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John Marks, Managing Director,
Road Trucks Ltd., Norman McBurney,
Managing Director, McBurney
Transport and Eric Magill,
Road Trucks Ltd.
Sales Representative
Power
Power Northern
hungry!
Ireland operators have long had a
healthy appetite for the raw power of the big Scania
V8s. And the new 16-litre 730 hp model – the
world’s most powerful truck – has them calling
out for more. Michael Phillips finds out why.
Davy Miller is a fortunate man.
Not only does he get to see
the world, he does it in style
behind the wheel of the Scania
Topline-cabbed R 730 he drives
for Caledon, Co. Tyrone-based
Magee Haulage. What’s more,
Davy is the envy of many a fellow
driver, for he pilots the very first
R 730 to arrive in the Province.
But now, just a few short months
since the model’s launch, Davy’s
truck has company as it is now
one of ten R 730s either in service
or about to be delivered to local
operators by Larne-based Road
Davy Miller with Magee
Haulage's new R730
Trucks Limited. That’s more than
any other single area of the UK.
“And I have no doubt as to why
– quite simply, this vehicle is as
good as it gets,” says Davy Miller.
“I work mainly on fridge work,
running all over Europe as far
afield as Italy, Spain and Poland.
It’s when you’re going up the
hills in Germany that you really
begin to notice the difference,
nothing comes close to it. I’ve
been driving for the past 12
years and this is the only truck I
have ever had which can make it
to the top of the Italian side of
Mont Blanc on the limiter – it’s
incredible, a driver’s dream.
“I live in the cab for up to a
week at a time while I’m away
and this vehicle is night-and-day
compared to other trucks I’ve had.
The cab has been improved, the
bed is better and there’s more
locker space than ever. I’m very
pleased, let’s just say I’ve got
no intention of giving it up!”
The R 730 is the latest in a long
line of V8-engined Scanias with
a pedigree stretching back more
than 40 years to 1969, when the
Swedish manufacturer introduced
its first big vee. Displacing
14.2-litres and developing
just 350 horsepower, not a
lot by today’s standards, the
first DS14s would nonetheless
lead to a massive change in
the way Northern Ireland’s
hauliers specified their trucks.
John Marks, Managing Director
of Road Trucks explains: “The
early Scania V8s were certainly
revolutionary in their time,” says
John. “Not only did the power
they had on tap make drivers
very happy, but they also enabled
journey times to be slashed. Back
then, our road network hadn’t
been developed up to modern
day standards, so there was a
lot of slowing down to do as
trucks made their way around
the bends, twists and turns. The
V8 offered a huge advantage in
that it recovered its speed on the
straights so quickly compared
to anything else on the road.
“This was quickly recognised
by our operators and Northern
Ireland soon became Scania’s
top UK V8 market, a title I am
delighted to say we continue
to hold to this day.”
Fuel efficiency, of course, plays its
part too, as Norman McBurney,
Managing Director of prominent
Northern Ireland operator
McBurney Transport testifies:
“We took delivery of our first
Scania R 730 a month or so ago
and although it’s early days, we
are delighted with it and the
fuel figures it is returning.”
According to Davy Miller, there
is another reason why the big
Scanias are so popular with the
Province’s transport firms: “It
has to be said that the service
we receive from Road Trucks is
second-to-none. We are looked
after extremely well, nothing is
too much trouble. I am based out
of Scotland, but I still bring my
truck back to Road Trucks’ Omagh
depot for servicing. That speaks
volumes as to the way we are
looked after by the team there.
“Put that together with the
power, performance and allround
appeal of the R 730 and
it’s easy to see why Scania is
such a natural choice for us.”
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Scania R730 Magee 1pg 2.indd 64 25/05/2011 10:56