Interviews – Page 8
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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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Fortec 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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Keeping 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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Insurance 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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Terror 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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Driver 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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Motor 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 ...
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Wincanton on its half year results, Brexit and falling container volumes
Despite walking away from contracts and uncertain container volumes, Wincanton’s half year results recorded a 52% jump in pre-tax profit. Motortransport.co.uk talks to CEO Adrian Colman. The figures for the six months ended 30 September this year showed pre-tax profit of £19.6m, compared to £12.9m for the same period in ...
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Driving ahead in logistics recruitment
Driving Plus is one of the fastest growing driver recruitment agencies in the UK, having acquired the Milestone business in September last year and being part of the Staffline Group that is on course for a £1bn turnover in the next two years.MD Mark Underwood gives MT a brief lesson ...
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Menzies Distribution looks to parcels growth as traditional market declines
Menzies Distribution is looking increasingly towards the parcels market as it looks to diversify the business to offset falling revenues from its core newspaper distribution business.Paul McCourt, Menzies Distribution MD, told Motortansport.co.uk that the parcel division, dubbed Menzies Parcels, had grown rapidly after the operator introduced its diversification strategy 15 ...
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Force to be reckoned with in growing returns business
iForce is one of the leading efulfilment specialists in the UK, working for blue chip clients including John Lewis, Tesco.com, Sainsbury’s and Fortnum & Mason.The boom in online retailing has seen the company grow fast, not least because it has developed a highly effective returns operation to maximise the value ...
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Road transport on right track to improve safety
A confidential reporting system where transport employees can flag up safety concerns is being introduced into the road haulage industry.Ciras, which has been used for 20 years by railway operators, is a not-for-profit, independent member organisation governed by a committee of industry representatives.It was launched in 1996 to provide confidential ...
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The road to 2020: what the haulage industry will look like in four years
Watch what happened at the Microlise Transport Conference last month, when Motortransport.co.uk chaired a debate between seven of the eight major truck manufacturers, who were looking ahead to what the market holds for all in road transport in 2020. Over a wide-ranging session hot topics such as autonomous trucks; alternative ...
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All things green: Tuffnells Parcel Express
Now part of the Connect Group, Tuffnells is packaged better than ever. We spoke to MD Chris Ward to find out why.Everyone knows Tuffnells. Its big, green parcel machines have been on UK roads since 1914 and the company has a fleet and balance sheet to make its competitors – ...