Commercial Motor articles from July 2005

Commercial Motor archives from July 2005

'Pass Plus' for; HGV drivers.(Truck Drivers Training\ )
July 14, 2005... New HGV drivers want experience: Skills for Logistics aims to provide it. Guy Sheppard reports. A training scheme is being introduced to give rookie truck drivers a taste of what driving in real-world conditions involves before they start...

EVENTS.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 14, 2005... RHA courses Digital tachograph 18 July Sevenoaks 20 July Oxford 10 August Heathrow 15 August Harlow 16 August Leicester Health and safety 19 July Oxford Operator compliance 20 July Peterborough 21 July Heathrow Finance for non-finance managers...

A van's gotta do what a van's gotta do...(Survey of Van Activity 2004)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Government statistics show that van traffic has grown by more than any road vehicle type during the last decade. The Department for Transport's Survey of Van Activity 2004 reveals that van traffic has grown by more than 30% over the last...

Boalloy build-times cut by two thirds.(Fastruck)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Trailer manufacturer Boalloy has drastically reduced its boxvan build times to less than two weeks, thanks to new manufacturing methods. Previously the process could take up to six weeks. The new system, called Fastruck, has enabled Boalloy to...

Boxing clever.
July 14, 2005... Companies lose a quarter of their profits to the taxman, but there are ways to reduce that burden. Paula Tallon reports. The average business spends 25% of its profits on tax. Any other business expenses of this size would be subject to a...

SOle patrol.(Movano range )(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 14, 2005... Big vans are as practical as shoes and, like shoes, they come in different shapes and sizes. So for those with big feet we've gone for the vast Movano LWB from Vauxhall. Practical is a word that's always going to be welcomed when it comes...

Chunnel's silver lining.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Eurotunnel benefited from the chaos at the Port of Calais during the first half of the year. It handled 703,363 trucks; 9% more than the same period in 2004. However, the Channel Tunnel operator says the increase in traffic also reflects the...

Common licence.( Third Driver Licence Directive )
July 14, 2005... Europe's plans to harmonise driver licences include tightening up existing regulations to root out offenders. Sally Nash reports. The Third Driver Licence Directive contains a myriad of proposals aimed at beefing up anti-fraud and security...

Don't give up ; on Foden now.(management of Foden)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... With strong family links to Foden, like many others I was saddened by the recent announcement. Maybe the old firm has finally had its day - or has it? Mr Piggot and his colleagues saved Foden from sure oblivion and, to their credit, have...

End of the boom?
July 14, 2005... After a seemingly unending boom in truck sales some dealers are reporting a decline in consumer confidence. Steve Banner reports. Is the sales boom coming to an end? Lee Smith, director West Thurrock, Essex independent dealership Hanbury...

Firms lose out as A303 shuts.(road closure)(A303 at Marsh )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Hauliers in the South West warn that a decision to close one of their main access routes for 15 weeks will cause turmoil for their businesses. The Highways Agency is closing the A303 at Marsh on the border of Devon and Somerset from 5...

Free auction guide from BCA.(British Car Auctions )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... British Car Auctions has come up with a monthly auction guide book to back up its flourishing website. Want one? You have but to ask... BCA is backing up its comprehensive web site, www.bca-europe.com, with a new monthly auction guide book....

Fuel duty rebate was on the cards.(Lorry Road User Charging)
July 14, 2005... Secret promises of an early fuel rebate have died alongside the LRUC. Dominic Perry reports. The ROAD transport industry was set to be granted an early fuel duty rebate as part of the government's now abandoned plans for Lorry Road User...

Hijack warning - and the driver's phone just rings...
July 14, 2005... Simon Coulston reports on a roller coaster of a month - from the birth of a son (congratulations!) to having a truck hijacked. Dominating my thoughts this month has been this wonderful news: on 1 July 2005 my wife and I became the proud...

Ignorance accepted for ; unlicensed farm tractor.(Clitheroe Skip Hire)(O-licensing)
July 14, 2005... An agricultural tractor found to be hauling non-farm loads is returned to its operator because he did not know it needed an O-licence. An operator has won the return of an agricultural tractor towing a trailer adapted to carry skips which...

Ireland in EC row over speed limiters.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... The Irish Government has been rapped on the knuckles by the European Commission for failing to follow the Commission's guidelines on introducing speed limiters for all goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. The Irish did introduce the new...

JCP forced to call in the administrators.(reorganization and restructuring of JCP)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Aldridge-based bodybuilder JCP has gone into administration. The company, which was subject to a management buy-out (MBO) 18 months ago, called in administrators RSM Robson Rhodes last week. It had racked up "significant debts", according to...

KILLER TRUCKS ON M20.(Khaled ruminates on Travel)
July 14, 2005... Mr X ruminates on the way a tragedy can improve drivers' manners - unless they're homicidal French and Germans, of course. Last Friday, less than 24 hours after the dreadful terrorist attacks on London's transport system, I had to head up...

Let's move on.(Lorry Road User Charge)
July 14, 2005... The failure of the LRUC last week showed up many things. One was just how far a government scheme can proceed without a proper analysis of the figures. Another was that the needs of the transport industry - in this case a differentiation...

Lords reject a 50mph speed limit on single carriageways.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... The House of Lords has discussed the single-carriageway speed limit for trucks, but don't expect any movement soon. David Harris reports. The speed limit for trucks on suitable single-carriageway roads should go up from 40mph to 50mph, the...

Maritime Transport sells trucks on site.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... East Anglian Maritime Transport has decided to move into the used truck business - it has recently set up a website to dispose of its own vehicles. Trucks on offer include Daf, Volvo, and Scania 6x2 tractor units with around 420hp on tap....

IN BRIEF.(Lancashire Daf opened Site)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... New site Preston-based Lancashire Daf has opened a site on the Walton Summit Business Park at Bamber Bridge. The dealership's 3.5-acre base is open non-stop from 8.00am on Mondays to 12.30pm Saturdays; it has a workforce of 80. Trailer...

Mercedes figures in spotlight.(Mercedes-Automobil Holding AG)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... In our Euro-4 comparison (CM 23 June), a glitch in the translation from the German created a small error in the Mercedes figures we provided. Although this doesn't change the basic findings of the test - that the overall difference between...

One Way for TLS Way please.(growth and management of TLS)
July 14, 2005... It's fair to say rental giant TLS has been through the mill during the past five years. But, Andrew Way tells Andy Salter, it's left the company leaner, meaner and ready for action. "Things went horribly wrong," is how TLS MD Andrew Way...

Operator who was saving for O-licence fails to win back his impounded truck.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... A Liverpool operator who said he was using an impounded vehicle to try and save money to apply for an O-licence has failed to win it back. Christian White, of Norris Green, Liverpool, had claimed he did not know the vehicle needed an...

Pay up for act of God.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Northern Ireland's Roads Service has sent a repair bill for [pounds sterling]6,812 to a Derry driver whose truck was blown over in a storm on 11 January. Davy Trafford, a driver with Corry Transport, was driving his empty truck eastwards along...

Permission granted despite council fears over access.(licencing of Scaffolding)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Surrey and Sussex Scaffolding has been granted a licence, subject to conditions and undertakings, despite claims from Surrey County Council that the road network surrounding the operating centre was unsuitable. The company had applied to South...

Police say they have no power to prosecute German driver.(discipline of German truck driver )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... The police claim they cannot prosecute a foreign driver who injured a British motorist. David Craik reports. Warwickshire Police are coming under attack for failing to prosecute a German truck driver who was involved in a road accident last...

Pride of the Highlands.(Ferguson Transport (Spean Bridge) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Ferguson Transport of Spean Bridge has been named as the Business of the Year 2005 by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Council. The firm was selected from 41 entries for the prize. MD Alasdair Ferguson says the 40-truck operation won...

Quick route to flogging Fords.
July 14, 2005... It's fitting that the biggest trading estate in Europe houses one of Ford's biggest used CV centres in the UK. Kevin Swallow dropped in on Bramall Quicks. Trafford Park doesn't look much from the M60 when it's drizzling and the cloud...

Rail and imaginary.
July 14, 2005... Stuart Thomas takes a sideways look at how the railway media are reacting to 60-tonne trucks, while the DVLA's busy staff are downloading colleagues' amateur porn The backlash against 60-tonne trucks on UK roads has begun.... but,...

Regulating risks.
July 14, 2005... What are you doing to ensure you comply with work-related road safety regulations? If the answer is nothing you could be storing up trouble. Risk management expert Dr Will Murray pinpoints your management obligations. There are several...

Russett resigns from Palletline.(Bob Russett)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Bob Russett is leaving Palletline after serving only six months as president, ending a 14-year association with the company he helped to establish. It is thought that Russett is unhappy that volumes have declined and believes the company "is...

Sacked drivers pin their hopes on RMT support.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Thirty owner-drivers who were fired by Bardon Aggregates' West Drayton depot last month hope to be reinstated after a meeting is held between the RMT and management over the next few days. Charanjit Singh, known as "Freddie", claims he and the...

Still a strong market for Foden.
July 14, 2005... Foden's expected demise next year has not yet affected used prices, says Richard Barnes, salesman at Foden dealership Birmingham Truck Centre. Nor has demand for used examples dried up: ""We had an eight-wheel tipper come in the other day, and...

Swain licence bid to be heard at inquiry.(licence of F Swain & Sons)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Cheshire OPERATOR F Swain & Sons' bid for a new O-licence for 14 vehicles and 14 trailers based at Wotton Road, Iron Acton, near Bristol is to be considered by Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown at a Bristol public inquiry. The TC is...

TC takes account of firm's remedial action on hours.(investigations and discipline of M&L Trans UK)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Doncaster-baseD M&L Trans UK has escaped with a warning over breaches of the hours and tachograph rules because it had done much to correct things before being called to public inquiry. The company, which holds a three-vehicle licence, had been...

TESTING; TIMES.
July 14, 2005... Drink, drugs and trucks don't mix - so why don't more operators test their drivers to make sure they're fit to get behind the wheel? David Harris reports. Should truck operators routinely test their drivers for alcohol or drugs? The...

That was the year...
July 14, 2005... CM was launched in 1905; for our centenary year we're bringing you stories from years gone by. This week we're back in 1931 and 1981. 1931 The sky's the limit The Empire State Building in New York was completed; at a height of 381m...

The devil's in the detail ; with dangerous goods.(Letter to the Editor)
July 14, 2005... I write having read the article entitled "Danger Money" (CM 23 June) to make the following observations: The article appears to be well written and accurate in the parts where quote marks are used. The inaccuracy is to be found in the first...

Transport Tribunal orders rethink over surrender bid.(licence of KPG Site Services)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... The Transport Tribunal has directed the South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner to reconsider a decision to revoke the licence held by KPG Site Services after it was claimed that the company had tried to surrender its licence. In June...

Truck sales soar again.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Despite worries of an impending recession in the UK economy the truck market continues to hit record levels, according to sales figures released by the SMMT. Figures for the market above 3.5 tonnes to the end of June this year show...

Watching the clock.(Working Time Directive )
July 14, 2005... So, 14 weeks in, has everyone settled in with the WTD? Well, that depends who you ask. Chris Tindall reports. Two recent studies on the effects of the Working Time Directive (WTD) have revealed striking differences between truck drivers...

Whitehead doubles fleet.(Pf Whitehead Transport Services Ltd. )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... Croydon haulier PF Whitehead Transport Services has doubled the size of its warehouse, truck fleet and workforce following a surge in demand over the last year. Operations director Peter Whitehead is now predicting a further increase in jobs....

Women in transport.(conferences of Skills for Logistics)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2005... AN event is being set up to encourage more women into the road transport industry and to promote good practice. The free conference, sponsored by the Freight Transport Association and Skills for Logistics, will feature seven women speakers,...

Workers' playtime.(Navara )
July 14, 2005... If you need a working pickup in the week, but want an SUV to play in at weekends, the all-new Nissan Navara should be right up your street... and it's also right at home on the rough. Colin Barnett reports. The battle for the European...

You want Gold, you pay gold.
July 14, 2005... I write in response to the Peter Larner article concerning the FTA's service provision with regard to the Road Transport Directive (CM 7 July). Peter has been a long time user of our unique visiting service for tachograph analysis and asked us...

the wheel of misfortune.
July 14, 2005... If you think good maintenance, frequent checks and regular re-torqueing is enough to guarantee against wheel loss. Think again. Andy Salter reports. According to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, there have been more than 2,500...

EVENTS.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 21, 2005... RHA courses Finance for non-financial managers 10 August Nottingham Digital tachographs 10 August Harlow 15 August Harlow Working Time Directive 16 August Leicester Fire awareness 16 August Slough Contact: 01733 261131 Fleet Safety Forum...

ANY PORT IN; A STORM.
July 21, 2005... The chaos at the country's southern ports over the past few years has been as predictable as it is crippling for the UK economy. Predictable because the industry has long complained that it is near full capacity: in 2001 a House of Commons...

Ads struggle to hitch a lift on trucks.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... An advertising company is struggling to find operators willing to carry adverts on their trucks, despite offering up to [pounds sterling]3,000 per vehicle per year. So far London-based RoadAds has signed up more than 500 trucks, but demand for...

Betz recruits Brits.(foreign operations of Willi Betz )
July 21, 2005... Controversial German haulier Willi Betz is set to expand in the UK and recruit its first British drivers. Guy Sheppard reports. European transport giant Willi Betz, frequently condemned for its use of low-paid East European labour, is...

Bidding to clear the ports.(Best Practice guide )(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... Shippers, shipping lines and the port operators industry have teamed up with the Freight Transport Association to produce a Best Practice guide designed to cut dockside queues. Beating Port Congestion describes ways in which hauliers,...

Catching those ; without ; a net.
July 21, 2005... New measures to crack down on insurance cheats should make our roads less dangerous. Juliet Morrison reports. As you ease to a stop ahead of the queue of traffic, you glance in your mirror in time to see the battered coupe with go-faster...

Council rejects HGV Castle ban.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... An attempt to ban trucks from the road which runs past Pevensey Castle in East Sussex has been rejected by East Sussex County Council. Parish councillors have been campaigning for the ban in an effort to protect the buildings from vibration....

Council's attempts to block licence fails.(discipline and licencing of Ripley & Willis )
July 21, 2005... An operator which paid a council [pounds sterling]40,000 for a Lawful Use Certificate, only to have the use of its site opposed by the same council, has finally had its licence confirmed. The application for a two-vehicle/two-trailer licence by...

DOUBLE DUTCH.
July 21, 2005... Trailer manufacturer Van Eck Group isn't a household name in the UK. It exports reefer and box trailers by the dozen rather than hundreds and thousands, but that could all be about to change. Double-deck trailers have become familiar equipment...

DTC accepted no deceit had been intended by operator who used his father's licence.(licence of Marsden Civil Engineering & Building Contractors)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... A Deputy Traffic Commissioner accepted that a company which had operated on the licence of a liquidated firm for about 18 months had not intended to deceive the authorities. He granted the company interim authority to continue operating while...

Does the noble lord prefer ; coffee or tranquilisers?(Letter to the Editor)
July 21, 2005... I have just read the article on single-carriageway speed limits (CM 14 July). Lord Berkeley advises that frustrated drivers held up by HGVs travelling at the legal speed limit should stop and have a cup of coffee or "take a tranquilliser". Can...

Driving offers jobs for the girls.(Letter to the Editor)
July 21, 2005... I read your article in CM's Scottish issue, "Jobs for the Girls" (CM 23 June) with interest. I have just entered the transport industry as a driver in Scotland, even though I originate south of the border. I did this as a late career change - I...

Dual hearing takes action against haulage partnership.(discipline of RMG Freight Services)(discipline of Ranger International Transport )(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... Two LINKED Cheshire companies faced disciplinary action when they appeared before North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Patrick Mulvenna. Knutsford-based RMG Freight Services' licence was revoked and Warrington-based Ranger International...

EGR doesn't depend on ultra-low-sulphur fuel.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... In setting out the relative merits of SCR and EGR, Oliver Dixon is wrong to assert that EGR "demands low-sulphur fuel" (CM 14 July). For the past three years North American EGR engines complying with EPA 2004 emissions legislation have managed...

EYE ON THE HORIZON.(management of Bunker Freight Lines)
July 21, 2005... Every operator pays lip service to customer service, efficiency, safety and the environment - but Australian haulier Ron Bunker has proved that doing things by the book makes sound business sense. There's no secret to running a successful...

Everybody's favourite.
July 21, 2005... Scania's 420hp 124 twin-steer has been the firm's best-seller, which is good news for the prudent used truck buyer. Geoff Ashcroft reports. The arrival of Scania's 11-litre engine in 4-Series tractors at 340 and 380hp led the Swedes to up...

FTA quizzes TfL on green zone.(Freight Transport Association)(Transport for London)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... The Freight Transport Association aims to grill Transport for London over its plans for a London-wide Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for trucks. The two organisations are scheduled to meet later this week. TfL has yet to issue anything more than...

Firm escapes with formal warning after agreeing to second transport manager.(discipline of Barnes & Tipping)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... A firm running 30 vehicles escaped with a formal warning at a disciplinary inquiry when it agreed to nominate a second transport manager to ensure compliance with maintenance standards. Blackburn-based Barnes & Tipping, which holds a licence...

Food blamed for jam crisis.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... A government report is blaming food transport for a whole host of society's ills. David Craik reports. The transport of food has a significant and growing impact on congestion, accidents, climate change, noise and air pollution, according...

Geopost fined over safety.(breach of health and safety regulations)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... Parcel firm GeoPost UK and one of its franchisees have been fined [pounds sterling]12,000 including costs for a breach of health and safety regs after one of its drivers was injured as he unloaded his vehicle. North Tyneside magistrates heard...

Gold-plated?
July 21, 2005... CV manufacturers provide varying degrees of service when it comes to selling their vehicles secondhand. But VW reckons its scheme is the best on the market. When Volkswagen turned its attention to the secondhand market it's fair to say...

Hours enforcement tightens.(usage of digital tachographs)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... New regulations on the enforcement of European drivers' hours rules in the UK were launched in Parliament last week, in preparation for digital tachographs. From 5 August the new regs will impose: * An increase in the maximum penalty for...

Jeans ripped off.
July 21, 2005... Thieves stole thousands of pounds worth of jeans from a truck parked overnight in Leicestershire, between 11pm on 5 July and 4am on 6 July on the southbound A42 near Long Whatton. The jeans bear the label 'Vintage' with the words 'Urban...

Kent truck parking in crisis.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... The number of trucks parked illegally and on unsuitable sites in Kent is set to more than double to 750 per night over the next four years, say transport consultants. Faber Maunsell says possible short-term solutions to the problem include more...

Law plus; Up and coming law with the FTA.(Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority)
July 21, 2005... Future legislation DVLA fee proposals: The DVLA is considering revising fee structures to cover the costs of changes, including 10-yearly renewal of photocard licences, the removal of the paper counterpart and the redevelopment of vehicle...

ACT NOW.(traffic regulations)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... The M42 (Junctions 3A to 7) (Actively Managed Hard Shoulder and Variable Speed Limit) Regulations 2005 CIF 27 July 2005 These regulations modify existing rules to introduce variable speed limits and create the concept of an 'actively managed...

Lithuanian jailed for smuggling tobacco.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... A Lithuanian truck driver has been jailed for six months for attempting to smuggle 1,500kg of tobacco into the UK. Bournemouth Crown Court head how Vladislavas Dauksevicius from Yashunaj was arrested during the afternoon of 4 February as he...

M25 plan is 'too little too late'.(Road construction)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... Nearly [pounds sterling]140m will be spent on improving the M25 in Kent, but local hauliers warn that it's a waste of time. Guy Sheppard reports. Kent OPERATORS say a [pounds sterling]138m road improvement scheme near the Dartford Crossing...

Mind, body and spirit.(Health care for Transportation industry Employees)
July 21, 2005... How do you deal with disability? Could you help a driver rebuild his confidence after an accident? Or help a worker deal with trauma? Patric Cunnane talks to two agencies who can help. Small firms are unlikely to have the resources to...

Partners banned for showing 'total disregard' for system.(Traffic Area Office services)
July 21, 2005... Hours and speeding convictions were not reported to the Traffic Area Office. A series of prohibitions, together with hours and speeding offences and a failure to report convictions to the Traffic Area Office, has led to the loss of a West...

RISE OF; THE; PHOENIX.(Trailer Business)
July 21, 2005... There was a strong whiff of deje vu at the recent launch of Fruehauf Tippers, which has fortunately acquired the kind of parent company it so desperately needs. Brian Weatherley reports.. Before the dotcom bubble burst one of the most...

SNP calls for fuel cut.(Scottish National Party)
July 21, 2005... The SNP has pledged its support for operators in the north-east of Scotland. David Harris reports. The Scottish National Party (SNP) is backing hauliers in the north-east of Scotland with a call for a cut in fuel duty in response to high...

SWEET CHARITIES.(Spinal Injuries Ireland)
July 21, 2005... Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage - the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange... On the Margin, generous column that it is, is fond of giving to charity. Be it tramps on the...

Setting a hire standard.(Freight transportation industry)
July 21, 2005... Chris Chidley is Driver Hire's chief executive. Chris Tindall finds out if the driver shortage is making his tenure an easy one. Sitting right next door to the multicultural bustle of Bradford is the altogether more peaceable and, in...

Small is becoming beautiful.(Small vans)(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... As operators turn to smaller vans the supply of used 3.5-tonners is set to outstrip demand, which does not bode well for residuals. Residuals are under threat as operators turn their backs on 3.5-tonne vans in favour of smaller vehicles....

Speed cameras save lives.(Brief Article)
July 21, 2005... Brian Weatherley can't resist returning to the vexed question of speed cameras - but unlike many comentators he's not whingeing about having to drive within the speed limit. I know, I know... I promised never to write another column about...