MAN TGL truck now on trial with the AA 15 July 2011

MAN has been given the opportunity to show the AA what its TGL trucks can do, with a 12 tonne vehicle having Boniface slide-back body and second car under-lift currently on trial.

"We had some MAN chassis on the fleet many years ago, and those certainly had a good track record with us, so this is a chance for MAN to show us what their modern range is all about," comments Chris Wiltshire, fleet development engineer for AA Road Operations.

"This is all part of our continual process of vehicle evaluation. We have had a long relationship with one particular manufacturer, but we always need to know what options are out there and what is available to us," he explains.

Part of the attraction, he says, is the standard MAN TipMatic automated gearbox, which, he believes, will go down well both with drivers and AA members.

A further bonus was the availability of a factory fitted crew-cab. The seven seat unit is a stock option from MAN on the TGL, and Wiltshire declares himself very happy with the clear cross-cab access – always important given the potentially dangerous situations AA drivers find themselves in.

Feedback is very positive, although he adds that the truck is very different from some of the vehicles the AA used to run, so it's still early days for the trial. "So far, though, I'd say the MAN product package has proved popular with its users."

Wiltshire also points out that the AA is a major user of new transport technologies, so further plus points of the truck include MAN's Euro 5 EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) engine, and its MAN EcoStyle driver/vehicle performance reporting system.

The AA's MAN TGL is working in the southwest, around the M4/M5 junction, from where it will be maintained by local MAN branch, MAN Truck & Bus Bristol.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Automobile Association
MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd

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