Commercial Motor articles from March 2006

Commercial Motor archives from March 2006

ARRIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
March 2, 2006... The new hatchback aside, it may not look much different. But Vauxhall's Combo has been steadily evolving, especially under the bonnet. How time flies. It's nearly three years since we last drove a Vauxhall Combo with a 1.7-litre engine;...

Agency drivers need structured training.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Two recent items on drivers in Commercial Motor caught my eye. The problems highlighted in Comment are all too real and David Scott-Smith's letter also struck a chord (CM 16 February). After nearly 20 years of intermittent bus and coach...

Appeal for return of vehicle fails.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... An Essex scaffolder, whose O-licence was revoked in 2000, has failed to win back the return of an impounded vehicle. He had been convicted of unauthorised use just nine days before the truck was impounded. On 14 September 2005, a...

Arts and crafts.
March 2, 2006... With a new body and interior, the Crafter is more than just an updated LT. Colin Barnett reports. Volkswagen has unveiled its version of the large panel van that it jointly developed with Mercedes-Benz. The Crafter, which replaces the LT,...

Bell sounds the alarm over Transconsult CPS holder.
March 2, 2006... Three operators have appeared before the TC because of their transport manager, supplied by Transconsult. Mike Jewell reports. Controversial transport consultant Alec Hayden has admitted breaking an undertaking he gave to North-Western...

Bridging the skills gap.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Here at the Professional Drivers Association (PDA), we too are familiar with the problems of newly qualified drivers trying to get started in the industry and falling foul of the job/experience conundrum (CM 16 February). The PDA provides...

Chinese dragon spreads its wings.
March 2, 2006... CIMC plans to be the world's number one trailer maker by 2008. As Brian Weatherley reports, the recent acquisition of Burg Industries puts it one step closer. Last year, CM ran a story about a "little-known company called China...

Cummins aims to hit strict US 2010 standard.
March 2, 2006... US engine manufacturer Cummins plans to demonstrate an emissions-control system for truck diesel engines that will meet the ultra-strict EPA 2010 on-highway exhaust standards well ahead of the deadline. And it won't rely on SCR and...

Cut Congestion Charge for cleaner vehicles.
March 2, 2006... Business and industry groups are putting pressure on Transport for London (TfL) to grant operators discounts on the capital's Congestion Charge in return for running cleaner vehicles. The Freight Transport Association says...

Dramatic growth for logistics group.
March 2, 2006... The fast-growing Clipper Group has unveiled a strong set of accounts and dropped hints over future plans. Guy Sheppard reports. Yorkshire logistics group Clipper is considering a stock market flotation next year to fund further rapid...

East Europeans put pressure on the UK.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... UK international hauliers held onto 26% of the cross- Channel market last year. Bridget Carter reports. The number of East European vehicles coming to the UK continues to surge, according to government figures. Some industry observers now...

Right track.
March 2, 2006... What does the CM operators' panel think of the proposals to overhaul O-licensing? It's time for a change, Pat Hagan is told. From the giants of logistics to the one-man bands, everyone in road transport needs an O-licence to run a...

EVENTS.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 2, 2006... RHA courses Digital tachographs 7 March Liverpool O-licence compliance 14 March Gatwick Drivers' hours 14 March Warrington Health and safety for transport 16 March Peterborough Manual handling 21 March Stoke Contact: 01733 261...

FTA and RHA join forces over call on fuel duty.(Freight Transport Association )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Both major trade associations have called on the government to freeze diesel duty while world prices are high and volatile. The RHA and FTA have teamed up to make a joint pre-Budget submission. In this they also ask for a system requiring...

Fatal accident inquiry to probe mobile use.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... An inquiry into the death of a cyclist killed when he was hit by a truck will investigate the part a mobile phone played in the accident. Stephen Barclay died last April when he was struck by an LGV on the A835 at Leanig Brae, Scotland. ...

Fleet grows as WTD boosts workload.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Scottish haulier JBT Transport is investing [pounds sterling]400,000 in new trucks to cope with expansion which its boss suspects is fuelled by the Working Time Directive. MD Murray Prentice says the Directive, introduced nearly a year...

Furniture delivery firm not worried by Stag's fall.
March 2, 2006... Bosses of furniture transport specialist Harker's say that the collapse of one of the UK's biggest furniture manufacturers will have a negligible impact on the firm's business. Stag Furniture called in the administrators two weeks ago,...

Hino targets Foden dealers.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Japanese truck maker Hino is gearing up for an assault on the UK market by expanding its network. Andy Salter reports. Toyota-owned truck manufacturer Hino is recruiting UK truck dealers as it prepares for a major assault on the...

IN THE NEWS.
March 2, 2006... Stuart Thomas brings you his regular round-up of the way our local and national press has covered the wonderful world of road transport this week... The DVLA recently announced that it anticipated no problems regarding the issuing of smart...

Innovate replaces Scanias with Volvos.(Innovate Logistics )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Nottinghamshire reefer operator Innovate Logistics has ordered 150 new Volvo tractors to replace the Scanias it acquired when it took over rival Phil Hanley Transport. The [pounds sterling]9m worth of new trucks are all FH12s with...

Kent Lib-Dems tell drivers to 'truck off'.
March 2, 2006... A Liberal Democrats campaign to force truck drivers to park away from the high street of a Kent town has been branded "political opportunism" by one resident. According to the website www.truckoff.org.uk, residents of Cheriton, near...

Learn from Germany.
March 2, 2006... Who should pay for making your drivers safer? Brian Weatherley wonders whether the Germans haven't got the right idea. Germany is another country... they do things differently there. At least they do when it comes to funding driver...

MAN reveals 2006 plans.
March 2, 2006... German truck giant MAN has unveiled targets for its UK business and a new engine for the US market. But it has played down rumours about Scania. Andy Salter reports. Blowing twice as hard in US MAN's joint venture with...

Operator bonding with the Swedes.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... MILL TRANSPORT of Doncaster has appointed a new director to cement its relationship with Swedish frozen-food logistics company Frigoscandia Distribution. Gary Sweeting, already a director of Frigoscandia's UK operation, has worked for...

Petch blames its demise on low rates.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Alec Petch Transport, the Yorkshire container haulier that closed at the end of February (CM 23 February), says its problems were caused by low rates rather than lack of work. Norman Petch, one of three sons of the founder who ran...

Pickfords sheds jobs after formal review.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Removals giant Pickfords is blaming over-capacity in the UK market for the loss of 80 jobs. The redundancies will mainly affect management, but drivers could be hit by further cost-cutting measures following a meeting tomorrow (Friday 3...

Purple patch for Scarlett.
March 2, 2006... Mick Scarlett answers every question thrown at him with a rapier-like delivery, resulting in possibly one of the swiftest interviews CM has conducted. This isn't to say the Palletforce chief executive's answers are particularly brief; it's...

Scots drivers win JIC rise.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... A group of Aberdeen drivers will be celebrating this week after winning a long-running pay dispute. Guy Sheppard reports. More than 20 drivers have won a long-running dispute over their right to a pay rise negotiated on behalf of...

Southampton port revenue falls by 1.1%.(Associated British Ports )(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Poor trading in British shops has been blamed for a fall in the number of containers passing through Southampton port. In its annual results Associated British Ports (ABP) attributes a 1.1% fall in revenue at Southampton partly to shops...

Spring Dafs for Mallinson.(Ken Mallinson & Sons)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... Barnsley haulier Ken Mallinson & Sons has expanded its fleet with three new high-spec Daf XF95 tractor units. This follows the arrival of four new I-Shift Volvo FH12s in September 2005. Mallinson now runs 40 trucks including 27 tractor...

State of the Unions.
March 2, 2006... Even the unions admit that with margins so tight, many operators would find it almost impossible to increase their drivers' pay. David Harris reports on what the unions hope to do for their members. What place is there for unions in 21st...

Strike ballot at Asda.
March 2, 2006... Driving and warehouse staff at supermarket chain Asda could be on strike within weeks in a dispute over collective contracts. Members of the GMB union voted on 27 February to ballot on industrial action. The union wants collective...

Support for driving fathers.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... I wonder if any of your readers who work in this already over-regulated industry have experienced problems at home due to the unsocial hours or even ended up in the family law courts. If so, they may be interested in a website I have set up...

TAIL & ERROR.
March 2, 2006... The Institute of Road Transport Engineers is defining a 'national standard' for tail-lifts. Its regulation causes much confusion, so what will the standard include? Kevin Swallow investigates. On a bright afternoon in November 2005,...

The smoking gun.
March 2, 2006... In a few weeks, Scottish drivers will no longer be allowed to smoke in their vehicles. But will the law be enforceable? Chris Tindall reports. The Scottish Executive's website devoted to banning smoking in the workplace displays the number...

Tribunal overturns revocation to give dairy second chance.
March 2, 2006... A dairy firm with one of the "worst" maintenance records a TC had seen has won its appeal against revocation. The Transport Tribunal ruled that more account should have been taken of the improvements the company had made. The Tribunal...

Uncertainty over 950 Kwik Save jobs.
March 2, 2006... DHL Exel is negotiating with the new owners of Kwik Save to minimise job losses after 171 stores were sold off by its parent, Somerfield. A DHL Exel spokeswoman explains there is uncertainty over the future of 950 jobs at the RDC...

Violent hijackers discard a stolen load of organic food.
March 2, 2006... West Midlands Police are warning truck drivers to be on their guard following a hijacking in Walsall last week. The attack happened on the A454, near Junction 10 of the M6. Three vehicles forced a Scania, registration EU04 UZK, to...

o-LICENSING - HAVE YOUR SAY!
March 2, 2006... It's our belief that education overcomes instinct. Last week we noted the Freight Transport Association's warranted concern that apathy and ignorance in the road transport industry would sink the proposed O-licence overhaul. It's true that many...

what goes up...
March 2, 2006... Recent revisions by the HSE to the regulations governing working at height have forced many operators to review how they go about their everyday business. Julian Milnes reports. Whenever there's talk of new regulations being brought into...

'Abusive' operator sees his licence authority doubled.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... A Swansea skip hire operator succeeded in doubling his licence authority at a Cardiff public inquiry despite the fact that he had been abusive to a vehicle examiner. Deputy Traffic Commissioner Alan Jenkins ruled there was "an element of fault...

'Everybody's doing it' is no excuse.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2006... A Mitcham, LONDON driver has been given a 155-hour Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling [pounds sterling]975 for drivers' hours and tachograph offences. Judge Openheimer at Kingston Crown Court said that...

'Front' operation for revoked firm is shown the red card.
March 2, 2006... The two directors of an operation that was "entirely wrong" have been disqualified indefinitely, and the transport manager has lost her repute. An operator that employed drivers on behalf of a firm whose licence had been revoked has been...

'Reckless' DHL fined for biodiesel spillage into waterway.
March 2, 2006... DHL has been fined [pounds sterling]8,000 with almost [pounds sterling]6,000 costs after it caused biodiesel fuel to spill into a brook, polluting 6km of the waterway. The Environment Agency (EA) told Wirral Magistrate's Court that about...

Skills for Logistics gets the thumbs down.
March 9, 2006... The latest CM/Michelin survey has bad news for Skills for Logistics, but at least the driver shortage seems to be easing. But what are we doing to help young drivers? Much of the industry is not aware of the work of Skills for...

Arson attack on haulage yard.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Police are hunting arsonists who attacked a haulage yard in north Warwickshire. One truck was destroyed in the blaze at Instarmac's Kingsbury depot; two others had their fuel tanks punctured and their windows smashed. A police...

Brett buys in Scanias.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Faversham-based Brett Aggregates is taking on 33 new Scania rigids and tractors for bulk tipping work. The rigids are 29 P380s and one P310 fitted with PPG Fabrications and Charlton bodies. The three tractor units are...

CM recognised for reader focus.
March 9, 2006... CM received plaudits at one of Europe's biggest publishing awards ceremonies last week, scooping the Reader Focus trophy for the magazine that best served its readers' needs in 2005. Editor Andy Salter says that the magazine's strategy -...

Celsius First goes into administration after 'significant losses'.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Hauliers working for major chilled distribution firm Celsius First are nervously waiting to see if they will be paid. Dominic Perry reports. Chilled distribution firm Celsius First has gone into administration, putting over 400 jobs at...

Community service for tacho offences.(Community Punishment Order)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... The former boss of a Leeds-based transport firm who conspired with her drivers to falsify tacho charts has been given a 240-hour Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay [pounds sterling]100,000 costs. The firm was fined [pounds...

Did an alarm sound at Buncefield?(fuel leak leads to explosion)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Tanker drivers who were at the Buncefield oil depot on 11 December seconds before the explosion should have been warned of a fuel leak by an alarm. CM has been told that the inquiry into Europe's largest peacetime explosion will almost...

Easier out than in.
March 9, 2006... The ageing regulars at the Mermaid Tavern have been discussing pensions - and it seems their drivers don't want to know. Peter Larner shares a pint and finds out why. Bill Heath arrived late at the Mermaid Tavern last Friday, having been...

EVENTS.(safety for transport)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 9, 2006... RHA courses O-licence compliance 14 March Gatwick Drivers' hours 14 March Warrington Health and safety for transport 16 March Peterborough Manual handling 21 March Stoke Contact: 01733 261 131 or 0131 472 4180 (Scotland) ...

Q&A.(team of lawyers)(Panel Discussion)
March 9, 2006... This week's answers have been supplied by a team of lawyers from Backhouse Jones based in Clitheroe, Lancashire What can he drive? As a vehicle dealer, I have been asked to help a customer with a query. He passed his test before 1997 so he...

Expect more from Pennine Parcels.(Palletline network)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Halifax-based distribution firm Pennine Parcels has renamed itself Expect Distribution to reflect its shift from a parcels specialist to a distribution operation. Expect puts more parcels into the Birmingham-based Palletline network than...

Flexible friends.
March 9, 2006... As the yoga teacher said to the archbishop, you have to be flexible. Colin Barnett checks out a couple of trucks whose flexibility greatly increases their earnings potential. While enjoying a quiet Silverstone bacon roll at the recent HMF...

Forth's firth to get a second road bridge by around 2014.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Construction of a new Forth road bridge is looking more likely; in the meantime, tolls on the current bridge are frozen. David Harris reports. A new bridge over the Forth came closer last week as the Scottish Executive launched plans to...

GOOD INTENTIONS AREN'T ENOUGH.
March 9, 2006... The road transport industry has long been in need of a higher recruitment and career profile. We constantly rehearse our lines about driver shortages so on paper, at least, Skills for Logistics is an essential tool for road transport with the...

HMF grab loaders are longer & lighter.(HMF introduces Loaders )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... HMF, the Danish truck-mounted crane specialist, has launched a range of grab loaders specifically for the UK muckaway market. The main change in the 1244/1444 range is the addition of a second boom extension. The basic 1244 model...

Hot tips to boost your profits.
March 9, 2006... At our recent conference, Running for Profit in Road Transport, delegates received an array of best practice tips and advice. Andy Salter reports. The Running for Profit in Road Transport conference, organised by Commercial Motor and...

Innovate 'on target' after buying GCT.(Grampian CountryTransport )(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Growing Nottinghamshire firm Innovate Logistics has moved further along the acquisition trail. Guy Sheppard reports. Innovate Logistics has taken a significant step towards becoming UK market leader in refrigerated transport by buying the...

Interest grows in light CVs.
March 9, 2006... The used van market is gathering pace. Alex Wright, Manheim Auctions' light commercial vehicle sales director, reports that prices are being boosted by strong newcomers and a short supply of old favourites. The buoyant mood in the used CV...

Jobs go in MFI recovery plan.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Furniture chain MFI is closing three regional distribution depots with the loss of 180 jobs. The closures are part of a wide-ranging recovery programme - MFI made a pre-tax loss of nearly [pounds sterling]111m last year compared with a...

LIFT IT & SHIFT IT.
March 9, 2006... Would truck-mounted equipment add value to your business? Dean Stiles reports on the pros and cons of elevating your service. Trucks need to do more than carry goods; they must also be able to load and unload goods, as shown by two of A-Z...

Legal ad takes to the road.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Leading transport law firm Aaron & Partners has joined forces with one of its clients in an advertising campaign. Crewe-based Chamberlain Transport will carry an advert for Aaron & Partners on one of its trailers. Tim Culpin, partner...

MAT Group in administration.(MAT Group Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Hauliers owed money by cash-strapped MAT Group are anxious to discover whether they will receive anything from the firm after it was placed into administration this week. Accountants KPMG were called in to the London-based business on...

MULTITASKING.
March 9, 2006... Tim Maughan visits Bedfordshire Freight Services and sees that the firm's philosophy is to spread its fleet across a wide variety of jobs. Modern business can be a fluid affair. Customers come and go, which means road transport operators...

NI firm suspected of smuggling.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... A multi-million-pound transport business has been frozen and luxury cars and a helicopter have been seized by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA). The firm in question is Northern Irish international operator MMK International transport, run by...

No decision on Brady licence.(Murray Brady )
March 9, 2006... Murray Brady is applying for a new national licence, but the Scottish TC has reserved her decision. Mike Jewell reports. A Scottish haulage boss with connections to a firm that collapsed after its licence was revoked is waiting to see...

No return because transporter was carrying too many cars.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... An operator has failed to win the return of a car transporter which it claimed was exempt from the O-licensing regs because it was a recovery vehicle. The refusal of the West Midland Traffic Commissioner David Dixon to return the unit...

No-show scaffolder ordered to pay [pounds sterling]900.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... A scaffolder who failed to attend court to answer charges that he had been running a vehicle without an O-licence or tachograph has been ordered to pay [pounds sterling]900 in fines and costs. Paul Bowman, trading as Bowman Scaffolding of...

Pickfords drivers escape cuts.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... DRIVERS EMPLOYED by removals giant Pickfords have emerged unscathed from a cost-cutting restructuring programme. Union leaders were bracing themselves after being called to a meeting with bosses from the company's US-based parent group...

Question time.
March 9, 2006... Spring is round the corner and once again the industry looks forward to the Commercial Vehicle Show as a chance to check out the latest tools of the trade in the spacious halls of the NEC. It's also a chance for readers with burning...

Question time.
March 9, 2006... Our popular legal clinic returns to the CV Show in April. Patric Cunnane explains how to book a free consultation with a top transport lawyer. Spring is round the corner and once again the industry looks forward to the Commercial Vehicle...

Questions over Gist's future in wake of sale.
March 9, 2006... THERE IS GROWING speculation that temperature-controlled logistics firm Gist might be sold following the takeover of its parent company BOC by German industrial gas giant Linde. The 'preconditional offer' to acquire the entire share...

Rulers of the road.
March 9, 2006... From Vosa and the police to the Environment Agency and trading standards, many agencies police road transport. Guy Sheppard reports on 10 key areas of enforcement. Newcomers to road transport may find the volume of legislation and its...

Sale of Kwik Save threatens jobs at Wincanton.(Wincanton Logistics Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Wincanton Is talking to Kwik Save about protecting hundreds of distribution jobs after Somerfield sold 171 Kwik Save stores to Back To The Future (BTTF) last week (CM 2 March). This follows DHL Exel's negotiations with the convenience...

Sale of TNT's loss-making arm still on track.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... TNT's latest annual results expose the depth of the losses sustained by its logistics business and the reasoning behind its proposed sale - it made an e111m ([pounds sterling]75.5m) loss in 2005. The company says an "information memorandum"...

Simpson Bros is back in the black.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... Tyneside haulier Simpson Bros has turned a [pounds sterling]244,364 pre-tax operating loss into a profit of nearly [pounds sterling]50,000. The third-generation haulier, founded in 1919 by the grandfather of MD Peter Simpson, employs...

Spreading the net.
March 9, 2006... Daf main dealer Channel Commercials, based in Kent, is big on diversification and 'inward investment'. Brian Weatherley finds out how it feeds the appetite of its growing network. Ask Ron Stupple and Tony Chudleigh, joint managing directors...

Steady as she goes at TDG.
March 9, 2006... Preliminary results for 2005 suggest that TDG has been busy standing still - but questions remain about its strategy. Chris Tindall reports. TDG turned in a "steady" set of preliminary results for 2005, with a [pounds sterling]16.1m...

Suffolk blitz on overnight truck parking.
March 9, 2006... Hauliers in the East of England are being given their usual warm welcome by the local authorities. Guy Sheppard reports. Suffolk County Council is issuing residents with 'incident report' forms to make complaints about problems with...

TC scrutinises three firms with the same transport manager.
March 9, 2006... Three operators using the same transport manager were called to Public Inquiry to establish whether he really had "effective and continuous control" of their operations. North-Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell took no action...

TC thinks again about impounded trailer.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2006... The owner of a trailer impounded by Vosa has a second chance of getting it back after the Transport Tribunal ordered Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown to reconsider his decision. The Tribunal said the TC should not have retained the...