The popular ScotPlant exhibition was in town for a couple days and although the link between road building and road using is in most cases tenuous, local truck dealers and indeed road haulage operators took the opportunity to display their wares.

For sheer size and impressive on-stand hospitality, Volvo's plant and truck divisions linked well, but the eye-catcher at the show was the appearance of the Malcolm Group's plant division livery on a couple of Hino eight wheel tippers displayed by newly appointed dealer for Scotland's central belt, Armstrong Trucks now open at Uddingston and part of the Carlisle based Cumbria Truck Centre.

Dealer principal William Armstrong revealed that no less than 10 Hino 700 Series 8x4 chassis have been sold to Malcolms, all with 13 litre engines offering 410bhp. Eight chassis have a Thompson steel body and one has a Kelly alloy with the remaining truck sporting a Hyva big hook.

The new Uddingston dealership, responsible for full Hino sales and service, supersedes Armstrong's Livingston workshops which closed with the demise of Foden.

• William Armstrong also confirmed his appointment as sole UK importer for the Finnish SISU heavy haulage truck range comprising tractor units and rigids capable of carrying cranes and powered by 630bhp Caterpillar diesels.

ScotPlant