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Interviews – Page 8
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ArticleGas as a road transport fuel - has its time finally come?
The UK’s first ‘open access’ bio-LNG filling station at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) Gasrec has bet a small fortune on the future of natural gas as a road transport fuel. Chief executive Rob Wood tells Steve Hobson that the odds are moving in its ...
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ArticleArgos on the the e-commerce Fast Track
Argos Fast TrackArgos has reinvented itself to compete in the digital age against the rapid rise of the e-retailers and it’s done so by putting road transport at the heart of its operation.Two years ago Argos signalled its ambition to take the fight to e-retailers and their increasingly sophisticated express ...
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Cartwright's cradle to grave approach to trailer care
The Cartwright Group has been based in Altrincham, Cheshire, since 1952, and while the core of the business is still designing and manufacturing on average 80 trailers and rigid bodies a week it now has many more strings to its bow.Its Rentals division has almost 6,500 trailers available for rent; ...
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ArticleA team effort for Scania boss Henriksson
Henrik Henriksson took over the top job as president and CEO of Scania in January 2016, succeeding Per Hallberg, who had been filling the role since April 2015 when Martin Lundstedt defected to head up rival Volvo.Aged just 45, Henriksson was previously head of sales and marketing, having joined Scania ...
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ArticleBlowing hot and cold on tyre retreads
As the world’s largest new tyre manufacturer, turning over $28bn (£22bn) a year, it might seem surprising that Bridgestone also has a significant retread operation. It purchased global cold cure retread franchise Bandag, largely for its huge US operation, and acquired UK hot cure specialist Bulldog in Bourne, Lincolnshire.The fortunes ...
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Motor Transport Podcast: Interview with Europa Worldwide's Andrew Baxter
Andrew Baxter bought Europa Worldwide in 2013, and has spent the last five years completely transforming the business.In the latest episode of the Motor Transport Podcast, Christopher Walton chats to Baxter about his journey with the operator and his outlook for the future.Also known in the industry for his eloquent ...
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ArticleSuttons sees plenty of scope for growth post Brexit
Widnes-based tanker specialist Suttons was founded by Alf Sutton in 1926 and remains family-owned. The founder’s grandson John Sutton was appointed CEO of Suttons Group in 2013 and the Sutton family still form the majority of the Suttons Group board.Suttons Group has two operating divisions: Road Tankers, headed by MD ...
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Motor Transport Podcast: FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham on Brexit
What will Brexit mean for supply chains? How it will affect border crossings? What will it mean for the wider economy? These are questions on the lips of many in the road transport sector, and in the latest episode of the Motor Transport Podcast the FTA's deputy chief executive and ...
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Beverley Bell on her time as senior TC and challenging the system
Whatever their personal opinion of the traffic commissioners (TCs), most operators would agree they collectively perform a vital role in keeping the public and industry safe from rogue operators.But one commissioner in particular, Beverley Bell, was among the first to attempt to change the way the TCs are portrayed, and ...
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Bibby Distribution business review pays dividends
Bibby Distribution's 18-month transformation strategy is finally coming to fruition, as the MT Top 100 operator turned a profit for the first time in two years. A complete review of the operation, from warehouse to board structure, has taken place, with the company aiming to go "back to basics".This has ...
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Why apprenticeship levy won't automatically solve road transport's skills crisis
Trailblazer apprenticeships have long been mooted as a remedy for road transport’s skills crisis. However a Commons Select Committee has warned they have a worrying lack of focus and will not fill skills gaps unless they concentrate on sectors and regions where training is most needed.The committee report said while ...
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ArticleFortec value not volume strategy pays off
Since July last year, the UK pallet networks have been facing the prospect of a new network entering the market. Principle Pallets is the brainchild of former Fortec directors Neil Hodgson and Marcus Fischer but Fortec network director Dave Spong and general manager operations Chris Dennigan (pictured above) tell MT ...
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Exclusive Podcast: MT interviews Paul Dyer, chief executive, DHL Supply Chain, UK
In the first of an new series of podcasts, Motortransport.co.uk sits down with Paul Dyer, chief executive, DHL Supply Chain, UK and Ireland and talks about his career, his approach to the job and the future of the largest 3PL in the country.In this candid interview Dyer looks back at ...
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ArticleKeeping it in the family pays off for Suttons
John Sutton is the grandson of Suttons Group founder Alf Sutton, who started trading in 1926 with a horse and cart.Sutton (pictured right, with Suttons Road Tankers MD Michael Cundy) took over the reins of the family firm four years ago, being appointed group chief executive in 2013 as a ...
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ArticleInsurance companies fight back against fraudulent claims
Fraudulent claims are costing transport operators millions of pounds in inflated insurance premiums, so what are the insurance companies doing to combat the problem?The problem of fraud and its impact on motor insurance premiums was highlighted recently by Robert Flello MP, chair of Parliament’s Freight Transport Group, who has called ...
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ArticleTerror on the streets: what the road transport industry can do to minimise risk
Scenes of a devestation at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market after a heavy goods vehicle ploughed into crowds of people during a terror attack in Berlin, Germany, 20 December 2016. The attack was masterminded by the Tunisian national Anis Amri and resulted in the deaths of twelve people and many more ...
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Michael Conroy, CEO of Palletforce, on why 2017 will be super year for the network
Michael Conroy has a bounce in his step as he shows MT a series of wall-mounted photos of the network’s development in Fradley before its move to Callister Way, its current home, in 2009.And why shouldn’t he? Palletforce is a year and a half on from its £30m sale to ...
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What happened at AM Widdowson & Son
With Widdowson Logistics in administration once more, Motortransport.co.uk revisits the events that lead to the operator’s pre-pack in July 2016.Although incorporated in 1975, business conducted by former coal merchant AM Widdowson & Son can be traced back more than 100 years.Like any haulage firm with a few years on the ...
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ArticleDriver First Assist - saving lives on the roads
Driver First Assist (DFA) was recognised at a parliamentary reception last week (18 January) and has received warm words and £70,000 of funding from the DfT. Motor Transport technical editor Colin Barnett takes a look back at the development of the first aider scheme.I first met David Higginbottom back in ...
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ArticleMotor Transport's Power Players - the 10 most influential people in transport
Welcome to Power Players, the list of the most influential people in road transport. It is entirely subjective and based on the opinions of the Motortransport.co.uk editorial team rather than any objective criteria so feel free to let us know what you think @Motor_Transport.This year’s Power Players has a different ...