A rose by any other name is not a daffodil…
Indignant rant about a magazine’s apparent inability to describe a machine properly.
About 25 years ago, I was told by a senior officer from within the Kent police force that one of the biggest challenges facing them when trying to recover stolen equipment was the fact that they couldn’t identify machine types. The term JCB can cover a multitude of equipment types, very few of them actually rolling off a Uttoxeter production line; and a digger can be anything from a half tonne machine you can tow behind you family car to a mining shovel that could accommodate said car in its bucket.
This is not the kind of thing the police have to deal with every day so, even a quarter of a century on, I am still happy to make allowances on this basis. But what excuse can there possibly be when one of the UK’s leading construction magazines perpetuates this ignorance?
In this article, which ironically is on the subject of plant theft, we have references to:
- A Volvo dumper truck (surely an articulated dumptruck)
- A JCB 3CX excavator (er, that’s a backhoe loader)
- And a JCB digger (that could be just about anything)
There would be outcry if, instead of using the proper name and nomenclature, Jeremy Clarkson described Ferrari’s latest offering a “a red car”. And how would you get on if you popped into your local mobile phone shop and asked for “a Nokia”.
Surely we should expect a little more accuracy and attention detail from a supposed industry magazine.
Posted: August 18th, 2009 under Equipment.
Tags: contract journal, Equipment, plant
Comments
Comment from Oliver James
Time August 18, 2009 at 4:44 pm
It is pedantic, but this kind of thing drives me mad too. The number of times the BBC talks about JCBs and bulldozers while showing pictures of something that is nether is staggering. They should know better.
Comment from admin
Time August 18, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I’m glad it’s not just us then! Mind you, having re-read the article, it does sound rather like I got out of bed the wrong side (and about five hours too early)
Comment from Jack westwood
Time August 18, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Like Oliver said I absolutly hate it when they call a digger a crane and spell it crain. boills my wee!
Comment from Bob Rowlands
Time August 20, 2009 at 9:30 am
You are absolutely right and I am sure that this helps theives get away with it. Almost as bad – a trio of theives were caught on CCTV driving an unmarked white Transit van through the breached gates and towing the one tonne mini-excavator – that would have been interesting! or was it really the trailer that they towed? What upsets me is that there are items out there to stop theft of trailers – but then I have my own agenda.
Comment from admin
Time August 20, 2009 at 9:46 am
Bob, you only have your own agenda because the equipment industry has a theft problem, one that is not helped by this poorly presented misinformation.
I recently attended a seminar on the issue of equipment theft within the demolition industry and the audience was one of the most passionate I have seen in many a year. I do, however, feel that the demolition sector is viewed by many of the anti-theft brigade as something of a backwater while they concentrate on the volume equipment users in the rental business.
Comment from mike
Time August 18, 2009 at 4:33 pm
you pedantic sausage!!!!