Top 10 facts about lorries
THIS week has been The Road Haulage Association’s National Lorry Week, so here are some facts.
The word lorry was first used in English in 1838 referring to a luggage truck on a train
1. There are an estimated 285,000 lorry drivers in the UK of whom only 1.2 per cent are women.
2. More than 80 per cent of all goods we consume are carried by UK-registered lorries. Road freight contributes £22.9billion a year to the economy.
3. The word lorry was first used in English in 1838 referring to a luggage truck on a train.
4. The word truck, which is now the American term for a lorry, first appeared in English around 1611 meaning small wheel or roller, specifically the sort mounted under cannons aboard warships.
5. According to a survey in 1997, seven per cent of lorry drivers think of sex, drink, food and a night out while they are driving.
The record for the longest Monopoly game played on the back of a fire truck is 101 hours
The methane in the flatulence of one sheep could power a small lorry to go 25 miles a day
6. It also reported that 35 per cent think of their families and 16 per cent think of nothing at all.
7. According to research in New Zealand, the methane in the flatulence of one sheep could power a small lorry to go 25 miles a day...
8. ...More recently, lorries have been powered on diesel fuel made of lamb fat or used cooking oil.
It was recently reported that there is only one female lorry driver in Pakistan
9. The record for the longest Monopoly game played on the back of a fire truck is 101 hours.
10. It was recently reported that there is only one female lorry driver in Pakistan.