Earlier this year, April 7th
and 8th, I posted some pics on these pages showing a rather special truck which
had just joined the Shotts based Stuart Nicol Transport fleet. The truck's
driver, Ally Shaw, is a rally fan and more specifically a McRae fan, and his
new truck was dedicated to the achievements of Colin, Alister and Jim McRae,
and what a feast for the eyes it is. Obviously the monthly 'Truck & Driver'
magazine thinks so too and the SNT Volvo FH500 has been picked as this month's
'Editor's Choice'. This article and its pictures alone are worth the £3.70
cover price, but there's more to read if you have a technical mind and an
interest commercial vehicles.
There's even a 'Free Gift'. Attached to the cover of the mag
is a very handy 'Pocket Guide to Driver's Hours'. If you have a couple of
minutes this is worth a read. What many of you won't appreciate is just how strictly
controlled a trucker's life on the road is these days. This wee book gives a
glimpse of the complexities involved in calculating driving hours, break times
and rest periods. It will take a bloke or a blokess with more than an 'O' Level
in maths to work it out! Even I learned something - and I used to be a be a
commercial vehicle journalist!
( Most likely stockists are the big grocery superstores and motorway service stations.)
