![Mercedes-Benz_eActros_600_(1)[1]](https://d2cohhpa0jt4tw.cloudfront.net/Pictures/274x183/8/2/0/17820_mercedesbenz_eactros_600_11_978080.jpg)
All Motor Transport articles in 2014 – Page 2
-
Article
Connect completes Tuffnells takeover
Connect Group has completed its takeover of Tuffnells Parcels Express, with the deal first revealed last month.Tuffnells, known for its Big Green Parcel Machine brand, has been acquired for an initial consideration of £113.4m, according to a statement released to the City earlier.Subject to performance targets being met and continuing ...
-
ArticleOverview of the UK Commercial Vehicle Industry 2015 report out now
UK operators are typically thought of as a conservative bunch and research conducted on behalf of Motor Transport late last year goes some way towards providing that idiom, as Euro-5 continues to dominate UK operator fleets.That said, the findings of the 2015 Overview of the UK Commercial Vehicle Industry report, ...
-
Article
Yodel highlights need for a frank conversation about delivery charges
We asked earlier this month who would deliver Christmas, given the remorseless growth of e-commerce and the dearth of drivers joining the road transport industry.The statement seems all the more prescient now, as last week Yodel found itself once again [don’t mention poppies] on the receiving end of the wrong ...
-
Article
DVLA postpones abolition of paper licence counterpart
The DVLA appears to have postponed plans to abolish the driving licence paper counterpart from 1 January, yielding to concerns the new system would introduce unnecessary complexities.According to the FTA, the DfT confirmed the delay in an informal exchange with it in early December but gave no reason for the ...
-
ArticleRyder and Bridgestone deal reduces tyre breakdowns by nearly a third
Ryder has claimed that the number of tyre-related breakdowns for its customers have fallen 28% since it launched an initiative to maximise fleet uptime with Bridgestone.The programme, which began last year and was jointly developed by the two parties, sees Ryder staff receive training from Bridgestone to enable them to ...
-
Article
Quiet Cities video now live
The Quiet Cities video is now live on the event's website, showcasing highlights of November's two-day global summit at Twickenham Stadium.Speakers including Ian Wainwright, head of fleet and freight transport at TfL; Richard Fleming, logistics director at Sainsbury’s and Tim Slater, MD of transport at DHL Supply Chain in the ...
-
ArticleCitySprint and Doddle prove parcel shop concept is gaining pace
CitySprint has become the latest operator to introduce a parcel shop service to its delivery portfolio with the opening of a high street shop in Brighton.The parcel shop (pictured below) offers new and existing customers services such as same-day delivery, next-day delivery and international delivery by courier.Brighton service centre manager ...
-
Article
Tesco puts its first refrigerated drawbar into operation
Tesco has taken delivery of its first temperature-controlled drawbar vehicle, which will be used to make deliveries to its convenience stores.The 18.75m drawbar configuration will give the supermarket chain improved access to its Tesco Express stores, which are usually located in built-up and residential areas. It will allow it to ...
-
ArticleBurnt Tree set for growth under new ownership
Just three months into his new job as vice president and MD of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent and Burnt Tree, MT meets Danny Glynn (pictured) at Enterprise Car Rentals’ swanky nearly-new European headquarters in Egham, Surrey. “Don’t touch the walls, the paint might still be wet,” he jokes.Glynn is responsible for fulfilling ...
-
ArticleMargin remains king for Gregory
Like many family-owned hauliers, Gregory Distribution is now run by the third generation – in this case CEO John Gregory – after being set up between the two world wars.“My grandfather started in 1919 with a horse and cart,” says Gregory. “His first truck was an ex-First World War Model ...
-
ArticleAcumen acquires Stobart enclosed car delivery business
Northampton-based Acumen Automotive Logistics has acquired Stobart Group’s enclosed car delivery operations for an undisclosed sum.The division, which trades as Enable, was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autologic before it was acquired by Stobart in 2012. It specialises in moving visually sensitive and specialist vehicles throughout the UK and Europe.The ...
-
ArticleDPD £100m hub complete
Work on DPD’s £100m East Midlands hub has been completed, with the facility expected to be fully operational by next September.The 360,000ft² hub at Hinckley Commercial Park, Leicestershire, has 264 loading dock doors, 73,087ft² for mezzanine split over two floors and will have a Beumer automated sortation system which will ...
-
ArticleGordon Leslie expands warehousing division with Benchmark Packaging acquisition
Gordon Leslie Group has acquired Glasgow-based warehousing and bonded storage business Benchmark Packaging for an undisclosed sum.The deal will boost Gordon Leslie’s turnover more than 40%, from about £7m a year to £10m, with headcount increasing from 50 employees to 110.MD Craig Leslie told MotorTransport.co.uk that the group had been ...
-
ArticleManpower to remain in short supply in road transport
Well, with the chancellor blowing a raspberry in last week’s Autumn Statement in regards an HGV driver training fund, it looks like the industry is on its own when it comes to tackling the driver shortage (although the RHA haven’t thrown in the towel just yet).The newly released Manpower Employment ...
-
Article
DX Group buys half of Gnewt Cargo shareholding
DX Group has acquired almost half of last-mile delivery firm Gnewt Cargo for £1.75m.DX has bought a 49.8% stake in the firm, which runs a 100-strong fleet of zero-emission vehicles for last mile multi-drop deliveries in central London. As well as running electric vans, Gnewt also has a fleet of ...
-
Article
RHA presses George Osborne for immediate HGV driver training fund
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has pressed chancellor George Osborne to reconsider making a training fund available for the industry, after hopes were dashed in the Autumn Statement last week.In a letter to the chancellor, the RHA called for an urgent meeting: “Government is failing this industry and the economy ...
-
Article
Late-paying firms could be named and shamed
Operators should soon be able to see how promptly large firms pay their bills under government proposals announced last week designed to name and shame businesses that “ride roughshod over their suppliers”.Increased transparency will, according to the government, enable smaller businesses to compare larger firms’ average payment times and the ...
-
ArticleEuropean Commission investigates truck cartel allegations
Volvo Group has made a €400m (£317m) provision after being notified by the European Commission (EC) that it is suspected of involvement in a cartel, along with several other heavy- and medium-duty truck manufacturers.Last month the EC informed a number of truck manufacturers that it suspected them of being involved ...
-
Article
Royal Mail may face a fine of up to 10% of its turnover from Ofcom
Royal Mail could be hit with a fine of up to 10% of its “relevant turnover” if an investigation into final mile pricing finds it has breached competition law. Ofcom, which last week concluded that competition from rivals is not a threat to Royal Mail’s ability to provide a universal ...
-
ArticleFarrall's Transport invests £3.5m in Deeside warehousing to unlock Liverpool SuperPort potential
Farrall’s Transport has invested £3.5m in a new 81,000ft² food grade facility in Deeside to tap into a predicted boost in port-centric logistics from the opening of the Liverpool SuperPort next year.The new warehouse will be operational by January 2015 and complements an existing 80,000ft² DC on ...