DAF Driver Magazine Winter 2021/22 - Issue 27

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DAF DRIVER ISSUE 27

/ WINTER 2021/22

INSIDE THE UK’S #1 TRUCK MANUFACTURER

AWARDED

IT’S HERE! LATEST DAF TRUCKS NEWS • UK DEALER LOCATOR • OPERATOR SUCCESS STORIES • INDUSTRY OPINION • COMPETITION

WELCOME FROM YOUR PUBLISHER

WELCOME TO THE LATEST EDITION OF DAF DRIVER MAGAZINE

And a happy, if belated, new year to everyone in the world of road transport.

Publisher - Matthew Eisenegger

OUR OLD FRIEND ‘INFLATION’ IS BACK

W

e begin the year at a time of great political and economic uncertainty. As I write, even the current Prime Minister doesn’t know how long he is going to be in the job, or whether he will soon have more time to spend with his families. And our old friend ‘inflation’ is back. For younger readers, inflation means everything becomes more expensive without getting any better. Think of it as the opposite of a free upgrade.

But we can all take heart from a feature in this magazine about Bimson Haulage.

Back in 2008, just as the last big economic crisis hit, the brothers running the firm took a bold decision to expand the company from its Cumbrian roots, where the construction businesses that it served tended to go into hibernation every October, and branch out into London.

It was a bit of a gamble, and it paid off. Many of the established hauliers around the capital made the mistake of retrenching too far and too fast, and Bimson was ideally placed to pick up work as the thriving market for construction logistics bounced

back, as it always seems to. The company is now a national force, with over 90 trucks based at 10 operating centres.

The multi-axle theme continues with an indepth look at what DAF can offer in the way of tridem chassis. These innovative designs for rigid trucks can release greater payload potential and improve access to awkward locations, so are ideal for many applications in sectors such as construction and agricultural haulage.

Life isn’t all about business though: everyone needs an outside interest. And outside interests don’t get any more diverse than two we feature in this issue. John Kendall is getting paid to hoon around Millbrook Proving Ground in a pair of ridiculously fast and expensive McLaren sports cars (“It was a tough gig,” he has assured me, “but someone had to do it’), and we visit a man who has just embarked on an ambitious project to turn a neglected Leyland DAF T244 army truck, into an all-terrain mobile home-from-home.

The Bigger Picture

Look out for the dynamic QR codes in this issue of DAF Driver magazine.

Simply open the camera on your mobile device and point it at the code, then sit back for some exciting additional content.

There’s also much more, including regulars like top tips from DAF’s driver trainers, and our famous ‘spot the difference’ competition.

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FEATURES 6 JSR Transport

Brand new XG+ 530 hits the road!

12 McLaren Fast, fun and fabulous

18 BATA DAF TRIDEM carries it off

26 Army T244 Camper conversion takes off

34 Day at the races In the pits with Team Brit

REGULARS 3 WELCOME New Year, new challenges says Matthew

44 SIMPSON SAYS Clean air, or hot air? asks Richard

46 SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Can you pick them out?

52 TRAINER’S NOTES Mandy’s feeling tyred

53 MEET THE TRAINERS It’s Sam from HTC DAF

36 Team Brit Disabled racers aim for Le Mans

38 Bimson New DAFs keep the bricks rolling

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INFORMATION EDITORIAL Publisher: Matthew Eisenegger Managing Editor: John Kendall Designer: Harold Francis Callahan Editorial Address: Commercial Vehicle Media & Publishing Ltd, 4th Floor 19 Capesthorne Drive, Eaves Green, Chorley, Lancashire. PR7 3QQ Telephone: 01257 231521 Email: matthew@cvdriver.com ADVERTISING Advertising Sales: David Johns Telephone: 01388 517906 Mobile: 07590 547343 Email: sales@cvdriver.com DESIGN Art Editor: Harold Francis Callahan Telephone: 01257 231521 Email: design@cvdriver.com CONTRIBUTORS Richard Simpson Mandy Wannerton Karl Hopkinson Ronnie Hitchens Jack Sunderland John Kendall Nigel Waller McLaren Chris@builditoverland Jon Harle PUBLISHER Commercial Vehicle Media & Publishing Ltd, 4th Floor, 19 Capesthorne Drive, Eaves Green, Chorley, Lancashire. PR7 3QQ Telephone: 01257 231521 NOTE

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The publisher makes every effort to ensure the magazine’s contents are correct. All material published in DAF Driver magazine is copyright and unauthorised reproduction is forbidden.

The Editors and Publisher of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.

DAF Driver magazine is published under a licence from Commercial Vehicle Media & Publishing Ltd. All rights in the licensed material belong to Matthew Eisenegger or Commercial Vehicle Media and Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced whether in whole or in part, without their prior written consent. DAF Driver Magazine is a registered trademark.

If you are not going to keep this magazine for future reference please pass it on or recycle it.

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OPERATOR FEATURE

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BIG

OPERATOR FEATURE

AND BEAUTIFUL

Container operator JSR Transport in Widnes has become the proud owner of one of the UK’s first New Generation DAF XG+ 530 FTG 6x2 tractor units. More ‘first customer’ vehicles, including New Generation DAF XF and XG models – all part of the 2022 International Truck of the Year line-up – are at DAF Dealers across the UK and now hitting the roads.

Words: Ronnie Hitchens

Photographs: Nigel Waller

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OPERATOR FEATURE

The range-topping New DAF Generation XG+ 530 FTG

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OPERATOR FEATURE

D

AF Driver headed to JSR’s nearby container port in Liverpool where supplying DAF Dealer, North West Trucks in Huyton, handed over the keys to company boss, Jody Rust. “I watched the brilliant online launch of the New Generation DAF last summer and I knew straight away I wanted an XG+,” says Jody, “I got in touch with Mike Hudson at North West Trucks and, on 19th June, placed an order for the top-of-the-range model.

“I’ve always been a DAF fan,” smiles 41-year-old Jody, “the two DAF XFs on our fleet have been absolutely fantastic – they never had a day off. So, the new XG+ acquisition was led by my heart and my brain! I just thought, ‘Sod it,

let’s have one!’ – actually, now we’ve taken delivery of it, I wish I’d ordered two!”

Never miss a beat The new XG+ joins a predominantly high-powered Scania fleet, while two DAFs have remained an integral part of the business and have both proved to be ultra-reliable. “Our 2017 DAF XF 510 Super Space Cab was the very first new truck on our fleet,” said Jody, “And it’s just never missed a beat.

The second XF, a newer uprated and face-lifted 530bhp six-wheeler was ordered in January 2019 and was on the road in April. That motor was equally as impressive. I looked at a similarly specc’d Scania at the time but that

was another £20K. We part-exed the ’19-plate DAF XF for the new XG+” With 12 trucks in total, JSR Transport remains a relatively small player in a big industry. Container transport is dominated by major fleet operators such as Maritime and Goldstar, but JSR has carved out a highly successful operation and has forged well-established links directly to some of the world’s major shipping lines and freight-forwarders, with regular bread-and-butter work out of Liverpool and Southampton. “We don’t contract to the big container hauliers,” insists Jody, “we’ve built relationships over the last 15-years directly with some of the biggest names in shipping, including Independent Container Line.

Kerb-clout – JSR’s new XG+ joins a high-spec fleet

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OPERATOR FEATURE Managing Director Jody Rust is a selfconfessed DAF fan – and in the market for a Cummins-powered DAF 95!

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We’re a definitely a small busines, but we boast global credentials and we’re growing.”

New trucks, old trucks Despite supply chain problems concerning the global shortage of semi-conductors, JSR Transport could have put its new DAF acquisition on the road in December, deciding instead to wait until the New Year and a 2022 registration. The new truck coincides with the arrival of a brand-new ‘Flexitrailer’ from Dutch trailer builder, D-Tech. The gooseneck design allows containers to sit lower, thus avoiding low bridges often found on the continent, and with the added benefit of offering better fuel economy and excellent residual values.

“Our fleet is almost all Euro-6 now,” Jody adds, “the newer vehicles are on a two-and-a-half year life cycle.

We’re really pleased with North West Trucks too,” he says, “They’re just down the road from Widnes which makes it all super convenient. DAFs are popular in this neck of the woods and it’s because of the back-up provided by the DAF Dealer.”

Driver shortage – not here!

The New Generation DAF XG+ becomes the responsibility of JSR driver Brian Mills. The lucky 51-year-old has been with the company for three years and is, naturally, bowled over with his new truck, “It’s unbelievable,” he said, “Everything about it is unbelievable!

I’ve been a happy DAF driver for ten years and this is just such a radical change from the previous model. It’s a brilliant view from up here, especially with the curved windscreen. I’m enjoying everything about it at the minute,” he said, “it’s a pleasure to drive and the comfort is outstanding. I didn’t want to get out of the bunk this morning. I’m loving it.”

With at least one very happy driver in its ranks, DAF Driver was keen to learn more about driver retention at JSR and the wider issue of the shortage of drivers in the UK. Jody Rust says, “Actually, we’ve not been badly affected at all by the driver shortage, and we’ve always had a high rate of driver retention. Covid

hasn’t really been an issue for the business and, in fact, volumes have grown over the last couple of years.

“I certainly think drivers deserve a decent place to work,” concedes Jody, “And we’ve always gone big on power and spec. The Scanias are undoubtedly a useful draw when it comes to recruitment, and I haven’t met a driver yet who doesn’t like a big Scannie.

“But,” he says, “the new DAF XG+ is right up there with the very best. It has certainly set the benchmark for space and comfort, and it just looks stunning. Not sure about real-world productivity yet, of course, but the claimed fuel savings will be very welcome.”

Just the three of us Jody hit the road in 2006, when he started life as an owner-driver aboard his ERF ECX on general haulage duties for Hunt Brothers in Warrington, and then with an ERF EC11 on container work thereafter.

He moved onto MANs and then to Scania before building the fleet based around the Swedish marque.

Trucking, and the DAF brand in particular, have always been in Jody’s blood with his father having driven a DAF 2800 and DAF 3300 in the 1980s and ‘90s.

“I remember going to the DAF Museum in Eindhoven in 2006,” said Jody, “And with my dad’s affiliation with the brand, I’ve been a big DAF fan ever since. I always wanted a DAF 95 with 500bhp Cummins engine and a Super Space Cab – still do actually!”

Jody’s father Roy, 73, is still part of the business, and so is Jody’s older brother, Theo, 42. As is commonplace in the transport industry, family businesses seem to thrive, with multi-generation families proving that UK haulage remains very much a vocational business and forms the backbone of the transport sector.

The family ethic certainly seems to be working in north Cheshire, as Jody says, “Despite our relatively young age as a business, we’re getting established in the container sector.

Our location is important, sure, but we’re getting noticed and it’s taken hard-work and a dedication to high quality service that’s seeing us head in the right direction.”

OPERATOR FEATURE

“…THE NEW XG+ ACQUISITION WAS LED BY MY HEART AND MY BRAIN!” MANAGING DIRECTOR, JODY RUST

Rules of containment – JSR Transport is a small business with global reach DDM

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CLEARED TA

SUPERCAR FEATURE

“J

ust let it run up to around 130mph”, says my instructor. We are at the Millbrook test track in Bedfordshire, a place I have visited many times before over the past 30 years in a wide variety of cars, vans and trucks.

We are sitting on the mile straights, where I have also been many times. Usually, the person beside me has had a stop watch, or more sophisticated timing gear and we have been going through the ritual of recording 0-60mph times. For that we would record a number of runs in both directions - to compensate for any effects of the weather - and then calculate an average time.

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This is a bit similar, but also a bit different. The man on my left has no stop watch or timing gear and I can’t easily see all around the car behind me, because the interior mirror and door mirrors have been arranged so he can see behind. He’s also a racing driver, which is why he’s sitting there - we are in a highperformance car.

We are checking out the car’s launch control. It’s a simple technique. The transmission is automatic, so I can change gear if I want using the paddles behind the steering wheel or leave the ‘box to sort itself out.

D FOR AKE-OFF

SUPERCAR FEATURE

Words: John Kendall

Photographs: McLaren

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SUPERCAR FEATURE

Then all you need to do is push a button on the centre console to select launch control, place your left foot on the large brake pedal, floor the throttle with the other foot then release the brake. It’s a progressive process because we are now in the grip of some very sophisticated traction control systems, which intervene rapidly to try and keep the car in a straight line.

I have done something similar in a racing truck at Brands Hatch some years ago, except that I was firmly strapped into the passenger seat, wearing a crash helmet. It was probably the most powerful vehicle I have ever travelled in with over 1,000hp on tap. This time I’m not wearing a crash helmet and I’m not

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speed limited to 100mph. There isn’t a distant sound of squealing tyres either, but the acceleration is pretty similar, in other words, quick, very quick. I’ve got to be careful because the track is a bit greasy. There was some light rain earlier and the track is still damp in places and I’m trying

“I’M TRYING TO TRANSMIT 720HP TO THE GROUND THROUGH TWO WHEELS”

to transmit 720hp to the ground through two wheels. Even with all that sophisticated electronic control the car starts to snake and I back off and apply corrective steering rapidly, to my instructor’s relief, and mine.

The car in question is a McLaren 720S, an exquisite piece of British engineering, which as you will probably be aware is produced by a company which made its name in designing, building and racing single-seater racing cars. McLaren is named after New Zealander Bruce McLaren, the founder of the McLaren racing team who lost his life during practice in a car designed for the North American Can-Am racing series, at Goodwood in June 1970.

SUPERCAR FEATURE

The first McLaren road car, the McLaren F1 was launched in 1993.

Features included a central driving position and it was constructed around a carbon-fibre chassis, a feature of all McLaren road cars since.

For the car I am driving, the basic structure is McLaren’s carbon fibre Monocage II-S, with aluminium front and rear crash structures. It’s strictly a two-seater. There is room for some luggage. Apparently, you can accommodate a set of golf clubs in the compartment behind the engine bay, behind the seats. There’s additional space forward of the passenger compartment too, certainly enough space for luggage for a few days away with the partner of your choice.

Back at the track, 130mph comes around quite quickly. That’s not particularly surprising – it will reach 60mph in 2.8 seconds from rest and 0 – 124mph (200km/h) takes just 7.9 seconds. If I could see in the mirrors, I’m sure everything would be shrinking pretty rapidly. I suspect it’s

“BACK AT THE TRACK, 130MPH COMES AROUND QUITE QUICKLY”

a bit rubbish at 44-tonnes GCW, so stick with DAF for that.

I’ve done enough test track work to know that figures only give a partial story. Luckily for me, the schedule includes a few laps of Millbrook’s entertaining Alpine Circuit. As the name suggests, it includes hills of various gradients up and down with some nicely crafted bends and a short sharp hill where a second or so of flight is possible, if the marshals aren’t looking.

It’s not much of a surprise to find that the car’s handling and road holding limits are far greater than mine. After the first lap of the Alpine circuit, I push the car a little harder, generating

A profile to remember - the elegance of a McLaren WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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SUPERCAR FEATURE

The sight of a McLaren you’re most likely to see - disappearing rapidly

higher g-forces, but there is no sign of the McLaren’s Pirelli P-Zero tyres – 245/35 R 19s on the front and 305/30 R 20s on the back getting anywhere near their limits. The chassis’ limits are helped by the suspension set up with double wishbones, adaptive dampers and McLaren’s Proactive Chassis Control II included in the equipment.

Millbrook’s high-speed bowl is designed for high-speed laps, allowing cars to self-steer at particular speeds in the outer lanes and we take in a few laps at three figure speeds. The McLaren is quite at home at Millbrook. It’s not really designed as a road car, so if you are planning to attend track days, or use it for circuit racing, you might want to take a look.

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The impressive performance is generated

by McLaren’s M840T twin turbocharged 3,994cc V8 petrol engine. The 720hp is generated at 7,500rpm accompanied by 770Nm of torque between 5,500 and 6,500rpm. I would work on the RollsRoyce principle that if you need to ask the price, you can’t afford it, but if you are tempted, then you’ll be looking at a starting price of £245,700. It’s a lot of money, but considering it’s a low volume, high performance car using race proven design and construction techniques and a range of sophisticated chassis systems, it is not unreasonable.

On the other hand, no-one needs 720hp for the road in a car weighing 1,468kg -providing a power to weight ratio of 490hp per tonne. McLaren does produce

cars designed for road use and if you like the two-seater, mid-engine layout of the 720S, but want something better suited to the road network, the GT could be the car for you.

The GT uses McLaren’s M840TE 3,994cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine, basically the same block as that in the 720S, but tuned to generate 620hp at 7,500rpm with 630Nm of torque between 5,500rpm and 6,500rpm. That’s still a large amount of power for road use, but putting it through the same sequence of tests at Millbrook shows it to be bettersuited to everyday driving. Performance is still phenomenal, with 0-60mph taking just 3.1 seconds and 0-124mph coming up in 9.0 seconds.

Construction is very similar to the

SUPERCAR FEATURE

It may be a lightweight high performance car, but comfort and luxury are part of the deal

GT or 720S? Take your pick

Designed, engineered and built in the UK

720S, but there are some differences in addition to the power output. The suspension system comes with Comfort, Sport and Track modes providing a more compliant ride for long distances.

Whereas carbon ceramic brake discs are used for the 720S, standard material for the GT is cast iron with carbon ceramic discs as an option. Larger diameter wheels – 20-inch at the front and 21inch at the rear - help to provide more road-friendly gearing, giving combined fuel consumption of 23.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 270g/km.

100hp usually makes a difference – in this case 100hp less makes the car more driver friendly, particularly for road use.

There’s no snaking on launch at the mile straights for our 0-130-ish routine.

I could imagine driving long distance in the GT, although I couldn’t imagine leaving it in a car park. I have driven earlier, lesser powered McLarens on the road in the past and they are surprisingly straightforward to drive, even in traffic.

The GT, as you might expect is a little more wallet friendly with a starting price of £163,000. Standard equipment includes a nappa leather interior and seats, seven spoke cast alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero tyres, McLaren’s infotainment system including a 7-inch high-resolution display with a 12.3-inch screen for the instrument cluster, as well as satellite navigation, voice control for the infotainment system, DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and iPhone/Pod integration.

Driver assistance technologies include Dynamic Electronic Stability Control, traction control, hill hold assist, brake wipe technology and brake pre-fill technology. When the driver lifts off the throttle, the brake system pressure is automatically raised to bring the brake pad almost into contact with the brake disc, shortening braking distances.

There are a host of option packs and equipment too.

Would I buy one if I had the money?

The 720S is not for me, but I could make garage space for the GT because it is more versatile, even practical. The design is distinctive, you rarely see one and it is highly desirable. I would probably choose a different colour from the bright orange of my test car though.

DDM

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OPERATOR FEATURE

BATA TRIDEM (AND LIKED ‘EM!) Reproduced with the kind permission of: Bulk & Tipper magazine Words: Jon Harle

Photographs: Karl Hopkinson

Established in 1894, BATA was set up as a co-operative to support Yorkshire farmers.

Over 125 years later, it’s still doing the same job, and the movement of goods is still an essential element of the operation. Jon Harle has been to meet Transport Manager Richard Burley, and to see the latest DAF ‘tridem’ bulker to join the fleet.

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OPERATOR FEATURE

W

hen you visit the premises of BATA at Amotherby, a small village near Malton in North Yorkshire, you realise that this is an organisation that has become an integral part of the region’s farming community. Over the years, its orange vehicles have become as much a part of the Yorkshire countryside as Wensleydale sheep and dry stone walls. Indeed, you have to go back to the end of the 19th century to discover the roots of the group.

It was established by Hugh Charles Fairfax-Cholmeley, the Squire of Brandsby, and a well-known social reformer. He realised the importance of education and the application of science to agriculture, and the need

to modernise every aspect of rural life. He renovated cottages and farms on his estate, and built the Brandsby village hall and bath house. Then, in 1894, he set up the Brandsby Dairy Association as a farmer’s co-operative.

It was a way of selling produce and buying fertiliser and seed, but in the early 1900s, the co-operative was renamed the Brandsby Agricultural Trading Association, or BATA. Transport of goods to and from markets was an important aspect of the organisation. Horses and carts were superseded by steam lorries and petrol trucks.

The Squire even had planning permission for a light rail system to connect to the North Eastern Railway line between York and Pickering, but it was never built, due to the interruption of the First World War.

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OPERATOR FEATURE

Spin the clock forward more than a century, and the original structure of the farmer’s co-operative remains in place today. BATA now offers products and services that support the livelihood and lifestyle of thousands of people who live and work in rural Yorkshire, ranging from the manufacture and delivery of livestock feed to the supply of heating oil to the sale of everything from animal shampoo to zinc tablets through a chain of eleven Country Stores. And transport is still a vital aspect of the enterprise.

Richard Burley has been with BATA for 27 years. He started as a tanker driver before moving into the office in 1999, and taking over as transport manager 10 20

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years later. Despite his long service with the business, and it’s even longer history, there’s still confusion over how to pronounce it. “Officially it’s B.A.T.A.,” he tells me, “but different people pronounce it Barter, Batter, or even Bater!” What’s not in doubt is that Burley is part of a long tradition. Even the main offices are located in a restored mill building. “We used to have our main offices at Malton, but we were flooded out twice 20 years ago, so the decision was taken to move here to Amotherby. There’d been a fire at the old mill many years previously. In fact, if you look at the brick walls in the boardroom, which is on the top floor, you can see where the bricks are still scorched and charred.”

OPERATOR FEATURE Next to the old mill is the ‘new’ mill where animal feed is produced and stored before distribution. Also on the same site is the warehouse for storage of goods sold through the Country Stores, and 100 metres down the road is the fuel and gas distribution depot. A fleet of 37 trucks, including bulkers, tankers and curtainsiders, is kept busy supplying their country stores and the region’s farms, businesses, and homes.

“We’ve got something like forty thousand product lines in the warehouse here for supplying the Country Stores,” Burley explains. “Think of anything you’d ever need on a farm, then double it! I still walk through the warehouse and see things I didn’t even know we sold! We’ve got curtainsiders delivering to the stores once or twice a week, as well as tankers delivering oil and gas, and supplying two BATA petrol stations. It’s a big team effort with over 200 employees across the group, many of whom have been here for years.

But animal feed production is a big part of our business. Most of the time we’re delivering the finished product, so raw materials come in here from our suppliers.

But they tend to have their own vehicles, so we don’t get involved with that aspect so much. Occasionally, if we get short in the mill, we can send out our vehicle to pick up a load rather than waiting for their own transport to become available.

We might go and get Wheatfeed from a

supplier in Driffield, or soya or sunflower from Hull. We’ve got a Fruehauf ribsided ‘bathtub’ trailer we use for that. But primarily we’re taking out the finished product from our mill. All our bulkers have to be UFAS-registered (Universal Feed Assurance Scheme) who’s standards we’re audited on every year.”

The fleet used to be predominantly Foden, but when they stopped production, Burley says BATA had to look elsewhere. “My predecessor had a good relationship with Parsons at Hartlepool, who were the Foden dealers. They then became Hino dealers and we got four of them, but they weren’t the most popular with the drivers.

We then got an MAN four-wheeler tanker, which we’ve still got, although it’s about to be replaced. But it was a good little truck. On the back of that we got three more, but then we fell foul of the Euro 5 EGR cooler issue that MAN had. It was at that time that we started talking to Richard Avery from Imperial Commercials in Hull, what’s now Motus Commercials, and we bought our first DAF. It did the job, the drivers liked it, and we’ve still got it. We bought another one in 2013, and our association with DAF grew from there.

Over the years we’ve developed a good relationship with Richard at Motus, and that’s been very important, because he understands the demands on our vehicles and has helped tailor the chassis to meet our needs.”

One of BATA’s Bulkers taking on animal feed ready for distribution WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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OPERATOR FEATURE

Top: Barley samples record the crop origins Above: Another load being signed off Right: BATA’s CF FAW features double drive and lift and steer rear axle

In 2012, Richard Burley was keen to address a problem that many bulk operators were facing. “The problem we all face is that vehicles are getting bigger, but the places we deliver to aren’t. There are lots of little farms up on the moors where getting in and out is a big issue with a feed bulker.

But the six-wheelers can’t get enough payload on. The tridem configuration gives us the best of both worlds. You get the extra payload, and the double drive of an eight-wheeler, but because of the two steering axles you also get the

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manoeuvrability of a six-wheeler. The rear axle is positive steered, so you get a much tighter turning circle than on a conventional eight-wheeler. At the time, the only manufacturer offering that configuration was Volvo, so we got one of them, and were very pleased with it.

“In 2015 I got a DAF FAQ, which was a tridem again, but was only an 8x2. It had three steering axles, because the second and fourth axles were lift and steer axles. It could get in just about anywhere, but it only had the single

drive axle, which was a problem up the hills in bad weather, so that’s gone elsewhere. In 2018, I bought a Renault tridem 8x4 with the same configuration as the Volvo, because DAF still weren’t doing an 8x4 version. They were a bit late to the party with the FAW, which is the new DAF we’ve just taken delivery of with the two drive axles, and the lift and steer rear axle.”

Driver, Dave Fairbairn, has been impressed with his new tridem. “I’ve been very pleased with it,” he tells me

OPERATOR FEATURE

“THE DOUBLE DRIVE IS BRILLIANT, PARTICULARLY IN THE BAD WEATHER WE HAD AFTER CHRISTMAS.”

as he climbs down from the cab after a day’s work. “The double drive is brilliant, particularly in the bad weather we had after Christmas. The Volvo would understeer going into corners, particularly if it was wet or if the front compartment was empty, but the DAF handles the bad weather much better.

The only thing I sometimes miss is a manual gearbox, particularly when hitting a sudden hill, which we often get around the moors. You can’t skip a couple of gears with the automatic box.

And the fuel tank is a bit bigger than

we need. We’re never more than couple of hours away from base, so I usually only put about 100 litres in to keep the tare weight down. But overall I’m very pleased with it. And the seat’s brilliant!”

Burley grins as Fairbairn mentions the automatic gearbox. “The trucks are pretty well all automatics now,” he admits. “It’s something that’s changed in the last few years. You used to have to specify an automatic, but now it’s completely reversed and you have to specify a manual box if you want one.

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OPERATOR FEATURE There was a bit of resistance to the automatics to start with, but now younger lads coming in don’t know what to do with a gearstick!”

The new DAF is fitted with a Muldoon bulk blower, which is Burley’s body of choice these days for rigids and trailers. “We’ve developed a good relationship with Muldoons,” he says, “and our Renault tridem was fitted with a demountable vacuum system which attaches at the back of the truck if we need it.

It means if the farmer wants feed moving, we can suck it out and back onto the lorry. You can even select which compartment you want to put it in. The bulkers are all fitted with five compartments, but two of the internal doors can be moved around depending on what quantities are required, so it’s not unusual for a driver to leave the yard with five different delivery addresses.”

Choosing the right feedstock

BATA supplies oil and gas and operates two petrol forecourts

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There are currently 37 trucks in the BATA fleet. In addition to the three tridems, Burley also operates two other conventional eight-wheeler bulkers – an MAN and a Scania. There are five tractor units on bulk deliveries, and tautliners, but Burley admits it hasn’t always been easy to get exactly what he wanted. “We had two mid-lift tractor units, but we wanted to switch to tag axles. Because of the nature of what we do, we don’t need big sleeper cabs. DAF’s CF is the cab size of choice, but it was difficult to find a second-hand one in the tag axle configuration. We found a couple of Scanias, and bought them to tide us over, then bought two brand new DAFs in the last couple of years. Apart from the five bulkers, and the five artics, we’ve also got 11 rigid oil tankers and six rigid LPG tankers, as well as 10 rigid curtainsiders.

Nowadays we tend to buy new, but we don’t bother with R&M [repair and maintenance] contracts, because we’ve got our own workshops here. A lot of what we do involves specialist equipment, bulkers and tankers, so having our own garage means we can check that equipment at the same time as we carry out the regular maintenance inspections. It’s important to get them repaired and back out again as quickly as possible.

“We’ve found DAFs to be a good platform, whatever you put on the back,” Burley continues. “They’re good on fuel, and the drivers like them. Similarly, we tend to stick to Muldoon on the tipping side and Tasca for the tankers, although our next gas tanker is coming from Lakeland. The distinctive livery which completes the look of our vehicles is applied by a local company called Big Boolies. My only complaint with DAF is that, for some reason, it costs an arm and a leg to get a CF cab on a four-wheeler ADR chassis.

Nobody seems to know why, so the four-wheeler tankers get an LF cab.”

OPERATOR FEATURE Although BATA vehicles rarely travel more than a couple of hours from Amotherby, they face a huge variety of conditions, from busy dual carriageways across the flat Vale of York to gradients as steep as one-in-three on the North Yorkshire Moors. Burley tells me he always believes the vehicles should be on top of the job. “I don’t go for the biggest engine, but I don’t go for the smallest one either. For example, the tractors tend to be 480bhp, the six-wheeler rigids are 370s. But it’s important to get feedback from the drivers when we’re speccing a new truck.

Over the years we’ve fine-tuned specifications, so when a driver suggests an improvement, next time we try to incorporate it into the order. A good example is work lights. A lot of what we do is during the darker months, when animals are in the sheds, but still need feeding, and when people want oil for central heating, so a decent rack of work lights on the back is important. We’ve developed a system with a couple of extra lights on the rear bumper, but also some set around the drive axle on a fan angle, but we’ve wired them up so they can be flicked on when going forward. Because sometimes getting out of a farm is as hard as getting in, so you need to see what you’re doing in the dark.”

Burley tells me that one of the challenges the company faces is developing a paperless ticketing scheme. “At the moment, once an order comes in, it goes onto the system, and is sent through to the mill manager and put into the production schedule. Helen Beeforth, who’s our agricultural transport planner, then schedules the delivery, puts the tickets into loads, then those tickets are sent to the weighbridge, so drivers see what they have to do. Weigh tickets are created for the loading process, one of which goes to the customer and the other to the accounts department. Similarly, Gary Grice, the fuel depot supervisor, does the planning for the tankers. We’re looking at ways of going paperless. It will happen, but we haven’t found the right system yet!”

BATA’s bulk blower body of choice is Muldoon

One of Burley’s other frustrations is the weight of empty vehicles. “We live in a world where the materials used to build trucks are getting lighter and lighter. For example, all our bulkers are aluminium, and we haven’t got big sleeper cabs, but truck tare weights are staying the same because of the Euro 6 system we’ve got to carry. The holy grail is to get 18 tonnes on an eight-wheeler, but it’s a struggle.”

Judging by BATA’s experience, the tridem configuration is a useful tool in that search for the holy grail. The new DAF is the fourth tridem in the fleet. Burley approves, so do the drivers. So, yes, I guess it’s true to say they’ve tried’em, and they liked ‘em!

DDM

The DAF fleet is a winner with the drivers

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RESTORATION

MEAN GREEN Truck restoration expert Chris, shows off his latest project.

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RESTORATION

M

y first close encounter with an expedition truck was in San Remo in Italy while I was touring around Europe. I seemed to have stumbled on a meeting ground for people watching/participating in a Dakar style rally which was leaving from Monaco the following day.

The expedition truck was an MAN TGM. A quick google search suggested that sort of rig would set me back at least the price of a three-bed semi in my area, way beyond

my budget. The fantasy of owning an expedition truck came to an abrupt end.

Or at least I thought it had. 11 months later, I was scrolling through eBay when a Leyland DAF T244 came up in suggested items. The auction had just six minutes to go, so I skim read the details. It was a runner, but had been parked up for three years. The pictures were not great, but the bidding had only reached £1,500.

Suddenly the dream of owning a full-sized expedition truck returned. Click. I placed a bid for £2,500 and a few minutes later it was mine for £2,200… Great! Or was it?

I had committed on a whim. For starters I don’t have the required licence to drive the truck yet. I had no means of recovering it and no real idea about these vehicles, although I knew it had a Cummins 6BT engine, which I was slightly familiar with.

My background is mostly in cars. I am an engineer and usually restore and prepare cars in my spare time. Trucks are not really my area so it will be a bit of a learning curve, as well as an excuse to buy new tools.

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RESTORATION Under the skeletal framework, the chassis has only suffered some surface rust

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RESTORATION

Fortunately for me recovery was easy enough and a lot cheaper than anticipated.

The next issue was where to keep it?

Working on it outside would seriously slow progress and no doubt get on my nerves planning around the UK weather.

I finished and sold a few projects to claim more space in the workshop, but this meant almost three months passed before the truck could come inside, by which time lockdown had hit and I had not fully decided how I was going to tackle the truck. I started another project while I gave it more thought.

It was September 2020 before I began to focus most of my free time on the truck. By then, I felt I had read enough on expedition trucks to finally start designing. Over the next four months I worked up various design iterations to give me a good idea about how I was going to tackle the project and crucially how I was going to finance it.

So that almost brings us up to date.

The plan is to build this truck up to a respectable finish over the next 18 to 24 months. I intend to do 90 per cent of the work myself to show what can be done.

Stage one is to tear down the truck and refurbish it. This route will add a lot of cost but I want reliability if I am going to be travelling in this truck. The vehicle is around 28-years old and it has been out of army commission since 2012.

I will start by tackling the rust. The chassis itself is in decent shape, with surface rust from stone chipping and age. The cab on the other hand has a few rust spots that need rectification.

The floor pans seem relatively clean but to be certain I will media blast the full underside of the cab, treat it and reapply fresh underbody sealant to protect it.

The door seams are corroded and will need to be cut out and repaired. The wheel arches are always rotten on these trucks.

Even in service, the army just patched these up due to lack of parts and my arches are no exception. With no metal replacements available, I will have mine media blasted so I can refabricate them.

Once the cab is restored I will prep and paint it.

Moving to the cab interior, comfort was not even on the list when this truck was designed. That may be fine for military use but I want some comfort while travelling. I plan to fully insulate and soundproof the cab and trim the sides/ retrim the doors. New seats, ideally heated, will be welcomed. The centre console will be rebuilt to include such features as GPS, cameras and a sound system. Air conditioning is also on the list. I want to keep as much of the standard dash binnacle as possible as it has so many cool features specific to a military vehicle.

“STAGE ONE IS TO TEAR DOWN THE TRUCK AND REFURBISH IT.” WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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RESTORATION

Chris plans to insulate and soundproof the cab as part of the refurbishment

NEXT PLAN OF ACTION...

Chris is far from completing his project, “My next plans are to fabricate a new turret hatch as that will finish all the metal work on the cab. I then plan to move onto the chassis and do a full nut and bolt restoration to bring it back up to spec. I’m in the process of looking for a company to make some wider rims so I can have more tyre choice aswell. Once the chassis is refurbished I will begin building the habitation box and move onto painting it all. All of which will be done by myself”.

Check out Chris’ Instagram: @builditoverland and follow his progress on YouTube: Build It Overland https://m.youtube.com/ channel/UCG1JXS8IhF6VX4TgiueQxXw or use the QR code.

This includes an infrared night driving switch, absolutely no use to me but it would be a shame to lose such a design feature. I intend to repurpose these redundant switches for things such as spotlights etc.

nearly always leak, as is the case with my T244 as the sealing flange is very corroded.

It needs repair, which will take a fair bit of fabrication work as no panels are available.

I also intend to redesign it to improve the hatch sealing.

One of the best features of the truck for me is the gun turret hatch. The T244 has a hatch for a passenger to stand out the top and set up a gun mount or whatever else took their fancy. It’s a cool feature for hot weather climates or roof access, but these

I intend to replace all the pneumatics with modern metric alternatives, replace/ upgrade all the joints, bushes etc. Most of these are no longer available or if available are likely to be in the same condition. I am approaching the chassis as I would

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a classic car resto mod. Classic on the outer surface but as modern as possible underneath to aid ownership.

Of all the components on the truck, the ones that concern me most are the axles.

They are unique to the T244 so I will be paying some extra attention to these (especially since mine are weeping oil).

I am not so worried about the Cummins B-series engine. It is legendary in the diesel world and since it’s a low stressed unit, I can’t foresee it giving me any real

RESTORATION

headaches, but I will give it a good once over and cover items such as: gaskets, killer dowel pin, air intake/filtration (the standard is rotten), replacement exhaust with exhaust brake, service/upgrade the fuel system, refresh the cooling system, upgrade or add a secondary alternator, add an intercooler, and possibly add an HX35 turbocharger upgrade.

The drivetrain will get similar treatment.

I have seen some people change the Spicer gearbox for one with more favourable cruising ratios but I have not fully looked into this yet. I will definitely look at the clutch actuation setup, as this is noted as a problem area on these trucks. Since the diff lock on my transfer case stays permanently engaged, unless I manually manipulate the actuator (whack it with a hammer), this will need attention.

“COMFORT WAS NOT EVEN ON THE LIST WHEN THIS TRUCK WAS DESIGNED.” One of the biggest decisions for me was the body type for the habitation pod. You can pretty much condense them down into two categories: clad metal frame or composite. Originally my mind was set on a clad structure as cost was the biggest driver but after looking over the panel construction, it hit me. There is nothing particularly special about the composite

panels; they are just sandwich panels made up of a GRP layer, insulation and a support board. The biggest issue with them is size. Now fortunately for me I have composite experience from building race cars…

Providing I free up enough space I fully intend to make my own composite panels. This process will still be more expensive than a clad option but nowhere near as expensive as pre-cut panels or even ordering plain sheets. However it will be very labour intensive and carry some risk but I am sure I can pull it off.

Of course, there is much more to be done – fit-out, electrics, water, fuel and you can follow progress on my YouTube and Instagram channels. All constructive input is appreciated.

Chris - @BuildItOverland DDM

The Cummins B-series motor is tough and reliable and should need minimal work to recommission it

Caption to go here for this image and the three on the opposite page

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A DAY AT THE RACES W

ith an exclusive invitation from Team BRIT to become part of the team at Silverstone for the 4th round of the 2021 Britcar Endurance Championship, editor Matt Eisenegger got to help with the weekend’s race proceedings.

In Essence The Britcar Endurance Championship is a race series for GT cars, touring cars and sportscars that are split into 4 classes. Team BRIT’s entry is the mighty Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, driven by Bobby Trundley and Aaron Morgan. As a 120 minute endurance race, the team will have to refuel and change drivers.

The brief was to arrive at Silverstone on the Thursday evening ahead of the Saturday endurance race for a team

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briefing, unload the car and all the race kit and assemble the pit box. My role in the team was simple, just do anything Al Locke, the Team BRIT race engineer tells you, predominantly moving wheels and tyres, putting them in the tyre blankets and when the tyres are changed, take them to the back of the pit box, put them in a big bath of water and scrape off all the ‘pickup’ (the bits of rubber collected on the soft compound tyres). The brief also included the format for the weekend. Al wanted everybody back at the circuit at 7.30am on Friday morning for a full day of testing and team practice of refuelling and tyre changing under race conditions, and final car set up for the endurance race. Saturday, the race day, would again bring an early start and a very long day.

The Aston blighted by throttle problems

SPECIAL FEATURE

Rain makes the going hard

Ongoing technical mods

DRIVER PROFILE: AARON MORGAN Aaron from Basingstoke was a keen motocross racer from the age of seven. He regularly took part in local race meetings and in April 2006 he had an accident whilst riding a jump on his favourite track, causing him to break his spine. He was in a coma for almost four weeks, followed by a lengthy period of recovery at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal injuries Unit in Salisbury. Aaron returned to study, eventually achieving a 2:1 in Sports Science at Brunel University. He then returned to his passion for motorsport, becoming the youngest disabled person to achieve a National B Race Licence. Since 2014, Aaron has raced as the only disabled driver in the BMW Compact Cup Championship. Having been approached by Founder and CEO of Team BRIT, Dave Player, Aaron raced the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 in the Brit Car Endurance Championship in 2021 and will race the McLaren in British GT in 2022.

Work never stops

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SPECIAL FEATURE

TEAM BRIT

Team BRIT drives forward towards Le Mans goal with unveiling of McLaren GT4.

T

eam BRIT’s goal of making motorsport history at the Le Mans 24 Hours moved closer last autumn when it unveiled its car for the 2022 season - a brand new McLaren 570S GT4.

The team aims to be the first ever all-disabled team to compete in the iconic endurance race and last year announced plans to enter the British GT Championship in 2022.

Words: Jack Sunderland

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The car the team will race was unveiled to sponsors and supporters last October at an event hosted by team title sponsor, BRIT Insurance.

The McLaren is a full competition specification GT4 car featuring a feather-light carbon fibre construction. Power comes from a 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine, linked to a race-ready seven-speed transmission.

Photographs: Team BRIT / McLaren

SPECIAL FEATURE

The team’s world-leading racing hand controls were fitted to the car to enable paraplegic driver, Aaron Morgan, to compete on equal terms with ablebodied competitors. He teams up with the world’s fastest autistic racing driver, 22-year-old Bobby Trundley. Bobby and Aaron stunned competitors on the track in 2021 in the Britcar Endurance Championship, scoring numerous podiums and an overall finish position of 3rd in class.

The announcement adds a further step to the ladder of motorsport development on offer, through the team for disabled drivers. With Bobby and Aaron competing in British GT this year, drivers Andy Tucker and Luke Pound, step up to the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 in the British Endurance Championship.

Team Founder Dave Player confirms: “This is a milestone moment for our team and something we have worked tirelessly to achieve. Our plans have always been bold, ambitious and beyond belief for many, but we know we will achieve our goal of reaching Le Mans. On top of that, we are making changes to motorsport that are crucial for true accessibility.

aim to acquire our GT3 car which we will race in British GT and European Le Mans in 2023 before aiming for Le Mans in 2024.

“Our entry into British GT means we’re racing in the highest level of endurance racing in the UK and the most iconic British championship. This year we

Joining the grid for the first time will be new drivers, Chris Overend and James

“The strength of our intent should not be underestimated. We will do this and we will make history. Our work does not end there, we’re welcoming more and more disabled drivers into motorsport through our Racing Academy and through entry level racing. This is something we will continue for years to come, building a truly accessible ladder of opportunity for disabled drivers. This

Whitley, who will compete in the Britcar Trophy Championship in the BMW M240i. Also hoping to race this year will be rookie drivers Tyrone Mathurin, Anji Silva-Vagdama and Paul Fullick, who have each started their rookie development programmes.

In addition, disabled drivers looking to experience the thrill of the race track can book onto track sessions though the team’s Racing Academy.

is the Team BRIT legacy we’re so proud to have created.”

Gareth Dunsmore, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Automotive Ltd said: “I am delighted to welcome Team BRIT to the McLaren family and to the 570S GT4. Their bold and innovative approach as a racing team is helping increase access to racing, which is hugely inspiring and demonstrates what can be achieved in the competitive world of motorsport. I look forward to following their progress this year in British GT.”

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OPERATOR FEATURE

Reproduced with the kind permission of: Transport News

BUILDING BLOC Photographs: Karl Hopkinson

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I

n 2008 Richard Bimson moved to London even though he was, and still is, the joint Managing Director with brother John of the family-firm Bimson Haulage, which is based in Carlisle, Cumbria. The two brothers are the third generation of the Bimson family to run the business.

The firm was renowned for delivering goods to the construction sector across the north of England and Scotland. Signs that the ‘great recession’, born from a global credit crunch that led to a prolonged period of low and negative growth, had already started.

OPERATOR FEATURE “The work was seasonal,” Richard recalls. “You’d get to October, the clocks would change, and work took a downturn because there was less activity on the building sites. Back in 2007 we got to the second week in October and the phone just did not ring.”

Packing his bags for the capital as the UK construction sector ground to a halt was not a sign he’d given up. “At that point John and I agreed I’d move to London to try and expand the business. In a recession a lot of companies would re-evaluate their transport requirements, so there could be opportunities,” he explains.

CKS OF SUCCESS WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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OPERATOR FEATURE

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DAF drawbars satisfy the needs of Bimson’s largest customer

OPERATOR FEATURE The gamble paid off. Bimson Haulage set up in London and picked up work as other hauliers downsized. From being regional, Bimson Haulage was now recognised as a national operator.

“We took an increasing share in a diminishing market. It allowed us to spread our wings and it created a lot of new opportunities,” explains John, who remained in Cumbria. He oversees pricing and new business, looks after training, recruitment, and the flatbed and curtainsided trailer side of the business.

When the pandemic struck back in March 2020, John called on the success achieved in the recession to find a route out of the national lockdown. Most house-building sites were closed for several weeks and reopened with social distancing protocols and new hygiene procedures in place. That meant fewer people on site at any one time but longer site opening hours.

Bimson Haulage furloughed 80% of its drivers. “My initiative was to get all the drivers back and working in May,” he explains, “So we could tell customers that when the demand was there, we were ready to go, even though it was only a share of a diminishing market.

“HE ASKED WHAT THEY NEEDED AND THEY REPLIED, ‘DRAWBARS’.”

We couldn’t wait, with furloughed drivers for a full week’s work and then bring them back, we had to be ready.”

Again, it was the right call. Some customers were asked by hauliers to decide when to bring back drivers.

Richard says: “Customers didn’t want that responsibility. Instead, we were saying to customers ‘we are ready to work’.”

That drive for growth means additional investment in the fleet. To cope, the firm has increased its operator licence capacity to 91 vehicles across 10 sites, with two more applications in for nine vehicles in two more locations. All that will take the overall operator’s licence to 100 vehicles.

“Growth has been both organic from our customer base and through new contracts, and to stay one step ahead we have had to expand the fleet.

“Government is pumping money into construction, there are new housing developments and people have been moving to new homes, spending their money and savings on property enhancement, as well as buying additional properties.”

This year five new brick and block drawbar combinations have joined the fleet in March and the same again in September, taking the number to 21. There were five more on order to arrive before Christmas, 10 between January and June and a further 20 to follow thereafter. These are DAF XF 530 Super Space drawbars with rear steer axles and airhorns. Bramptonbased Jimbars supplying the top light bar, visor bar and rear working bar.

That growth in drawbars started in 2015. “That was down to a conversation between John and our biggest customer at the time; he asked what they needed, and they replied ‘drawbars’,” says Richard, who has the responsibility of looking after the fleet, so, he specified the first drawbar. “Drawbars are what the delivery sites continually specify because the designs on new housing estates are such that access is getting tighter.”

Above: Richard Bimson Top left: Atlas is the crane supplier of choice Top right: Personal touches show Bimosn’s commitment to its drivers Bottom left: Brigade electronics provides camera systems Bottom right: New DAF XF 530’s carry the new Bimson livery WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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OPERATOR FEATURE

NEW AND RENEW New drawbar combinations take around six months to arrive now that Bimson Haulage has its specification finalised. In theory, rolling stock is kept up to six years and the oldest tractor unit dates back to 2015, but no trailer is older than 2017, and not one drawbar on the fleet has made it to a third birthday.

The focus is on reliability, something Solway DAF provides with its servicing and repair and maintenance contracts, yet Richard Bimson says it was only in March 2020 that the fleet became exclusively DAF: “We had two MANs, very good product but back-up was an issue. The key thing for us is customer service so if we use a partner or supplier that struggles, it means we have the potential to let our customers down. That is unacceptable.”

A shortage of Euro-6 brick and block carriers with a crane and DVS accreditation often leads to enquiries about selling one of their trucks. “Where other hauliers have won a contract but cannot fulfil it because they don’t have a Euro-6 drawbar to do it with, and because we have a continuous reinvestment programme in drawbars, we have sold some in the past when they have been less than three years old.

“If we do sell them sooner than planned it locks in our depreciation, so we know exactly what it’s cost us for the period.”

Richard Bimson has also changed the livery to black.

He says: “I changed it because I liked it and few out there have a black livery; it’s eye-catching. We retained the Himmel blue in the O of ‘Bimson’ as a nod to the original blue, white and red livery.”

For the prime mover Richard went with a DAF XF FAN with a rearsteer axle. “In brick and block most operators went for double drive mainly because of the site work, but rear steer is lighter and has much better manoeuvrability,” he says.

Like the prime movers, tractor units are also mostly XF Super Space, with Bimson Haulage utilising the FTP with its 4,400kg small mid-lift axle, and the 12.9 litre Euro 6 MX-13 engine working with the automated TraXon 12-speed transmission.

He ordered the first triaxle drawbar from SDC Trailers with a front lift axle. It reduced tyre scrub but ate into the tare weight. With no offset for that weight penalty, despite the economic and environmental benefits of a trailer with better rolling resistance, it would be the only trailer he ordered with a front lift axle.

The power output has traditionally been the 510hp from the previous engine line-up that was replaced in 2018; now it’s either the 480 or the 530hp from the new line-up. Usually favouring the 530hp version with fuel consumption between 8 and 8.5mpg.

Switching down to the 480hp on some of the new drawbars and tractor units has brought a saving of around 1mpg between the old and new MX13 engines, reveals Richard.

“We have been buying more urban rear-steer flatbeds for concrete panel deliveries.”

Much of the fleet will find itself in London, which means Bimson Haulage is FORS Silver accredited so it can compete for work, and there is also the watchful eye of Transport for London. So, the fleet is fitted with a comprehensive camera system that meets the DVS.

As drivers spend the week away in their truck, they get the Super Space Cab fitted with the luxury air driver’s seat, inverters for the TV and other creature comforts, a fridge, and microwave, with light bars fitted to the front and rear exterior of the cab.

The semi-trailer fleet consists

“We use Brigade Electronics,” he says. “On the drawbar we have eight cameras that record; five fitted around the cab, one at the back of the prime mover, another at the back of the trailer and one on the crane.

Articulated vehicles are fitted with six cameras.”

Crane of choice is supplied by Atlas, with either the 125.2 or the 135.2 fitted to the prime mover on drawbars and 92.2 on roller brick cranes. Drivers are trained to the Association of Lorry Loader Manufacturers and Importers (ALLMI) standard, the one favoured by the construction industry.

That leaves approximately 26.7 tonnes payload for cargo on both the drawbar and articulated combinations.

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of urban extendable brick and block carriers, and flatbeds and curtainsided trailers from SDC Trailers. “With the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) in place, some hauliers have stopped delivering in London, so our customers have turned to us.

OPERATOR FEATURE

HISTORY… Growing up, both John and Richard Bimson spent time helping the business but were encouraged to pursue other careers by their father, John Bimson senior. “There were two valid reasons; one, we could find something easier and more lucrative than transport; and two, if we remained in the business from school, it would be the only thing we’d know,” says Richard.

Their grandfather, William ‘Billy’ Bimson, started out as a farm labourer and with his wife Ellen had six children. He moved into agricultural contracting and then construction. Living on a small holding with animals and a milk round, everyone in the family worked.

Siblings took roles in different parts of the burgeoning empire, with John senior and his brother David getting involved with construction. With surplus cash, the firm’s accountant suggested investing ‘in some tippers’ to offset hiring in tippers to clear sites and then potentially offering them to other people. “They showed up at Solway DAF in the mid-1970s and said, ‘we are here to buy a tipper’. They left with a second hand Leyland six-wheeler,” he says.

Complementing their own work, they picked up a contract to shift sand out of Faugh Sand Quarry, near Corby Hill, to Esk Brickworks. They were then approached to haul Esk’s bricks to building sites. “That was 1979, and my father started to buy new tractor units from Solway DAF, first a DAF 2800 and then three years later two DAF 2500s.”

Based on the Kingstown Industrial Estate, Carlisle he sold the site to Eddie Stobart in 1994, and moved across town to Durranhill Industrial Estate.

Richard joined the business in 2002, with the company running 12 tractor units, 33 trailers and four tippers.

The tippers were sold in 2005 as John junior joined the business and their father began to take a step back. “At that point, we were largely brick and block but did general haulage as well and had satellite depots in Boroughbridge, Glasgow and Warrington,” says Richard.

A shortage of quality work out of Scotland heralded change. The brothers began to focus on what their brick and block customers needed and based decisions around that; general haulage with its network of regional trailer parks ended.

Bimson’s Peter Lightfoot, David Burns, the two Johns, Adam Bauld and longest serving driver, Paul Martin

While meeting customers’ requirements for site deliveries, the cameras also settle road traffic incident disputes, which also reduce any insurance payouts. “We defended a claim in court last year following a blowout, the tyre landed in the outside lane and was sat there for some time before it was struck by a motorist, who then took the company to court,” Richard recounts.

“The judge, based on the video evidence, ruled in our favour saying that the motorist failed to take the appropriate action and hit the stationary tyre. If the tyre had left our vehicle and hit the vehicle, we’d have been in the wrong.”

John agrees: “If you’ve got the evidence, it can be boxed off; we are here to deliver brick and blocks for the customer and anything that causes a distraction to that focus does not help.”

For the record, Richard still lives in London, if only at the weekends.

Bimson’s Super Space cab is fitted with home comforts for the drivers who spend nights away

Top left: John Bimson snr with Peter Kania from Solway DAF Top right: John Bimson, John Bimson snr and John’s son Jacob Second left: John Bimson shows Jacob around one of the new DAF XFs Second right: Bimson’s Adam Bauld shows son Tommy the DAF cab DDM

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SIMPSON SAYS

CLEAN AIR, OR CLEANING UP? Richard is fuming about the cost of clean air

By Richard Simpson, industry pundit

I

t should be pretty obvious to everyone that inflation is going up, and one of the drivers of that inflation is an increase in transport costs.

Fuel, drivers’ wages, and even the price of vehicles and tyres are all on the up. And there’s no way that these increases can, or should, be absorbed by hauliers. Unfortunately, this means that transport costs are passed on down the chain until they manifest themselves as increased prices for everything from consumer goods to building projects.

So sensible politicians would, you’d think, be taking all steps that they could to avoid burdening hauliers with unnecessary extra costs. Sadly, there is plenty of evidence that local politicians are anything but sensible. Local enthusiasm for costly Clean Air Zones continues unabated, with Dundee, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Greater Manchester, Bristol and Oxford all set to introduce them, no doubt inspired by cities such as Bath and Birmingham, which already have them in place.

To say that you are against clean air is like saying you are against motherhood and apple pie: no one wants to inhale toxins. But all too often it is trucks and coaches that get hammered by extra tolls, while locals in cars (who actually cause most of the congestion and pollution) get away scotfree. In Bath, even the local politicians who introduced the 44

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Clean Air Zone admitted that the real causes of congestion and pollution were families with multiple cars (a Range Rover for daddy, a BMW for mummy, and a knackered old VW Polo for the Croatian nanny to take Tarquin to nursery in), but these people vote, and hey, you know how it is.

Said local politicians are all too keen to make helpful suggestions as to how hauliers can avoid tolls when delivering goods into their towns. Freight can go on rail (yeah, right), or hauliers can invest in new vehicles that meet Euro VI or run on electricity, or get a conversion kit that will miraculously transform a Euro V truck to a Euro VI. Well, most hauliers would love to invest in new vehicles, if they were available and affordable, but for many they are not. And while emissions upgrade kits do exist for some buses and coaches, the number of different makes and model of trucks in use do not make them practical or economic to develop and certify for the freight sector.

But even the local politicians in Britain’s provincial cities seem to have a better grasp of the realities of life than the Mayor for London, Sadiq Kahn.

Now, Mr Kahn is in trouble, because one of his pet projects: Transport for London; is running out of passengers and money.

It’s running out of money because Kahn froze fares, and passenger numbers fell off a

cliff when Covid saw many Londoners elect to give up commuting. Some have since decided they have had enough of living in Kahn’s crimeinfested urban dystopia and moved out of the capital, while others have decided that a home office is more efficient and comfortable than spending hours commuting every day with their nose in someone else’s armpit and the prospect of someone else’s knife in their ribs. And who can blame them?

So London’s tube trains and red buses are rapidly becoming empty white elephants. And none are more useless and expensive than the New Routemaster, which was of course the pet project of Boris Johnson when he was doing Mr Khan’s job back in the day (these days, he confines himself to making model buses out of the wine boxes left over from parties).

TfL got saddled with the ownership of these monstrosities quite simply because no commercial company would buy them new.

And now they are desperate to get rid of them, but they are an even less attractive prospect in the used market. The trouble is, they need refurbishment if they are to struggle on into the second half of their miserable lives and that’s an expensive business given that there are 1000 of the things on the TfL fleet. Cost of the refurbs is estimated at £31 million, which is money TfL just doesn’t have.

But nor can it afford to write them off, as the cost of their introduction was £350 million!

They were meant to be cheap and clean to run; but their under-engineered hybrid driveline requires the diesel engine to be running almost all the time, so they are actually as ‘dirty’ as a conventional bus.

This is a problem for Kahn.

He is heavily invested in the TfL bus fleet, personally and politically. So he needs money from somewhere, and to get it he intends to price private motor vehicles off the streets of the capital (while retaining his two ‘work’ Range Rovers: one for him and his dog, the other for his security detail).

This will be done by expanding the current ULEZ, and introducing a daily charge on all vehicles from out of town entering the capital. And that’s just phase one. When technology allows, there will be further ‘pay to use’ charging on busy roads. All this on top of the existing congestion charge.

It means more revenue for TfL, and more ‘jobs for the boys’ who work there, but it also means a huge increase in cost and administrative overhead for hauliers running into London.

Ultimately, who pays?

Well, Londoners will, of course, encouraging more to move out, fewer to move in and reducing TfL’s fare revenue still further, prompting no doubt even more inventive tolling measures.

Wasn’t it Margret Thatcher who said: “The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money”?

London may well run out of people too.

APPRENTICE FEATURE

Join the Winning Team Are you, or is someone you know, looking to start a rewarding and valued career? Do you relish a technical challenge?

Have you considered a DAF Apprenticeship?

DAF is now looking for the next generation of DAF Technicians to join their award-winning Apprenticeship Scheme.

The DAF Apprenticeship Scheme is a three-year programme that is recognised as industry leading, providing valuable development in skills and knowledge and a fantastic foundation for a rewarding career.

Heavy Vehicle Technician Apprentices are employed by a DAF dealership from day one, paid a wage and will have their training costs paid for them. They will regularly attend the DAF Apprentice College in Bristol where they meet and work with fellow apprentices from across the UK DAF Dealer Network and will stay in approved home stay or hotel accommodation. A dedicated skills coach is always on hand to support the apprentice with regular visits to their dealership workplace Alongside the Heavy Vehicle Technical Apprenticeships DAF also has apprenticeship opportunities for Parts and More information about DAF Apprenticeship vacancies is available on the DAF Apprentice website www.daf-apprenticeships.co.uk, the National Apprentice Service website and the IMI Automotive Job Search site.

You can also find more information on DAF Apprenticeship dedicated social media channels Facebook: Instagram: Linked in: Twitter:

facebook.com/DAFApprenticeships @dafapprenticeships www.linkedin.com/company/daf-apprenticeships @DAFApprenticeships WINTER 2021/22 DAF DRIVER

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In association with

COMPETITION

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Your chance to win fantastic prizes every issue

HOW TO WIN:

DAF Trucks have supplied a 1:50 scale model of the 90th Anniversary Edition XF Super Space Cab tractor, for one lucky winner.

Simply spot and mark the four differences on the images above.

Once completed either cut out or photocopy and post to DAF Driver magazine, 4th Floor, 19 Capesthorne Drive, Eaves Green, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 3QQ Closing date: Friday 22nd April 2022

FULL NAME ADDRESS

POST CODE

TELEPHONE

EMAIL Terms & Conditions: Not suitable for children under 14 years of age. The winner will be notified within 30 days of the closing date either by letter, telephone or email.

All entrants will be placed in a hat and selected at random by a third party. No money alternative will be offered. The winner’s name and county will be displayed in the next issue of DAF Driver magazine.

Winner from last issue: Michelle Brierly, Somerset. Winner’s details to appear in the Spring 2022 issue of DAF Driver magazine.

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DAF DRIVER WINTER 2021/22

TRAINER’S NOTES

MEET MANDY Mandy Wannerton is the DAF Press & Demonstration Driver

UNDER PRESSURE B ack in November, I was lucky enough to head off to Goodyear’s factory and test facility in Luxembourg for a couple of days to learn more about the New DAF; not only did I come away from there with a rucksack full of knowledge on the XF, XG & XG+, I also came away with a revitalised appreciation for the humble tyre.

Now, depending on who you speak to, a tyre is many things. For instance, if you asked a mechanic, they’d say it was nothing more than an inflated flexible membrane.

A geometrist would say it’s a torus, and a chemist well, they would speak in an alien tongue and tell you that structurally it’s a composite and chemically it’s a multiplicity of materials composed of long macromolecular chains (!)

One thing is for sure, no matter how you describe this multilayered engineered rubber circle, it doesn’t just connect 52

DAF DRIVER WINTER 2021/22

us to the road it also provides cushioning, transmits driving and braking torque as well as producing cornering force, steering response and stability.

Not only that, but tyres also have to provide adequate mileage and produce as little noise and vibration as possible.

They also have to be durable, have the capacity to carry the load as well as being safe in all weathers. Yeah, tyres do a lot more than we give them credit for and as such, deserve more attention than the cursory “kick” we give them when carrying out our daily checks.

We check to see that the tyres and wheels are secure and have a tread depth of at least 1mm, we check there are no deep cuts in the tyre’s sidewall, we check there is no cord visible anywhere on the tyre and all wheel nuts are tight enough, we even check there are no objects or debris trapped between the twin wheels and of course we always check that the tyres are inflated correctly, don’t we?

You may be lucky enough to have an on-board tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) which will alert you to any changes in pressure or temperature, enabling you to sort a problem sooner rather than later; and new legislation means all new trucks registered from July 2024 will be required to have it.

Tyres also help with fuel and can have up to 2% impact on fuel efficiency. The more underinflated a tyre, the more it will distort. Not only does an underinflated tyre distort it also sticks to the road more which creates more friction and rolling resistance, so more fuel is needed; so the right tyre pressures are vital.

Also, an underinflated tyre creates more heat and it’s this heat or vulcanisation which can cause the various layers of the tyre to separate and “burst”. Those shredded tyres we see laying forlornly on the hard shoulder or causing havoc as debris in

the road on the motorways, are often the result of underinflation. You won’t get that from a properly inflated tyre.

UK Construction & Use legislation banning the use of tyres over 10 years old on the front (steering) axles of busses, coaches and lorries, came into effect in February 2021 – so make sure you are aware of the date codes on your tyres, which indicate the date of manufacture.

At best an incorrectly inflated tyre will create unbalanced wear, at worst a blowout.

Under inflated tyres increase vehicle damage and increase the risk of load damage and poor vehicle handling – notice your trailer crabbing in the mirrors? It could be a sign of an incorrectly aligned axle or dodgy tyre; either way it needs checking.

Stay safe now, Mandy x

MEET SAM CHINNOCK

MEET THE TRAINERS

DAF now has Dealer Driver Trainers based across the country to help hand over new and used vehicles and we thought it would be good to get to know some of them a little bit better! In this edition we talk to Sam Chinnock, the DAF Dealer Driver Trainer for the HTC Group which has DAF Dealer locations across the South East including at Heathrow, Park Royal, Reading, Croydon, Belvedere, Dunstable, Oxford, Luton and Hemel Hempstead.

Q: When did you first join HTC DAF and what was your first job there?

A: I started at HTC two years ago, first as a driver for DGC, which is the vehicle rental division of HTC’s parent company, before joining the HTC DAF Truck Sales team a year ago.

Q: What did you want to be when you were at school?

A: My ambition at the time was to be a Military Police Officer.

Q: When did you take your HGV licence?

A: I was a bus driver for 12 years and completed my class 2 license four years ago and my class 1 in 2021. I passed first time on all of them, so I’m pretty proud of that!

Q: What do enjoy most about your role?

A: Being out and about and meeting different people. No two days are the same.

Q: Do you have a top tip for a driver getting his new DAF? A: I highly recommend the driver training. There is so much more to the DAF than selecting drive and putting your foot down. The training gets the driver prepared for driving the future forward. Obviously buy from HTC, their sales team are the best!!

Q: What car do you currently drive and if money was no object what would you have?

A: I currently drive a Ford Fiesta but would have VW Beetle with all the mod cons if I could.

Q: What other responsibilities do you have at HTC DAF? A: I do many general driving duties, including collection and delivery of vehicles, and test driving.

Q: If you weren’t doing this, what would your ideal job be?

A: I believe at the moment I am in my ideal job. The people I work with and for, are the best I have ever worked with.

Sam grew up in Redcar, Cleveland and moved down south when she was 18. She is married with four children and has seven lovely grandchildren. She enjoys her annual holidays but, with the way the world is with COVID, that’s all been put on hold. But all in all, she is very happy with her home life, work life and family life.

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