Industry news – Page 180

  • Article

    Calais port problems prompt action calls

    2015-06-29T13:48:00Z

    The RHA has called for better information to be made available to truck operators about cross-Channel delays after an alarming spike in illegal migrant activity in Calais last week. Following a strike by French ferry staff, trucks were caught up in hours of delays and subsequently targeted by migrants attempting ...

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    Article

    TIP Trailer Services rejigs management structure

    2015-06-25T12:39:00Z

    TIP Trailer Services has restructured its UK and Ireland management team with the promotion of UK commercial director Mike Furnival to MD.Karl Davies, TIP’s European marketing director, has also returned to the UK and Ireland division as commercial director.TIP said the changes are designed to facilitate the company’s planned growth ...

  • Peter hendy
    Article

    Sir Peter Hendy steps down from TfL

    2015-06-25T12:38:00Z

    London transport commissioner Sir Peter Hendy has stepped down to take the role of chairman at Network Rail. Hendy was at the helm of the transport organisation at TfL for nine years, having first joined the then London Transport 40 years ago as a graduate trainee.He was instrumental in the ...

  • Richard Burden PA
    Article

    Dart Charge issues raise concerns over Highways England privatisation

    2015-06-22T15:00:00Z

    Labour transport minister Richard Burden (pictured) has accused the government of washing its hands of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), following the creation of Highways England in April.Highways England, the successor to the Highways Agency, has responsibility for the motorways and major roads in England and Wales. Its rebranding was ...

  • Article

    Stowaways still arriving at UK ports in force

    2015-06-22T12:40:00Z

    Almost 80 stowaways were discovered inside two lorries in separate incidents last week, just days after scores were found hiding in four lorries in Harwich.A Home Office spokeswoman said Border Force officers conducted a “proactive search” of a Hungarian-registered HGV, which had arrived on a freight vessel at Humber Sea ...

  • Article

    "Help us to help you," RHA urges government with driver shortage petition

    2015-06-22T09:25:00Z

    “Help us to help you” was the message when the RHA delivered a petition to Downing Street last week (18 June) calling on the prime minister and chancellor to sign off on a £150m HGV driver training fund in next month’s emergency budget.Faced with a driver shortage of more than ...

  • Article

    Highways England appoints new chief executive

    2015-06-19T10:11:00Z

    Highways England has appointed Jim O’Sullivan as its chief executive, following its transformation from the former Highways Agency earlier this year. An engineer by trade, O’Sullivan comes from a background working on “safety critical transport projects”, as well as working with British Airways and Heathrow Airport Holdings.He replaces Graham Dalton, ...

  • Article

    Rail freight must respond to evolving road transport sector says minister

    2015-06-19T10:05:00Z

    Secretary of state for Transport Clare Perry has told the rail freight industry that it must respond to developments such as the autonomous truck, and electric vans, in order to retain its ‘green’ credentials.In a speech to the rail engineers forum on 15 June Perry said that "the automotive sector ...

  • Legal alert
    Article

    GMB claim hearing against Marks & Spencer likely "sometime in 2016"

    2015-06-15T14:24:00Z

    A judgement in the legal claim being brought by the GMB union against four companies involved in the operation of Marks & Spencer’s South Marston, Swindon DC over agency staff pay could take months to be made. The union revealed it had lodged a claim against DHL, Wincanton, Twenty Four ...

  • Article

    RHA to make emergency submission to government on driver shortage

    2015-06-15T12:31:00Z

    The RHA is to make an emergency submission to the government this week demanding that it steps in and sorts out the industry’s driver shortage, before it undermines the fragile economic recovery.It comes as a survey from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) revealed that 74% of its ...

  • Article

    FSDF dismisses claim stowaways may cause supply chain collapse

    2015-06-11T13:33:00Z

    Claims that the UK supply chain is “in danger of collapsing” as a result of delivery failures and delays caused by migrants attempting to stow away in vehicles passing through Calais are “an exaggeration”, according to the Food Storage & Distribution Federation (FSDF). The claim was made by the FTA ...

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    Article

    Industrial action by DVSA testing staff averted

    2015-06-11T12:31:00Z

    Industrial action by DVSA vehicle testing staff looks to have been averted after a positive meeting between the government agency and trade union Prospect last week. The meeting covered union concerns about the new contracts vehicle testers are being asked to sign up to as part of the introduction of ...

  • Article

    Alastair Peoples to leave the DVSA in October

    2015-06-10T14:14:00Z

    The DVSA has announced that its chief executive, Alastair Peoples, is to retire from the civil service in October.Peoples has been chief executive at the DVSA since its formation and was previously chief executive at Vosa, which was merged with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) to create the DVSA in ...

  • Article

    Freight Compliance Unit to target London hauliers

    2015-06-09T12:42:00Z

    TfL is to launch a Freight Compliance Unit (FCU) this summer which will act as the central point for enforcement activity against HGVs in the capital.A key part of its strategy will be a shared intelligence unit based in central London manned by staff comprising a Metropolitan Police officer, a ...

  • Article

    GMB launches legal claim over pay of agency workers

    2015-06-09T12:33:00Z

    The pay logistics firms award agency staff has been brought into sharp focus after the GMB launched a legal claim against four companies involved in the operation of Marks & Spencer’s DC in South Marston, Swindon. The GMB is bringing a group claim against four firms on behalf of ...

  • Article

    ATF test staff and DVSA to hold crunch strike talks next week

    2015-06-05T14:48:00Z

    Authorised testing facilities (ATFs) could still be left without vehicle test staff as a result of industrial action if talks taking place on Monday 8 June between union Prospect and DVSA chief executive Alastair Peoples do not go well. The union and the government agency are meeting next week to ...

  • Article

    Fors scheme aiming to triple its size during national roll-out

    2015-06-05T06:45:00Z

    The Fors Community Partnership is seeking to treble membership levels as part of its strategy to take the scheme national.Aecom, supported by CILT and Fleet Source, took over the day-to-day running of Fors in February following a TfL tender process that saw them awarded a five-year concession.Steve Agg, chief executive ...

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    Article

    TfL calls for balanced approach to enforcement in London

    2015-06-04T12:45:00Z

    A balanced approach to enforcement for all road users was a key message to emerge from speakers at the FTA’s Managing Freight in London conference on Tuesday (2 June).It is also imperative that all road users addressed road safety issues to reduce serious or fatal incidents, said Rob Lowe from ...

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    Article

    Andrew Jones MP says industry must attract more women

    2015-06-04T11:27:00Z

    The DfT’s new transport minister, Andrew Jones MP has said that the industry “has some catching up to do” as the number of women working in road transport is “tiny” compared to the number of men.Jones (pictured) told last week's 2015 FTA Everywoman in Transport and Logistics Awards in London ...

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    Article

    TfL, Met Police and DVSA to jointly tackle non-compliant operators in London

    2015-06-03T16:13:00Z

    TfL will be launching the Freight Compliance Unit (FCU) this summer to serve as the central point for all enforcement activity against HGVs in the capital.A key part of its strategy will be a shared intelligence unit based in central London manned by staff comprising a Metropolitan Police officer, a ...