All Industry News articles – Page 259
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MT ArticleDfT gives councils greater control over road works
Local councils should find it easier to minimise the disruption caused by road works, following a DfT decision to allow them to create permit schemes without having to get central government approval.The change, announced by transport minister Norman Baker on 23 January, may take effect as early as 2015 and ...
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MT ArticleAlarm after sudden change to Driver CPC approval rules
Both the RHA and the FTA have slammed JAUPT’s unilateral decision to change the procedure governing Driver CPC course approval, stating its new diktat will not improve standards but could cause further reputational damage.The associations have gone on the offensive after course approvals body JAUPT wrote to training providers this ...
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MT ArticleExciting future ahead for MotorTransport.co.uk
As MotorTransport.co.uk approaches its first anniversary, we are making some exciting changes to the site and bringing you additional content that you can only access online.To ensure we continue to provide you with the most relevant news and content to help you and your organisations stay on top of developments ...
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MT ArticleVosa stands by ATF owner association
Stan Robinson ATFVosa has given its backing to the formation of an association for the owners of authorised testing facilities (ATFs) and said it wants to work in partnership with them.More than 50 ATF operators attended the inaugural meeting of the ATF Operators Association last week in Coventry, where Vosa ...
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MT ArticleStobart to discontinue chilled operations
Stobart Group is to discontinue its chilled operations “as a stand alone unit” insisting that the “change will not affect Stobart's national network solution for customers”.In an interim management statement today (17 January), Stobart said the Eddie Stobart transport and distribution division continued to perform in an uncertain economic environment ...
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MT ArticleVauxhall remains largest CV manufacturer in the UK
Van production at Vauxhall’s Luton and Ellesmere Port plants totalled more than 58,000 units in 2012, making the company the UK’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer for the 11th year running.Total production at Luton for Vivaro vans was 53,465, with manufacturing at Ellesmere Port contributing 5,373 Astravans to the 58,838 total.In ...
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MT Article
Lakeland to spend £10m expanding Cumbria DC
Kitchenware retailer Lakeland is to spend £10m expanding its DC in Cumbria by 50% to provide additional capacity to match expected sales growth in the UK and abroad.The company celebrated record sales in 2012 and is looking to add to its 60-strong high street presence in the UK in the ...
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MT ArticleNews Extra: Playing smart to stay ahead
MT’s latest UK Commercial Vehicle Operator Report, produced in association with Texaco Lubricants, reveals the value of being smart. There’s much talk of the squeezed middle in British politics but the latest UK Commercial Vehicle Operator Report confirms the emergence of savvy operators forming a smart middle within road transport.These ...
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MT Article
UPS and TNT merger termination "risks reducing competition"
The European Commission’s decision to prevent UPS from acquiring TNT Express “risks reducing competition, not increasing it”, an analyst at Transport Intelligence said.UPS has now pulled out of its multi-billion Euro plans to take over TNT Express, which the logistics analyst believes highlights the scale of the challenges the US ...
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MT ArticleUPS and TNT: How the merger unfolded
Life after UPS for TNT ExpressUPS has pulled out of its multi-billion Euro bid to take over TNT Express, almost a year after it first entered into talks with the parcel firm. It hoped the merger would create a €45bn (£37.4bn) logistics giant, increasing the US firm’s presence in the ...
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MT ArticleUPS pulls out of TNT deal
UPS has pulled out of its €5.16bn offer for TNT Express - in a deal that would have created a business with a combined annual turnover of £1.3bn in the UK - blaming European Commission (EC) concerns with the acquisition.The proposed merger is expected to be prohibited by the ...
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MT ArticleOFT's commercial vehicle investigation enters home stretch
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is about to enter the final stage of its investigation into Mercedes-Benz and five vehicle dealerships over suspected breaches of the Competition Act in the distribution of commercial vehicles.The investigation, launched in 2010, relates to five separate alleged infringements between March 2007 and ...
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MT ArticleRail freight body calls LHV research into question
Campaign group Freight on Rail has called the findings of recent research into longer heavier vehicles (LHVs) by the University of Huddersfield into question.The pressure group has countered in its own report that their introduction would lead to reduced, rather than increased, efficiency and bring greater environmental and safety costs ...
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MT ArticleTrucks maintained in-house most likely to breakdown, reveals report
Operators servicing their vehicles in-house suffer more breakdowns each year than those using alternative maintenance arrangements, according to exclusive research.MT’s UK Commercial Vehicle Operator Report, produced in association with Texaco, reveals that vehicles maintained at an operator’s workshop will on average suffer more breakdowns during the course of a year ...
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MT ArticleNews Focus: Scania helps operators down the green road
Late last year, Scania held a high level conference in Brussels to discuss how European road freight transport can cut CO2 emissions while remaining competitive. At the event MT caught up with Jonas Hofstedt, Scania’s senior vice president, powertrain development (pictured), to discuss the manufacturer’s approach to maximising the fuel ...
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MT ArticleTruck registrations hold up commercial vehicle market numbers
Daf still leading the new truck sales chartTotal commercial vehicle registrations fell during 2012, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with Volvo faring the worst across the twelve month period.Registrations from January to December were down 5.9% across truck and vans, with ...
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MT Article
Royal Mail: Online retailers hope to improve delivery and returns in 2013
A quarter of SME online retailers plan to focus on improving their delivery and returns processes in 2013 as the sector becomes more competitive.A study commissioned by Royal Mail revealed that small online retailers will prioritise improving their delivery and returns services above improving the range and quality of products ...
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MT ArticleScanners trim accident investigation times
The use of 3D laser scanners to capture evidence after a road collision is saving an average of 44 minutes per investigation, roads minister Stephen Hammond has suggested.Thirty-eight scanners, which make a 3D image of the entire incident scene and avoid the need for investigators to survey multiple scene sections ...
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MT ArticleUK diesel most expensive in EU, despite slight fall in fuel demand
Consumption of transport fuels fell slightly in the third quarter of 2012, new figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show.The data reveals that a 5.6% fall in petrol deliveries during the quarter were largely offset by a 3.4% rise in diesel deliveries.In all, just over 4.5 ...
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MT Article
Save the date: key industry events for 2013
We have pulled together a list of key road transport industry events taking place during 2013. Click the hyperlinks to go direct to the events' respective websites.FebruaryLogistics Link South: 12-13 at Sandown Park, EsherMarchIMHX: 19-22 at the NEC, BirminghamAprilCV Show: 9-11 at the NEC, BirminghamFPS: 17-18 at Harrogate International CentreMultimodal: ...