The latter was stressed by Iveco UK truck director Chris Thorneycroft-Smith who admitted to the trade press that manufacturers are differentiated less by product these days and more by their ability to provide the added value of pre and aftersales services.

"Confidence is the one thing that really encourages transport operators to buy, because if they don't have it you can promise them all you like but they ain't going to buy," he suggested. "Look at the tractor unit sector. It's the ultimate 'no bullshit' sector of them all. You can't fool tractor unit operators because they've been there, seen it, heard it and done it all.

However we realised that 2005 was going to be a year of building for us at Iveco UK. Not just reputations, but confidence, belief, trust, assurance and loyalty. And I am delighted to say the message is getting through because we can now claim the fastest growing market share in the tractor sector so far this year in Britain.

"At the end of September, Iveco's numbers at 783 registered Stralis tractor units, were up a massive 99.8% on the first nine months of last year, jumping us up two places in the overall league table. On the vans side of the business we have had our successes too. 30 years ago less than 5% of Iveco total UK volume was in vans, now its 60% and key to this remarkable increase is quite simply that as a truck company we can use our heavy truck culture to benefit operators at every level.

"Vans sourced from manufacturers who primarily make trucks are an undeniably better buy because they carry that added value, a sort of 'X' factor, that whatever happens the manufacturer understands the need to look after the vehicle and get it back on the road, now, if at all possible. How many operators who have bought vans from car manufacturers can say that?"

It wasn't all good news from Chris Thorneycroft-Smith however. He ventured that Iveco UK would lose its long time lead in the 7.5 tonne market at the end of this year, but the EuroCargos that had been sold, had achieved healthy profit margins and it was quite feasible that the marque would return to top spot at the end of 2006. In fact this move to profitable business deals was likely to elevate 2005 into the best year in Iveco's 30 year history.

Interestingly, these past three decades threw up some interesting comparative statistics as Iveco UK revealed: In 1976, the total market in Britain above 3.5 tonnes stood at 55,689. Last year (2004) it stood at 56,312 - a 1.1% difference. Market high point between the years was 1979 with 77,100 registrations and the low occurred in 1992 with only 31,400 trucks sold. But amazingly the sector that really does stand out is exactly at 3.5 tonnes where in 1991 only 27,000 3.5 tonne vans were registered. In 2004, that figure hit 77,670 - a growth of 187% and in only 13 years.