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Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 23.7.10

Tachoblog — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:55:50 +0000

Tachoblog’s been a bit quiet this week, but we haven’t forgotten about View From The Cab.

Before we look at this week’s Views, Tachoblog would like to invite any driver to join in if they’d like to. All you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog – please do include a line or wo of text that says, if nothing else, where the picture was taken. Have a look at this week’s Views and you’ll get the idea in no time.

Anyway, let’s see what the Tachoblog Tribe have sent in this week. We start with Amishtrucker who you won’t have seen in last weeks VFTC. Thanks to the wonders (ahem) of technology we didn’t receive them when he first sent them and thanks to Tachoblog’s incompetence we didn’t add them to the post once he’d resent them, so we’ve a bumper crop from him this week which kicks off when we ride ‘along in coastal south Texas near Bay City fixing to go underneath the power lines that come north from the South Texas Nuclear Project’…

Click below for the rest of Amishtrucker’s Views and all the others from the Tachoblog Tribe…

…Now Amishtrucker is ‘sitting at the red light at Corn Products Road in Corpus Christi. A left turn here and I am at one of my favorite restaurants after a day or working the city. Corn Products Road is sort of an interesting name but I don’t know the history behind it. Will have to do some research’…

.Speaking of corn products, this field of corn (and many more like them) are to be seen all around my part of Texas these days. This particular field is close to Markham, Texas…

…Lastly this is his View of a marker near Cararina, Texas on US hwy 83 that he says he’s passed ‘many times, too busy to stop. But this time I had time to stop and read, and I am glad I did. The Camino Real, the King’s Highway, also known as the Old San Antonio road, ran through Louisiana and Texas and on to Mexico City. I don’t think that there is a road today that follows the old El Camino Real along the whole way but parts of different highways today follow the original route.

More information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_San_Antonio_Road

And that is my VFTC this week! Wishing everyone a good week!’

TheNose100 was ‘waiting to get into alley for delvery in Akron, Ohio’…

…He says ‘this thing here is called a Wash Ball. You drop it inside a tanker trailer to wash it out with hot water’…

…Hey!! I got past the gate and am now UnLoading 48k of smooth, slippery, sticky sugary, sweet stuff’.

From Germany Rainerri1967 sent us hist first View (and possibly his first picture) with his new iPhone4. He was in Ettenheim and unloading his trailer.

McNabbtransport says that ‘today’s a good day to be in a boat’.

Darkstaff sent us two Views, this one is ‘Detroit from Ambassador’s Bridge, the Canadian side’…

…And this one of a ‘strange orange glow seen over greater Chicago area…No wait. It’s just the sun’.

Finally for this week we catch up with SurfingTrucker. We’re sorry to hear that he’s ‘still healing from bone fusion’, but pleased that he’s ‘back in the saddle this week’…

…This is him ‘crossing the Merrimac river in Lawrence, Massachusetts at dawn’.

Tachoblogs thanks to the Tachoblog Tribe for their Views, without them this would be a very dull feature!

For those of you missing your Views of New Zealand, you’ll be pleased to know that Vic H is alive and well, just on holiday! We received an email from him today and he says that he’s back at work next week, so we can look forward to some Views then.

That’s all from Tachoblog for this week, we’ll be back on Monday.

President Obama On Tachoblog Thanks To Smith Electric Vehicles

Tachoblog — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:24:46 +0000

If you read Tachoblog’s post ‘Tachoblog Scoop! US President To Visit Smith Electric Vehicles This Week‘ then you’ll already know that Barack Obama recently visited the headquarters of Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation (Smith US) in Kansas City, Missouri.

When he was there, the President of the United States praised workers at global electric truck company Smith Electric Vehicles for helping to rebuild America’s economy.

Click below for more and to read what President Obama had to say…

Barack Obama had made a special trip to visit Smith US’ headquarters and he met with the plant’s workers and their families.

The President said (sadly not exclusively to Tachoblog!), “I just had a chance to get a tour and saw some of the battery-powered trucks that you’re manufacturing. I had a chance to talk to some of the folks who build them.

“But the reason I’m here today is because, at this plant, you’re doing more than just building new vehicles. You are helping to fight our way through a vicious recession and you are building the economy of America’s future.”

Barack Obama also announced that the plant had recently employed its 50th worker as it continues to increase production of its Smith Newton all-electric truck.

He added, “This is how we take charge of our destiny. This is how we create jobs and lasting growth. This is how we ensure that America not only recovers, but prospers – that this nation leads in the industries of the future.

“Yes, this has been a difficult period for America: two years of brutal recession; a decade of economic insecurity. And there will be more hard days. That’s the truth. But what you are proving here at Smith Electric is the promise of a brighter future.”

Designed for urban operations, the Newton has a top speed of 50mph, a range of up to 100 miles on a full battery charge and payload capabilities of up to 16,000lbs (7,500kg).

Smith US, which only commenced production in October 2009, has already delivered vehicles to blue chip customers including AT&T, Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola and Staples; plus utilities Pacific Gas & Electric and Kansas City Power & Light.

Smith US is an associate company of Smith Electric Vehicles UK (Smith UK), which was founded in 1920 and is longest established electric vehicle manufacturer in the world. Based in Tyne & Wear, the company produces the world’s largest range of electric commercial vehicles (vans and trucks), in the Smith Edison van and minibus (electric Ford Transit) and the Smith Newton truck. Hundreds of these electric vehicles are now in service in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Hong Kong and Southern China.

Smith UK is also working on a pure electric version of the iconic London black taxi.

Earlier this year, Smith US announced a conditional offer to buy the Smith UK operation, creating a single global company focused on commercial electric vehicles.

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 19.7.10

Tachoblog — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:36:17 +0000

Tachoblog ran out of tacho-time on Friday so we didn’t bring you View From The Cab.

But don’t worry, the Tachoblog Tribe did send in their Views so, although a little later than usual, we can now bring them to you.

We start with the TheNose100 who was ‘headed eastbound on I-90 near Concord Township’ in Ohio.

Click below for the rest of this week’s Views…

In Germany, Rainerri1967 was ‘following the best beer in the Black Forest’.

Darkstaff started off ‘sitting at our yard in Laredo,Texas. Waiting for a load’…

…He must have got one as he then sent this View of ‘US90 bridge over the Pecos river just west of Comstock,Texas’…

…And lastly this View of ‘sunrise over western Texas. Just east of El Paso’.

Finally we catch up with SurfingTrucker who we hadn’t heard of for a couple of weeks…and now we know why, he’s ‘still recovering from surgery – second week out of the truck’. Tachoblog hopes you’re back in the saddle very quickly Surfingtrucker.

That’s all from this week’s slightly smaller than usual View From The Cab. All that remains is for Tachoblog to thank the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views. If you’d like to join in, all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 9.7.10

Tachoblog — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:34:25 +0000

Friday again so it’s time for you to join Tachoblog on the whistle stop tour of the world that we call View From The Cab.

The idea’s simple, the Tachoblog Tribe send in a picture (and sometimes more than one) of what they can see through their windscreen, Tachoblog edits them together and the end result is this – View From The Cab. As always, Tachoblog is very grateful to all of the Tachoblog Tribe that sent in their Views. If you’d like to join in – and we have a new member of the Tribe this week – then all the details you need are at the end of the post.

That’s enough of Tachoblog, let’s get started with this View of morning in Tennessee from Darkstaff.

In New Zealand Vic H ‘had a trip down to Hastings and back yesterday, about 850km return, and there was heavy rain for a lot of the way as you can see in this photo taken as I was climbing out of the Waipunga Gorge to the top of the Tarawera Hill on the Napier-Taupo Road…

Click below for more Views from Vic and the rest of this week’s View From The Cab…

…’It rained all the time I was loading the wine in Hastings and the road in and out of the vineyard was a bit muddy’…

…’However the rain stopped as I got back closer to Auckland and the clouds started to clear; it was a bit hard driving straight into the setting sun’…

…’but the sky looked quite spectacular’…

…’Then when I got onto the Auckland motorway the roads were dry and the stars were out which was a relief as I didn’t really fancy a 50km motorbike ride from work to home in the rain.’

Back in America we find Amishtrucker taking ‘a nice early morning stroll over Lake Texana on Texas 111 near Edna Texas. During our drought last summer this lake was really low but now it has filled up nice again. Have a good week everyone!’

In Germany, Rainerri1967 was at German Pellets in Wismar.

Returning to the USA, we say hello to One Girl Trucking, the newest member of the Tachoblog Tribe. She sent us this beautiful View of Rosie (her truck) and the sky somewhere in Nebraska or Kansas – if you like this View as much as Tachoblog does, you’ll be glad to know that it’s available, full size on our Wallpaper Page…

…And this one from Highway 54 in New Mexico.

Much, much closer to Tachoblog, LorryDay was passing the Duxford War Museum which is in Cambridgeshire, England.

Finally we go back to the Southern Hemisphere and we find TwoCrowsDown somewhere in Australia…

…A View OF his Cab…

…And this one he simply entitles ‘Bloody mud!’ – we can see why.

That’s all from View From The Cab for this week, all that remains is for Tachoblog to thank the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views. If you’d like to join in, all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 2.7.10

Tachoblog — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:36:41 +0000

And here we are in July with half the year gone already. But never mind thinking about that says Tachoblog, let’s have a look at the Views that the Tachoblog Tribe have kindly sent in this week.

Over here in the UK it’s been a nice sunny week – as you’ll see from LorryDay’s Views in a moment – but that’s not always the case as we head off around the world.

Anyway, let’s start with LorryDay who starts with this View of Asda vans in all being loaded and checked before going out…

…Then it’s ‘dinner time in Kent. Better than a burger’…

Click below for more from LorryDay and the rest of this week’s Views…

…For his next View he says, ‘This dragstar was parked up complete with rear parachute in the northeast near Sunderland’…

…’The caption says it all! Coming out of Lakeside shopping centre’ in Essex…

…And finally, a ‘better version’. As you can tell from where his Views are taken, LorryDay gets round quite a lot of the UK.

How we head to Springville, New York from where Heydriver’s sent this of ‘a gilded Goldie’ on US Route 219. He says ‘the Sun’s rays cast a golden light through the fog. A beautiful day for a drive. A relaxed ride to Buffalo, New York.’

New Zealand now where it’s certainly not summer weather. Vic H sent in these Views and says that we ‘seemed a bit surprised the other week to see snow in June, so here’s some snow in July!’…

…’These photos were taken while going down Viaduct Hill, part of the National Park road which goes down the western side of Mt Ruapehu, the mountain you can see in the background’…

…’We normally use the Desert Rd which goes down the eastern side of the mountain but when that is closed by snow and ice we use this road if it is open as an alternative route.’

Finally, and in a slightly smaller than usual VFTC (the Tachoblog Tribe must be on their holidays), we welcome Wrightdriver1 who’s View of the beach in Pensecola, Florida shows some of the oil that’s been washed up and still pouring from the oil spill in the Gulf.

That’s all for this week, so all that’s left for Tachoblog to do is thank the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views. Don’t forget that if you’d like to join in, all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 28.6.10

Tachoblog — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:54:59 +0000

As previously mentioned, Tachoblog couldn’t post View From The Cab last Friday but we can today – and normal service has again been resumed so we’ll be back on Friday with this week’s post too! So forget about the World Cup for a moment (those of us in England would certainly like to today!) and enjoy some Views from around the world thanks to the Tachoblog Tribe.

We start in New Zealand so that means we’re riding with Vic H. Vic’s sent ‘a couple of photos taken on the way back from the South Island this week. In the first one, taken at some roadworks on the way north I saw this rather smart Peterbilt water tanker watering the road; something a bit different from the usual worn-out TK Bedfords and D-Series Fords that are normally used for this type of work’…

…’Then a bit further north, near Matamata, I liked the way the sun was just starting to break through the clouds after a bit of rain.’

Click below for the rest of the Views…

Heydriver and Goldie awoke to ‘the burning fireball. Summer has started and today is going to be a scorcher. Air Conditioning don’t fail me now!’…

…Heydriver’s still in an arty mood (see Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 11.6.10) as he’s also sent this View which is entitled ‘Peterbilt dahsboard in retro’. Heydriver says this is – unsurprisingly – the ‘main dash panel on Goldie. Reworked in Paint Shop Pro v.9. Aged newspaper set to 67 yrs. Just playing around on a Sunday Morning.’

In Germany, Rainerri1967 says that it’s too hot this week.

Back in America, Amishtrucker sent this ‘typical view of a nice avenue in Laredo with a skyline view of the downtown area of Laredo in the background. And as you peer into the background of this photo, you are looking into Mexico’…

…And also this picture of ‘traffic on a nice summer day rolling north out of Laredo headed to San Antonio. I like the clouds. As you can see in the median, the grass is turning brown and a good rain would be welcome throughout much of south and central Texas’…

…His final View is ‘from IH35 NB looking towards downtown San Antonio. The historical part of the city which includes the Tower of the Americas is just to the right of this photo and didn’t get it in this shot. Another typical day with a typical drive from Laredo to San Antonio and then on to my warehouse north of the city or to my home east of the city’.

Finally this week we catch up with TheNose100 who was Eastbound on I-90 in Ashtabula, Ohio. He says ”Sunshine in my eyeballs makes me… Blind’. Circa – John Denver’.

Tachoblog’s thanks to the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views. Don’t forget that if you’d like to join in, all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 24.5.10

Tachoblog — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:23:33 +0000

Before we get stuck into the Views, a couple of quick things from Tachoblog.

Firstly as you’ll have no doubt noticed, View From The Cab wasn’t up on Friday but it is today. Secondly, don’t worry but Tachoblog is off on a jaunt for the next couple of weeks so there won’t be any new posts from us until Monday 7th June. To make sure we get back into the swing of things, the first post will be a View From The Cab using all of the Views that the Tachoblog Tribe send in between now and then – you will send some won’t you Tachoblog Tribe…

Anyway, let’s get started with the Views that we have, as always Tachoblog is vey grateful to all that have sent them in this week.

We start in Uganda with Jerry B (and the Uganda Crew). Jerry B has sent in this Views of ‘old, bonneted Benz’s are seen on the streets of the capital recently’…

…’In a variety of axle and chassis configurations, and cargo guises’…

Click below for more from Jerry B and the rest of this week’s Views…

…’The youngest of these must be getting on for 30 years old and for machinery in Africa, that really is a lifetime’…

…’They built ‘em proper in them there days!’…

…’And these old girls were progenitors for the spawning of various copies’…

…’Including these Tata 1210SE water tankers, seen here waiting for custom following the effects of the latest water supply shortages around town.’

Over in Amercia, TheNose100 sent in this View of ‘Vineyards along hwy 5 near Portland, New York with their fresh spring leaves’…

…And this View from I-90 EB near Painsville, Ohio

From New Zealand, Vic H says ‘it was round in a big circle on Wednesday and Thursday this week, Auckland to Gisborne to Napier to Auckland. Not all that far, really, about 1100km but with loading and unloading it takes about 20 hours because of lots of hilly and winding roads’…

…’On the way to Gisborne the road goes through the Waioeka Gorge, where the road follows the river for about 60 km’…

…’To Matawai, and there’s this great bit of road between there and Te Karaka’…

…’Just past Gisborne there is this view of Cape Kidnappers, named by Captain Cook who was that Pommy fellow who is said to have discovered New Zealand in 1769. That is rubbish, of course as it is more likely to have been discovered by a fellow called Kupe about 800 years earlier. Kupe didn’t land anywhere near Cape Kidnappers either, his first landing point was in the Hokianga Harbour near the top of the west coast of the North Island’…

…’Anyway, that’s enough NZ history so on to a couple of photos on the road near Wairoa’…

…’Lots of hills and corners as you can see. ‘Then still another winding hill coming down towards Napier’.

Amishtrucker provided this of the colourful main entrance to the Laredo Public Library in (unsurprisingly) Laredo, Texas. He says he ‘shot the pic with my phone through the side window, therefore the images of cars on the building. Hispanic art and construction seen throughout Laredo is usually colorful’…

He also sent this picture of the ‘side street next to the HEB grocery store in south Laredo. Looking down this street you can see the barrier which is there in front of the river and behind it….Mexico. The river at this point is not all that big and around Laredo it has a lot of brush and trees growing all around it.’ He signs off by saying that are his ‘contribution this week to the wonderful VFTC world. Wishing everyone a great week ahead and lots of good coffee! Life is too short to drink bad coffee!’

Darkstaff’s been all over the place (again). His first View is from Arkansas where he’s ‘heading east on I-40 around the 193 mile marker. Going to be a pretty day!’…

…The he shows us Cincinatti, Ohio as seen from Kentucky on I-71/75 going north…

…’And here’s a view of downtown Cincinatti’…

…Lastly he brings us this of the Pennsylvania Welcomes You sign that he sees when ‘crossing the border from Ohio to Pennsylvania on I-90.’

Heydriver and Goldie have been out and about too, they start with ‘a fine ride on US 460 E near Lafayette, Virginia’. Heydriver says ‘why run the Interstates if you don’t have too? Whenever I visit my Mom in Christiansburg, VA, I take US 460 back into Salem, Va for my delivery. On I-81 there is a steep set of hills to drop down on heading into Salem, Va. Many wrecks happen in this area. So, when traveling along I-81 I try to pay attention to the overhead warning signs and use US 460 and US 11 to get around these backups. Something I learned when I was working for UPS many years ago. “Know your route!” I always try to have a plan B. You never know when you’ll need it’…

…Then we find them ‘heading east on I-80 near Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Chasing the front. On a two day run through the Wilds of Pennsylvania. Descending from the highest elevation on I-80 East of the Mississippi River. Just an interesting view of the clouds and forest’…

…Lastly from them this week they’re ‘crossing the Susquehanna River at day break. US Rte 30 W. Near Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. Crossing the Susquehanna on yet another trip to Norfolk area of Virgina. Instead of a front shot, I took one looking up river out the right side of the cab.’

Finally for this week’s Views we catch up with TruckerDesiree and Karma the Wonderdog ‘from the Land of Enchantment’…

…TruckerDesiree says that ‘the Beauty of the Southwest makes my imagination go Wild.’

That’s all from View From The Cab, don’t forget that if you’d like to join in with View From The Cab, all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com or send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 14.5.10

Tachoblog — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:30:58 +0000

Another Friday then and, with the sun just about shining on Tachoblog, it must be time for this week’s View From The Cab.

No clever round the world order this week, we’ve just laid them out in the order we received them. So we start with TruckerDesiree and Karma the wonderdog who are next up at the Fertilizer Doohicky in South Carolina.

Darkstaff’s up next and says ‘Hello to West Virginia. Crossing the Ohio river on US 35. On my way to Chester,Virginia’…

Click below for more from Darkstaff and the rest of the Tachoblog Tribe’s Views for this week…

…Now he’s entering Virginia, his ‘home state, for now at least!’…

…Staying in Virginia, we find him in Richmond ‘driving past the home of Phillip Morris, makers of Marlboro and other cigarettes’…

… Then it’s a View he describes as ‘a Waffle House sunset in Hammond, Louisiana tonight’…

And finally from Darkstaff this week he’s in Texas and says that ‘as is usual, once I get into Texas, I’m usually here a minimum 3 days.’

We find Heydriver (who’s today’s Birthday Boy – so many happy returns of the day to him) and Goldie crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on US13 S and looking at the north bound side. Heydriver says it’s ‘a bright sunny day in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Moving south and crossing from the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula towards the Tidewater area of the mainland in Virginia. One of my top 10 routes. From the Philadelphia area to the Norfolk, Virginia area on US Route 13 is the best and fastest way to get there from here. No Washington DC or Baltimore traffic. Quiet ride and many, many farms to look at. And then a nice ride out across the Chesapeake Bay’…

…In their second View, we find them ‘descending Afton Mountain in a fog on I-64 W. Near Waynesboro, Virginia’. They’re apparantly visiting Heydriver’s ‘Mom (Mum) in Christiansburg. On the way over Goldie and I had to cross over Afton Mountain in Virginia. Man was it foggy out. You’ll notice the lights embedded into the shoulder of the road, aka Landing Lights. These little lights are on a sensor that activates them when the fog rolls in. It does look pretty when the lights are on. Of course, that is all you can see at times. Drive safe and be kind to yourself.’

We catch up with TheNose10 on his way to a dairy in Pennsylvania, he’s on Highway 305 in Ohio…

…He’s made it to the dairy in Sharpsville in his secondView and is ‘looking into the milk truck bays. I go elswhere with the sugar tanker.’

From Triberg in Germany Rainerri1967 sent in this View, as well as telling us that Triberg is the ‘home of Germany’s highest waterfalls’…

…And ‘also the home of the Cuckoo clock.’

Finally for this week we head return to Texas and meet Amishtrucker. His first View is of ‘a nice truck I passed on Highway 71 near Bastrop, Texas loaded with 2 huge blocks of granite’…

…’Then we go to just north of downtown Laredo, Texas and see some houses in a residential district there’. Amishtrucker says he needs ‘to get some pictures from the really crowded part of town where they have everything behind a fence and the houses are really tight together’…

…’But then, just up the street, is a Taco hut built out of a caboose. Note that everything is painted very colorful, very typical of Mexico and Laredo. By the way, if you are hungry by now, there are plenty of tacos for sale in Laredo, and many little businesses like this one where you can buy them at! Good day and we will see you next week!’

A big thanks from Tachoblog to the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views. If you’d like to become part of the Tachoblog Tribe and View From The Cab, then you’re more than welcome. All you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com, or (for those of you that Twitter) send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 7.5.10

Tachoblog — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:31:15 +0000

One week into May already, so hopefully this means none of the Tachoblog Tribe have seen any snow this week – unlike Darkstaff last week – (and no ‘saving the post disasters’ for Tachoblog!) but the only way we’ll find out is by having a look at the Views they’ve sent in.

We start this week in America with Amishtrucker who’s asked that Tachoblog tells ‘everyone that I really enjoy their views every week and to keep them coming. There is enough bad news in the world every day, let’s celebrate by looking at the interesting and good every chance we get!’. Tachoblog should add our thanks to the Tachoblog Tribe for sending in their Views, it’s thanks to you that View From The Cab is as good as it is!

Amishtrucker’s first View is ‘northbound on US288 looking at the Houston skyline. This is just past the Loop 610 interchange’…

…Now her takes us to ‘US 59 near downtown where 59 is sunk down (to eliminate noise in the neighborhoods, I would imagine). Those arch overpasses are unique to this highway, at least in Houston. Haven’t seen a lot of car haulers since the recession but here is one. But it doesn’t look like he has a full load’…

Click below for one more from Amishtrucker and the rest of this week’s Views…

Amishtrucker’s final View is from near Houston, heading north on US288, he says ‘I saw this guy pulling this little, well it looks like a cook shack with the pit on the porch there. He probably goes to cookouts which are very popular in Texas, especially this time of the year. If I had one I could pull it out in the woods near the creek somewhere and just cookout and live there for a while!’

Now we head to Wisconsin to join TruckerDesiree and Karma the wonderdog who sent in this View.

To New Zealand now where Vic H was ‘in the South Island again’…

…’Here are a few photos taken along the Kaikoura coast’…

…’Where State Highway 1′…

…’Together with the railway line, runs very close to the coastline. On windy days spray blows continuously across the road so vehicles get covered with salt and it is difficult to keep the windscreen clean enough to see through so big containers of washer liquid are required!’…

…’Kaikoura means means crayfish meal (kai = food; koura = crayfish) and stalls selling cooked crayfish are common along this coast. In NZ, what we call crayfish, or koura, are also known as NZ rock lobster and they are nothing like the small freshwater crustaceans known as crayfish in many other countries; there is a good meal of absolutely delicious meat in one crayfish.’

We catch up with TheNose100 ‘stopped at the WB rest area on I-90 in Ohio’ he adds that this is an energy efficient designed building…

…Now we find him at Maple Heights in Ohio where he’s on a nice day out and ‘backed in. In spite of the problem dumpster’…

…This is a ‘view from the top’. TheNose100 says it ‘looks funky to back into, but not that hard’…

…All loaded and he (well his trailer of course) is ‘full. Looking for the bottom of the tank’…

…And ‘these are some test / samples of the juice they make here’. TheNose100 signs off by saying ‘ya’ll have a good week!’.

In Germany, Rainerri1967 wasn’t driving today as there was work being done on his truck so he had to ‘stay in the garage at Kehl.’

Did Darkstaff find any snow this week, well there’s none in his first view of early morning Montana. He says that he’d ‘already been driving 4 hours when I took this pic’…

…Here’s a view OF the cab as he takes ‘a break, again in Montana, watching the clouds, a very relaxing way to pass the time’…

…Finally, and from the North Dakota Badlands, he says that they ‘might be hard to see, but the two brown lumps by the horizon are wild bison.’

In England LorryDay saw Cadbury World which is ‘in a Birmingham district called Bourneville.’

Heydriver and Goldie were having a ‘fantastic day’ when they took this first View, ‘Bright sun and a great view of lower Manhattan. Riding along on the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). The height markings on the BQE are a bit misleading. Posted as 12′ 4″, the warning signs may cause a newbie driver to freak out. But, New York measures height from the curb and not the road deck. And, also the measurement is from the lowest point above the curbing. So, never fear my fellow travelers. In the State of NY you can hammer right under that 12′ 8″ over pass with nary a thought. Ahem! Unless the warning sign says “ACTUAL” Then slam the binders and wait for the 4 wheelers to start honking their horns’…

Their second View is of ‘the east tower of the Verazzano Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn on I-278 W heading back towards Staten Island.’ Heydriver says that you’re ‘not supposed to take pics on the bridge. But, sometimes I’s can’t help it.’

Lastly for this week we catch up with SurfingTrucker who was ‘In Waltham, Massachusetts heading home for weekend when I spotted DOT hard at work.’

And, all too quickly, that’s all from View From The Cab, don’t forget that if you’d like to join in all you have to do is email your Views to vftc@tachoblog.com, or (for those of you that Twitter) send a tweet starting #vftc to @tachoblog

Tachoblog’s View From The Cab – 30.4.10

Tachoblog — Tue, 04 May 2010 09:17:25 +0000

This View From The Cab was meant to be the last post of last week and last month but, as Tachoblog knows you’ve realised, it wasn’t. Now we all, especially Tachoblog(!), should know how important it is to ‘save’ your work as you go along, but how often do you do that? We don’t, well didn’t (we will from now on), and met with the consequences when, having finished this post, clicked the save button and Tachoblog’s computer said no!

But, with lesson learnt, we bring you this / last week’s View From The Cab – looking on the bright side, Tachoblog thinks there can’t be a better way to start the week.

Thanks to the Tachoblog Tribe sending in their Views, you can join Tachoblog as head off from the United Kingdom to circle the world (with a few hops back to America) to end up back in the UK again. There are loads of Views this week, and this View From The Cab has to be our best yet – Tachoblog thinks so at any rate!

So, let’s start with Rizzo101 who spotted this heavy load on the M6 near Manchester.

Now we head to America to join SurfingTrucker who was getting his truck washed in Milford, Connecticut…

Click below for more from SurfingTrucker and the rest of the Tachoblog Tribe…

…He says it ‘looked good sitting in traffic on the Cross Bronx in New York City’…

…and when he ‘crossed from New York into New Jersey on the George Washington Bridge.’

Back to Europe now to catch up with Rainerri1967 who was loading in Lahr Blackforest, Germany…

…A little while later he was empty and, for him at least, it was the weekend!

Jumping back to the USA, we meet Heydriver and Goldie who were on US Route 30 in Abbotstown, Pennsylvania. Heydriver says that this is ‘a wonderful mural here in Abbotstown. I’ve been wanting to capture this and today was the day!’…

…Now it’s ‘sun and highlights – Sun behind cloud on I-70 E near Triadelphia, West Virginia, approaching the Dallas Pike exit on I-70. This is my view out of my office window and, the view is always changing. For me this beats a suit and tie any day’…

…This is US Cold Storage in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania…

…He didn’t say where this was taken, but the news is that Heydriver’s ‘retiring an old and trusted phone. My LG Voyager will now sit up on the shelf in my office until my wife destroys her phone!’…

…From Near Binghamton, New York they he sent his first pic posted with his new HTC Incredible. Heydriver says, ‘I’m all fumble fingers.Wow! What a difference a new device makes. I’m relearning everything here’.

Staying in America we join TheNose100 who was ‘getting ready to roll out of Cleveland, Ohio. Sun peaking out’…

… Here we find him in Lancaster (Buffalo), New York and ‘looking at another tanker (soy oil) with a bright Reflection while I unload corn syrup. The plant makes cake frostings. Some days you can really smell the lemon or chocolate flavorings’…

…And then a ‘View of Lake Erie from Highway 5 in Sheridan, New York’ TheNose100 is ‘headed back to Ohio’.

Halfway round the world (for Tachoblog anyway) and we’re in New Zealand with Vic H who says, ‘I have spent the last 10 days or so in the South Island without being able to get to a computer, but here are a few photos taken on one of the days of the view from the cab on part of State Highway 1 called ‘the Hundalees”…

…’This stretch of highway is steep and winding’…

…’Always an interesting drive in a truck’…

…’And an even better one on a motorbike!’…

‘The last photo shows an Iveco Stralis B-train which didn’t quite make one of the corners.’ Vic has told Tachoblog that whilst the driver was ok, he suspects that his boss won’t be!

We bounce back to the USA to see Darkstaff who can see ‘snow in Wyoming, just west of Sundance. Seriously, snow. Geez’…

…His second View is from ‘outside the cab. In Rocker, Montana. Very beautiful.’

To Uganda now and that can only mean we’re joining Jerry B (and the Uganda Crew). Jerry says that ‘from the last couple of days or driving around, there seems to have been a significant ‘Indian flavour’ to the lighter, town-based truck transport. Tata 1210SE’s for Africa, from water bowsers quietly waiting for custom’…

…’To 4×4 honey suckers, cargos etc etc’…

…’Including the unfortunately slightly out-of-focus shot of the chap unloading the small SUV using the Series 111 recovery vehicle. I didn’t capture the whole thing regrettably but just after this shot of the vehicle hung up on the tailgate of the Tata was shot, the car fell off quite violently, taking off its chin spoiler. As the strain came off the LR tow rope, it lurched forwards, the rope strained, then broke and flicked backwards breaking the rear window of the little SUV. Whether the car then ran back down the slope into the rear of the truck, I know not as I had already passed by. Not one of his finer moments though methinks, for the LR driver!’…

…’And in a suspiciously quiet shot (where was the usual nightmare traffic this mid-morning?) an Ashok Leyland grinds up the hill ready to disgorge its load of Readymix’.

In America again and McNabbTransport was ‘two-lane truckin, headed out to Charlottesville, Virginia.’

Moving south we arrive in Texas with Amishtrucker who sent this View ‘from the Bay Bridge looking over the south shore just before heading out across the bay on the causeway and away from Corpus Christi, looking towards the bay and Portland’…

…’That’s a nice clean gravel bucket being pulled by a really good looking Pete on US 71 near Smithville. The clouds in the picture, well weather started out cloudy and windy but turned sunny and nice later’.

Finally we arrive back in England and find LorryDay’looking for a human to talk to in this print shop in country life in Wakefield, Yorkshire’…

…He ‘found this in Stan Robinson’s yard in Stafford , they have a collection of older tucks they’ve ran in the past’…

…This is ‘a very crowded very hot , Camden Lock in London’…

…And lastly for this week,’A very colourful trailor always brings a smile to my face. This was on the M5 going north I think.’

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