Trucking Magazine Trucking August 2013 Edizione posteriore

Just before we went to press, the chief secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander, announced what he called “the greatest investment
in British roads since the 1970s” in his Spending Round speech at the
House of Commons. He was referring to a £28bn lump of cash the
government has set aside for clearing the bulging backlog of highway
maintenance – including road resurfacing and fixing the pothole blight
caused by previous poor-quality repairs and a string of bad winters – and
also alleviating some of the country’s worst traffic choke points.
We welcome the news – it’s high time the government started properly
investing in UK infrastructure, and we’re hoping the latest pledge is a move
away from the usual do-it-on-the-cheap, make-do-and-mend philosophy
we’ve become so grudgingly accustomed to after many years of underinvestment.
Time will tell – though we have our reservations. You can find all the details of the
new deal in Industry News, starting page 6.
There’s a lot going on this issue. Our cover star is Randolf Transport’s heavy-haulage MAN
lugging a record-breaking 147-tonne turbine nacelle destined for a Siemens training centre (the
full story starts on page 44). In Big Deal, we investigate Somerset operator RH&AJ Bateman’s
unusual 44-tonne Renault Premium Lander drawbar tipper outfit (page 36), and we talk to TV vet
Luke Gamble about his new £467,000 Mercedes-Benz Zetros off-roader with custom Vipex
bodywork that’s currently on its way to India to fight a desperate rabies epidemic (page 54).
Elsewhere, we find out what life is like in the transport office in our Q&A with John Miller Ltd’s
traffic manager (page 62), road test Iveco’s surprisingly capable EcoDaily 4x4 in Driven (page 28),
and take an in-depth look at the output of PACCAR and its subsidiaries Kenworth, Peterbilt and
DAF in Classic Truck (page 88). As usual, there’s loads more – so enjoy your read!