Commercial Motor articles from April 2004

Commercial Motor archives from April 2004

SHOW STOPPERS!
April 1, 2004... From tractors to CDVs, there were plenty of eye-catching vehicles at the CV Show - our technical team has selected the cream of the crop... As ever, the truck and van manufacturers generated the most interest on their stands with most...

innovations.
April 1, 2004... Away from the crowds surrounding next season's CVs our team spotted some fascinating new trailers, bodies, parts and accessories. Tyres Treading carefully Michelin launched a trailer tyre designed for long-distance driving. The...

Boxes of delight.
April 1, 2004... A Daf, a MAN and a Mercedes go head-to-head in our automatic gearbox test. Which gives the smoothest performance? Gerhard Grunig reports. Today's automatics ooze shift comfort, economy and smooth clutch play. But even so, some drivers...

Dodgy tacho and speed limiter cost driver [pounds sterling]1,180.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The magistrates took a particularly serious view of the fact that Eveleigh had continued to drive the vehicle while subject to the prohibition notice. CARRY ON REGARDLESS Summary Driving a vehicle with a defective speed limiter, a...

Final chance if fleet passes fresh MoTs.(Freight Transport Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * It would join the Freight Transport Association * The FTA would be employed to carry out a systems audit * Nil daily defect reporting would be maintained * The nominated transport manager would train all of its drivers in defect reporting *...

IN THE LONG RUN.
April 1, 2004... Is Scania's Longline extended cab the shape of artics to come... or an evolutionary back water? Brian Weatherley investigates. Two years ago Commercial Motor declared: "We've seen the future of long haul tractors." The question is how...

Likely winner?(D20 engine)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2004... MAN's new engine looks impressive on paper, but what's it like to drive? Andy Salter heads to Spain to find out. Additional reporting from Brian Weatherley. The new D20 engine breathes new life into the TGA and MAN as an organisation....

Making the right move.
April 1, 2004... What are the legal pitfalls of moving premises? Is freehold always better than leasehold? Stuart Darlington reports. Your local council will advise on planning procedures but it may be useful to raise the matter with your local councillor...

Second appeal lost as operator's 'private use' defence is rejected.
April 1, 2004... The burden of proof is on the owner of a detained vehicle to satisfy a TC, on the balance of probabilities, that he was not using the vehicle unlawfully. The burden was not on the VI to prove that he was. THE OWNER MUST PROVE LAWFUL USE ...

The middlemen.(Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)
April 1, 2004... Most people probably think ACAS spends all its time knocking heads together in industrial disputes, but few know it also runs low-cost nationwide seminars for small businesses. Patric Cunnane reports. * Conciliation to help settle...

Tipper firm switched to on-board weighers ; following [pounds sterling]1,000 fine for overloading.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A tipper operator and one of its drivers have paid [pounds sterling]1,600 in penalties for a series of overloading offences. CJ Pryor (Plant), of Harlow, pleaded guilty before Epping magistrates to exceeding the permitted gross weight of a...

old star, new image.(Nissan Motor Company Ltd.)
April 1, 2004... the verdict While time is not on its side the Nissan Cabstar is not necessarily showing its age. Of course it could be a bit more refined in terms of construction and cab comfort, but it doesn't feel that far off the mark compared with the...

FIRST POST.(web portals)
April 1, 2004... In the latest instalment of our beginners' guide to the internet, Elton Boocock shows just how simple it is for even a beginner to send and receive e-mails and attach files. Adding impact to your communications Using your internet...

It's here. but ; is it enough?(Scania R-Series trucks)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... As our front cover says this week, 'It's Here'. By it, we mean the new Scania R-Series, of course, the most eagerly awaited new truck range of the year. Scania got the 4-Series wrong in a lot of ways when it was launched back in the mid-90s....

APRIL 2004.( licensing )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Judging by the DfT's latest registration figures congestion will get worse - but CVs aren't the problem 2003 licensing The DfT's figures show the second largest increase in licensing was buses and coaches at 4.1%, followed by private and...

Lead elements.(Tibbett & Britten UK )
April 8, 2004... Tibbett & Britten UK boss Martin Graham delivered a national distribution system in the US for Wal-Mart in just 13 weeks. But can he explain "logistics" to Brian Weatherley? Inside Tibbett & Britten's (T&B's) immaculate Elstree offices...

Merc goes straight with in-line engines.
April 8, 2004... In 2007 DaimlerChrysler will move to its "global diesel engine family" . Its V-configuration will be replaced by in-line sixes. Ivan Stjernqvist reports. Turning scale into profit has been a DaimlerChrylser mantra for the past three...

Bell rejects surrender plan.
April 8, 2004... An operator who bought trucks but ran them on their former owner's licence to get round a curtailment has been banned indefinitely. An operator who bought trucks from his neighbour and ran them on the neighbour's licence has been...

Faster on the flat.(Value Added Tax on Accounting services)
April 8, 2004... Small operators can save time and money by signing up to the Flat Rate VAT scheme that was introduced two years ago and further improved in January. Adam Bernstein explains how it works. Most operators are probably on the standard VAT...

Get your sums right.(National Minimum Wage Act 1998 )
April 8, 2004... A fair day's pay for a fair day's work is a simple enough formula for remunerating workers. But is paying wages always as simple as that? It seems not. Patrick Cunnane reports. A new driver applies to joins your company. His references...

Accidents hurt your pocket.(insurer's contingency fund)
April 8, 2004... Insurance doesn't just climb when claims are proved against you. Jason Hamer struggles with his insurer's contingency fund. The year before last our employers' liability insurance premium more than quadrupled overnight from [pounds...

IT bid to boost test standard.(Vehicle and Operator Services Agency)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... VOSA's computerised MoT system looks efficient - though some veteran mechanics may regret the flood tide of computerisation. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) marked its debut at the CV Show by demonstrating its new...

Your chosen route to Euro-4 is set to affect used values.(Euro-4 compliant engine manufacturing)
April 8, 2004... Engine manufacturers have found two ways to meet Euro-4 emission levels, but how will they affect CV residuals? It depends which you choose, says senior editor of CAP Commercial Vehicle Monitor John Watts. As most readers are no doubt...

Major players check out used van sector.(second hand sales)
April 8, 2004... Fleet van operators are more likely to buy from the used trade than ever before - and it's the big operators which are pushing this trend. Research into light CV buying trends sponsored by Vauxhall Fleet reveals that more and more...

Crash driver claims diabetes.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... An Essex truck driver who faces a charge of causing death by dangerous driving has had his hearing adjourned until August after claiming he was suffering from diabetes. John Dodd was due to appear before Basildon Crown Court...

London parking - TNT fights back.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... TNT Express Services has met Digby Jones, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), in a bid to halt spiralling parking fines in London. They discussed how TNT can avoid the draconian parking laws that are spreading...

[pounds sterling]1,400 fine for driving without a licence.
April 8, 2004... An Essex operator and a driver have been fined [pounds sterling]1,400 for a range of offences including the use of an uninsured vehicle without a driving licence or tachograph charts. DC Donovan Scaffolding of Wickford, Essex ,was ordered to...

Unqualified driver wins a week's wages at Tribunal.(Glasgow Employment Tribunal)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... A driver who was sacked because he was not legally qualified to drive a 7.5-tonne truck has won a week's wages for breach of contract but lost his case for unfair dismissal. A Glasgow Employment Tribunal ruled that the dismissal of driver...

Neighbours' objections rule out early starts.(South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissione)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Residents' concerns won the day when a haulier's application for extra vehicles was granted on condition that none leave the yard before 7am or on Sundays or public holidays. Kevin Franks of Sidlesham, near Chichester, had applied to double...

T&G: Don't back down now.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... The T&G is pressing the government to keep its promise and launch corporate killing legislation. Guy Sheppard reports. The Government is under renewed pressure to make it easier to prosecute hauliers whose mismanagement leads to fatal...

Paper, bottles and old ERFs.(envirotruckparts)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... With vehicle end-of-life legislation currently in the news, a new operation has been launched to recycle older ERFs. EnviroTruckParts (ETP) will provide a source of major parts at what it describes as a significant cost saving. The company...

Mega low- loader finds its niche.(Lancashire Crushing )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Lancashire Crushing has taken delivery of one of the first new Mega low-loaders in the UK from Faymonville; it has been running a used Variomax trailer from the Continental trailer maker since 1997. The new model features a single-axle "free...

Large pot of money set aside for Welsh CleanUp grants.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... The Welsh Assembly is promising an [pounds sterling]800,000 budget for high-tech exhaust grants for Welsh hauliers. Guy Sheppard reports. The Welsh Assembly plans to hand out [pounds sterling]800,000 in grants over the next year to boost...

Spotlight on livestock firms.(Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... One of the biggest ever roadside checks on livestock hauliers was carried out last week by 43 police forces and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The checks were intended to establish whether any hauliers were...

DfT rubbishes rumour of anti-jam toll on M6.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... The government has refuted press reports that it plans to introduce a [pounds sterling]2 toll on the M4 to combat congestion. This follows the publication of a Highways Agency draft consultation paper on its route management strategy for the...

Nagged by the editor.
April 8, 2004... Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange... Gambling... it's a mugs' game and no mistake. There we were, all set to rake in millions from...

Mayflower crisis could threaten Merc military bid.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Colin Barnett reports on the latest twist in the tale of the contract to supply the army with 8,000 combat support vehicles. Just as the UK government was poised to reveal the winner of a lucrative contract to provide 8,000 new combat...

Merc's in line to drop its V configuration.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Mercedes-Benz Is to end its long-standing loyalty to V-configuration engines in favour of an in-line family of power units that is due to be launched in 2007. The new straight-six line-up - to be offered in 9.9, 12.8, and 14.8-litre versions -...

Frown, it's a camera.(traffic security)
April 8, 2004... Barry Proctor looks at Councils' struggle to control parking and the ubiquitous reluctance to employ common sense as a tool... I'm thinking of getting a security camera installed on my fridge. No, really I am - 24-hours-a-day surveillance...

Driver targeted by Moroccan gangsters.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Pressure group Fair Trials Abroad (FTA) has launched a campaign for the release of a Lincoln truck driver jailed in Morocco for drug trafficking. Graham Rowett, of Birchwood, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment by a court in Tangiers for...

Custom and malpractice.
April 8, 2004... The European Court of Justice has ruled that truck drivers can be ordered to pay duty on any contraband found in their trucks - even if they have proved their innocence Jennifer Ball reports. Trucks drivers caught with smuggled goods on...

Desert island discs.
April 8, 2004... Logbooks are more common than tachographs on the islands off Britain's coastline. But what happens when operators from those islands take their trucks to the mainland? Adam Hill reports. Operators know what is required of them and their...

Ro-ro Row your boat.
April 8, 2004... Dominic Perry meets a Scots haulier who risked everything rather than let his business be crushed under rising ferry prices. A scenario: you run a successful haulage operation concentrated in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and thus...

Road fatalities can only go up.(Letter to the Editor)
April 8, 2004... It would be a little churlish to criticise Brian Weatherley (CM 18 March) for his assertion that the number of people killed on Britain's roads has fallen steadily over the past 20 years. Fatalities and casualties can only increase, albeit...

Roads getting more crowded.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... The Department for Transport's (DfT) latest licensing figures reveal that the number of vehicles licensed in Great Britain during 2003 was 2.1% higher than at the end of 2002, at just over 30.5 million vehicles. The largest increase (of 6.8%)...

Gassing up.(potential market for trucking)
April 8, 2004... Algeria... a primitive, dangerous desert - and a vibrant hydrocarbon-based economy offering rich pickings to European truck manufacturers. Oliver Dixon reports. This is perplexing. It's the kind of situation that causes you to shake your...

The right-foot fandango.
April 8, 2004... It's a mind-blowing figure, but there are 89,107,200 possible specifications on a bog standard 26-tonne 6x2. Of course, items such as cab trim or colour won't make much of a difference to its running costs, but get some of the other variants...

Unfair for drivers, impossible for us.(Letter to the Editor)
April 8, 2004... I write regarding the article in Commercial Motor on the ECJ ruling on drivers' responsibilities for their loads (18 March). I'm the fiancee of Paul Watson, one of the many British truck drivers being held in France without charge. Not only...

What about owner-drivers?(Letter to the Editor)
April 8, 2004... Over the past few months I have read with interest the column written by Barry Proctor. I have to say that I would support most of his comments 100%, but over the past couple of weeks he has left me wondering what he dislikes so much about...

Nightowl will pay its way.(Chantrey Vellacott)(Nightowl Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Nightowl creditors can expect payment within weeks say administrators. Jennifer Ball reports. Creditors of beleaguered truckstop operator Nightowl will be paid within the next few weeks, according to administrators Chantrey Vellacott. The...

Christian Salvesen set to lose [pounds sterling]3m on peas.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Allowing frozen peas to defrost proved an expensive accident for Christian Salvesen, as the troubled logistics operator told shareholders that problems with its frozen vegetable business would cost it [pounds sterling]3m this year. The warning...

The Scania R-Series: Is the king back on the road?(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 8, 2004... Scania has embarked on a mid-life replacement of its truck range with the launch of the R-Series, aimed squarely at the long haul sector. Most of the changes focus on revisions to the cab, which gets an all-new interior and a 'high-roof'...

Diesel flows into waterway.(Nigel Rice Transport )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... A Yorkshire haulier has been fined [pounds sterling]3,750 with [pounds sterling]1,250 costs for polluting a controlled watercourse. Nigel Rice Transport of Barmston Close, Beverley pleaded guilty to allowing diesel to enter Swinemoor Drain on...

Search as driver fails to reach port.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... An Irish lorry driver has disappeared on an overnight ferry between Mostyn in North Wales and Dublin. The man was last seen six hours before the European Envoy ferry docked on 1 April. The alarm was raised when he failed to pick up his vehicle....

M6 Toll still has limited appeal.(Professional Drivers Association )(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... The newly opened service area on the M6 Toll motorway is only attracting a handful of truckers, despite protests about parking shortages in the area. Jonathan Corp, director of the Roadchef site at Norton Canes in Staffordshire, says only...

Anti-theft group is finished by apathy.
April 8, 2004... Communication is a key factor in the fight against truck crime, but it's not happening. Guy Sheppard and Jennifer Ball report. The fight against truck crime has suffered another setback with the suspension of a pioneering initiative between...

TIME TO ACT ON WORKING TIME.(Working Time Directive)
April 15, 2004... The fact that fewer than a third of transport operators have taken any action ahead of the introduction of the Working Time Directive indicates either a gross act of ignorance or the unswerving self-belief this industry has in its ability to...

Law plus; Up and coming law with the FTA.
April 15, 2004... Future legislation ADR/RID harmonisation: The Health and Safety Commission has published its consultative document on the new British Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail Regulations, to align with the ADR (international) rules. The...

high five.
April 15, 2004... Now in its fifth incarnation, Volkswagen's revamped Transporter has a lot going for it, from a refined, thrifty engine to class-leading loadspace. It's going to take some beating. If you were in the market for a household appliance, which...

Cheap ; as chips.
April 15, 2004... Are telematics just an expensive toy? Or could you use them to help cut your fleet's running costs? Emma Penny investigates. Today's telematics systems cost half what they did five years ago and given the speed of computing development,...

Declaration of independence.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... For maximum peace of mind it makes sense to buy a used truck with an R&M contract through a manufacturer's scheme - but we meet two owner-drivers who always shop with the independents... It makes more sense to buy used trucks from...

Money makers.
April 15, 2004... George Alexander of Glass's Guide says the smart money is in used Mercedes-Benz panel vans, high-cube CDVs and the resurgent 7.5-tonne market... Still heading the retail and trade shopping list this month are the Mercedes Benz Sprinter CDI...

Road safety message is not getting through.
April 15, 2004... A newly published survey reveals that education campaigns about driving when tired or after drinking have not affected motorists' habits. Jennifer Ball reports. MOTORISTS CONTINUE to drive while tired or under the influence of alcohol or...

PAY UP OR SELL OFF!
April 15, 2004... Once again the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency is asking operators to pay more for their annual truck tests. Brian Weatherley reckons it's time to stop asking "How much?" and time to ask "Why?" So VOSA has a deficit in its accounts...

Rising costs hit margins.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... A new survey says operators have a gloomy view of the year ahead; the FTA disagrees. Jennifer Ball reports. BARELY A QUARTER of operators reported higher profits in 2003 than the previous year, compared with a national business average of...

DfT remains on target to cut road deaths.(Department for Transport)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... THE NUMBER OF people killed or injured on Britain's roads has fallen 17% over the past three years, according to the Department for Transport. Its review of its road safety strategy, launched in March 2000, also reveals that there has been a...

Driver jailed for [pounds sterling]4.5m worth of cigarettes.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... A TRUCK DRIVER has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for smuggling [pounds sterling]4.5m worth of cigarettes into the UK. Maidstone Crown Court heard that Fuller Porter from Great Yarmouth, was stopped at the Channel Tunnel UK control zone...

Gunman ; escapes with [pounds sterling]800k load.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... HERTFORDSHIRE POLICE are hunting a man who hijacked a truck driver at gunpoint before making off with his [pounds sterling]800,000 load of electrical goods. The incident happened at around 7am on 1 April in St Albans. The driver had just left...

Truck thieves on the rampage.
April 15, 2004... Truck crime in the West Midlands is spiralling - one victim fears it's only a matter of time before someone is killed. David Harris reports. The gang behind an epidemic of truck thefts in the West Midlands have become so brazen that they...

WTD apathy and ignorance.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... A shocking 40% of operators remain ignorant about the Working Time Directive despite the fact it will be introduced in less than a year's time, shows a CM poll. The results of the poll carried out by Michelin Truck Marketing expose widespread...

M6 Toll trial is 'inconclusive'.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... A trial into the benefits of using the M6 Toll by one large haulier has proved inconclusive, according to Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG), the company behind the new motorway. The operator needs to save 19 minutes per trip to justify the...

APRIL 2004.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Road transport activity remains in good health, though Britain is still out of step on fuel prices Exel Shares fell to a low of [pounds sterling]5.04 in March 2003 but have continued to climb on the back new contracts, including a deal...

COLLECTION PROTECTION.
April 15, 2004... Poor cash flow is probably the biggest single reason for business failures in road transport - but there are ways of ensuring the money keeps coming in regularly. Chris Tindall reports. David Baker admits that his company has been forced...

Customs and; practice.
April 15, 2004... Winning an argument with Customs & Excise is never easy, but it can be done. Adam Hill explains how the appeals process works. It's best to assume that, like the Mounties, Customs & Excise (C&E) always get their man. Whether it's just a...

Drivers' lot.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Regarding Richard Turner and Jim Macaulay's letters (CM 1 April) when in 1969 drivers' hours were cut from 14 to 12.5 (maximum) hours in a day (and 11 hours rest in between - no "short" rests), operators accepted it as both social legislation...

EU expansion a bigger threat than WTD.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Alastair Allan's letter (CM 25 March) has prompted me to add my views. If Frampton and co are so worried about a few owner-drivers being unsafe if we are to be exempt from the WTD, I hope he will stop using Spanish sub-contractors when the...

Expect the worst.
April 15, 2004... Can you afford to insure against unforeseen disaster, asks Adam Hill? Or is it that you can't afford not to? Insurers and operators go together like the M25 and traffic jams. From the classic goods-in-transit (GIT) to public liability...

Fault; finders.
April 15, 2004... What driver wouldn't benefit from thorough assessment and tailored training? Colin Barnett is tested but won't say how he did. Even the best fleets have a mixture of good drivers and some who may not be quite as good. The problem is that...

History of use no help for artics over access.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Surrey County Council has banned the use of trailers from a site even though the owner claims that low loaders have been based there for the past 50 years. T&M Plant Hire had applied to South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner...

Next stop ; the truckzone.
April 15, 2004... Are you involved in construction? Then you can't afford to miss Commercial Motor's truckzone at the SED show in Milton Keynes. The SED show, billed as the national event for construction, runs from 18-20 May. This year visitors are in for a...

Of early birds and parrots.(Allan Morris Transport)
April 15, 2004... Brian Lee muses on some drivers' attitudes to pay and hours, and wonders whether jobs should be put at risk by migrating parrots. Yesterday, long before dawn, I had a session of laying down the law according to Brian Lee. With a...

Overweight lorry lands tipper firm and driver in muck.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... An axle overload has cost a Middlesex tipper operator and one of its drivers [pounds sterling]1,750 in fines and costs. JJ Coughlin, of Perivale, and driver Victor Judd, admitted the offence when they appeared before the Hillingdon magistrates....

Rights of passage.(Freight Transport Association)
April 15, 2004... Dominic Perry meets the Scot who heads the regional freight council and understands why transport will never be important. The impressive sandstone and glass bulk of the Buchanan Galleries sits at the heart of the Glasgow's shopping...

Safe drivers suddenly unsafe.(Working Time Directive)
April 15, 2004... The recent battles over the proposed Working Time Directive legislation have brought about some interesting skirmishes between the owner-drivers and operators (Proctor, Martin, Robinson et al). However, it would be beneficial if the industry...