Industry news – Page 119
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MT ArticleMaritime Transport offers new intermodal service between Birmingham and Felixstowe Port
Maritime Transport has launched a new intermodal service from Birmingham to the Port of Felixstowe to provide additional capacity in response to the UK’s HGV driver shortage.The service, hauled by GB Railfreight, connects Maritime’s Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT) with the Port of Felixstowe.Maritime, which operates a fleet over 2,000 ...
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MT ArticleGovernment playing ‘Russian roulette’ with road user safety, warns Unite
The government is failing to monitor how many foreign lorries are entering and leaving the UK under revised cabotage rules introduced in October last year, Unite has discovered.The union warned this week that failure to monitor foreign lorries under the revised rules, which were introduced to help tackle the UK’s ...
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MT ArticleTwo Midlands builders' merchants see operating HGV licences revoked
Two builders’ merchant companies have been disqualified from holding HGV licences by the West Midlands Traffic Commissioner and their licences revoked.M K Builders' Merchants, which held a restricted operator’s licence for two trucks, came before traffic commissioner Nick Denton after concerns were raised about its maintenance record following an investigation ...
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MT ArticleCost of AdBlue hits new record as natural gas prices surge
Soaring natural gas prices have helped push the cost of AdBlue up to record highs, with producers unable to predict when the value will stabilise.The cost of the additive began to increase last year, in parallel with wholesale gas price rises, as countries emerged from their Covid lockdowns.Demand soon led ...
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MT ArticleTraffic commissioners offer guidance on new customs rules
The traffic commissioners have made operators aware of the help and advice available about new customs rules that came into effect at the beginning of January.Anyone moving goods between Great Britain and the European Union (EU) through a goods vehicle movement service (GVMS) border location must now be registered to ...
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MT ArticleForeign HGV drivers caught in police speed trap after complaints from public
Non-GB registered HGV drivers speeding on the A55 were stopped and handed on-the-spot fines after the public raised concerns about their behaviour.Police officers from the North Wales roads policing unit carried out an operation shortly before Christmas to crack down on lorry drivers travelling through roadworks at Tal y Bont ...
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MT ArticleGovernment plan to extend relaxation of drivers' hours “dangerous”, warns Unite
Union Unite has slammed government plans to further extend the relaxation of regulations governing how long lorry drivers can work.The union is calling on the government to scrap the new proposal and tackle the long hours, irregular shifts and lack of parking facilities which it argues have created the lorry ...
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MT ArticleTransport for the North sets out freight and logistics strategy for the region
Transport for the North (TfN) is calling for comment on its newly launched Freight & Logistics Strategy for the North of England.The draft proposal, which is out for public consultation until 31 January 2022, highlights the key role the sector plays in the North of England, with more than 33% ...
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MT ArticleTransaid offers another nine places on its Cycle Malawi challenge
Transaid has released nine places on its Cycle Malawi 2022 challenge and is calling on riders from across the transport and logistics industry to register their interest quickly to avoid disappointment.Those signing up for the ride, which will take place from 1-9 October, will join a group of 36 cyclists ...
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MT ArticleLogistics UK boss awarded OBE in New Year’s Honours
David Wells, chief executive of Logistics UK, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list, for services to transport and logistics during the Brexit transition.Wells, 56, who has led Logistics UK for the past six years, has been recognised for “raising the voice and impact of the ...
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MT ArticleDfT invites industry to suggest ways Driver CPC can be improved
Road Skills Online has urged operators to fill in its new questionnaire, suggesting ways to improve the Driver CPC.The government announced a major review of the qualifcation last November after industry leaders claimed its bureaucratic nature was acting as a barrier to both new and returning drivers."I have been invited ...
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MT ArticleScania launches hybrid trucks with electric ranges of up to 60km
Scania is launching Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) with GVWs of up to 36 tonnes.At the heart of both trucks is a newly developed GE281 Gearbox Electric machine, which incorporates a pair of electric motors and a 6-speed gearbox, and works in tandem with either ...
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MT ArticleThousands of business drivers suffering from Seasonally Affective Driver Disorder (SADD), report reveals
Analysis of more than 3,000 business drivers using RED Driver Risk Management’s Wellbeing Profiler has shown they suffer from more anxiety, stress, tiredness and mental health issues between November and February than at any other time of the year.RED said ‘Seasonally Affective Driver Disorder’ (SADD) affects all types of business ...
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MT Article
Pressure of the job putting off logistics staff
Nearly one in five transport and logistics workers are considering quitting their jobs due to excessive stress, according to a mental health study.It showed half of all workers in the industry have suffered excessive stress in the last 12 months, 17% are considering leaving their jobs and 10% have already ...
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MT ArticleUK commercial vehicle production back on the slide
UK commercial vehicle production decreased to 7,940 units in November, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).The 7.8% decline is the weakest November performance since 2017 and reflects the challenges faced by the wider industry, with the global shortage of semiconductors - itself ...
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MT ArticleCH Robinson pledges to shape future of UK supply chain with "staggering" new investment
UK operators are set to benefit after logistics platform provider CH Robinson pledged to invest $1bn (£744.4m) in global technology to remove supply chain inefficiencies.The company is working with more than 1,000 international data specialists and said it aims to help shape the future of the UK logistics ecosystem.Its British ...
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MT ArticleMajor Mercedes Benz Trucks dealer denies claims it is set to terminate truck service agreement
Scottish Mercedes-Benz Trucks dealership Western Commercial has rejected industry claims that it has terminated its truck service agreement.The rumours have been circulating since it announced in June that it was to halt HGV sales at the end of the year.However, the company confirmed to MT this week that aftersales would ...
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MT ArticleOmicron surge poses yet another challenge to “exhausted” warehouse workers, warns UKWA
The UK Warehouse Association (UKWA) warned this week that workers are struggling to meet peak season demand in the face of surging Covid infections.SAGE member Professor John Edmunds warned that, taking into account unreported cases, there could have been around 400,000 Omicron infections in the UK by last weekend, with ...
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MT ArticleOmicron drives last minute avalanche of Christmas deliveries, ParcelHero reports
Online retailers and couriers are experiencing a 17% surge in late gift deliveries as the Omicron surge drove shoppers from the High Street last weekend, according to ParcelHero’s head of consumer research David Jinks.Pointing to research by retail analyst Springboard, which revealed a 25% plummet in the number of visitors ...
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MT ArticleNew study reveals the most congested roads to avoid this Christmas
HGV drivers hoping to avoid congested roads over the festive period should give the A34 in Hampshire a miss between the A33 and M3/A272, which has the highest average delays in the UK, according to research by HGV recruitment and training specialists Driver Hire.The study, which has analysed data from ...