It is with the deepest regret, that I have to inform any of the TRUCK readers among you, that due to strategic business reasons, the publisher of TRUCK - Reed Business Information - has decided to close the title.
The last issue will be September 2004 - out 20th August 2004.
I am not at liberty to go into the details of this descision and a detailed statement is available from RBI on request. Tel; 0208 652 3500 and ask for public relations.
I have already been bombarded with emails and calls from past contributers, manufacturers and loyal readers, expressing thier sadness on hearing the news. TRUCK would have been 30 with effect the October issue this year and it was the magazine that changed the way our industry was reported. It still is one of the most respected transport publications in the world and has made all its competitors make radical changes in the way they do things.
All of us who are associated with its production are deeply sadened by RBIās descision. If you wish to have your say, or just say what TRUCK has meant to you please email me at peter.shakespeare@rbi.co.uk and we will endevour to print your messages in the last issue.
Having heard the fact that RBI are closing down the TRUCK Magazine title I
thought I would send you my reaction.
A recent topic amongst our users showed that many felt T&D magazine was
on its own and another publishers magazine was rivalling TRUCK. It is
incredible that RBI are willing to hand over this sector of the market to a
rival without even a whimper.
Truck has for 30 years prided itself on honest in depth feature reporting,
It has always been brutally honest, sometimes no doubt to the annoyance of
the advertisers. It reported in detail, Monthly, what its sister
magazine,Commercial Motor, covered in brief weekly. an arrangement that
worked well for both titles and the industry at large.
Where is this in depth reporting going to come from now?
This is a severe blow to the industry, and obviously even more so to the
staff of Truck Magazine. Our thoughts are with you at this time
Rikki Chequer
Managing Director
TruckNet (Europe) Ltd www.TruckNetUK.com
Could I get a clarification on āTruckā magazine?I have recently taken out a 2 year International subscription to "Truck and Driver"published by Reed Business Information and is it the same publication?
Could I get a clarification on āTruckā magazine?I have recently taken out a 2 year International subscription to "Truck and Driver"published by Reed Business Information and is it the same publication?
Truck & Driver is a title also owned by Reed Business Informationā¦ but it is seperate from TRUCK Magazineā¦ as far as I know there is no threat to T&D so your subscription should be safe!!
I am sure either Dave Young (Editor Truck&Driver) or Peter Shakespeare(Editor Truck Magazine) will confirm this
Peter Shakespeare:
a detailed statement is available from RBI on request. Tel; 0208 652 3500 and ask for public relations.
Peter I have called to get a copy of the statement so as to inform the users of this siteā¦
The PR dept at Reed Business profess to have NO knowledge whatsover of Truck Magazines closureā¦ nor is there any statement made by Reed to that effect
Thanks Rikki,Got a bit concerned that I had done my hard earned cold,but also any trucking publication that ceases escp after a long history isnāt good news.
Ive still got a few copies of Truck from the early 80ās. I have to admit that recently I havent bought the mag, but Im sad to see it go. I was sad to see the Headlight go as well, Its just the nature of things. I will say this, I think that Truck & T&D might well have been better as a single publication (as I believe it was origionally) and therefore hitting as broader range of reader.
Over the years, I have bought all the magazines and had subscriptions to Commercial Motor, Motor Transport and Headlight.
Motor Transport is annoying in that is very expensive for the content, but was given free to most business users. CM is getting like the free truck and van trader magazines in truckstops.
Headlight was the best, in its original format, full of disciplinary cases and court cases of drivers. It had roadtests too, for anyone interested in an Albion Reiver or Austin J4 pick up
I suppose Truck, Trucking International and T & D should be a merged publication anyway.
So, what happens to my (expensive) foreign subscription to Truck? Is there any chance theyāll finish out my pre-paid year with the other mag? I just hope it isnāt one of those awful chrome-and-modified truck magazines like we have over here in the states. I canāt stand those things.
Peter Shakespeare:
a detailed statement is available from RBI on request. Tel; 0208 652 3500 and ask for public relations.
Peter I have called to get a copy of the statement so as to inform the users of this siteā¦
The PR dept at Reed Business profess to have NO knowledge whatsover of Truck Magazines closureā¦ nor is there any statement made by Reed to that effect
On the subject of Reed Business Informationās PR department not knowing about TRUCKās closure. I apologise if I mislead anyone by assuming the publisher knew that it had closed one of its own titles!
Thank you and your members for the interest and kind words. The team at TRUCK have been issued with redundancy notices. We are all keeping our options open at the moment.
On the subject of subscriptions, etc. I am sure that TRUCK subscribers will not be left out of pocket, and once we recieve some clarification we will publish a notice in the September and final issue.
We hope to go out with a bang in September and produce an issue that will bring back a few memories
If anyone has any fond memories of the magazine, drop me an email and we will publish them in the last issue.
i have sent an email to peter, i have to admit to be very dissappointed that truck was not given the same coutesy as commercial motor when that magazine was struggling to make sales targets, i am confident that a revamp of the magazine would have worked and boosted the sales again.
wishing the best of british to all those who sailed the good ship truck.
