Commercial Motor articles from November 2004

Commercial Motor archives from November 2004

A long clean ; sheet - and just ; a little cash.
November 4, 2004... Armed with [pounds sterling]6,000 CM went in search of a clean post-1998 7.5-tonne tipper - starting with our unequalled classified section Head for your nearest truck auction and you'll see plenty of 7.5-tonners with box or curtain-sided...

Coroner wants action on blindspots.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A coroner has called for more action over trucks' blind spots after recording a verdict of accidental death on a pensioner who was run over when a driver failed to see her. Worcestershire coroner Victor Round said that Patricia White, 65, had...

Director accuses bank over collapse.(Kilsyth Transport Services)
November 4, 2004... Creditors clamour for their money as controversial director racks up [pounds sterling]500,000 debt. Chris Tindall reports. A controversial Scottish operator previously accused of flouting cabotage rules is blaming the Royal Bank of Scotland...

Don't rule out direct action.
November 4, 2004... Brynle Williams is calling for an essential user rebate. Jennifer Ball reports. Brynle Williams, former fuel protest leader and now a Welsh Assembly Member, has called on the government to grant hauliers and farmers an essential user...

Dude, where's my car?(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Police are appealing for truck drivers to report any sightings of a red recovery truck that has been responsible for illegally picking up vehicles in Hertfordshire. There have been three incidents over the last week where the truck has been...

World view.
November 4, 2004... In an increasingly global market, MAN may be viewed as the stay-at-home, but it is not averse to international expansion. Oliver Dickson reports. It's beginning to sound like a broken record. Stick two people from the automotive business...

Small employers must now accept responsibilities for disabled employees and customers. Is your workplace up to scratch? Patric Cunnane reports.
November 4, 2004... From 1 October 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act widened its scope to include small employers - those with fewer than 15 staff. This means that operators right down to small family businesses are now covered, but business partners win...

Fag smugglers jailed.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A truck driver has been jailed for a year for attempting to smuggle more than a million cigarettes into the UK. Swansea Crown Court heard that Patrick O'Neill from County Tyrone was arrested in the early hours of 20 September 2002 as he drove...

Firm saves its licence by a whisker.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A Manchester operator has escaped with his licence intact, despite two disciplinary inquries within a year. North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Elizabeth Perrett accepted David Clough had taken "huge steps to put things right" after an...

Flesh of inspiration.(Culina Logistics)
November 4, 2004... Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange... If there's one great truism that On the Margin has learnt in life it is that (with the...

Getaway is abridged.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Bungling thieves were foiled in their attempts to escape with a truck loaded with furniture after they jammed it underneath a railway bridge. The incident happened following a theft at around 10pm on Thursday 21 October from the Argos depot in...

HGV traffic goes Forth and multiplies.(Heavy Goods Vehicle)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Forth Road Bridge will have to be resurfaced every four or five years, primarily because of the pounding it is suffering from increased truck traffic, according to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority which manages the bridge....

Heil will launch light tank - but not at the NEC.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Heil will unveil a sub-five tonne tare-weight 44,000-litre petroleum tank trailer at the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) show in Telford next April. But the US-owned firm will pass on next year's CV Show at the NEC, saying it has grown...

Irish operators hit the ceiling over tunnel.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Irish Road Haulage Association has blasted the Irish government's decision not to raise the height of the Dublin Port Tunnel, warning it will rob Irish hauliers of their competitive edge. As predicted the Irish government has confirmed...

Isuzu aims to sell 12-tonners.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Isuzu will offer a heavier product range by the end of 2007. Senior executive officer Jun Utsumi, speaking to Commercial Motor in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese Motor Show, indicated that both N and F Series vehicles will be marketed in the...

Langdon staff secure.(Nagel Group)(Langdon Group )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Exclusive The future of the workforce at Langdon Group is safe now that German logistics giant Nagel Group has bought the Somerset-based reefer operator. Mike Donoghue, who is Langdon's MD and chairman, says he is "pleased that the future for...

Lawson's view of Lawson.(Richard Lawson Autologistics)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Richard Lawson is not interested in buying the remnants of his old company - but he may not be leaving the industry for good. Dominic Perry reports. Richard Lawson, the founder and former boss of troubled car transporter firm Richard...

Let's have V5 for trailers.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Everyone's at risk from 'hot' property unless we have trailer registration believes one Welsh dealer. The image of the used CV sector could be enhanced if trailers were properly registered to stop less scrupulous dealers selling stolen...

Let's stand together.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Why are we accepting, without any representation, the incredible price of fuel at the moment? Which other industries would accept having to work on such small margins month after month? Our necessary acceptance of the reasons for crude oil...

Lynx facing driver walk-out.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A row has broken out between the Transport & General Workers Union and parcels firm Lynx Express over a nationwide strike by Lynx drivers. Over 300 T&G drivers will walk out across the country tomorrow and Monday (5 and 8 November) - the T&G...

M1 cold shouldered.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... South Yorkshire hauliers say the Highways Agency (HA) should widen the M1 properly instead of using part of the hard shoulder and central reservation. They are responding to a proposal to keep costs down by creating four narrower lanes on...

Meeting ; the minimum.
November 4, 2004... The minimum hourly rate has risen by 8% to [pounds sterling]4.85 and the unions are pressing for a 50p rise next year. Jonathan-Exten Wright and Joanna Bragg report. Last month the minimum wage rose to [pounds sterling]4.85, an increase of...

New Master gets a grip on the rough.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Renault's ever expanding Master range continues to grow with the introduction of a Luton van and a rear-wheel-drive variant, the aptly named RWD. Built on a standard platform-cab rather than a chassis-cab, the Luton has been developed with...

No longer in the family way.
November 4, 2004... Once, the great haulage firms were family-run. Peter Larner says big business could benefit from looking at what made them great. The tradition of the family motto seems to have ended. Winston Churchill's family motto was the incongruous...

No mercy after 'confrontation'.(P Gallagher & Partners )
November 4, 2004... The Transport Tribunal has slammed a consultant: Michael Jewell reports. A controversial transport consultant has been savaged by the Transport Tribunal after a hearing during which he failed to delay the start of revocation and...

RETURN of THE KING?(Scania)
November 4, 2004... Time was when Scania ruled the roost; the R Series is designed to regain that market dominance. We crossed the Channel to see if it's up to the job. Reputation and expectation. These two words are key to the future success of Scania's R...

Safety comes from training and communication.
November 4, 2004... As a driver for over 20 years, I just could not believe what was printed in your safety conference report (CM 14 October). I was a safety rep for Christian Salvesen for six years and then did 14 years on tankers so I do feel I understand health...

Scaffolders want truck back - but don't know why.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A scaffolding firm which applied for the return of an impounded vehicle without giving any reasons why it should be returned has failed in its bid. Kings Cross Scaffolding applied to South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher...

Smiths thrive in a changing market.(Smith Brothers)
November 4, 2004... Next year Smith Brothers will celebrate 20 years as an independent used truck dealer. CM dropped in to see how it's staying snug in a climate of change. Change is what progress is all about. Brothers Stephen and Mike Smith have known...

Soaked by the crime wave.
November 4, 2004... The latest TruckPol figures reveal there were 782 reported incidents of truck crime during the third quarter (July - September), compared with 437 during the same quarter of 2003. NoVEMBER 2004 This month we look at truck crime which...

Tozer wants MSA comments.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A truck driver has called for more support from other drivers in his campaign for better facilities at motorway service areas. Barrie Tozer, who runs the Truckersworld website, hopes to meet leading MSA operators including Roadchef and Moto to...

Travel light - and legal.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... International operators have to deal with much more law than their domestic counterparts. Guy Sheppard focuses on the 10 things you need to know before crossing the Channel. Fuel prices and labour costs may put them at a competitive...

Tribunal doesn't accept blaming the postman.(Plumbing & Heating Co.)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Transport Tribunal has thrown out an appeal by a Norwich plumbing company that claimed its licence renewal fee had been delayed in the post. Plumbing & Heating Co (Norwich) lost its appeal against the refusal of the Eastern Traffic...

Tyre company gets fresh start ; but its CPC holder loses repute.(Summit Tyres )
November 4, 2004... Ignorance was accepted as an excuse when a West Midlands tyre company succeeded in being granted its own licence after wrongly using that of another operator. However, the transport manager holding that licence was judged to have lost his...

WTD details finally hit the streets.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The government has finally published the draft regulations on the Road Transport (Working Time) Directive which is scheduled to come into force in just five months. Opinion on the regs is deeply divided. The major transport associations welcome...

Waste paper trail.(Raymond Crane )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A massive investigation into illegal dumping is sparked by a BBC documentary. Anton McCabe reports. Authorities on both sides of the Irish Border and in Scotland have launched a major investigation after a BBC television programme exposed...

Why cheap diesel's ; a moveable feast.
November 4, 2004... It is hard to predict where the cheapest fuel will be from day to day. Dick Flute does his sums and sees why it's worth finding out. Once upon a time all operators had to know about fuel was where to buy it and how to pay for it. The most...

'Figleaf' licence taken away.(CP Eurofreight )
November 4, 2004... The TC disqualifies a firm and its director - and challenges two transport managers who never got to do their jobs. Shifnal-based CP Eurofreight (UK) and its sole director John Sharpe were disqualified from holding or obtaining an O-licence...

'Modify beast regs' call.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has suggested adjusting animal welfare rules for the live export trade according to the climate of the country to which livestock is being sent. Its scientific panel on animal health and welfare has...

2006 tolls for Forth.(electronic tolling)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Electronic tolling will be introduced on the Forth Bridge in 2006 in a bid to relieve congestion. This was originally recommended last year in a consultant's report; now the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) has awarded the contract for...

IN THE NEWS.
November 11, 2004... Stuart Thomas gives us his regular round-up of the way the newspapers have covered the world of transport this week. "I don't work in an office, but if I did I'd have to do something to ease the boredom. And I'm sure that working for BP...

Annus mirabilis!(Truck sales at Manheim Auctions )(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The festive market has helped the used truck trade bounce back after a lacklustre September. Truck sales at Manheim Auctions picked up through October as the pre-Christmas trade helped regain the tremendous pace set earlier in the year....

BETTER THAN EXPECTED.
November 11, 2004... ERF fleet tractors made under the MAN banner might not carry the kudos of some competitors in the used market. But if they're cheaper than most and as efficient as any, why spend more to get the job done? With no money available for the...

cost cutter.
November 11, 2004... Christian Salvesen had an idea for a radical multi-deck drawbar rig that would boost the versatility of its fleet and cut overall costs - Don-Bur helped make it a reality. Kevin Swallow reports. Drawbar applications aren't everyone's cup of...

plenty.
November 11, 2004... power a' The Iveco Daily range is to be revamped with a new engine, transmission and stability control system. Andy Salter takes a closer look. Continuous product development is the current catchphrase of the truck and van...

Bus-lane plan to cut urban congestion.(Freight Transport Association)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The Freight Transport Association has called on the government to review night-time restrictions and to allow trucks to use bus lanes in an attempt to cut congestion in the UK's cities. In its formal response to the government's consultation...

Business breakfast.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Which cafe sets you on your feet at the start of the day? Tell us who makes the best breakfast in the land and you could win a [pounds sterling]200 Christmas bonus. There's nothing better than a good fry-up for breakfast - bacon, juicy...

Cameras can be stealthy.(speed cameras)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The DfT is green lighting hidden cameras for 'covert enforcement'. David Harris reports. Hidden speed traps could become more common on British roads after a new government document gave them the go-ahead last week. The Department for...

Christmas is coming - and everyone's buying vans.
November 11, 2004... It's a mixed bag in the used van sector with some solid performers starting to falter, and the Christmas trade re-igniting some classics. The Ford Transit, the nation's favourite van, is experiencing fluctuating performances at auction....

Continental claims fast response.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Continental Tyres' ContibreakdownService (CBS) is hitting an average downtime target of less than two hours for trucks requiring emergency roadside tyre assistance, according to its latest figures. Continental Truck Tyres' UK business director...

Cummins shelves ; engine upgrade plans.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Reports from within US engine giant Cummins indicate that plans to upgrade its 10.8-litre ISMe engine to the Euro-4 standard by making use of SCR after-treatment have been shelved. If confirmed this means from October 2006 the well-regarded...

deals on wheels.
November 11, 2004... Our series examining operator's motives for their latest acquisitions ranges from a baker's wagon with an auto box to a crane truck... The baking business may be rooted in tradition but that's not stopped national chain Greggs looking...

Dispute over differentials.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A Somerset firm has been hit by its employees' first industrial action in living memory. Guy Sheppard reports. More than 30 drivers were this week due to start a work-to-rule in a row over pay as CM went to press on 9 November. Bosses at...

Dodgy record comes back to haunt couple as bid is rejected.
November 11, 2004... A married couple with a history of O-licence refusals and revocations have been refused a new licence because the TC didn't trust them. A disqualified operator with a history of licence refusals and his wife have had their bid for a new...

PARTIES.
November 11, 2004... ENFRANCHISED Michael Roney swapped the life of a civil engineer for the driver recruitment world. As Tim Maughan finds, his franchises turn over [pounds sterling]4.3m, and he has never looked back. Most people work from one office,...

FTA calls for M6 Toll rate to stay low.(United Kingdom Freight Transport Association)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The operator of the M6 Toll has refused to say whether it will extend its discount for trucks - Jennifer Ball reports. Midland Expressway has refused to confirm if it will continue its discounted rate for trucks using the M6 Toll when the...

Giants settle cash row.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Automotive GIANTS AB Volvo and Renault have come to a settlement after a disagreement in 2001 over Volvo's acquisition of truck divisions Renault VI/Mack. Renault will now transfer [pounds sterling]73.4m to AB Volvo as a result. According to...

Help us to push for 50.
November 11, 2004... In case you needed convincing, here are more facts in support of our Pushing 50 campaign - help us campaign for common sense! Trawling through the Department for Transport vast database of statistics reveals some interesting points on HGVs...

Indefinite ban for owner-driver who failed to attend inquiry.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A LEEDS owner-driver has been banned indefinitely from holding an O-licence after failing to appear at a public inquiry to answer for a string of offences. These included maintenance problems, the use of an unauthorised operating centre and the...

LAYING DOWN ; THE FLAW.
November 11, 2004... Section 146 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act. Yawning already? Stop now and listen. In the past only endorseable offences - speeding, drunkeness etc - could result in disqualification from driving. Not any more. This innocuous...

Licence cut back pending a maintenance investigation.
November 11, 2004... A CHESHIRE operator which was appearing at its sixth public inquiry since 1997 has had its licence cut from seven to four vehicles until a satisfactory maintenance investigation has been carried out. Littlers, of Backford, Chester, had been...

Licence on a thread.
November 11, 2004... A law which allows courts to ban drivers for any offence, including breaches of the hours regs, has stark implications for the transport industry. Adam Hill reports. Laws come and laws go, so those of us in the road transport industry had...

Lighter Trakker to be badged a Seddon.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Iveco will introduce a lighter weight version of its Trakker range, to be badged in the UK as a Seddon Atkinson, early in 2006. Iveco took the wraps off its new Trakker, to replace the EuroTrakker, at Hanover. However, at a recent press...

Linq Alliance chief exec to go.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Consortium Linq Alliance is losing its chief executive and scaling down as it adjusts to changes in the market. Guy Sheppard finds out more. The man who has masterminded the development of the Linq Alliance haulage consortium is quitting...

Long slow fix for skills shortage.
November 11, 2004... Responding to Robert Foley's letter headed "We need drivers now!" (CM 28 October), I fully acknowledge the immediate short-term problems of driver shortages - however there is no quick fix! I also recognise that a continued shortage of drivers...

Long-time hero.(Interview)
November 11, 2004... Brewery Logistics Group chairman Mike Bracey has spent most of his retirement fighting for improved conditions for those hauling beer around the country. Jennifer Ball meets him. Mike Bracey, chairman of the Brewery Logistics Group (BLG),...

motorway.
November 11, 2004... marketing Trailer advertising is becoming big business - and for the haulier it's lucrative and increasingly convenient. Jennifer Ball looks at how it's maturing. Two years ago truck advertising was still a relatively new phenomenon...

HARD SHOULDER.
November 11, 2004... NO FAN OF VOSA... Mr X wonders if it's worth doing things by the book when it's already being thrown at operators with no chance to appeal... Do you ever feel like kicking the cat, or better still, a VOSA officer? I wonder how many...

Nine out of 10 firms prefer inaction.
November 11, 2004... With only four months to go before the Working Time Directive comes into force, a survey reveals only 10% of operators are ready to comply with the new rules. Incomes Data Services (IDS), which conducted the survey jointly with the Road...

No ban after [pounds sterling]400,000 bridge strike.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The driver of an abnormal load which caused [pounds sterling]400,000 worth of damage to a railway bridge and closed a railway line has escaped a ban. He claimed a ban would cause him exceptional hardship. Instead he was fined [pounds...

On the trail of good profits.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... There's always a market for used trailers, and business is booming The semi-trailer appears to have enjoyed something of a renaissance in the used truck trade. Traditionally, trailers have taken a back seat to trucks in the used sector,...

Orkney diesel hike.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Fuel prices in the UK's most northerly islands of Orkney and Shetland have gone through the [pounds sterling]1/lit barrier this month and the islands' MP is calling for special measures to help ease the problem. Alistair Carmichael MP has long...

RHA backs Job Centre driver training.(Road Haulage Association)(JobCentre Plus)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The Road Haulage Association has teamed up with the JobCentre Plus to launch a truck driver training programme in Leeds. Under the initiative RHA members Viamaster Transport; Bedfords Transport; Macfarlane Transport and Leeds Waste Management...

Red faces as leak mars a green record.(ACC Distribution)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... ACC Distribution, part of the environmentally friendly Co-op group, has taken the shine off the firm's green record after it was fined for polluting a local pond with diesel. The Chester-le-Street-based firm pleaded guilty to letting the fuel...

Salvesen feels pain of a failed romance.(Christian Salvesen)
November 11, 2004... It looked like TDG and Christian Salvesen were a match made in heaven but suddenly the merger talks have come to a dead end. So where did it all go wrong? Jennifer Ball reports. Christian Salvesen and TDG are staying tight-lipped about why...

Salvesen no deal is no big deal.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Exclusive TDG chief executive David Garman has played down the failure of merger talks with fellow logistics firm Christian Salvesen, saying there was no big disagreement between the two: "After preliminary talks with them it became...

Scottish roads need [pounds sterling]1.7bn.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Scotland's roads are in an increasingly poor state of repair, says report. Guy Sheppard investigates. A third of all A-roads in Scotland are in a poor state of repair, according to government spending watchdogs. Audit Scotland, which...

Sheeter's not just new: it's pneumatic.(Trent Industries)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... West Midlands bodybuilder Trent Industries has developed an air-actuated automatic sheeting system with a 'tuck-away' position that is designed to prevent damage when loading. Robin Bailey, sales director at Trent, explains that the Airways...

Speed rise would help WTD.(Working Time Directive)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A recent report on the Working Time Directive claimed a further 26,000 extra drivers and 6,000 extra HGVs would be needed to cope with its effects. If the 40mph single-carriageway and 50mph dual-carriageway limits are to be adhered to then what...

Stand up to supermarkets.
November 11, 2004... They cost the transport industry millions with their inefficiency and yet Austin Caulfield sees few operators trying to hold regional distribution centres to account... On a recent Radio Five programme a truck driver was making a...

THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN'.
November 11, 2004... The draft working time regulations have brought relief from industry and fury from the unions. Before consultation ends, Patric Cunnane focuses on the 10 things you need to know. Last week's publication of the draft Road Transport (Working...

Three face court for family slaying.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Three men are standing trial at the Old Bailey charged with the brutal murder of a haulage boss and his family. Chris Tindall reports. A fantasist murdered a millionaire haulage boss and three generations of his family in order to run the...

Three vehicles are cut for hours offences.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A hire company has had its restricted O-licence cut by three vehicles with a condition placed on it that all future transport managers must be CPC holders. Event Services, of Halifax, appeared before North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom...

UK trucks carry more than ever.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The DfT's report Transport Statistics Great Britain shows that trucks now carry 84% of the UK's freight; the amount of goods moved by truck has risen 18% over the past decade, from 135bn t/km in 1993 to 159bn t/km in 2003. Goods lifted rose 7%...