Industry news – Page 111
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"A modern day Dick Turpin!" - business groups round on London mayor over congestion charge hike
FairFuel (UK) and the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) have teamed up to legally challenge the Mayor of London’s decision to increase the congestion charge after a lawyer served him with a pre-action protocol letter.Howard Cox, FFUK founder, described Sadiq Khan as a “modern day Dick Turpin” and that he ...
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Number of disqualified transport managers falls by over a third, OTC report reveals
The number of transport managers disqualified for non-compliance fell by over a third last year, according to the latest annual report from the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.The report for the year to 31 March 2020 revealed that 88 transport managers were disqualified in the period, compared to 103 in ...
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Highways England raises roadworks speed limit to 60mph after successful trials
The speed limit on Highways England roadworks is to increase from 50mph to 60mph following extensive trials.The trials, carried out on eight road schemes, were launched in response to feedback from road users who said they were frustrated at not being able to go quicker.The pilot schemes found that drivers ...
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100 years ago: Motor Fuel Research.
Motor Transport was launched in 1905 as Motor Traction. Here we look back on a story published 100 years ago.MONDAY, JULY 26TH, 1920Progress of Investigations by the Fuel Research Board.On Thursday, July 15th, the Director of Fuel Research – Sir George Bielby – invited representatives of the press to attend ...
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OTC reveals details of 99 operators reported for bridge strikes
Nearly 100 operators involved in bridge strikes have been reported to the traffic commissioner in the last 12 months, figures reveal.The office of the traffic commissioner (OTC) said of the 99 firms involved in these incidents, 12 were subsequently called to public inquiries and 22 dealt with at preliminary hearings.Others ...
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Drivers claim some firms still ban them from using their toilets
Victory! Back in 2017, after campaigning from the Unite union and Truckers’ Toilets UK, the HSE ruled thatemployers in control of non-domestic premises (i.e. places of work) were required to allow all visitors to their premises, who were not employed by them, access to their toilets and washing facilities.No more ...
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DVSA adds 'e-learning' content to driver CPC courses
Driver CPC delegates can now take up to two hours of a seven-hour course as ‘e-learning’ content under changes brought in this week.So-called e-learning is not the same as distance learning or remote learning, which have been used as part of the emergency response to Covid-19 during the pandemic.Instead, the ...
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Highways England road improvement plan was heavily scaled back, review reveals
Highways England’s (HE) programme for major improvements on the road network was overly optimistic and had to be substantially reduced from 112 schemes to 73, according to a review of the agency.The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) also said too many people are still dying on the road network ...
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Driver poll reveals Britain's best and worst motorways
The M11 in CambridgeshireThe M11 has topped the list of road users’ best motorways, with the M20 voted the worst, according to research by Transport Focus.The motorway from London to Cambridge had the highest overall satisfaction of 92%.The best A-road was the A66 route across the Pennines from Scotch Corner ...
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Ctrack by Inseego signs deal with MaxOptra to provide fleets with enhanced route-planning software
Ctrack by Inseego has teamed up with MaxOptra to meet the growing demand from multi-drop distribution operations for optimised scheduling and live transport management.The partnership will deliver telematics-enabled solutions that use highly accurate, real-time data to support dynamic route planning and planned vs actual performance monitoring.MaxOptra’s route planning software has ...
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HGV testing regime set for shake up as government confirms major review
The government is to launch a major review of the DVSA’s HGV testing system which could clear the way for accredited private sector testers and break the DVSA’s grip on HGV tests by the end of the year.The review, exclusively revealed yesterday by motortransport.co.uk, was confirmed today in a letter ...
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Dipesh Shah takes the reins at Highways England
Highways England has appointed a new chair with a brief to lead the delivery of the government’s second five year Road Investment Strategy.Dipesh Shah, who assumes the role on 1 September, will replace Colin Matthews, who has held the role for six years.Shah was selected after a competitive selection and ...
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HGV toll charges slashed for new customers using M6 toll road
Toll charges on the M6 toll road are to be halved for new haulage customers as part of a campaign to help the Midlands economy recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.The operating company, also known as M6Toll, said a 50% cut to charges for new hauliers will apply ...
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DfT pledges to increase HGV parking facilities
The government has pledged to improve overnight HGV parking facilities through “established and new” processes as part of its Covid-19 recovery plan.The move is revealed in a letter sent last week from Transport Secretary Grant Schapps and transport minister Baroness Vere to RHA chief executive Richard Burnett.The letter notes “the ...
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Demand for warehousing hits record levels
Take up for warehousing space in the UK reached record levels in the first half of 2020, with over a third of space taken up by Amazon and 11% involving deals where the lease is for less than 12 months due to the pandemic.A total of 22.4m sq ft of ...
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DVSA grip on HGV testing regime could be loosened as government mulls major review
A DfT review of the HGV testing system is on the cards in a move that could see the DVSA’s monopoly on HGV testing overturned and the door opened to accredited Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) operators.According to sources, the DfT is to launch a review "in the coming months" into ...
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Covid-19 driving major change in strategy for logistics firms, survey reveals
Almost two-thirds of logistics firms are having to overhaul their business strategies in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report reveals.According to a survey from online temporary staff agency redwigwam, 65% of companies said they were having to rethink the way they did business with one in five ...
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Less than a third of HGV drivers feel valued, Talent in Logistics survey shows
UK lorry drivers feel undervalued, have a low level of job satisfaction and feel disengaged, according to a recent survey by Talent in Logistics.The survey into HGV driver engagement, carried out in collaboration with Pertemps Driving Division ahead of the Covid-19 lockdown, revealed that just 30% of UK HGV drivers ...
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Covid-19 rules could jeopardise justice in public inquiries
New rules for operators appearing at public inquiries (PIs) in light of Covid-19 could jeopardise fair hearings and may result in a rise in the number of appeals, according to solicitors.The senior traffic commissioner (TC) has produced a guidance document explaining the rules around attendance and preparation for anyone appearing ...
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Freeports have potential to free up trade - FTA
The FTA said a plan by the government to establish 10 freeports in the UK as part of its “levelling-up” agenda has the potential to unlock significant opportunities for international trade.However, it also warned that the policy brings with it a host of problems relating to competition, planning and friction ...