Commercial Motor articles from December 18 2003

Commercial Motor archives from December 18 2003

HERE'S TO THE; UNSUNG HEROES.
December 18, 2003... We agonised over the coverline for this week's issue... something about "not delivered by fairies" was kicked into touch for fear of upsetting more sensitive quarters of the truck driving fraternity. But, joking aside, there's a serious message...

Wolf in sheep's clothing.(Bob Russett of Palletline PLC)
December 18, 2003... Not many operators have influenced an entire industry. Dominic Perry caught up with Palletline boss Bob Russett. What do you make of a man who is possibly more famous for his violently coloured ties and waistcoats than his business...

Impounding demands belief.(trucking regulations)
December 18, 2003... Mere suspicion of illegal operation is not a valid reason for VOSA to impound a vehicle. Mike Jewell reports on a landmark ruling. An impounded truck has been returned to its owner after a landmark ruling that a traffic examiner must...

TC slams 'pathetic excuse' for using a tacho fiddling device.(Scottish Traffic Commissioner )(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... An operator's future hangs in the balance after he was found driving a vehicle fitted with a device designed to fiddle the tachograph which also made the speed limiter ineffective. Brian Smith, trading as RNS of Newton Stewart, had been called...

Highways of death.(accident prevention)
December 18, 2003... Every year recovery workers are killed by passing traffic - but after eight years of talks they still aren't allowed to use red flashing lights. Pat Hagan reports on a deadly delay. In the animal kingdom, colour is everything. From...

Law plus; Up and coming law with the FTA.(trucking; Freight Transport Association (UK))
December 18, 2003... Future legislation Driver and vehicle licence fees: Driver and vehicle licence fees: Legislation is now in force to allow the Secretary of State to pool the fees for driver and vehicle licensing, with the intention of introducing new fees. The...

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER.(DAF trucks)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... Daf's latest offering combines big-truck ability with a small-truck cab - and while we take a close look at it we help out a special operator. Santa Claus is well used to getting begging letters from the CM editorial team. A season ticket...

FEEDING FRENZY.
December 18, 2003... Want turkey, stuffing and your cracker in place on Christmas Day? Tim Maughan sees that these wishes can only come true with HGVs. Christmas is the time for merriment, drinking - and eating. Turkey, parsnips, cranberry sauce, mince pies,...

win, win, win!
December 18, 2003... It's time for Commercial Motor's annual Christmas charity quiz. And this year there are some great prizes up for grabs. Remember, you can enter as many times as you like, and we'll donate 20p for each entry. 1. ERF apparel We knew long...

Tough Trucks: Modified Monsters.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... If you like your driving straightforward and just want to belt round a track in a souped-up sports utility vehicle seeing how much damage you can inflict on yourself and your competitors, this is the game for you. Tough Trucks: Modified...

The unhealthy way to safety.
December 18, 2003... Health and safety jobsworths can be a real pain in the policy. But Brian Lee also despairs at those who won't take it seriously enough... Since the dawn of time wars have been caused by religion, territorial expansion and family feuds. But...

A farm full of trucks...(Manheim expanding its Colchester site)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... Manheim triples its CV holding area to a massive 14 acres. Vehicle auctioneer Manheim is expanding its Colchester site from 38 to 49 acres, giving a huge 14 acres of parked trucks for sale. Jeremy Martell, Manheim's national HGV and plant...

You can't beat a Pete.(Peterbilt Motors' tractors )
December 18, 2003... This being Christmas (well, nearly) and our final issue of 2003, we decided to look for something different in the way of a dealer drop-in - we found Les Botham, who imports Peterbilts direct from the US. Unless it's pre-1982 you won't be...

Follow the three-point star.(Mercedes Benz Atego 7.5 tonne truck)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... CM tests more trucks and vans than anyone else, and starting this week we'll be using those tests to highlight some of the most popular vehicles on the forecourt. Our conclusions could give you the edge when haggling over your next acquisition....

CfIT ousted from 10-year plan.(Commission for Integrated Transport no longer to monitor transport plan)
December 18, 2003... The team entrusted with monitoring the government's much vaunted 10-year transport plan has been stripped of its responsibility. So who will take on this critical role? And is the FTA right to be alarmed? Jennifer Ball reports. THE...

Nothing but the truth.
December 18, 2003... Brian Weatherley asks why environmental lobbyists, with so much valuable information at their fingertips on how we can save the planet, can't resist bending the facts to suit their anti-truck prejudices. If there's one thing I hate more...

Design award for Dublin Port Tunnel.(Fleming Award from British Geotechnical Association)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... DUBLIN PORT TUNNEL is still beset by arguments over its internal height, but its design has tied for an international award with the New York Twin Tower Recovery Effort. They won the prestigious Flemming Award, presented by the British...

[pounds sterling]5m drugs seizure.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... Seven people have been arrested following the seizure of [pounds sterling]5m worth of drugs from a truck at Dover. Officers from Merseyside and Kent police, the National Crime Squad and Customs & Excise swooped at an industrial estate near the...

Flytipped boxes cost Irish driver [pounds sterling]1,225.(David McMullan)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... A DRIVER for a Northern Irish transport company has been convicted of six cases of fly tipping heavy-duty industrial cardboard boxes in a Welsh lay-by. David McMullan, who drives for Ballymoney-based Thompson Transport, was investigated by...

A ferry French farce.
December 18, 2003... Two French ferry blockades halt trucks. David Harris reports. Two protest blockades hit French ferry ports last week and left UK operators fuming in long queues. On Wednesday frustrated hauliers found their trucks stopped by fishermen...

Santa's secrets.
December 18, 2003... As we lie back, bloated and gassy, our stomachs ominously gurgling we realise that we may have forced down one too many mince pies at our Christmas lunch. We struggle manfully back to our cage to bring you this column chock-filled with...

Great Bear sacks strike drivers.(Great Bear Distribution)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... UP TO 30 DRIVERS face Christmas on the dole after Great Bear Distribution refused to back down on its plans for new contracts that will cut pay and conditions. Last week the firm's announcement that it intended to introduce new contracts led to...

Driver's report saves motorist.(Richard Linley saves Darryl Curtis)
December 18, 2003... A QUICK-THINKING tanker driver has been praised by police for saving the life of a man trapped under his car in a ditch. Richard Linley spotted a car off the A168 near Thirsk, North Yorks just after he had picked up his tanker from being...

Jam-busters to patrol highways.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... A new breed of enforcement officer will be created next year in a bid to reduce traffic delays caused by roadworks and accidents. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling says "jam-buster patrols" appointed by the Highways Agency will ensure that...

Knowles is blaming RHA for legal crisis.(Knowles Transport and Road Haulage Association)
December 18, 2003... Knowles Transport has blamed the RHA's tacho-check service for its legal problems. Chris Tindall reports. IN A DESPERATE attempt to save its business, Knowles Transport accused the Road Haulage Association (RHA) of failing to carry out its...

London ban to cost [pounds sterling]500.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... Instant fines of [pounds sterling]500 could await truckers caught out in the wrong part of London. Guy Sheppard reports. Hauliers who break the London Lorry Ban could be forced to a fixed penalty of [pounds sterling]500 in the new year....

M6 toll does save time - for [pounds sterling]1 a minute.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... OPERATORS are paying [pounds sterling]1 for every minute saved by using the M6 Toll, according to exclusive research carried out this week by Commercial Motor. The result comes as a CM test during Monday morning's rush hour showed the toll road...

Trucker kills sweetheart.(Shane Bliss)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... A TRUCKER left a pattern of tyre-marks on his girlfriend's body as he crushed her to death with his truck on Valentine's Day, Hull Crown Court heard last week. Shane Bliss from Pollington, near Goole, Yorkshire, was jailed for three-and-a-half...

Big Mutha Truckers.(computer game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... Had enough of serious truck sims? Big Mutha Truckers, as you might guess from the name, takes a less reverent approach to road safety. Launched earlier this year, it's guaranteed to bring the haulage hooligan out in you. You play one of Ma...

Buoyant figures keep sales and GDP higher.
December 18, 2003... The facts and figures that matter to your business. This month, we look at CV registration figures.

Educate cyclists... and truckers.(Letter to the Editor)
December 18, 2003... AFTER READING the article "Keep trucks out of town" (CM 6 November) I feel compelled to write a reply to Mr Robin Webb and all other cyclists who read your magazine. I would like to point out that every truck driver knows that the vehicle he is...

Grand Theft Auto Vice City.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... Let's get one thing straight, Grand Theft Auto Vice City is not a driving game, it's a crim sim. But driving is a huge element within it and the number and range of vehicles in GTA Vice City is probably greater than all the other games in this...

HISTORY ; AT WORK.
December 18, 2003... Could 1980s' wagons with less than 300hp on tap have any hope of earning their keep in the 21st century? We tried a Leyland Marathon and an ERF C32 which go as well as show. At this time each year CM steps back from the world of Euro-4 and...

The Simpsons: Hit & Run.(computer game)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 18, 2003... At the opposite end of the scale to the darkness of GTA Vice City is the animated adventure that is The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Again, this brand new game is not specifically a driving game but one that features a huge amount of behind-the-wheel...

Manager's child pic shame.(trucker child porn)
December 18, 2003... THE COMMERCIAL manager for family-run Suffolk haulier W Carter (Haulage) has been fined [pounds sterling]2,500 with [pounds sterling]375 costs after pleading guilty to possessing indecent pictures of children. Richard Carter will also be...

PD Logistics pulls off 25% rise for drivers.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... A UNION LEADER has praised Scunthorpe-based PD Logistics after negotiating a pay deal worth up to 25% for its drivers. Graham Bird, regional officer for the United Road Transport Union, says the two-year deal will boost their basic hourly pay...

Salvage regs set to slash truck prices.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... SALVAGE OPERATORS warn that the resale values of older trucks will plummet if new regulations controlling the disposal of scrap vehicles are enforced. The British Vehicle Salvage Federation (BVSF) says that because the government gave virtually...

Action plan to end hauliers' SCT blues.(Southampton Container Terminal )(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... THE WORKING PARTY created to address the chaos blighting Southampton Container Terminal (SCT) met terminal representatives last week to discuss the port's new booking system. The private meeting was described by working party chairman and RHA...

TNT Trailblazes on creating drivers.(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... TNT HOPES to have 80 new drivers by the end of the year following the completion of the first phase of its 'Trailblazer' driver training programme for warehouse and loading bay staff. The scheme was launched last February to alleviate the...

Truckers' site needs help.(truckersmoan.co.uk)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... DRIVERS' WEBSITE truckersmoan could be forced to close next year due to a lack of support from industry bosses. Barrie Tozer, the driver behind the internet forum, says that although the website is aimed mostly at drivers, it cannot continue to...

Drivers need some relief...(truck driver regulations)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... TRUCK DRIVERS have been accused of causing problems for residents in Northampton by parking their vehicles on a housing estate and using the street as a urinal. The attack on drivers parking on a through road in Grange Park was carried in a...

Go and drive the Trucksim.(truck driving)(Brief Article)
December 18, 2003... I WAS invited to the Transport Research Laboratory to try out the Trucksim simulator on 1 December, so I was interested to read your views (CM 27 November). The reason that the simulator is sited in Berkshire could be something to do with the...