Commercial Motor articles from August 2004

Commercial Motor archives from August 2004

EVENTS.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 5, 2004... 17 August RHA drivers' hours & tachographs early evening seminar, Colchester; members, [pounds sterling]65 (ex-VAT); non-members, [pounds sterling]78 (ex-VAT) Contact: RHA on 01733 261131; e-mail: training@rha.net RHA Working Time...

A world of ; rare diversity.(truck dealer John Whiting talks about doing business outside the country)
August 5, 2004... Emma Penny meets an Essex truck dealer who's a master of most trades - and sells used trucks in Ghana too... Parking your car in the 20-acre John Whiting yard is a tricky task. There are trucks and truck parts everywhere, as well as trucks...

Appeal must start again.(Victor Coates; judge dies)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Appeal agreed, then one of the judges died; now driver must make his case again. Jennifer Ball reports. A truck driver who caused a fatal crash when he fell asleep at the wheel faces a second appeal hearing against his four-year prison...

Artic lights.(more to choose from different types of wheels)
August 5, 2004... For payload-conscious bulk hauliers counting every last litre and kilo, Daf's CF85.480 FTP is at the front of the light brigade's charge. Niche, novelty or non-starter. Three small words that sum up 'little wheel' 6x2 tractors quite...

As always, the ; devil's in the detail.(truckers to be charged on foreign roads)
August 5, 2004... How will Lorry Road User Charging work in practice? Emma Penny investigates the government's plans. Charging foreign trucks for using our roads is an excellent plan. Everyone in the UK truck industry agrees it should be introduced as soon...

Bucking the trend.(Automotive industry)
August 5, 2004... Manheim Auctions has found the summer may not have been as hot as we'd like but the export market certainly is. A vibrant export industry? Here in the UK, with our reput ation? Not something the UK is renowned for these days, but the...

Customs takes out laundry.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Customs officers have dismantled a fuel laundering plant at an industrial site in Coalisland, Northern Ireland which was said to be capable of processing 25,000 litres of illegal fuel a week. More than 6,700 litres of contaminated diesel were...

Deals that make the world go round.
August 5, 2004... Oliver Dixon asks how the new alliance between Renault and Dongfeng will affect European truck makers. The much-discussed joint venture between Renault VI (RVI) and Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng Motor is likely to bear its first fruit in...

Devon duo get fresh licence.(James Heaver and Maurice Heaver )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Controversial partners bid for a new licence in the South-West. Mike Jewell reports. Controversial Devon hauliers James and Maurice Heaver have made another appearance in front of a Traffic Commissioner after applying for a new 18-truck...

EASY - AND FAST.(Taxation of foreign hauliers)
August 5, 2004... Fresh news from Germany has Brian Weatherley wondering anew why it's taken us so long to charge foreign hauliers. Obviously, no one told the Germans: "If at first you don't succeed - then clearly it's far too difficult." Unfortunately, the...

EC wants new cash for Marco Polo.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The European Commission wants to pour money into rail and sea freight. The EU's intermodal Marco Polo programme was due to end in 2010; now the EC wants EU ministers to extend it until 2013 with a huge budget increase. In 2003-6 Marco Polo...

Exel sees profits soar at half year.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Logistics giant Exel says it has made a strong start to the year, seeing pre-tax profits rise 14.6% to [pounds sterling]72.2m in the six months to 30 July. Turnover rose by 15.3% to [pounds sterling]2.6bn. Chief executive John Allen says the...

FTA says cameras are biased against trucks.(Freight Transport Association)(Richard Turner)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... David Jamieson is told speed cameras are now aimed specifically at catching HGVs. Sally Nash reports. Freight Transport Association chief executive Richard Turner has presented transport minister David Jamieson with evidence that speed...

GAS ATTACK.(Alfa-Laval)
August 5, 2004... Forget the exhaust pipe; the Alfdex system is tackling crankcase gases by putting them to better use. Brian Weatherley reports. Diesel exhaust emissions aren't the only noxious gases produced by a truck. A significant proportion of...

GO DUTCH - ; CARRY MORE.(Tridec)
August 5, 2004... Using the latest computer technology, Dutch axle specialist Tridec has slashed the weight of its stub-axle suspension. This could boost double-deck trailer payloads by 500kg. Bryan Jarvis reports. Dutch steering axle specialist Tridec has...

Grey areas.(Transportation law)
August 5, 2004... Successful management is a careful balance between effective delegation and maintained responsibility. Jonathan Lawton reports. A successful manager must have the ability to delegate effectively. Managers accept responsibility for a range...

Home and away.(Automotive industry)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The majority of older trailers are heading overseas but the auctioneers report a brisk trade in late-model semis for specific UK markets. George Alexander, Glass's Guide chief editor for CVs, says most pre-1992 flats and skeletals,...

House contents removed...(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Police are appealing for information after a removals van containing a family's belongings worth tens of thousands of pounds was stolen from a Wokingham storage compound. The Bishops Move L-reg Mercedes 1821 was taken in the early hours of the...

Identity crisis shakes PDA as members protest about aims.(Professional Drivers Association)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A row has broken out over the goals of the Professional Drivers Association. David Harris reports. The Professional Drivers Association (PDA) was weathering a crisis this week after a private message between two members on the...

Injustice abounds.(automobile industry insists on being discriminated and charged unnecessarily)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Stuart Thomas gives us his regular round-up of the way the newspapers have covered the world of road transport. It's easy to get angry in haulage. All too often you read about a country that apparently despises your presence on the roads,...

Instant fines for bad foreigners welcomed.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... UK Operators have welcomed government proposals to hand out on-the-spot fines to foreign operators, but have warned that measures must be considered for those claiming they do not have enough cash to pay. The proposals follow a CM...

Keep your motor ; running.(Dave Atkins )
August 5, 2004... As engine technology becomes more complex, so too must the diagnostic and fuel injection systems which service it. Colin Barnett visits Atkins as it races ahead of the field. For many people in the world of road transport, the name of Dave...

MAN keeps new light to itself.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... MAN has developed a lightweight rigid construction chassis for the UK aggregates sector, but ERF may not benefit. The new range is based on the TG-A and will be powered by the 10.6-litre D20 EGR common-rail engine which features MAN's...

MAN to put Eagle heads on waste trucks.(Dennis Eagle on contract with MAN)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... MAN will buy cabs from the UK's Dennis Eagle for a low-entry refuse truck to be launched soon. MAN will enter this niche sector next year with an all-new product for the UK and Europe. It will be badged as MAN and equipped with the new MAN D20...

Minister says: 'Be more efficient'.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Transport Minister David Jamieson says operators should improve efficiency in order to cut their fuel bills before calling for a reduction in fuel duty. Speaking exclusively to CM, he says the government has continued its Road Haulage...

No-show operator gets final chance to talk to his TAO.(Slough-based Neil Johnstone's license gets suspended)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... An operator with a record of failing to turn up to public inquiries has had his licence revoked after he did not appear to answer a series of concerns about his maintenance systems. The licence held by Slough-based Neil Johnstone, trading as...

Old for new?(computer errors in plating certificates in new vehicles can be depressing for the buyer)
August 5, 2004... How 'new' does a truck sold as new have to be? Steve Banner uncovers the surprising truth about some of the shiny vehicles sitting in dealers' forecourts. When Paul Gosney examined the paperwork accompanying his seven brand-new Mitsubishi...

Record oil costs force pump prices.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Operators face another hike in diesel prices after US oil prices soared to a 21-year high at $43.92 ([pounds sterling]24.09) a barrel. The rise comes after US officials warned of possible terrorist attacks and Yukos - one of the world's largest...

Removal men.(Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to impound goods vehicles)
August 5, 2004... Few trucks are impounded, but those which are rarely return to their operators. Two years on Adam Hill assesses the results. The law allowing goods vehicles to be impounded was introduced in January 2002. Up to April this year 273 vehicles...

Renschler wins M-B global CV division.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... DaimlerChrysler has announced the appointment of Andreas Renschler as head of its global Commercial Vehicles division. Reports had linked Renschler, 46, and currently chief of the Smart brand, with the task of restructuring Mitsubishi, and...

Running on auto.(new vehicles on the block)
August 5, 2004... This week's Product Focus looks at two big hitters: the new generation Volvo FH12 with automated I-Shift transmission, and that semi-auto gearbox pioneer, the Mercedes-Benz Actros. Vehicle: Volvo FH12 460 Globetrotter XL Tested: 27...

STANDING UP.(Recruitment and Employment Confederation)
August 5, 2004... The trade body for UK recruitment agencies has a dedicated group representing HGV driver agencies. Tim Maughan reports. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is the UK recruiter's trade body - equivalent to the Freight...

Sailing through the eye of the storm...(an interview with chief executive officer Paul Bateman)(Interview)
August 5, 2004... Wincanton's chief executive successfully sailed through the acquisition of P&O Trans European; just don't ask him about jittery shareholders. Chris Tindall reports. Interviewing chief executives inevitably involves asking tricky questions....

Show time.(Citron-automobile industry)(Somers Refrigeration expands it's factory operations)
August 5, 2004... Citron has come out swinging with its new dual-fuel Berlingo and fridge conversions. Brian Weatherley reports. Citron has stepped up its attack on the UK light commercial vehicle market with a dual-fuel Berlingo and extra "Ready-to-Run"...

Southern Irish crack squad to stamp out illegal waste.(Cavan County Council)(Irish police)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Southern Ireland's Cavan County Council in the Irish Republic has teamed up with the Irish police to crack down on illegal waste movements. Smuggling waste into Northern Ireland for illegal dumping has become a multi-million-pound racket. Most...

TC refuses to return unlicensed ; tipper to money-lender or owner.(Peter Ilsley)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A money-lender failed to convince a Traffic Commissioner to give it an impounded vehicle which it claimed had been offered as security on a [pounds sterling]7,000 cash loan. The vehicle's owner, Lee McKibbin, trading as Yardley Grab Hire of...

TRANSITS ON TOUR.(Ford Motor Co.)
August 5, 2004... "Power is good - torque is better." That's the new message from Ford as it begins to push its new family of 2.4-litre engines for the rear-wheel-drive Transit. Colin Barnett reports. Ford's latest engine line-up for the rwd Transit now has...

The bitter and the sweet.(Brian Lee)
August 5, 2004... Brian Lee waits around while the law makes an ass of itself and loaders make a mess of his trailers. Ho hum... This month's column comes to you direct from the waiting room at a Shropshire magistrates' court. It's not me up before the...

Three-day suspension for failing to report.(Iball)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A company has had its licence suspended for three days after it failed to report convictions for hours offences to the Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown. VOSA had prosecuted Romsey-based Iball (Wholesale) for a driver's failure to take...

Toll Collect system to be up by 2005.(Toll Collect GmbH)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The company constructing the toll collecting system for Germany's motorways insists the first part of the system will be up and running by the beginning of next year, despite widespread rumours of further problems. Toll Collect, a consortium...

Tougher penalties for hours offences.(Transportation law)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The government PLANS to get tough on drivers who tamper with tachographs and on operators who collude with drivers to falsify records as part of a number of proposed legislative changes to the drivers' hours rules. The Department for...

Transport professor proposes low-cost alternative to LRUC.(Lorry Road User Charging)(David Craik)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... There's an alternative to the LRUC says a logistics research expert - and it would be cheaper to introduce. David Craik reports. A leading transport and logistics academic has proposed an alternative system to the Lorry Road User Charging...

URTU fights for recognition at BP.(United Road Transport Union)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The United Road Transport Union has made a formal application for recognition at BP LPG, which has depots in Grangemouth, Perth, Aberdeen and Inverness. URTU officer Graham Bird says: "We have 40 drivers there. The company has been stringing...

Unlicensed vehicle will not be returned.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A Surrey operator failed to win the return of an impounded vehicle when a Traffic Commissioner ruled that the unit belonged to his father. Neither man holds an O-licence. South Eastern and Metropolitan TC Christopher Heaps refused to return the...

VOSA gets the right to say 'Stop!'.(Vehicle and Operator Services Agency)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency has been given the power to stop vehicles for roadside checks to ease the pressure on police and crack down on unroadworthy vehicles and illegal road users. The move follows successful trials of the...

West Mids teams up with North-West.(Confederation of West Midlands Chambers of Commerce)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... a new transport lobby group is on the cards following discussions between the Confederation of West Midlands Chambers of Commerce and its counterparts in the North-West. The new body plans to lobby on transport issues that affect both...

flower power.(Flower and plant market)
August 5, 2004... The flower and plant market is blossoming in Britain - but the wholesalers don't suffer transport fools gladly. Tim Maughan reports. The British spend [pounds sterling]1.5bn a year on flowers, and the market is expanding. Many are grown...

we need tax cuts, not economies.(Tax policy)
August 5, 2004... One can only assume that transport minister David Jamieson has no idea how professional transport firms operate, the levels of management expertise and driver skill which go into controlling costs and maximising profits. Neither can he have any...

'Serious misjudgement'.(Transport Tribunal)
August 5, 2004... A 'reckless' application was rejected because of lies about previous convictions. A company which lied about previous convictions of managers in its application has failed to win an appeal against the refusal of an O-licence for three...

Agencies need regulation.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Following your article on driver agencies (CM 22 July) I feel compelled to write to see if this is a nationwide issue or just a local problem. I am new to the industry, having spent 12 years in retail, and find it ridiculous to believe the...

Boss has no luck with truck.(O-licence)
August 12, 2004... The TC concludes that a director's claim to be running a vehicle legitimately was unfounded - and refuses to give it back. CHRISTOPHER NEEDHAM a director of McNee Transport, has failed in his bid for the return of an impounded vehicle...

Bosses banned for insolvent trading.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... The directors of a haulage firm that collapsed owing hundreds of thousands of pounds have been banned from holding a directorship or taking part in any company management for the next five years. James Arnold Kendrick and his wife Margaret both...

Burden of proof.
August 12, 2004... Up to one in five used vehicles still has outstanding finance on it when it is sold, meaning that it does not belong to the seller. How can you make sure the sale is on a legal footing? Pat Hagan reports. For any operator to be successful,...

CRANE AND ABLE.
August 12, 2004... UK trailer maker Crane Fruehauf has a fresh product range. So is it back? Pundits betting on the demise of Crane Fruehauf in its several guises since 1999 probably would've got evens at the bookies. It changed hands three times in four...

Case adjourned while records are checked.(Gibbons Logistics )(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... DOUBTS ABOUT the authenticity of maintenance records belonging to Bootle-based Gibbons Logistics has led to the adjournment of possible action against the company's licence while the case is investigated. The company, which was seeking to...

Court puts trucks beyond TC's control.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... A Scottish court has overruled the Transport Tribunal and put unlicensed trucks back on the road. Chris Tindall reports. Two Durham-based operators who turned to the Scottish legal system to appeal against the revocation of their O-licences...

Dealer IT must be up-to-date.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Truck dealerships could be losing business because of outdated levels of customer service. Dealer management system (DMS) specialist Pinewood warns that IT systems that are more than 10 years out of date stop dealers offering customer...

Dealers go overseas for the right stock.
August 12, 2004... Demand is now so high for powerful tractors with top-of-the-range sleeper cabs that UK dealers are increasingly raiding other European markets in a bid to obtain them. "We're after post-2000 Scania 460, 530, and 580 units," says Tim Hodgson,...

Demand outstrips supply of drawbars.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Demand for used drawbar combinations is rising sharply, says Simon Hall, sales and leasing executive at Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire independent dealership and trailer and bodywork specialist Kel-Berg. "If you order a new one you face a...

Desperately seeking...(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Second-hand truck sales are all about supply and demand. Steve Banner talks to dealers around the country about which vehicles are currently in vogue. Not all buyers of second-hand tractors want high-power engines and big cabs. Units with...

Dockers opt for strike ballot.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Chaos looms at ports as crane drivers and dockers threaten to strike after rejecting a 2.9% pay offer. Jennifer Ball reports. Container hauliers are facing massive disruption as dockers at 23 ports threaten the first national dock strike...

Exel plans to drop Tibbett & Britten brand after takeover.
August 12, 2004... Exel intends to scrap the Tibbett & Britten name. David Harris reports. Exel PLANS TO scrap the 46-year-old Tibbett & Britten brand after its [pounds sterling]328m takeover of the company, consigning one of the most famous names in UK...

Fiege Merlin 'is secure' following restructuring.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... German-owned white goods distribution specialist Fiege Merlin has played down speculation about its financial status following a restructuring exercise in which its holding company placed into receivership. Fiege Merlin was created in 1999...

Heinz meanz rise.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Wigan-based Wincanton drivers working on the firm's Heinz contract have become the latest to benefit from a big pay rise in the run up to the Working Time Directive (WTD). The Heinz drivers will get an average increase of 20%, taking pay for...

Highs and lows.(Haulage shares )(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Haulage shares were volatile again last month, falling in value amid fears of cut-throat competition in the UK. But they bounced back, thanks to a rise in manufacturing output.

AUGUST 2004.(transportation industy)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... This month we follow share prices up, down and round the curves Exel Exel's shares fell slightly this month despite a 15% rise in first half pre-tax profits to [pounds sterling]72.2m on a turnover which rose 15.3% to [pounds...

Hijacking trio will share a ten-stretch.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Three men have been jailed for a total of 10 years for their part in attempting to hijack a truck and its load in Middlesex last year. Gwynn McCormack, 31, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to five years; Luke Bentley-Smith, 28, from...

Ignorance is no excuse for axle overload.(KE Kents)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... AN AXLE overload has cost a London company [pounds sterling]500 in fines and costs. KE Kents of Rodborough Road, north-west London, pleaded not guilty to the offence but was convicted by the Barking magistrates. Anthony Ostrin, prosecuting for...

Indicate cops make first arrests.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... A police squad set up two months ago to combat soaring truck crime in the West Midlands has made its first arrests following a tip-off about a stolen trailer. Six men were arrested during a raid on a business unit in Brierley Hill, near Dudley,...

Intelligence services.(Vehicle and Operator Services Agency)
August 12, 2004... Maurice Newey retires in October after six years in charge of the often derided Vehicle Inspectorate and its successor, VOSA. He reminisces with Jennifer Ball. Maurice Newey is best known as the man at the helm of the Vehicle Inspectorate...

Just a little bit of history repeating...(Dennis Eagle)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... In your 5 August issue you report MAN's adoption of Dennis Eagle's Elite 2 low-floor cab for a new municipal chassis range, with a comment from marketing boss Fred van Putten that "the two companies have been in negotiations for the past 18...

MAN to build 40% more.(M.A.N. Truck and Bus Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... MAN is planning to expand its Salzgitter factory - home to the current generation of ERFs - in a bid to boost production by 40% by the summer of 2006. The move comes on the back of increased demand for heavy trucks in Europe which has seen...

MOTORWAY MAGIC.(M5 motorway)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange... Like On the Margin first thing in the morning - all tousled hair, bloodshot eyes and a faint...

More questions than answers.(extra tax collection)
August 12, 2004... Is Lorry Road User Charging just one more tax, or is it an effective cure for congestion? Colin Barnett looks at the figures behind the hype. Last week's review of the theory behind Lorry Road User Charging concluded that apart from the...

New lobby group.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Business leaders in the West Midlands and the North-West are teaming up in a bid to make the government take their transport demands more seriously. Chambers of Commerce in Birmingham, Manchester, North Staffordshire and Liverpool say they...

New urea solution may work better in the cold.(Kemira Oyj, Denoxium)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Finnish chemical company Kemira has developed an alternative to the urea solutions now going into production for SCR-equipped Euro-4 and 5 vehicles. Based on ammonium format and marketed under the name Denoxium, its NOx reducing performance is...

No return for scaffolding vehicle operated without an O-licence.(Volkswagen Owners of San Antonio)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... A READING scaffolder has lost his bid for the return of a vehicle impounded by VOSA in May. South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher Heaps, was told that the vehicle was impounded after being stopped in a check at...

ON THE RIGHT ROAD.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... Barry Proctor welcomes the new pricing for the M6 Toll road. Because after all, the price was the only thing wrong with it... As a lesson in how to manage the launch of a new product or service, the M6 Toll is a fine example of how not to...

Oliver's wife seeks fresh start.(William Martin Oliver & Partners, Revilo Logistics)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... New firm seeks licence to take over the work of William Martin Oliver, whose directors are awaiting retrial. Michael Jewell reports. Revilo Logistics, a new company formed to take over the business of William Martin Oliver & Partners, has...

PARTNER OR PLAYMATE?
August 12, 2004... Mazda is aiming to boost its presence in the pickup market. But will it cut the mustard? Emma Penny reports. With the pickup market burgeoning, many manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon and producing "lifestyle" trucks for those...

Rail-freight plans for Welsh timber.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2004... A surge in Welsh timber production over the next decade could result in far-reaching changes to the way it is transported to processors. Trials of a new rail-freight service are expected to start later this year after a report highlighted how...

Rigid Axors join Merc's Axor/Atego line-up.(Mercedes )
August 12, 2004... Six weeks ahead of the formal launch, Mercedes has revealed some details of the new Axor and Atego ranges. Julian Milnes reports. With the 2004 Truck of the Year award in the bag thanks to the revamped Actros, Mercedes has turned its...

Rough justice.
August 12, 2004... The recovery industry is too often starved of government and public support. Steve Biddle, head of technical services at the Road Haulage Association, reports. 10 things you need to know about... VEHICLE RECOVERY The...

Rules of ; engagement.(employment tribunals)
August 12, 2004... A court has awarded costs of [pounds sterling]90,000 against a worker who backed down at an employment tribunal. Kate Hodgkiss reports. Employment tribunals are less formal than the civil courts, and when it comes to awarding costs the...