The more rural parts of the country, areas such as the north of Scotland, Northern Ireland, mid-Wales and north of the Pennines, by nature seem to breed drivers, as well as some of the most exciting trucks on our roads. Trucks need to be powerful to cope with the prevailing terrain. Drivers from these localities tend to be born into it one way or the other, either through family or simply being obsessed with anything with wheels from a young age.
The south-west of England is just such a place. Cornwall is home to some fantastic trucks and we admit that here at T&D we need to be getting on down there a bit more this year! The hilly terrain, the tight roads mean you’ll often see trucks specced to be ‘well on top of the job’ – and a company with this philosophy is Burcombe Haulage, located in north-east Cornwall, “just over the bridge” (the Tamar Bridge, that is) from Devon.
Machinery mad
Emma Todman’s journey to becoming the driver of this immaculate Scania S500 started when she was a little girl.
“I was always fascinated with trucks and machinery. I can’t explain it, I just was,” she smiles. We’re visiting on one of the finest days (28°C; bliss!) of summer 2019. “I used to operate some plant equipment for my dad, and it was just a matter of taking that leap of faith onto trucks.”
She started off on Class 2 rigids, working through skip lorries and tippers for a year to gain experience. “I got my Class 1 while working at Burcombe’s and after a while a job came up for an artic driver on long-distance distribution,” she says. “At the time there was only one other person on that side of the work. Now there are 11 of us.”
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Truck & Driver.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Truck & Driver.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Well forked Daf
Remember, we like to cover all sorts of different trucks here at T&D – like this impressive new CF rigid complete with Moffett Mounty forklift
King of the hill
Moving heavy equipment off road calls for a truck with plenty of power and traction, which is why M&J Plant chose a mighty 6x4 FH16 750
Time Machine 2015-2019
It’s the final part of our series on the history of UK haulage. Let’s look back at those innocent times before that pesky virus turned up
Original and best
There are few trucks which have been customised to the level of the Scania 143, but let’s not forget that the standard product was pretty awesome just as it left the factory, like this rare 420
GOING ALL THE WAY
Simon Rogers got behind the wheel as soon as he was able to, and nearly 30 years later, his company is going from strength to strength, with a striking all-black, top-spec Iveco S-Way 570 the latest addition to the fleet
Abnormal loads
In the distant past, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, truck drivers were a very different breed, made from sterner stuff than us mere mortals
Range change
After a gap of 13 years, Renault trucks have reappeared in the unique colours of MacRitchie Highland Distribution. T&D takes the high road to Inverness to meet owners, Donald and Catriona MacRitchie
Cutting a dash
Freshly showered and munching a healthy egg and cress sarnie in Gloucester North services, Chris has a Foden update
Air we go!
On Saturday 29 May at 6pm, 240 drivers gathered with their trucks at South Mimms Services for a parade to raise vital money for Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance
A Cutt Above
From coal to turf to fencing and loads more, there’s not much the Calcutt fleet hasn’t transported over the years
