Industry news – Page 145
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MT ArticleE-Gistics looks to revolutionise parcel delivery with disruptive “Uber-style” technology
Freight forwarding technology company E-Gistics has landed a government-funded £131,000 cash injection for its new online distribution platform which matches vendors and independent hauliers.E-Gistics’ platform offers smaller hauliers, pallet members and freight forwarders the ability to digitise the pricing and booking of deliveries carried out by combinations of independent firms, ...
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MT ArticleBrexit checks resumed on animal and food products at Larne and Belfast ports
Brexit checks on animal and food products have been resumed at Larne port in Northern Ireland after a police investigation into alleged threats to staff concluded it was safe for them to return to work.The police investigation followed Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s decision last week to remove twelve ...
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MT ArticleGovernment refuses to scrap smart motorways but admits launch was too early
The transport secretary said it was “entirely wrong” that smart motorways were introduced without the right technology to make them safe, but he has ruled out scrapping them.Grant Shapps told MPs reversing the controversial traffic measure would mean acquiring land the equivalent of 700 Wembley stadium-sized football pitches and destroying ...
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MT ArticlePolice acted lawfully in shooting man trying to steal HGV, investigation concludes
The shooting by armed officers of a man attempting to steal an HGV in Wiltshire last year was necessary and proportionate, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has found.Wiltshire Police were called to the Rivermead industrial estate in Westlea on 16 June 2020 shortly after 5pm ...
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MT ArticleLivestock transfer faces disruption after Portsmouth border plan is scrapped
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned imports and exports of live animals will be disrupted after 1 July following news that Portsmouth International Port has scrapped plans to build a live animal border control post (BCP).Owners Portsmouth City Council said the government had provided insufficient funding for the £7m ...
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MT ArticleBrexit checks suspended at Belfast and Larne ports after customs staff threatened
Hauliers are bracing themselves for more delays at Northern Ireland’s ports after Brexit checks on animal and food products were suspended at both Belfast and Larne ports this week following threats to customs staff.Twelve staff have been removed from Larne Port “with immediate effect”, following “an upsurge in sinister and ...
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MT ArticleGovernment’s £20m plan for EV points not enough, think tank warns
Government plans to double the number of electric vehicle charge points to nearly 8,000 this year by offering £20m of funding to local authorities do not go far enough, a leading think tank warned this week.The warning follows government confirmation this week that funding for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme ...
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MT ArticleBrittany Ferries ups sailings between Ireland and France to help hauliers avoid Brexit red tape
Brittany Ferries is launching three new weekly freight-only sailings between Ireland and France. They will begin this Thursday (4 February) with a sailing between Rosslare and St Malo.The first of two from Cork to Roscoff will begin this Saturday. These are in addition to ones offered by Brittany Ferries out ...
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MT ArticleNew guidance on groupage not enough to stop major delays at NI ports, warns RHA
New guidance aimed at tackling major delays to groupage at Northern Ireland ports has been rushed through without reference to the haulage industry and fails to tackle the issue, the RHA told MP Michael Gove this week.The accusation, made in an open letter from RHA chief executive Richard Burnett, comes ...
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MT ArticleTrade volumes from Britain into ROI plunge 50% in January
Trade volumes into the Republic of Ireland (ROI) from Great Britain fell 50% in January compared to the same month last year, the Irish government revealed this week.The operational update said “some” businesses of all sizes are experiencing “severe difficulty” in adapting to the new Brexit customs controls and suggests ...
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MT ArticleFleet operators show resilience in adjusting to lockdown, new research reveals
Fleet operators have adapted quickly to the demands of Covid-19 lockdowns, new research from telematics specialist Quartix shows.Commercial vehicle tracking data shows a major difference in how operators responded to the first, second and third national coronavirus lockdown periods of 2020, the company reported.While mileage travelled by its UK customers ...
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MT ArticleLogistics UK backs government plan to reduce delays to food freight entering Northern Ireland
Logistics UK said it was “cautiously optimistic” that the government’s solution to checks on food consignments moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will help prevent delays.After lobbying from the logistics sector to ease the administrative burden after Brexit, the government has now proposed a solution on goods using groupage, ...
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MT ArticleCommercial vehicle manufacturers hopeful for the future despite "worst year in a lifetime"
Commercial vehicle manufacturing fell 15.5% in 2020, in what the SMMT said was “the worst year in a lifetime”.Just 66,116 vans, trucks, taxis and buses left production lines, the lowest output since 1933.Output in December was down 9.2%, rounding off a weak quarter and what the group added was “an ...
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MT ArticleFleetCheck calls on operators to check drivers' mental health
Employers should recognise the growing impact of the pandemic on their drivers' mental health and check that staff are fit to drive alongside daily walkaround checks, according to FleetCheck.Peter Golding, MD at the fleet software firm, said a recent poll showing 40% of people think their mental health has worsened ...
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MT ArticleLearner HGV drivers hit in pocket by 2020 test suspension
Almost 5,000 HGV learner drivers lost more than £180,000 last year due to suspended practical tests, according to freedom of information data.The DVSA said 4,868 theory test certificates expired in 2020, at a cost of £37 for both parts of the test.This equates to a total cost of £180,116.The lockdowns ...
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MT ArticleGive hauliers grants to cover cost of shipping empty trailers to Northern Ireland, Logistics UK tells ministers
Logistics UK met with key government members this week to demand hauliers be given grants to cover the cost of empty running created by Brexit border issues.Chief executive David Wells met Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove MP, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and transport secretary Grant Shapps ...
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MT ArticlePolice warn HGV drivers to be vigilant as January sees cargo thefts soar
MercedesMore than 60 cargo thefts from trucks have been reported since the beginning of 2021, amounting to over £1m worth of goods stolen, according to the latest figures from the freight division of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NAVCIS).Thefts include a high value cargo of fine wines stolen on ...
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MT ArticlePolice commissioner calls for “inherently unsafe” smart motorways to be ditched
Smart motorways are “inherently unsafe and should be abandoned” a South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner is warning.Dr Alan Billings has written an open letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps following a recent inquest which found that Jason Mercer, 44, from Rotherham, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, of Mansfield, who died ...
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MT ArticleAlloga leases major new warehouse at Derby Commercial Park
Healthcare logistics specialist Alloga UK is expanding its storage footprint with the addition of a major warehouse at Panatonni’s Derby 370 unit at Derby Commercial Park.The move, which is part of a wider strategy to drive growth, will see Alloga occupy a total 1.78 million sq ft of warehouse space. ...
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MT Article
MT Awards 2021 now open for entries with later deadline of 9 April
The 35th Motor Transoport Awards are now open for entries and to allow more time for companies to prepare entries the deadline has been set for 9 April.The shortlist will be announced at the CV Show on 9 June and, after a virtual awards ceremony in 2020, the announcement of ...