Commercial Motor articles from July 2004

Commercial Motor archives from July 2004

ON THE SIDE OF LIGHT.(Professional Drivers Association)
July 1, 2004... Barry Proctor balances an industry fighting too many villains with a couple of home-grown heroes. In between running a business, watching the football (more Stoke players needed, I reckon) and biting my nails to the quick, I've also been...

A NOSE FOR PROGRESS.
July 1, 2004... Never mind those Swedish-style 25m-long rigs, a collapsible "safety nose" on the front of a truck is as far as Brussels is likely to go when it comes to increasing vehicle length. Brian Weatherley reports. If ever there was a moment to...

A QUESTION OF HONOUR.
July 1, 2004... Recruitment agencies must uphold their integrity if they are to flourish in the road transport sector, as Tim Maughan found when he spoke to Xclusive Recruitment boss David Doolan. David Doolan has a long sales and marketing background...

Agricultural team for WTD.(to minimise the effects of the 48-hour working week on hauliers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The trade associations are banding together to create a WTD buffer zone for agricultural hauliers. Guy Sheppard reports. Five trade associations have joined forces to minimise the effects of the 48-hour working week on hauliers working in...

Am I insured and do I have to pay?(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I made telephone inquiries with an insurer for a policy to include ADR. This particular company could not offer ADR so I went elsewhere. However, the first company is now insisting that I did purchase a policy and is pressing me for payment, to...

Appeal lost after ignoring TAO letters.(Traffic Area Office )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... An Essex operator which repeatedly ignored requests for information from the Traffic Area Office has lost its appeal against the revocation of its one-vehicle licence. The licence had been revoked when the company failed to notify South Eastern...

Beer firms brew parking mutiny.(planning to appeal parking tickets)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Brewery Logistics Group is the latest association to join the fight against parking tickets in London, urging its members to appeal against every fine they receive. The group, which includes Young's Brewery, Exel's Trade-team division,...

CLEANER ; GREENER.(ArvinMeritor emission system)
July 1, 2004... As we prepare for Euro-4 in 2005, ArvinMeritor has unveiled a system that could knock EGR and SCR for six. Brian Weatherley reports. Truck manufacturers and buyers will have to meet even tougher emission challenges when the Euro-4 exhaust...

Conmen nick load of designer labels.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A Spanish truck driver was tricked into handing over [pounds sterling]90,000 worth of designer clothing by a gang posing as factory officials in North London. The driver had parked outside the factory gates in Gorst Road, Park Royal last Sunday...

Cut costs by buying used CVs.(second-hand trucks )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Buying second-hand trucks is an effective way of keeping your company overheads low says a financial adviser. An independent financial adviser says sole traders and medium sized limited haulage companies should take steps to reduce their...

DAM-ing criticism over truckstops.(Drivers Action Movement and overnight truck parking problems)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Drivers Action Movement has criticised the reluctance of local authorities to take action on overnight truck parking problems. The criticism comes after the group wrote to 119 authorities across the UK highlighting the shortage of...

DfT wants your view on green grant deals.(Department for Transport)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on TransportEnergy grants in a bid to increase the use of cleaner vehicles and technologies. It wants operators' views on the role of the PowerShift, CleanUp and New Vehicle Technology...

Exel delivers T&G's holy grail of pay rises.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... In the run-up to the WTD Exel drivers have hit the T&G target of [pounds sterling]10 an hour. Guy Sheppard reports. Exel is to double the number of drivers on a supermarket delivery contract following a groundbreaking deal designed to...

Five tankers seized for illegal fuel.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Customs officers have seized five tankers and over 13,000 litres of illegal fuel as part of their crackdown on fuel laundering in Northern Ireland. Following the detection of two tankers running on a paraffin/diesel mix during a roadside check,...

Future shock.(preparing truck drivers for retirement)
July 1, 2004... With pensions under increasing pressure the spectre of a future generation of poverty-stricken pensioners is terrifyingly real. John Davies warns that action must be taken now to protect HGV drivers. Poor stock markets, longer life...

HP firm proves once bitten, twice blind.(lack of O-licence leads to impounded vehicle not being returned)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A finance company which "turned a blind eye" to a regular customer's lack of an O-licence has lost its bid to have an impounded vehicle returned. This was the second time that Finance & Leasing (London) had applied to Eastern Traffic...

Hardie perennials.(Thomas Hardie Used Vehicle Sales )(Company Profile)
July 1, 2004... Few dealerships can match the presence of Thomas Hardie Used Vehicle Sales in Middlewich. Over the past 14 years it's gone from strength to strength... It's a twist of fate that the previous occupants of Road Beta, Middlewich can cast a...

How low can you go?(low wheelbase vehicle's tank get torn off)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... When buying a vehicle recently I requested a low wheelbase and purchased an Iveco 3.5-tonner. Unladen it stands 7.5 inches from the road and sinks a couple of inches when laden. However, it so happens that the tank is fitted too low and on one...

Joint pay deal vanishes with Scots solidarity.(the end of joint industrial pay bargaining in Scotland)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Is the end of joint industrial pay bargaining in Scotland a disaster? Views vary, as the old employment agreement breaks down. Guy Sheppard reports. A union campaign to improve the status of oil tanker drivers has suffered a setback with...

Logico step for containers.(container logistics service)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Intermodal operator Freightliner has launched Logico, a new division aimed at companies running container operations. Logico uses Freightliner's rail services to provide a door-to-door service for manufacturers, importers, exporters, and...

MANs tank along the M25.
July 1, 2004... Fears last week that hostilities had moved to the Surrey stretch of the M25 were unfounded. CM's exclusive picture shows a convoy of MAN's military contenders on their way to this week's DVD military vehicle show. Hopes that the show may be...

Merc hits Euro-5 fours years early.(Mercedes-Benz range of Euro-4 and 5 compliant vehicles)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Mercedes-Benz has launched a range of Euro-4 and 5 compliant vehicles, allowing some European operators to benefit from fuel and tax savings from the beginning of 2005. Compliance has been achieved by increasing the compression ratios and peak...

Mixed fortunes.(trucking securities trends)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Haulage shares were volatile last month. They fell amid fears of serious price competition in the UK, particularly in the food and consumer market, but rose on the back of the expected merger between Exel and Tibbett & Britten. The Bank of...

Mystery buyer scoops Karitrans assets.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The ownership of a cash-strapped freight forwarding firm remained a mystery as CM went to press. Rainham-based Karitrans, which also had offices in Birmingham and Manchester, went into administration on 14 June after it became unable to pay its...

No penalty for firm which made 'huge effort'.(Hall & Rogers maintenance investigation )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A MANCHESTER builder's merchant has escaped an inquiry without penalty after a TC congratulated it for a "huge amount of effort" to put its house in order since a maintenance investigation last November. North Western Traffic Commissioner...

Oliver awaits TC's call.(William Martin Oliver & Partners may lose O-licence)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Northumbrian haulage firm William Martin Oliver & Partners is waiting to see if it will lose its O-licence following a public inquiry. The Haltwistle-based firm appeared before North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell following the...

Police need a break in KitKat case.(truckload of KitKats missing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... North Yorkshire police have issued a photo of a man wanted in connection with the theft of a [pounds sterling]70,000 truckload of KitKats. John Moorcroft from Kirby has been on the run since failing to answer bail after being arrested following...

Policing bus lanes rakes in millions for TfL - at a price.(Transport for London)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Transport for London made nearly [pounds sterling]11m from its bus lanes last year, but claims a 62% improvement in bus journey times. Chris Tindall investigates. Transport for London (TfL) says it made [pounds sterling]10.9m last year in...

Port surcharges trucks for security.( Felixstowe)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Container hauliers at Felixstowe, already hit by long delays at the port, are now facing extra charges as part of a new security system. The Port of Felixstowe is introducing the International Ship and Port Security code (ISPS) and intends to...

Sales shuffle at Renault UK.(Tim Davies named sales director at Renault Trucks UK)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Former Transolver MD Tim Davies has replaced Mick Marsh as sales director at Renault Trucks UK. Davies left Iveco-owned Transolver last year when the company was merged with Iveco Finance and took over the reins at Renault at the end of May....

Scaffolding firm rapped.(Sandwell Scaffold Co. denied licence)
July 1, 2004... An operator lost its repute, and its bid for a new O-licence, by running vehicles without a licence for nine months. Mike Jewell reports. Showing a "blatant disregard" for the law by operating without an O-licence for nine months has cost a...

Seen this truck? It's orange and has a [pounds sterling]4,000 reward.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Mitcham, Surrey-based Dave Deadman Trucking is offering a [pounds sterling]4,000 reward for information leading to the return of its stolen truck. The orange Scania was taken from the yard in Mitcham on 11 June, along with two others which have...

Stadco sails in to snap up Mayflower.(Mayflower Vehicle Systems)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Receivers for Mayflower Vehicle Systems, the truck and car body panel manufacturing division of the Mayflower Corporation, have found a buyer, bringing an end to the group's recent financial troubles. Mayflower Corporation is parent of...

Talks tiptoe around [pounds sterling]5 M6 toll for big users.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The operator of the M6 Toll has begun discussing a possible reduction in charges for trucks following widespread criticism that the [pounds sterling]10 rate is too high. The Freight Transport Association says several meetings have been held...

Teen gang targets lone driver in small hours.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Police are hunting a gang who left a truck driver needing hospital treatment for burns after throwing a liquid in his face in Wales. The attack happened between 3am and 5am last Wednesday (23 June). The 46-year-old driver was unloading supplies...

The ha'penny that grew...(cashflow projections)
July 1, 2004... Projections of cashflow figures can be illuminating. Let there be light, says Jason Hamer. You must have heard the haulier's adage: "You ain't earning if the wheels ain't turning." Cashflow really is a company's lifeblood. For example, if...

The middlemen.(medium sized fleets deal with the Working Time Directive)
July 1, 2004... Our series on how operators are preparing for the Working Time Directive continues with a look at some medium sized fleets. Pat Hagan reports. With nine months to go most operators are resigned to the fact that the 48-hour working week...

There's a good reason for the Cargo's huge success...(Iveco Cargo 75E15)
July 1, 2004... Each month we present a star of the used market to see how it could perform for you. Put your hands together for the Iveco Cargo 75E15 7.5-tonne rigid... One in three 7.5-tonners on the road today is likely to be an Iveco 75E15. It's a...

Time limits will boost demand.(for drivers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Blue Arrow expects demand for agency drivers to soar by 12% following the introduction of the Working Time Directive. Wayne Story, MD of Blue Arrow Operations, says that the majority of drivers work a minimum 55-hour week so many operators will...

Transport manager investigation scrapped.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Possible action against a transport manager's repute was dismissed after a TC blamed "wholly unacceptable" delays in launching a maintenance investigation into her firm MVP (Spares). North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell was...

Truck death toll is falling.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Road deaths are up - but not among truck drivers. Jennifer Ball reports. The number of truck drivers killed on UK roads fell 13% from 2002 to 2003, despite the overall number of road deaths reaching its highest level for six years. The...

Wayne's Story.
July 1, 2004... Wayne Story, managing director of recruitment agency Blue Arrow Operations, believes that for one sector of the industry at least, the Working Time Directive might be more blessing than curse. Jennifer Ball reports. Wayne Story knew little...

envy, revenge - AND REALITY.(Commercial Motor)
July 1, 2004... The cheek of it! Perhaps it's revenge for the apparent reticence toward the great experiment illustrated by the recent Euro elections, but these surveys slamming all that is British appear to becoming a bit of a habit. First it was our...

A mess of mixed signals.
July 8, 2004... The recent government figures have done little to resolve the arguments surrounding the question of speeding. However, neither side has introduced into the argument a critical component: namely, what is the speed limit? Put simply, I do not...

ASK in liquidation with thousands still owing.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Freight forwarding and warehousing firm ASK 4 Transport has gone into liquidation with unknown debts after creditors forced it to wind up. The Stourbridge firm's provisional liquidators, Walsall-based Sale Smith & Co will hold a creditors'...

Back before the courts.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Directors of William Martin Oliver to face a retrial. Mike Jewell reports. A bad week for Northumbrian haulage firm William Martin Oliver & Partners has been capped by the news that its management team is to face retrial over conspiracy...

Ban for failing to answer letters upheld.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The Transport Tribunal has upheld a decision to revoke the licence of a London owner-driver who repeatedly ignored requests for information from the Traffic Area Office. South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher Heaps had...

Buyout boost for Nightfreight.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Nightfreight Group has more than doubled in value following a second sale to management in three-and-a-half years. The company, which has 55 depots and more than 1,000 vehicles, was originally sold to a team led by chief executive Rob Kelly...

Capital move for Palletways.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Deliveries to London are about to get easier. Guy Sheppard reports. A new 3,700m freight consolidation centre has opened in London to help hauliers avoid paying the congestion charge. Palletways says the site in Greenford, west London,...

Customs smoke out fag smuggler.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Almost four million cigarettes were seized by Customs officers from a truck in Plymouth Ferryport last week. When the vehicle arrived on a ferry from Santander, Northern Spain last Tuesday (29 June) 30 pallets of cigarettes were discovered...

Date set for Severn crossings boycott.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Hauliers and motorists are being urged to boycott both Severn crossings on 8 September as part of a campaign against tolls. John Warman, founder of the Campaign Against Severn Tolls (CAST), believes it has received a significant boost from the...

Death-crash driver has jail term cut on appeal.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The Court of Appeal last week nearly halved the jail sentence of a truck driver convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. James Kelly was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in February by Bristol Crown Court: his term has now been cut...

Drivers can't Czech the law.(Czech hauliers' association)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The 35,000 hauliers in the Czech Republic are finding it hard to follow EU trucking regs because they haven't yet been translated into Czech. Martin Sprynar of the Czech hauliers' association warns: "They have no idea what rules are actually in...

Drumming a new beat.(minimix market)
July 8, 2004... A Bristol operator has revolutionised minimix efficiency with a weighing system that allows pre-mix concrete to be delivered in multi-drop style. Geoff Ashcroft reports. On-board weighing of pre-mix concrete at the point of delivery could...

Eddie takes on a moneyman.(Eddie Stobart Group)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... David Harris reports on an Eddie Stobart recruit with a head for figures. Eddie Stobart Group has recruited a high-flying accountant in an effort to overhaul its operations and boost profits. The world-famous haulier has taken on Ben...

Exel bid reflects nature of a predatory market.
July 8, 2004... Exel's [pounds sterling]328m bid for Tibbett & Britten could lead to a boom in acquisitions in the logistics market. The CM news team reports. Exel's bid for rival Tibbett & Britten came as no great surprise; as recently as 1999 John...

Firm risks losing licence for dangerous overload.(The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency )(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... An Essex construction firm faces the loss of its licence for overloading a tipper that was said to represent a "danger to the driver and other road users". Patrick and John Kehoe, and Christopher Davies, the partners in Essex Plant &...

Supercop.
July 8, 2004... PC Roger Brooks has just returned from a two-week trip leading a convoy of humanitarian aid trucks to a children's hospice in Romania. Jennifer Ball reports. Roger Brooks is a walking definition of selflessness. To sacrifice two weeks'...

Foreigners escape from prosecution.(Vehicle and Operator Services Agency)
July 8, 2004... VOSA reveals thousands of UK drivers face court, while drivers from abroad barely make single figures. Chris Tindall reports. Exclusive! Increasing numbers of foreign operators are escaping prosecution in the UK for drivers' hours and...

France weighs in with its own 44-tonne proposals.(French dangerous goods transport association)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The French government is considering increasing the country's maximum weight limit to 44 tonnes. Writing in the French magazine Transport Info, Francois Goulard, the head of the French dangerous goods transport association ATMD warns: "Our...

Greece is the word.
July 8, 2004... As Greece thrash the Portuguese, we visit our online game to give you the final scores and congratulate our winners. No one could argue that Greece didn't deserve their victory against Portugal in the final at the Estadio da Luz on Sunday...

Hanover debut for Daf Euro-4.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Daf's eagerly awaited 13-litre Euro-4 heavy truck diesel engine will make its official debut at the Hanover Show in September. While the Dutch manufacturer is playing its cards close to its chest, CM understands that the new in-line six will...

IN THE NEWS.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Stuart Thomas gives us his regular round-up of the way the newspapers have covered the world of transport this week... The only person feeling more embarrassed than the council workers who came over all Salvador Dali while painting white...

Little and Large.
July 8, 2004... Hymix reckons there's room in the mixer market for something a little bit bigger - like a 10m3 artic! Brian Weatherley and Kevin Swallow roll out the barrels. It's an ill-wind that blows Commercial Motor no good. There we were, all ready...

MIXED APPEAL.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 8, 2004... Volvo's 8x2 rigid saves over 300kg compared with its 8x4 stablemate. Is there a downside? Andy Salter checks out its credentials. Volvo has had an FM 8x2 chassis in its line-up since the launch of the popular rigid back in the late 1990s....

MULTI-TASKING.
July 8, 2004... Construction work is booming but operators who want to make substantial profits from construction need versatile kit and determination, says Tim Maughan. The British construction industry is a success story. It turns over some [pounds...

Maintenance offences cost firm increase in licence authority.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... A string of maintenance offences has stopped a Wigan construction firm winning an increase in its licence authority from eight to 10 vehicles. Irwin Plant & Equipment Services was called before North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell...

Manufacturers boost van use.(secondhand vans)(rental programme)(in-house insurance)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Renault and Volkswagen are setting up new initiatives for their secondhand vans: a rental programme and in-house insurance. A couple of CV manufacturers have been busy bolstering their used van set-ups with new initiatives; a new rental...

MoD teaches employers about TA.(Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers)(Volunteer Reserve Forces )(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The Ministry of Defence has launched a campaign to make employer's aware of their rights when employing military reservists. The campaign called SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers) also aims to build support for members of the...

New projects assess the gaps in your firm.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Emma Penny charts the spin-offs from the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund that claim to save you money. Two commercial projects have been spawned by the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund to boost business efficiency. TRL and another group of...

Operators shun new toll plan.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Operators have dismissed the government's plans for Britain's second toll motorway linking Birmingham to Manchester. The new route would extend the existing M6 Toll road by 50 miles with an extra two lanes running north and two south straddling...

Pick up a passenger if you use the fast lane.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The government plans to launch car sharing lanes on a number of Britain's motorways in its latest attempt to cut congestion. Only vehicles carrying two or more people will be able to use the high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV); lone drivers who...

Planning ahead.(Working Time Directive)
July 8, 2004... Are larger operators better prepared than smaller firms for the Working Time Directive? Pat Hagan reports. WHEN it comes to planning for the next phase of the Working Time Directive, which takes effect on 23 March next year, there's a...

Protest in the pipeline.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The leader of last month's fuel protest in Wales is pressing ahead with plans for a follow-up demo despite a drop in fuel prices. Martin Palmer, who runs three trucks out of Sully, near Cardiff, says another peaceful protest will take place...

Report card.(Immigration and Asylum Act 1996)
July 8, 2004... When a driver leaves, do you have to provide a reference? Patric Cunnane reports on a little-known area of employment law. Despite an increasing shortage of drivers and fitters, few companies these days will take on a new employee without...

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL.
July 8, 2004... Isuzu's "truck-derived van", the NKR, offers payload, productivity and versatility, but does a second-hand example deliver desirability? Isuzu Truck (UK) entered the domestic market with the 3.5-tonne NKR and 6.2-tonne NPR in 1996,...

Selling on the front line.(automobiles industry trends and speed of trucks and tractors)
July 8, 2004... The classifieds at the back of CM offer phone numbers, e-mail addresses - and websites. But can you really sell used trucks on-line? Cyberspace, the final frontier. Just about everything and anyone has a website, but as a selling tool only...

Slowing down the little 'uns.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... In response to CM's comment in the 24 June edition on the subject of raising the speed limits for trucks, given that they are fitted with high-spec braking systems which have improved immeasurably since speed limits were introduced, I'd like to...

Sons 'disgusted' at maintenance errors.(Wyndham Gill & Partners)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... The new management of a 20-year-old family business given a formal warning at a Cardiff disciplinary inquiry said they were disgusted with the standard of maintenance they had inherited. Welsh Deputy Traffic Commissioner Lester Maddrell issued...

Swiss buy Grampian.(Grampian International Freight)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... Aberdeen-based Grampian International Freight has been bought by Swiss firm Panalpina for an undisclosed sum. Grampian runs 32 trucks from bases in Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth and the Netherlands. It is primarily involved in supplying the oil...

Thank you Mr Atkins...
July 8, 2004... Brian Lee looks back on his glory days as a local councillor and forward to struggle to win friends and influence now. On 3 May 1979 two vice-presidents and one season ticket holder of Blackburn Rovers were elected to the following...

The final Bell tolls for Oliver.(William Martin Oliver & Partners wins the deal)
July 8, 2004... The bosses at William Martin Oliver & Partners escaped punishment due to a hung jury - but TC Beverley Bell has booted them out of the industry. Northumbrian haulage firm William Martin Oliver & Partners has been dealt a devastating blow...

Three of the best.
July 8, 2004... The 3.5-tonne panel van is an integral part of the used market. Here we give you a lowdown on three players we tested last year... Vehicle: Citron Relay 1800 2.2HDI Tested: 2 January 2003 Specifications Engine: PSA DW12 common-rail...

Toppling steel costs licence.(Guildford Crown Court)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2004... A Welsh operator who drove his truck on the M25 with an insecure 19-tonne load of steel has been banned from driving for a year. Graham Thomas of Bonymaen, Swansea pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Guildford Crown Court last week. The...