All Motor Transport articles in 2013 – Page 5
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MT ArticlePalmer-Baunack in the spotlight
So, who is really in charge of Stobart Group? On Monday 21 January the answer to that question was suddenly not so simple.Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart have driven the company since their holding company, WA Developments International, acquired Eddie Stobart in 2004 – and subsequently reverse merged with WA ...
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MT Article
Privatise road network, says CBI
The only way to ensure the long-term health of the UK’s ailing roads network and plug a £10bn funding shortfall is to wrest control away from the government, a new CBI report has claimed.With the economy already losing up to £8bn a year in congestion related costs, the report, titled: ...
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MT ArticleCommercial vehicles key to reducing emissions
Commercial vehicles have “a very big role” to play in reducing road transport carbon emissions in the future, according to the head of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LCVP).Speaking to Motortransport.co.uk after an event this week (29 January) marking the tenth anniversary of the public-private partnership, LCVP MD Andy Eastlake ...
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MT ArticleUK now 32% of total Norbert Dentressangle turnover
A “satisfactory” fourth quarter left French logistics giant Norbert Dentressangle with group turnover of €3.88bn (£3.32bn) during 2012 – up 8.5%.The group’s transport division accounted for just over €2bn of this (up 3.7%), despite reduced volumes from some customers; with its contract logistics work adding just under €1.8bn (up 12%), ...
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MT ArticleDHL to close Widnes DC after customer review
DHL has closed one of its DCs in the North-West after one of the site’s major customers reviewed its entire transport operations.The firm plans to move operations which are part of its Supply Chain division at its Widnes, Cheshire site to its existing Avonmouth, Somerset, and Radlett, Herts, sites, following ...
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MT ArticleMacintyre Transport profit slides on stagnant rates
Pressure on rates has led to Felixstowe-based container specialist Macintyre Transport reporting a 9% fall in pre-tax profit despite a near 11% rise in turnover.Turnover in the year to 30 April 2012 rose from £19.3m to £21.4m due to organic growth, said chairman Harvey Macintyre; pre-tax profit, however, fell from ...
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MT ArticleEmphasis on logistics boosts Gordon Leslie Group
A continued move from straight transport to logistics activities including warehousing, packing and freight forwarding helped Glasgow-based Gordon Leslie Group achieve a 20% rise in pre-tax profit in the year to 30 September 2012.Turnover in the year fell around 8% to £4.8m (2011: £5.2m), but profit before tax came in ...
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MT ArticleWhat’s next for TNT and UPS?
Since the multi-billion Euro UPS/TNT deal was stalled by the European Commission last month, questions surrounding what the companies plan to do next have been raised. The EC’s decision has made approval for UPS to take over another carrier look unlikely and analysts say the year-long deal has been ...
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MT ArticleTime for port-centric logistics?
Last month, Tilbury-based The Logistics Terminal (TLT) said it had seen a 100% increase in its port-centric throughput in a year, processing an average of 160 containers per week. Although this is a huge increase in volumes for an operation that only began in January 2011,The Hub estimates that this ...
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MT ArticleBigger, better MT.co.uk launches today
As Motortransport.co.uk celebrates its first birthday, we have enhanced and improved the site, bringing you additional content that you can only read online.To ensure we continue to provide you with the most relevant news and content to help you and your organisation stay on top of developments in the road ...
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MT ArticleTfL understands the importance of freight
Following the successful engagement Transport for London (TfL) had with the road transport industry in the build up to, and during, the Olympic Games, it’s satisfying to hear that TfL has set up a new, free-standing Freight Delivery Unit.The official line from TfL is that the unit will “co-ordinate all ...
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MT Article
Has the EC’s UPS/TNT decision ignored potential for “non-integrators”?
The European Commission last week revealed the nature of its concerns during review of the aborted UPS/TNT merger. The review focused on “integrators”- parcel firms which operate incorporated international air and road transport networks - and the names La Poste and DPD cropped up...During the process, the EC claimed ...
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MT Article
Viridor secures Peterborough council deal
Waste and recycling firm Viridor has signed a public private partnership with Peterborough City Council to treat the authority’s residual waste.The 30-year deal will see the development of an energy-from-waste facility at the council’s existing recycling site at the Fengate industrial area.The project will require capital investment of approximately £75m ...
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MT Article
Times have never been tougher, says Gregory boss
Conditions in the road transport market have "never been more challenging" the chief executive of Gregory Distribution has said.Talking to Motortransport.co.uk, John Gregory said customers’ procurement departments were using the UK’s economic frailty as an excuse to drive down prices during increasingly frequent tendering exercises."Margins in this industry are not ...
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MT Article
Fuel duty battle is industry's must win
The decision by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) not to investigate the £47bn UK oil sector is simply a side-show, and the need to tackle the punishingly high rate of fuel duty remains paramount, campaigners have said.James Hookham, MD of policy and communications at the FTA, said: “This report ...
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MT ArticleOwens Road Services returns to profit
Owens has returned to profit after three consecutive years of losses, its latest financial results have revealed.The Welsh firm posted a pre-tax profit of £706,782 for the year ended 30 June 2012, up from a loss of £12,562 at the end of the previous year. Its pre-tax profit margin ...
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MT ArticleDSA scraps changes to CPC training approvals process after criticism
The DSA is to work with the industry to develop a revised process for approving Driver CPC training courses.The move was agreed at a meeting last week between the DSA, trade associations and training providers, which was arranged after the FTA raised concerns about changes to the process being proposed ...
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MT ArticleDHL Express opens £1.5m Oxfordshire depot
DHL Express has opened a £1.5m service centre in Oxfordshire to meet growing demand from customers in the area.The 35,000ft² Abingdon depot opened last week (1 February) and is part of the international express parcel carrier’s close to £90m investment in its network over four years.Regional year-on-year parcel volumes increased ...
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MT ArticleFurther blind spot research required to tackle cycle safety
A new report has called into question the effectiveness of safety mirrors fitted to LGVs as a means of preventing accidents involving cyclists.Research carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) for the Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety report found that even when different types of LGV were fitted with ...
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MT Article
DPD expands international operations with DPD Direct
DPD has expanded its international home delivery service with the launch of DPD Direct, collaborating with domestic parcel carriers in 12 countries.Online retailers such as River Island and US jewellery retailer Rocks TV have signed up to the new service, which includes a tracking and returns service, fast customs clearance ...