20
UP FRONT
Summer 2019 Truck & DriverReviewed and rated
BINGO, A BERLINGO
This is the second part of Chris Nicholls’s autobiography, the first being
There and Back: a Journey Around my Life. We join him just as he has
finished up as an owner-driver, “beaten into submission by red tape,
VOSA and the bank” after 23 years of truck driving.
Unable to find HGV driving work (oh, how times have changed!)
Chris starts to worry he’ll lose his house, before a chance
encounter with a courier company sets him up working as a
self-employed van driver for the next 20 years.
He tells numerous entertaining stories of his time on the road across Europe and
makes us think – would we be better off behind the wheel of a Berlingo? It could give
a few retired or lapsed drivers a thing or two to think about as well. Just because you
can’t drive a truck any more doesn’t mean you can’t drive at all. Dougie Rankine
White Van Man – The Warblings of a Courier by Chris Nicholls, published by Victoria
Cottage Press. Email [email protected]✪✪✪✪
Editor’s
ChoiceENTERTAINMENTKIBBE AND FRIENDS
- PODCAST OF THE MONTH •
Rob Kibbe started a website
and then a podcast called The
Muscle Car Place, which
brought him into contact with
Mike Finnegan, a journalist and
star of internet TV’s hugely
popular series Roadkill.
The pair hit it off and decided
to make a podcast reviewing all
the episodes of The Dukes of
Hazzard, one by one. The show
evolved into roughly half
muscle car talk and half Dukes
reviews, plus they covered
various films along the way.
Last year, Mike retired from
the series owing to other work
commitments. As the more
famous of the pair, there was a
worry the show wouldn’tsurvive, but it has in fact gone
from strength to strength.
Robert has been joined by
muscle car and Dukes expert
Justin ‘Corndog’ Cornette (who
runs the ‘Real General Lee’
page on Facebook) plus a
number of guest stars. An
exciting development in 2019
has been a series of interviews
with stars of the show; to date,
Ben Jones, Byron Cherry, Tom
Wopat and John Schneider
have appeared.
The show is very good
natured and easygoing and
there are now hundreds of
episodes. They also have a
Patreon account, which posts
bonus material each month.SCALED-DOWN SCANIA
Here is a terrific new
mini Scania, which will
not only appeal to
children but is an ideal
promotional tool for a
company. Designed on
3D CAD and built on a
CNC laser-cut andfabricated stainless-steel
chassis and axles,
the trucks are
produced in
Ireland by
Lakeside
Engineering
Design. The rigs
are officially
licensed by
Scania too,
and the
specification is
just about as
mouth-watering as a real
S730! It even includes a V8
engine noise.
The first examples are all
sold but deposits are now being
taken for the second batch. At
€3300 plus VAT, they’re not
cheap (orders placed with a
company name and VAT
number outside Ireland are
eligible for zero-rated VAT) but
you’re really getting what you
pay for here; it’s a substantial
piece of equipment that will last
a very long time.
Scaled-down Scania, $3300
plus VAT. Go to the website
scaled-rigs.comSpec
l Battery-powered 24V unit
with chain-driven transmission
l Functioning fifth wheel,
allowing for coupling/
decoupling of trailers
l Pneumatic six-ply tyres
l Sturdy plastic-moulded
cab and rear valance
l Functioning tail lights
l Scania V8 engine noise
l Forward/reverse
l Variable throttle speed
l Safe top speed of 6km/h
l Safety shutoff/cooldown built-
in ECU to prevent
overloading damage