend: "Beautiful, intelligent and comes with a three-year guarantee." Any man out there who is smiling, stop it this instant.

In our search for fuel economy and efficiency at the CV Show, we came across news that MIRA will be launching its next generation of autonomous military vehicles at a defence show in June. Autonomous vehicles already exist - not too different in principle from driverless trains, or that closer relative, the Mars robots. Not all of them carry people, so their design can vary - but it's not hard to see how a driverless people carrier could be Godsend if you have troops pinned down in hostile territory.

If you've ever wondered as you stride across the carpeted savannah of a major truck manufacturer's stand how much it sets them back each year, they get no change from £100,000 for the site and stand construction. As one CM correspondent who fell over early into the show remarked, you would think for that kind of money they could glue the carpets down.

Hino had a huge presence at the CV Show again, this time with no less than 27 trucks and a brand new 7.5 tonner.
While it has certainly done enough to grab some all-important headlines and fill plenty of column inches in the commercial vehicle press, I was wondering whether it has also done enough to excite truck buyers. So, I spent an hour or so lingering near its massive stand in Hall 5, grabbing poor unsuspecting operators as they climbed out of its tipper cab, and asking then for their thoughts.
Continued below....

Since my spotlight on Mercedes' advertising, people have been thrusting examples of offensive material in my direction all show. The winner so far has to be aftermarket products Sortimo whose stand giveaway is a notebook with a woman's arse on it. Her shorts are so ripped as to not really be there. Presumably the company has nothing at all to say about its products, or the quality of its services and given that they sell racks surely with a little imagination they could have come up with a better representative body part. Wonder if it leaves their customers left feeling like me - bummed out.

The road transport industry, logistics, aftermarket and manufacturers need the skills that female recruits can bring. There is investment all over trying to persuade women that the road transport industry is somewhere they can be appreciated for their many talents. Look around you - is it surprising with marketing designed by adolescent neanderthals that they remain unconvinced?

Although Scania's stand at the CV Show was tucked away at the back of Hall 2 in the heart of the municipal trucks area it was definitely worth the effort as Scania has by far the best hospitality on offer at this year's show. A full silver service restaurant was an offer for visitors serving a mighty fine scrambled eggs breakfast for yours truly this morning. Check out the details at RoadTransport TV later today.

Other notable stands for hospitality were Daf Trucks, running its regular hog roast, and Isuzu's sausage and mash extravaganza will be no doubt worth a visit when the tank needs filling. Free beers from one of the trailer builders is allegedly on offer. So i'll be off then...