Tachoblog

Being a blog, Tachoblog likes most things internet related, so the news thatVolkswagen Commercial Vehicles has introduced Van Mail – a new electronic newsletter – was right up our street.

So, you’ve got not one but two oil platforms that you want moving from Louisiana to Alaska. As you might have already thought, they’re neither light (weighing 4,000 and 3,500 tonnes respectively) nor small so moving them, whole, by road perhaps isn’t the option you’d go for. But if you’re heavy-haulage trailer specialists Goldhofer and US transport specialists Berard Transportation, then not even this Herculean task is a problem.

Utilising the Ford Transit panel van, the Ashwoods Hybrid Transit delivers a reduction in fuel consumption of 15-25 per cent, depending on the vehicle drive cycle. Sounds good says Tachoblog, tell us more…

Every train set used to have one, but what about a turntable for trucks?

Last week Tachoblog let you know that Allen Smith from the excellent The Truth About Trucking website has been asked to be a guest on the nationally syndicated radio show, Armed American Radio, to discuss OTR drivers and the carrying of firearms – if you missed that post then have a look at Should Truck Drivers Carry Guns Asks Tachoblog…

A new campaign has been launched to bring cyclists and lorry drivers together – and avoid the avoidable bringing together of their vehicles which causes 28 deaths on the UK’s roads every year.

Melissa Carslake, Managing Director (South) at right4staff, told Tachoblog that she believes that the haulage industry is starting to make a coming back as the economy slowly improves. Her opinion comes from the fact that the company has recorded a 25% increase in the demand for temporary drivers across its UK network.

Now there’s a tabloid style headline for a post if ever we saw one says Tachoblog.

Before anyone thinks we’ve joined the UK’s gutter press, Tachoblog needs to let you know that this is all about American truckers. That said, carrying a gun is – even in the USA – a topic of hot debate.

It’s Wednesday so it must be video time on Tachoblog…On June 9, 2010, at Hultsfred Airport, Sweden, Boije Ovebrink aimed for two new truck racing world records: 500 and 1000 metres from standing start.

It is with great sadness that Tachoblog has to report the sad news that Bob Paul (Transport Director at Astran) has passed away (age 81).

Those of you that have been reading Tachoblog for a while will remember that we serialised the classic documentaries ‘Destination Doha’ that were filmed in 1977 by the BBC’s ‘World in Action’ program and followed three British truck drivers on their way from England to Doha in Qatar. The drivers worked for Astran, the company that Bob was an instrumental part of for many years.