£4.20 for substandard paper…
Hi Muckaway, I have just returned from a trip to New Zealand,a couple of weeks ago i went into a newsagents in Auckland and saw on the shelf C.V.C mag i picked it up had a quick skip through found nothing much of interest so put it back on the shelf.Then i noticed the price, it was £4-50 in UK in NZ it was 16 dollars £8-00i in UK money, what a rip off ,what idiot would pay that for a sub -standard mag like that. cheers Ted.
I’ve got some old CVC’s from a few years back (when the paper was good). The articles were more in depth (less of the history lesson) and less repetitive memories yet still wasting space with the A to Z. Is it me or do most of the classifieds seem to be sold by the same few vendors? I like the “classic truck” section in Heritage Commercials perhaps that should be a standalone mag?
Yep that’s what I was paying about sixteen bucks.
I say was as I’ve given it away now,the last few were really not that great. So I’ve jumped the fence and started reading Heritage Commercials,it has less war storys and seems eddited by a bloke who knows a bit about trucks. A no brainer realy
Muckaway:
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Not referring to your time on the railways are you? Steam Railway have the same problem as CVC, letters from anorak wearers who fill an entire page with uninterseting waffle about something I gave up reading about as I started to doze off. Another mag I stopped buying…
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Ha Ha! Sorry Mucka, only just picked this up. Nah, I left there to pursue a sporting career, (well sort of.) After nearly twenty years at that I drifted into haulage and struggled on with that for another twenty odd years. When I packed that in I got involved in the old game again in management (only on a voluntary basis). In the early days the crap reporting didn’t bother me, but when I was older it did. I took a chap to task on it one day and his stance was it doesn’t matter who says what as long as we are getting coverage! 
I suppose in defense of these scribes they probably have a tight schedule to work to, but it makes you wonder sometimes, when they get it soooo! wrong, and is still bloody annoying! 
Its that time again spring cleaning I have between 50 to 100 classic lorry magazines, mix of heritage commercials, vintage commercials and vintage road scene they are going free to who ever want to collect them. I need the space and it would be a shame to skip them I live 10 MINS from south mimms services on M25.
I get Classic & Vintage Commercials every month, Love it.
Eric1976:
I get Classic & Vintage Commercials every month, Love it.
I used to buy it regularly (more interesting than modern truck mags that are mainly doom and gloom and chock-full of gaylord wagons ) but either it went stale or with the price rise, maybe I was more discerning? I get my fix of old 'uns on here now 
Muckaway:
Eric1976:
I get Classic & Vintage Commercials every month, Love it.I used to buy it regularly (more interesting than modern truck mags that are mainly doom and gloom and chock-full of gaylord wagons
I know what you mean, these modern trucks covered with flags and enough lights to put Blackpool illuminations in the shade just don’t hold any appeal for me. Give me an Albion Reaver in green and red livery any day.
More and more are turning away from CVC it seems. Everywhere I go I hear the same thing from real enthusiasts of old waggons within the haulage industry …‘I have switched to Hertiage Commericals…’.
It is a shame, CVC used to be a great mag, but as someone pointed out to me last week, when they put a Bedford TK on the front cover that has been heavily modified and is even missing a bl##dy wiper arm, there is no hope that the content within will be worth reading!.
Had a look at this months CVC earlier. I bought last months (wasn’t bad but WTF was the enamel sign feature for? Utter crap)
My favourite bit in this months’ (carrying on) was rubbish. About 4 pics and at least one was from a long way off!
A request; Could someone tell me if Nick Baldwin has ever written an interesting article? He’s responsible for the most boring display of Gaydon museum (it’s near the old bus) and the complete cowpat of magazine writing that is the A to ZZZZZZZZZZZ in CVC. I feel they should print his articles on Andrex as in the mag it aint worth wiping my arse on…
I know the owner of the Atkinson on the front cover of this months Classic and Vintage, and the mistakes in the write up are unbeleivable 
, Just shows you the ‘so called’ Editor - Ted Connolly, has no real interest in Lorries whatsoever!
The article on the Ace Cafe proves the point, the 1st page of writing was utter B******S 
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…If not for the Peter Davies On a Roll section, an absolute waste of money
lemonmouth:
If not for the Peter Davies On a Roll section, an absolute waste of money
But that in itself isn’t worth almost £5. I know it’s banging on but how and why did the editor publish an article on old advertising signs? If they were old manufacturers ads (like Bubbleman posts) then fair enough but that artucle featured the sort of crap that oddball couples display beside their camper van at steam rallies (along with knitted fire engines and tractor seats). Personally I reckon they’ve paid upfront for the A to Zzzz;otherwise it would’ve been shelved ages ago.
One more thing; last months featured an article by someone who’s been dead for several years and waffled on about a Victorian mill owners up North. WTF has this got to do with a classic lorry mag?
I shaln’t even bother with those gay little editorials (they’re basically the same ■■■■ every month with the same little ■■■■ smuggly grinning for the camera
CVC has really declined recently - which is a pity as they have finally improved the print quality.
The recent cover story of the AEC Mercury is a case in point - as far as I could see it was just an extended sales advert!
No restoration or anything to add to the info. which has been stuck to the front of that lorry at many shows for several years…
The editor sees it as his personal nostalgia magazine - hence the reluctance to feature lorries post-1980 (except when he feels like it…)
And why was that strange Bedford TK wrecker on the cover recently? There were far more interesting vehicles inside. The Bedford is just a (strange) respray and change of owner…
So - to answer the OP - despite having stuff featured myself in the past - I will not be buying it anymore. Not until the editorial policy changes back towards the magazine’s title = as opposed to an “old war stories” mag that totally excludes anyone born after some arbitrary date.
I prefer reading the old stuff, rather than the “Gaylord” (muckaway) lorries. I have just dug out some 1970’s Ford brochures and they are good journalistic stories giving the history and the reasons for the factory decisions.
I loved the Len Valsler stuff a couple of years ago and if Headlight was still around it would be great, not with adverts for dodgy pallet yards or caravan burgers, but with legal and haulage news from the smaller companies, not the corporate crap from multinationals.
fryske:
CVC has really declined recently - which is a pity as they have finally improved the print quality.The recent cover story of the AEC Mercury is a case in point - as far as I could see it was just an extended sales advert!
No restoration or anything to add to the info. which has been stuck to the front of that lorry at many shows for several years…The editor sees it as his personal nostalgia magazine - hence the reluctance to feature lorries post-1980 (except when he feels like it…)
I thought that AEC looked familiar-they don’t give much info on the featured lorrys’ life (just repeated bumf about how AEC was shut down etc) and I skipped most of the article although I thought it cheaky to add at the end that despite it being “cherished” the owner was willing to sell it. If that’s the case then it should be in the classifieds.
The no 1980+ gets on my ■■■■; As I’ve posted somewhere before, old to me goes upto mid '90s (when I left school), and although I like to see vintage lorries, the resto stories don’t hold alot of my interest to me as I can’t relate to them. I think anything before a certain age (say 1955) should be in old glory.
Well Gentlemen there is obvious disquiet regarding the two main old lorry publications, CVC and Heritage Commercials who hold the bulk circulation in a niche enthusiast market. The two publishing houses in question, Kelsey, and Mortons Media both produce a number of titles catering for a diverse range of “enthusiast” interests, old cars, lorries motorcycles etc. Taking Kelsey first Peter Love was the driving force, initially with Tractors , then commercials etc. He worked as any amateur would with passion and parnache, helped by experienced friends like Nick Baldwin (who is a good journalist, I cite early pieces in Old Motor, and Truck 1974 on). Mortons were on a roll, particularly with their Motorcycle titles and Old Glory when they acquired the magazine that was to become Heritage Commercials and put a very experienced motor cycle journalist, Peter Kelly at the helm. The circulation began to grow, and in a very shrewed move Mortons advertised for "enthusiasts who could write copy, take photographs, and had a grasp of a number of similar subjects. My memory may be like me a little old, but I think the titles covered were lorries, Old Glory, and a railway title. Anyway one deft move and you have reduced your wages bill substantially, good business move. Or is it? certainly a lot of what has been printed under the current Editorship at Heritage Commercials particularly as "history of " contains, to anyone with contemporary knowledge, misleading inaccuracies, and much subjective, rather than objective opinion and fact. Having said that at least the spelling is getting better! and H.C. is streets ahead of the lacklustre CVC where each subsequent issue becomes more dire. The latest article on Transport Cafes simply serves to underline the Editors complete lack of grasp of the subject matter, and in my personal opinion rather “iffy” journalistic skills. I too cannot fathom the continuation of Baldwins A to Z, if he is on a long term contract he is, believe me capable of much better work than this boring diatribe. Carrying on, well if anyone at Kelsey had any industry knowledge, and knowing the amount of free material they receive, this section could be more interesting. Well how long before Kelseys other failing title Classic Van gets incorporated into CVC??Iwould bet that thats on the corporate agenda! Like the rest of you Gentlemen I am fed up with what my subscription yields each month, will it change, only if the circulations drop, and then only slowly. Best plan, dont give them any material without guaranteed payment, put it up here, where the world can appreciate it, and enjoy your life experience, without some third rate journalist cropping it to get it in his space, and in doing so ruins a really good story. But sadly I know you wont, so the third rate reporting will continue, and inaccuracies will become fact, bit like a RHA meeting really, what do others think?? Bon Chance, Salut.
I agree with you Saviem. I thought of sending copies of the old Smiths pics I’ve posted but never bothered for one reason or another. Never an issue goes by without one readers feature being doctored for lack of space just so another ad for insurance with a blonde bird can be squeezed in. I think the price causes a lot of disquiet, if it was closer to the £3 mark instead of £5, they’d be forgiven but when you’re skipping 50%+ of the mag you’ve just bought something’s wrong. Even more so when you can read the best bits while shopping and put it back I haven’t read one post that supports CVC since this thread started but it’s not just them, T&D has been crap for ages, Heritage Coms didn’t interest me this month and Trucking had nothing either. Ho hum, £20 saved I suppose
COME ON, ADMIT IT; Who bought a CVC goody bag at Gaydon? (No I 'king didn’t)
I didn’t but I did laugh when a call went out for it’s editor to return to their stand-some wag shouted out that he was off loooking for something interesting to write about
Muckaway:
I agree with you Saviem. I thought of sending copies of the old Smiths pics I’ve posted but never bothered for one reason or another. Never an issue goes by without one readers feature being doctored for lack of space just so another ad for insurance with a blonde bird can be squeezed in. I think the price causes a lot of disquiet, if it was closer to the £3 mark instead of £5, they’d be forgiven but when you’re skipping 50%+ of the mag you’ve just bought something’s wrong. Even more so when you can read the best bits while shopping and put it back
Quite right Nathan what you say! I used to buy one of the mags and one of my former drivers bought the other then we’d swap but we even came to think we were being ripped off with a BOGOF deal so we finally kicked it into touch!! As Saviem says it’s far better to come onto this site both for the “craic” as well all the interesting anecdotes and technical thingy’s!! And anyway where else can you get a daily episode of “The travels of a tipper driver through Oxfordshire and its neighbouring counties” an everyday story of Tipper folk!! Cheers Dennis.