All Industry News articles – Page 136
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Article
Government’s £28bn road programme set to face similar legal challenge used to halt Heathrow expansion
An environmental campaign group is planning a legal challenge to the government’s £28.8bn roads programme on the grounds that it breaches UK climate and environment laws.Campaign group Transport Action Network is warning that the DfT’s latest five-year Road Investment Strategy, due to be published in April, does not take into ...
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ArticleRoads watchdog calls for road users to name and shame poor road signs
Road users are being urged to report poor road signs on motorways and A-roads in a bid to force Highways England to improve signage across the UK’s major roads network.The Sort My Sign campaign, launched by Transport Focus, aims to pressure Highways England to make signs, including electronic signs, clearer ...
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ArticleA deep dive into the selection, buying methods and maintenance of tyres and wheels
Choosing the right tyres and adopting the best wheel maintenance regime can make a huge difference to a fleet operator’s bottom line.Indeed, tests for the EU tyre labelling standards indicate fuel consumption can be affected up to 30% by the choice of tyre used on a vehicle.And with the average ...
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ArticleHS2 may need over 500 full-time tippers at construction peak
Removal of spoil at the Curzon Street railway station HS2 site in BirminghamHS2 Ltd, the public body tasked with overseeing the project, has revealed that at least 500 tippers may be needed full-time during the peak of its construction.The vast majority of the 132m tonnes of material excavated during the ...
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ArticleMake a bigger investment in road safety, operators urged
Significant financial, regulatory and societal barriers are preventing commercial vehicle operators from investing more in road safety practices, according to a report from the International Road Transport Union (IRU).It found that while 80% of logistics operators will continue to invest in road safety and the industry recognises it has a ...
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ArticleNew Brexit border rules will require 50,000 extra customs officers, government admits
The government has confirmed that around 50,000 workers will need to be recruited to fill out customs paperwork for trade with the EU after Brexit in a Canada-style deal.Pressed by Labour MP Justin Madders over whether it was feasible to recruit and train an estimated 50,000 new customs officers in ...
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ArticleFord Motor Company signs up for ITT Hub 2020
Ford Motor Company is the latest big name to sign up for ITT Hub 2020 at Farnborough International Conference & Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 May.Ford will be showcasing its latest commercial vehicle range and providing live demos.The company joins over 80 confirmed exhibitors including DAF Trucks, ...
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ArticleMigrant gangs step up attacks on British truckers
The RHA has repeated its plea to the French authorities to do more to protect truck drivers from violent migrant gangs looking to enter the UK illegally.The call comes after an HGV driver was allegedly threatened with guns and knives at a French service station on Thursday night (20 February).The ...
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Article
Government urged to maintain 10-year freeze on fuel duty in March Budget
The government is being urged not to raise fuel duty in the forthcoming Budget following speculation that the first increase in a decade is on the cards.Reports suggest that the plan under consideration is an increase of around 2ppl, although the rise may not be introduced until next year.However, the ...
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ArticleEntries now closed for 2020 Motor Transport Awards
The deadline to enter the 2020 Motor Transport Awards has now passed and the judges have started the process of reviewing the entries.This year, to reflect the increasing pace of adoption of electric and other alternative fuelled vans, the awards include two new categories: Clean Fleet Van of the Year ...
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Article
Doctors on Wheels still offering D4 driver medicals
Doctors on Wheels is circumventing a DVLA ban on its D4 medicals by offering HGV drivers medicals with self-employed doctors, MT has learnt.DVLA stopped accepting all D4 medicals from Doctors on Wheels (DoW) from 20 June last year.The decision was triggered by an investigation into the company, which saw raids ...
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ArticleNew probe points to major flaw in apprenticeship levy
Hundreds of millions of pounds raised by employers and intended to pay for apprentices has not been used and has instead paid back to the government, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information act.The data obtained by the BBC showed that 55 of the largest employers in England ...
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ArticleFTA "appalled" by points-based immigration plan
Classifying HGV drivers as ‘low skilled’ and refusing potential applicants from getting visas could cause the industry to grind to a halt, business groups have warned.The government this week unveiled its plan to move away from the UK’s reliance on “cheap labour” from Europe and instead “encourage people with the ...
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ArticleIR35 rollout could trigger mass exodus of foreign HGV drivers
The industry is sailing headlong into a “perfect storm” of conditions that will push the current shortage of HGV drivers to crisis levels, according to recruiter Driver Require.It said the culmination of Brexit, a drop in the exchange rate and impending IR35 legislation, which aims to close a limited company ...
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ArticleNew M20 barrier "ignores basic welfare needs of HGV drivers", Unite claims
The Unite union has strongly criticised plans to rely on a movable concrete barrier on the M20 to deal with cross channel disruption while ignoring the welfare needs of HGV drivers.It said the replacement of former traffic initiative Operation Brock with a new system was going ahead without consultation with ...
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ArticleFTA to rebrand and become Logistics UK
The FTA has announced that it will change its name to Logistics UK from the end of May.The move comes as the organisation looks to achieve more for its members and change the way it is perceived by people outside the industry."For people who don’t really know us, the ...
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ArticleNew M20 barrier will be marked improvement on Operation Brock, government insists
A movable concrete barrier on the M20 that can be set up "within hours" to keep Kent’s roads moving at times of cross-channel disruption will be on standby from later this year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced today (Monday 17 February).Once a specialist vehicle is in place, Highways England will ...
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ArticleWest of England councils mull congestion charges as traffic from toll-free Severn Crossing spikes
Local councils near the Severn Crossing are considering congestion charges to cope with rising traffic levels triggered by the scrapping of tolls on the bridge.According to the latest local transport plan from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), "charging measures and controls" may have to be introduced to tackle ...
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ArticleRHA urges UK hauliers to prepare for ending of cabotage
UK hauliers undertaking international work in the EU should prepare for the ending of cabotage from next year, according to the RHA.It is expected that the European Commission will disallow cabotage operations from UK companies in the EU from 1 January 2021 when the transition period ends.The RHA said this ...
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Article
Small transport businesses can expect "new era of growth", report claims
Small businesses in transport and distribution are looking forward to “a new era of planning for sales growth” according to latest research, which claimed Brexit uncertainty had now been cast aside.Figures from Hitachi Capital Business Finance (HCBF) showed growth prospects for small firms in the sector had increased for the ...