switchlogic:
I stopped regularly buying trucking magazines when the only decent one, Truck, was shut down and they gave us some vouchers to try the other second rate offerings from the same stable. I really do think the whole thing needs a good stir up.
A full page spread naming 20 odd colleagues and myself when we got “visited” by the ministry, as they were then. Followed 6 months later by an inch or so buried in the back of the news bit when we all got a not guilty bar a few minor infringements was enough for me
Easy to not give a [zb] about drivers who don’t fork out for ■■■ kissing column inches eh ■■?
Not saying we didn’t do it but in the eyes of the courts we were absolved. Would of been nice of them to devote the same space and effort of naming the drivers, don’t ya think ■■ .
switchlogic:
It’s a good job mainstream media doesn’t take the trade press approach and only serve one group, advertisers. Truck & Driver can have driver in its title as much as it likes, as I see it it does nothing for drivers. Like I say, they are all just promotional tools for companies. And before anyone says about mainstream media not having to worry about losing advertisers, most of the newspapers are losing money hand over fist. Doesn’t stop them engaging in proper investigative journalism.
totaly agree with that,youve only got to look at the front cover blinb bling blimg i mean this months got got a big spread about david g davis n some 26 year old piloting there new xf 106 this isinot about real haulage its crap the truck is all blinged up n looks good in a magazine i can name at least four hauliers that have had centre page spreads in t n d n are now all dead n burried all flash n no cash
pleasedont think im knocking people with well turned out moters because i aint what im saying is t n d focuses on a small minority of transport companys the ones that fit the profile imho
i think the problem is its full of journos running the show n not truckers if only they could take a leaf out of top gears book
In fairness, I suspect, quite a large chunk of the market don’t either hold a licence or own a truck or haulage co and are spotters buying it for the pics. There’s still not enough balance in the mags though.
Continual complaints from the Traffic Commissioners about VOSA interfering with their independence.
Reluctance by VOSA or anyone else to acknowledge that AdBlue bypass kits were on open sale, and the implications for air quality.
Implications of VOSA’s initiatives on load security, and the ‘load security matrix’.
All published in Transport Operator since 2011.
Prior to that:
Inadequacies in the Oshkosh HET spec that meant it was inferior to the truck it replaced (got chased around the CV show by someone who ‘wanted a word’ with me for that one).
Fair Tax for Trucks campaign that got road tax for slashed for British trucks,
Various dodgy freight forwarders exposed.
Questions over durability of early disc brakes on trucks and trailers.
all published in Trucking/Trucking International during 1995 - 2005
Prior to that various stories about dubious tactics in bus wars, unethical behaviour by vehicle brokers, poor build quality of coaches and various other stuff in Bus Business and Coach & Bus Week.
So yes, given that I operate in a fairly small world, I’ve broken my share of good stories.
k
Very little of this could really be seen as in the interest’s or drivers, small hauliers and operators. Therein lies much of the problem.
Your own current website is called Trucking Topics. I’II agree it’s snappier but a more realistic name would be ‘experience what it’s like to be locked in a truck main dealer’s reception area and be force fed glossy brochures’.
switchlogic:
It’s a good job mainstream media doesn’t take the trade press approach and only serve one group, advertisers. Truck & Driver can have driver in its title as much as it likes, as I see it it does nothing for drivers. Like I say, they are all just promotional tools for companies. And before anyone says about mainstream media not having to worry about losing advertisers, most of the newspapers are losing money hand over fist. Doesn’t stop them engaging in proper investigative journalism.
totaly agree with that,youve only got to look at the front cover blinb bling blimg i mean this months got got a big spread about david g davis n some 26 year old piloting there new xf 106 this isinot about real haulage its crap the truck is all blinged up n looks good in a magazine i can name at least four hauliers that have had centre page spreads in t n d n are now all dead n burried all flash n no cash
pleasedont think im knocking people with well turned out moters because i aint what im saying is t n d focuses on a small minority of transport companys the ones that fit the profile imho
i think the problem is its full of journos running the show n not truckers if only they could take a leaf out of top gears book
The presenters of Top Gear all earned their stripes as journalists.
From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows.
Originally a pupil of Solihull School, a fee-paying boys’ independent school, he moved to Ripon Grammar School, and from 1987 to 1989 attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology. After his graduation he worked for several radio stations, including Radio Cleveland, Radio York, Radio ■■■■■■■■ Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Lancashire, before auditioning for Top Gear.
Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its present format.
A keen flautist and pianist, he studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University. After graduating, May briefly worked at a hospital in Chelsea as a records officer, and had a short stint in the civil service
Journalism. During the early 1980s, James May worked as a sub-editor for The Engineer and later Autocar magazine, from which he was dismissed for performing a prank. May first co-presented Top Gear in 1999, before it was axed by the BBC because of poor viewing figures. He rejoined the show in the second series of the present Top Gear format in 2003,
Continual complaints from the Traffic Commissioners about VOSA interfering with their independence.
Reluctance by VOSA or anyone else to acknowledge that AdBlue bypass kits were on open sale, and the implications for air quality.
Implications of VOSA’s initiatives on load security, and the ‘load security matrix’.
All published in Transport Operator since 2011.
Prior to that:
Inadequacies in the Oshkosh HET spec that meant it was inferior to the truck it replaced (got chased around the CV show by someone who ‘wanted a word’ with me for that one).
Fair Tax for Trucks campaign that got road tax for slashed for British trucks,
Various dodgy freight forwarders exposed.
Questions over durability of early disc brakes on trucks and trailers.
all published in Trucking/Trucking International during 1995 - 2005
Prior to that various stories about dubious tactics in bus wars, unethical behaviour by vehicle brokers, poor build quality of coaches and various other stuff in Bus Business and Coach & Bus Week.
So yes, given that I operate in a fairly small world, I’ve broken my share of good stories.
k
Very little of this could really be seen as in the interest’s or drivers, small hauliers and operators. Therein lies much of the problem.
Your own current website is called Trucking Topics. I’II agree it’s snappier but a more realistic name would be ‘experience what it’s like to be locked in a truck main dealer’s reception area and be force fed glossy brochures’.
Bearing in mind civilian drivers were recruited to drive the HET, I think it’s shortcomings were of great importance to drivers. The army now use civvy trucks for most of their tank movements.I wonder why? (well, I don’t, in fact) Likewise problems with disc brakes, these were of some interest to drivers. High road tax and ‘neverpay’ freight forwarders are of great interest to small operators (and drivers who are put of of work when their boss goes bust).
Interference by VOSA in the TCs independence - the equivalent of police interfering with magistrates or judges…got to be of interest if you have to stand before them at any time.
Load security…vital interest to drivers and operators.
So if these matters are not of interest to drivers and small operators, what would you like to see?
I know drivers are very curious about what those working for other hauliers earn…but I know plenty who’d be less than delighted to see their own T&Cs published.
You could start a thread on here inviting folk to put up their wage slips…but how many would?
I’m amazed (and flattered) that you think TT looks like a glossy brochure…it’s pretty rough and ready compared to most websites.
switchlogic:
It’s a good job mainstream media doesn’t take the trade press approach and only serve one group, advertisers. Truck & Driver can have driver in its title as much as it likes, as I see it it does nothing for drivers. Like I say, they are all just promotional tools for companies. And before anyone says about mainstream media not having to worry about losing advertisers, most of the newspapers are losing money hand over fist. Doesn’t stop them engaging in proper investigative journalism.
totaly agree with that,youve only got to look at the front cover blinb bling blimg i mean this months got got a big spread about david g davis n some 26 year old piloting there new xf 106 this isinot about real haulage its crap the truck is all blinged up n looks good in a magazine i can name at least four hauliers that have had centre page spreads in t n d n are now all dead n burried all flash n no cash
pleasedont think im knocking people with well turned out moters because i aint what im saying is t n d focuses on a small minority of transport companys the ones that fit the profile imho
i think the problem is its full of journos running the show n not truckers if only they could take a leaf out of top gears book
In fairness, I suspect, quite a large chunk of the market don’t either hold a licence or own a truck or haulage co and are spotters buying it for the pics. There’s still not enough balance in the mags though.
That’s an issue I used to struggle with…fact was that Scanias with spotlights could put 1000s of sales on one issue of a magazine.
I remember being very disappointed with the sale of one issue of Trucking…we’d moved heaven and earth to get a pic of the first MAN TGA in a UK operator’s colours on the cover…but it was a TNT vehicle and people saw a TNT truck rather than a new MAN and didn’t buy it.
Even on Trucking Topics the stories that attract the most immediate attention are the big cab tractor units delivered to operators…and a lot of that traffic comes from people here!
switchlogic:
It’s a good job mainstream media doesn’t take the trade press approach and only serve one group, advertisers. Truck & Driver can have driver in its title as much as it likes, as I see it it does nothing for drivers. Like I say, they are all just promotional tools for companies. And before anyone says about mainstream media not having to worry about losing advertisers, most of the newspapers are losing money hand over fist. Doesn’t stop them engaging in proper investigative journalism.
totaly agree with that,youve only got to look at the front cover blinb bling blimg i mean this months got got a big spread about david g davis n some 26 year old piloting there new xf 106 this isinot about real haulage its crap the truck is all blinged up n looks good in a magazine i can name at least four hauliers that have had centre page spreads in t n d n are now all dead n burried all flash n no cash
pleasedont think im knocking people with well turned out moters because i aint what im saying is t n d focuses on a small minority of transport companys the ones that fit the profile imho
i think the problem is its full of journos running the show n not truckers if only they could take a leaf out of top gears book
The presenters of Top Gear all earned their stripes as journalists.
From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows.
Originally a pupil of Solihull School, a fee-paying boys’ independent school, he moved to Ripon Grammar School, and from 1987 to 1989 attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology. After his graduation he worked for several radio stations, including Radio Cleveland, Radio York, Radio ■■■■■■■■ Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Lancashire, before auditioning for Top Gear.
Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its present format.
A keen flautist and pianist, he studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University. After graduating, May briefly worked at a hospital in Chelsea as a records officer, and had a short stint in the civil service
Journalism. During the early 1980s, James May worked as a sub-editor for The Engineer and later Autocar magazine, from which he was dismissed for performing a prank. May first co-presented Top Gear in 1999, before it was axed by the BBC because of poor viewing figures. He rejoined the show in the second series of the present Top Gear format in 2003,
ok point taken about top gear but that was only a few words at the bottem of my post i dont see any defence against the rest cuold that be because its the truth
at the end of the day these rags are full of rubbish they represent a small minority in the haualage industry i mean look at the title
TRUCK N DRIVERlets take the driver bit how much in that publication is about drivers n the issuies that affect them?
now lets take the truck bit how many ofus get to pilot a kelsa/airbrushed/brand new high spected unit ?
Continual complaints from the Traffic Commissioners about VOSA interfering with their independence.
Reluctance by VOSA or anyone else to acknowledge that AdBlue bypass kits were on open sale, and the implications for air quality.
Implications of VOSA’s initiatives on load security, and the ‘load security matrix’.
All published in Transport Operator since 2011.
Prior to that:
Inadequacies in the Oshkosh HET spec that meant it was inferior to the truck it replaced (got chased around the CV show by someone who ‘wanted a word’ with me for that one).
Fair Tax for Trucks campaign that got road tax for slashed for British trucks,
Various dodgy freight forwarders exposed.
Questions over durability of early disc brakes on trucks and trailers.
all published in Trucking/Trucking International during 1995 - 2005
Prior to that various stories about dubious tactics in bus wars, unethical behaviour by vehicle brokers, poor build quality of coaches and various other stuff in Bus Business and Coach & Bus Week.
So yes, given that I operate in a fairly small world, I’ve broken my share of good stories.
k
Yet any I named had to be in the last year? And specific to UK newspapers? And -
'Reluctance by VOSA or anyone else to acknowledge that AdBlue bypass kits were on open sale, and the implications for air quality.
Implications of VOSA’s initiatives on load security, and the ‘load security matrix’.’
in what way? Surely the first one simply was a phone call to VOSA. ‘You know adblue bypass kits are available?’ VOSA man ‘no they aren’t’…
Not quite a level playing field you’re into is it. The one’s I named are just as big proportionately if not bigger. And how many of those were about treatment of drivers? Considering one of my original points was drivers not having any one to stick up for them.
The publications I work for now (which don’t include T&D) are for operators.
They are primarily
Transport Operator (clue’s in the name)
and
Roadway (the journal of the Road Haulage Association)
and I also do stuff for
Commercial Motor.
None of these have drivers their core readership. Hence I now produce few stories that are primarily of interest to drivers.
You were asking me what stories I’d unearthed in my career…those were some of them. I’ve also published articles about the plight of British drivers who were ‘victims’ of foreign justice. In one case I know the articles published served to get the MP and MEP of the driver concerned on his case and he was released from a ‘hell-hole’ jail in the Balkans as a result of their intervention. Had he stayed there, he might not have lived to the end of his sentence: it really was that bad.
I was asking you for examples of investigative journalism in UK newspapers in the last couple of years…I was struggling to think of any…and so, it seems…are you.
The sad conclusion we can draw from this (and as a print journalist it’s sadder for me than you) is that print journalism is in decline.
Having seen some of the material you have posted on here, I can only say it might be worth re-writing some of it into a more ‘print’ style and submitting it to T&D. The worst that can happen is they they will say they can’t publish it, but I think that they might.
GasGas:
So if these matters are not of interest to drivers and small operators, what would you like to see?
Some ground level campaigning to improve the everyday situation for drivers. For instance having to sit in some real grotty waiting rooms at RDCs with no access to food as we are often banned from the canteen. We have NO ONE sticking up for us trying to improve conditions. The unions and trade press are as toothless as each other. That’s one small example
GasGas:
Having seen some of the material you have posted on here, I can only say it might be worth re-writing some of it into a more ‘print’ style and submitting it to T&D. The worst that can happen is they they will say they can’t publish it, but I think that they might.
Best wishes
Richard
Fair enough if you work for those publications. I just get annoyed that drivers have no one really on their side.
And thank you, and you’ll hate me for saying this, but I think print is almost at the end of the line now. I don’t know how many buy T&D but nowadays the bigger audience is online in my opinion. I’d like to do more writing on my own website but it’s as ever finding the time
The sad thing is that the trade unions don’t make a particularly good job of representing truck drivers in the UK…when they should be leading from the front, particularly in engaging with dodgy employers. Some of the stories we see here (and I appreciate we only hear one side) make me tear my hair out.
FWIW I was recently asked for my views on how to deal with the ‘looming driver shortage’ by an industry body.
My reply: Ban your members from using agencies and have a minimum wage of £10 an hour for Cat C drivers; probably won’t go down very well, but ain’t it the truth?
Two-thirds of the people who hold Cat C or C+E licences don’t drive for a living. so there’s an untapped ‘talent pool’ out there.
GasGas:
So if these matters are not of interest to drivers and small operators, what would you like to see?
Some ground level campaigning to improve the everyday situation for drivers. For instance having to sit in some real grotty waiting rooms at RDCs with no access to food as we are often banned from the canteen. We have NO ONE sticking up for us trying to improve conditions. The unions and trade press are as toothless as each other. That’s one small example
I did write a letter to the Guardian on this. It was in response to an article about how women prisoners were treated when being transported from court to prison.
I can’t find it on their on-line archive, but it provoked a couple of replies
I’ve written a couple of directory-type articles on pallet networks for different magazines: one of the things that I ask the networks for is details of the welfare facilities provided for visiting drivers to use in between unloading and reloading. I can only hope that ‘asking the question’ leads the networks to offer decent facilities for drivers. Most seemed to at least have some catering and toilet facility for drivers.
However, it is difficult to push this too hard when you have ‘wheel-■■■■■■■■ who won’t use free facilities when provided.
Sooooooo, Does anyone know anything about…errrmmmm…Who was it again, hold on, i’ll just troll through the pages to where the topic skewed off into a rant about Magazine’s, Newspaper’s and being taken to the cleaner’s for making up a few story’s for the sake of having a say. Yawwwwwn
