Latest fleet news – Page 769
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MT Article
Vehicle test disruption likely as DVSA staff go on strike
Vehicle testing operations at authorised testing facilities (ATFs) could be disrupted tomorrow (20 November), after union Prospect confirmed many of its 580 members within the DVSA will be out on strike.The three-hour strike, set to begin at 8am, comprises both vehicle testing and roadside enforcement staff.Prospect negotiations officer Helen Stevens ...
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MT Article
Robinsons Brewery puts UK's first Volvo FL Urban artics onto drinks distribution operation
Stockport-based Robinsons Brewery has taken delivery of the UK’s first new-series Volvo FL Urban artics, chosen for their “crucial” manoeuvrability capability on dray operations.The purchase of the 24-tonne GCW, 4x2 tractor units forms part of an investment programme by the brewery, which includes £5m spent on a new brewhouse and ...
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MT Article
Transport Exchange Group Load Gauge shows SE driving volumes
The monthly update on freight traffic flows around the UK from Transport Exchange Group shows that in October 2015 movements from Scotland to London/SE of England were up 18% compared with October 2014, while flow from London/SE to the Midlands were up 13%. "export" from the SW to the Midlands ...
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MT ArticleBlakemore Logistics buys first Mercedes tractor units
Blakemore Logistics, a subsidiary of AF Blakemore Group, has welcomed a series of Mercedes-Benz trucks to its fleet for the first time, following a successful 12 month trial with an Actros tractor unit.The operator, which serves more than 1,000 Spar stores across England and Wales, has already put five 4x2 ...
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MT Article
DHL Supply Chain strikes averted after last-minute pay offer
Warehouse workers at DHL Supply Chain’s Cherwell Campus site in Banbury, Oxfordshire, have called off a series of one-day strikes over a long-running pay dispute after accepting a revised deal from the logistics services provider. Following a ballot earlier this month in which the GMB union secured firm backing for ...
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MT Article
Belfast City Link staff receive pay out as case against former directors dismissed
The former directors of collapsed parcel carrier City Link have been cleared of failing to inform the government of impending staff redundancies before it went into administration last year.The case against David Smith, Robert Peto and Thomas Wright was dismissed by Coventry Magistrates’ Court last week (13 November), a spokeswoman ...
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MT Article
FREVUE wants to work with large electric HGV manufacturers for urban delivery project
A European project exploring the viability of electric vehicles for urban freight deliveries is calling on the manufacturers of electric HGVs of 7.5-tonnes and over to take part in the scheme.The Freight Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe (FREVUE) project wants to make sure its research is representative of a wide ...
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MT ArticleRoyal Mail profit falls by almost a third as it invests for the future
Profit fell by almost a third at Royal Mail in the first half of the current financial year, as the business invested heavily as part of its ongoing modernisation.A trading statement for the six months ending 27 September 2015 released today records a 30% decline in pre-tax profit, which fell ...
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MT Article
Pressure for HGV rush-hour ban intensifies
Pressure for a rush hour HGV ban in London has intensified after the London Cycling Campaign handed over a petition calling for the measure at City Hall yesterday (18 November).The document, containing more than 13,000 signatures, also calls for the use of direct vision cabs throughout the city and stronger ...
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MT Article
UK Mail sees profit slashed by 80%
UK Mail saw its profit tumble by more than 80% in the six months ending 30 September 2015, after its relocation to a new hub and “teething issues” with the facility’s technology. The group’s pre-tax profit for the period was £2.2m, compared to £12m in 2014 - a fall of ...
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MT ArticleAmazon launches grocery box delivery service
Image courtesy of amazon.co.ukAmazon’s quest to gain a foothold in the UK grocery market has seen another development, with the UK branch of the online retailer launching its grocery box delivery service, Amazon Pantry. The service, exclusive to Amazon Prime members, allows shoppers to fill 20kg boxes with groceries from ...
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MT Article
Ceva Logistics wins BMI Healthcare storage and distribution contract
Ceva Logistics has beaten other 3PL providers to clinch a new contract with private healthcare provider BMI Healthcare.The three year contract will see Ceva store medical equipment and consumables, including temperature controlled storage of pharmaceutical products, and distribution of these across the UK to more than 60 hospitals and healthcare ...
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MT Article
Asda opens up click and collect to third-party online retailers
Asda has taken the “game-changing” step of offering its store click-and-collect service to other online retailers.The grocery retailer, part of US retail giant Walmart, has invested in IT and other systems to enable it to push all its george.com clothing click-and-collect store deliveries through its own distribution network. It is ...
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MT Article
Driver shortage blamed for profit warning at DX Group
DX Group has issued a profit warning, citing the shortage of HGV drivers as a key factor in driving up costs.In a trading update the company warned that a driver shortage, pricing pressures, volume erosion at its secure delivery service DX Exchange, and the slow conversion of its new parcels ...
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MT ArticleMeaty new distribution contract for Culina
We’re not sure if this particular Peperami broke out of the back of this vehicle or is waiting to hijack it. But either way, the picture aptly illustrates the award of a contract to food logistics specialist Culina for UK distribution of the well-known meat snacks. Under the two-year deal, ...
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MT Article
Gasrec sources LNG from National Grid's new Kent terminal
Gasrec is now using LNG supplied from National Grid’s new Isle of Grain terminal in Kent.The facility went live on 11 November and the LNG supplier, which claims to fuel 60% of natural gas vehicles running in the UK, described it as a “critical” step in ensuring reliable and consistent ...
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MT ArticleInsurance broker expected more anger over 3.5% IPT hike
A leading commercial vehicle insurance broker has expressed surprise that the logistics sector has not reacted more angrily to the 3.5% hike in insurance premium tax (IPT) that came into effect this month. The rise, which was announced in the Budget in July and affects a range of insurance policy ...
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MT ArticleKnights of Old celebrates Penguin contract extension with branded trailers
Knights of Old Group has put two Penguin-branded SDC urban trailers on the road to celebrate a three-year extension to its contract with publisher Penguin Random House UK, taking their relationship to more than 12 years. The contract will see it continue to deliver books out of the publisher’s warehouses ...
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MT ArticleOperators evading tax with incorrect driver payments could face penalties
Operators could face financial penalties if they are discovered to be paying employed drivers incorrectly to evade tax,after the RHA highlighted the practice.Nickie Elenor, employment consultant at law firm Rothera Sharp, told MotorTransport.co.uk that misleading the authorities about the employment status of a driver is an area that is “very ...
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MT ArticleOperators face triple threat from Autumn Statement
Operators face a potential triple whammy in the chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 25 November with cuts to spending on local roads, the DVSA’s enforcement budget and an increase in fuel duty on the cards.The government cuts, which will slash up to 30% off the DfT and the Department for Communities ...