The record, which after meticulous measurement showed an average speed of 130.862 km/h (500 metres) and 166.698* km/h (1,000 metres), is still unofficial as the results will be reviewed by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) before they are acknowledged as official records. The FIA had a representative on site at Hultsfred to document the record-breaking event.

The record is calculated on the basis of average speed over the entire course, but when Boije crossed the finishing line he was clocked at just over 250 km/h.

“It feels amazing,” says Boije Ovebrink, who brought along his family and most of his racing team to witness the record-breaking race, adding, “It’s a great way to celebrate one’s birthday,”

For some time, Boije has been working to set new records with a specially-built truck, in collaboration with Volvo Trucks, various other sponsors and a team of enthusiasts. The 16-litre Volvo D16 engine that powers his truck is built to deliver a massive 2,000 horsepower and up to 5,000 Nm of torque.

“We congratulate Boije and his team of passionate Volvo engineers to this new world record. His truck is to a very high degree based on original Volvo components, which clearly demonstrates the built in strength and quality of our products”, says Tommy Kohle, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications at Volvo Trucks.

Until recently, Boije believed he needed to beat a speed of just over 170 km/h for the 1,000 metre course that Czech race ace David Vršecký from Team Buggyra achieved in 2008. However, closer examination revealed that this was not an official record acknowledged by the FIA.

The previous official record-holder, who in 2001 set the benchmark for both 500 and 1,000 metres, and again took the 1,000 metre record in 2007, is none other than Boije Ovebrink. Now he is waiting for the FIA’s approval to claim his latest record…

[private]This is the first time that Bridgestone has received the award, which is provided only to a select group of suppliers that meet the world-class quality performance demanded by DAF’s parent company, PACCAR Inc.

“Bridgestone Europe is honoured to receive this prestigious Quality Achievement Award from DAF, said Gerry Duffy, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Bridgestone Europe.

“We are proud to meet the high product and service standards demanded by PACCAR and look forward to continuing this partnership in the future.”

Bridgestone Europe supplies the full range of tyres to DAF as original equipment for its range of medium and heavy trucks, enabling fleet operators to improve environmental performance and meet stricter European emission levels without compromising safety, cost efficiency or vehicle chassis height.[/private]

One of the Renault Midlums has a specialist, high spec crew cab and is fitted with a Zacklift under lift body for vehicle recovery and the other Renault Midlum has a tilt and slide body.

The vehicles join a mixed fleet of 15 trucks and vans and will operate as part of the company’s UK and European breakdown service. The new additions are part of Autohome’s fleet expansion programme.

James Robinson, Managing Director, Autohome, says: “We have a number of Renaults already on our fleet and we are choosing to move towards more Renaults in the future, mainly because of the service and back up we receive from Renault Trucks and WTL. The high spec crew cab on the Midlum was also especially important to us, so that we can comfortably carry passengers after attending breakdowns. With the vehicles working all over the country, as well as the Continent, we need reliable vehicles which, based on our experience, is another reason for our decision to purchase more Renaults.”

Based in Northampton, Autohome was established nearly 40 years ago, offering 24 hour breakdown assistance. The company has an extensive network of recovery specialists and its own fleet, enabling it to provide premium recovery service throughout Europe.

Part of the Charles Gee Group of global logistics companies, C&H has ordered 34 new generation Actros 2544s from dealer Sparshatts of Kent. All are Long Distance sleepers with the sole exception of the anniversary model, which sports a range-topping, flat-floored MegaSpace cab.

This ‘one-off’ unit was the first to enter service, the eye- catching livery having been applied to both the truck and its curtainsided trailer in Sparshatts’ own Sittingbourne
paintshop. The truck’s debut run took it to Liverpool, where it played a starring role at the 2009 Paper & Pulp Industry Transport Symposium, a biennial conference and exhibition for the international forest products logistics industry.

“It looks fantastic and proved a real talking point, serving as a great advertisement for our business,” recalls Director Steve Mercer. “As for its driver Danny Glavin, every time he sees me he shakes my hand, he’s that happy with his new
truck.”

C&H (Hauliers) bought its first seven Mercedes in 2002; today, its 100-strong fleet of tractor units is dominated by vehicles bearing the three-pointed star.

Faced with a mud-caked truck, which had just returned to its Yorkshire base from a spectacular car-crushing event, two Autoglym specialists took four hours to wash, polish and buff Big Pete back to its glorious, gleaming best.

Adrian Potts, who has been with Autoglym’s technical services team for seven years, explains: “The biggest challenge was cleaning the outside of the front windscreen. It was very difficult to reach most of the higher areas and we seemed to spend hours hanging off the truck like kids on a climbing frame!

“The products we used on Big Pete were the same ones used by professional valeters on elite supercars, or the man in the street on his family hatchback.  The only difference was that this was much further from the ground!”

Big Pete is a 7.5-tonne Peterbilt-bodied monster truck, powered by a 500 bhp 7.5-litre Chevrolet big block V8, mated to a three-speed TH400 drag-racing gearbox.  It is the only monster truck in the world that boasts a genuine articulated lorry cab body, and is also unique in being fitted with Pettibone crane axles which are each certified to 40 tonnes.  Running on enormous 5ft-tall, 4ft-wide tyres,Big Pete has crushed 7,000 cars in its 25-year lifetime.

Michael Murty, Big Pete’s owner, said: “We attend all sorts of events and exhibitions and we have to start every show with the vehicle in tip-top sparkling condition – from the massive tyres to the tall chrome chimneys, and the vast areas of bright red bodywork in between.  We frequently have a variety of different car care products offered to us, but we’ve always used Autoglym.  We sometimes take a little longer than it took these experts, but we’re always pleased to be able to achieve a brilliant shine to impress the crowds before we go car crushing.”

As leaders in their field, Autoglym’s technical services team are renowned for cleaning and polishing some of the most extreme vehicles on the planet.  From the Thrust SSC and recent British Steam Car Land Speed record holders, to Concorde at Manchester Airport’s Aviation Viewing Park, Autoglym delivers exceptional performance in even the most challenging circumstances.

Potholes.co.uk, which provides council contact details for people to report potholes as well as detailed advice on how to make a claim for damage caused by them, has already received more reports in January than in the whole of December, while daily visitor numbers have doubled in the past month.

Many users of the site are describing how they’ve suffered from damaged tyres, wheels and suspension following the icy weather.

“The New Year’s ‘Pothole Season’ is well and truly upon us,” said Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct, which set up Potholes.co.uk in 2007. “We’ve seen a surge in people visiting the site and, sadly, we’re hearing the same stories again and again – people are hitting craters caused by icy conditions and already poor road quality, and they are having to pay out for new wheels and tyres.”

Ice causes potholes by breaking the asphalt apart – water runs into any cracks in a road or path and then expands as freezes, tearing the surface apart.

The ice then melts as the temperature rises above zero in the daytime, before freezing again at night and repeating the “freeze and thaw” process on a daily basis.

“The problem is made worse by the fact that in the UK, our roads are dug up so often. Trenches created by utility companies cause weaknesses that the ice gets into, and many of the pictures posted on the site are from patchwork-like roads,” says McClure Fisher. “Our users are telling us that councils are out there repairing potholes once they’re reported, but they’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Anyone can report a road defect using Potholes.co.uk, which has contact details for councils across England, Scotland and Wales.

Intel and Google are both looking into interactive dashboards, including 10-inch screens above the gearstick, which will show 3D maps, web pages and even videos. Other similar systems are being previewed at trade shows.

Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner, said: “If drivers were tempted to use the internet or watch videos on the move, the results could be deadly,”

“If it’s not acceptable to read a novel while driving, how can it be acceptable to read a multimedia display? Just how much information can a car driver absorb and still drive responsibly?”

“There is a fine line between providing useful extra information and causing a dangerous distraction. This system appears to cross that line,” Mr Rodger added.

“Viewing things like restaurant reviews and venue information online while driving should be illegal, and it should be an offence to buy, sell, fit and transmit information for this particular use.”

The systems are not designed to be used on the move, but not all systems will be impossible to use while driving. One car manufacturer’s version, due out this autumn, bears the notice: “Please only use the online services when traffic conditions allow you to do so safely”.

“It should be made clear that the system should only be used when the vehicle is parked,” Rodger commented.

Central Motorway Police have confirmed that they are targeting truckers committing offences, which could put the public in danger.

Complete with flashing lights the Police HGV has been introduced to help clamp down on lorry drivers that might be using their mobile phones while on move or watching a crafty DVD!

Until now Police could not see up into the cabs from their patrol cars, but the HGV offers the additional height required.

The truck has one officer riding shotgun armed with a camera to film any wrong doing.

Construction teams faced the challenge of the extreme weight of the bridge section and the tight available space, making it impossible to use cranes to position the 95m long steel roadway, so looked to Goldhofer for the solution.

The Goldhofer PST-ES/E Series modules with a total of 19 axle lines were used to transport the Tenpaku motorway junction at a height of 30 metres via existing feeder roads, so that it could be installed on-site – forming a vital element in the completion of the motorway connection.

A Central Nippon Expressway Company spokesman, commented: “We would not have been able to realise this project without the Goldhofer vehicles – our new self- driven modules genuinely stole the show.”

Each Goldhofer module was equipped with a 60 tonne lift table, which supported the bridge at a height of 30 metres while the bridge section was then moved by two manoeuvrable lift table combinations, with the bridge protruding over the road sections positioned underneath it. The third unit then picked up the bridge on the other side of the street.

With only a few metres for vehicles to manoeuvre, the Central Nippon Expressway Company were able to make full use of the auxiliary steering featuring Goldhofer’s easyCONTROL remote control system, for use when the vehicle was negotiating urban areas or locations with restricted access.

Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, Goldhofer’s sole distributor in the UK and Ireland, explains: “The Higashi-Meihan-Highway is one of the most prestigious projects for Goldhofer in Japan, requiring a balance of precision and power to handle the weight of the gigantic steel section. The PST-ES/E self-driven modules have the highest axle load of any Goldhofer module and were perfect for this application.”

With a combined weight of 655 tonnes, including the bridge section, 60 tonne lift tables and 50 tonne weight of the mounting platforms, the Goldhofer modules made light work of the project – requiring only an hour to position the final bridge section.

“The biggest problem was the limited space in which equipment could be positioned, but thanks to the hydraulic rotary drive and numerous steering modes operated by remote control, each axle could be individually positioned millimetres at a time, giving the team an extremely flexible and precise steering system,” adds Collins.

The project forms part of the Higashi-Meihan-Highway, connecting Nagoya and Osaka, South West of Tokyo, and is one of the most important road links in Japan. Construction of the elevated express toll road, part of National Route 302, is due for completion in 2010 and will provide a six-lane transport system for 2.5 million people.

Four hundred Modec vehicles powered by Axeon batteries will initially be sold by Navistar though its extensive distribution network across North and South America. The tie up follows the US government’s $2.4 billion investment in the sector.

Modec, which has installed Axeon batteries in its vehicles for several years, has said that its joint venture with Navistar could lead to the production of thousands of zero-emission vehicles every year across North, South and Central America. Navistar has received $39 million in grants from President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package.

The deal will see the Navistar-Modec Joint Venture produce and sell electric Class 2c-3 commercial vehicles. The zero emission all-electric delivery vehicles will primarily be used for urban-suburban pickup and deliveries, which is the ideal application for this commercial electric van.

Modec vehicles, manufactured at the Coventry-based plant, are heralded as the future of urban transport and are designed from the ground up as electric commercial vehicles. Modec vehicles are operated by high profile companies such as global couriers, including FedEx and UPS, as well as Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain.

The Joint Venture is a world first and symbolizes evolution in the automotive industry toward a zero emission future.

For the first time Scania is featured in CDP’s Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). This index, a key component of CDP’s annual Nordic 200 Report, highlights the constituent companies within the Nordic 200 Index, which have displayed the most professional approach to corporate governance in respect of climate change disclosure practices. Companies are scored on their climate change disclosure and high scores indicate good internal data management and understanding of climate change related issues affecting the company.

“Low carbon intensity is of increasing importance for all industries. Our customers require products and services that enable them to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 generation. Scania meets these demands by providing fuel-efficient vehicles and engines that can run on renewable fuels, as well as services like training drivers in fuel efficient driving and maintaining vehicles in top shape,” says Scania’s CEO and President Leif Östling.

“Energy efficiency should be at the heart of every business since it affects the bottom line. At Scania every saved kWh counts, as indicated by a 40 percent reduction in energy use per vehicle produced over the past 10 years. The achievement this last year is a saving of no less than 3,200 tonnes of CO2,” concludes Leif Östling.

Paul Dickinson, Chief Executive of the Carbon Disclosure Project, commented: “Companies recognised in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index are rewarded for high quality responses to CDP, which demonstrate a good understanding of how climate change is and will continue to impact their business. Companies which control their risks today, manage their emissions and seize the opportunities to produce low carbon goods and services, will be the best placed to prosper in a low carbon economy of the future.”

CDLI provides an evaluation tool for institutional investors. It is collected by SIRP (Sustainable Investment Research Platform) at the Umeå School of Business. The index comprises the top scoring twenty of companies in the Nordic 200, based on analysis of the responses to CDP’s 2009 questionnaire, which focused on greenhouse gas emissions, emissions reduction targets and risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

The BBC has reported that the truck was on its way to a store in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, with 40 tonnes of stock.

It became stranded around 40 miles (64 km) away at Cwm Pennaner, between Frongoch and Cerrigydrudion, Conwy.

The BBC is reporting that the lorry belongs to the Stobart Group, which said the agency driver was “inexperienced”. It apologised and said it hoped to remove the lorry later.

“The driver has driven three miles down the unclassified road before coming stuck in mud,” said Farmers’ Union of Wales officer Gwyn Williams.

To view the truck click on the following link:

According to figures from the Road Haulage Association there have been nearly 4,000 thefts from trucks over the past year while hi-jackings are occurring at the rate of one a week.

The association said the main problem area is the West Midlands where a gang at least 12-strong targets HGVs carrying cigarettes, alcohol, electrical goods and designer label clothes. The trucks are either broken into or hi-jacked when they stop overnight at motorway service areas, lay-bys or lorry parks.

The RHA said police forces are not doing enough to tackle the problem. Business affairs manager Chrys Rampley said: “Freight crime is not given a high priority because it is seen as victimless. The police do get more actively involved when drivers are hurt or threatened, but when trucks are stolen there seems to be little co-operation between forces in terms of tracking these vehicles across country borders.”

Thefts also get little publicity because companies do not want it known that there are security issues, said Rampley. She added: “These gangs identify the trucks on the road and target them when they stop overnight, particularly those that stop in lay bys or in industrial estates which are quiet at night.”

Truck crime also gets lost in overall statistics, treated the same as car crime, she said.

The RHA is talking to senior police officers and the Department of Transport about the issue. It wants more secure parking areas with better facilities. Rampley said there are not enough secure parks and while motorway services areas provide safety in numbers overnight, they are expensive and facilities are poor.

“Typically trucks are charged £20 for an overnight stop – £28 at Clacket Lane services on the M25 in Kent – and food at these places is generally expensive, although a meal voucher is included in the price. This is often why drivers seek an overnight stop elsewhere.

“Part of the discussion with the DfT is about setting up lorry parks in the right places based on the most used routes and destinations. At the moment we have some parks which are in the wrong place while others overflow.”

The RHA has got European Union funding to assess potential sites which could provide facilities and security from truckers, but Rampley said that there many problems still to be overcome.

“Not many people want a truck park on their doorstep,” she added.

Another classic moment from the vaults of youtube.com!

View Video

The following clip on youtube.com is a typical example of the HGV madness that has been caught on camera in the recent past.

View Video:

If there is a crazy, zany, humorous or down right dangerous Video clip that you think is worthy of inclusion  please Email the clip or the link to us.