Latest Industry news – Page 124
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Transport sector companies recognised in Queen's Awards for innovation and business performance
Companies working in the transport sector have been celebrating their prestigious Queen’s Awards for innovation and business performance.Leyland Trucks was awarded the accolade for Enterprise for International Trade after demonstrating year-on-year export growth.Manufacturing the full range of DAF products, Leyland trucks are exported all over the world and over the ...
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COVID-19 lockdown forcing fleets to digitise services
The COVID-19 lockdown has led to a rapid expansion in the digitisation of fleet services, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).Co-chair Paul Hollick revealed the trend now spanned the entire transport and logistics industry, from service providers to how employers communicated with drivers.“Much of this trend has been ...
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MAN to restart bus and truck production
MAN Truck and Bus is to restart its bus and truck plants at reduced capacity from next week, six weeks after halting production in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.The manufacturer stopped production in mid-March to protect its employees and in response to broken supply chains and a sharp drop ...
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Daimler and Volvo in new joint venture to launch first hydrogen powered trucks by 2024
Daimler Truck and Volvo Group are launching a joint venture to develop, produce and commercialise hydrogen fuel cell systems for HGVs and buses.The first two trucks are planned to be on the road by 2024/25, ahead of mass production by the mid-2030s.The deal will see Daimler consolidate its entire hydrogen ...
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Gray & Adams given Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation
Temperature-controlled trailer manufacturer Gray & Adams has been recognised with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for its double deck design.The Fraserburgh-based company pioneered temperature-controlled lifting deck trailer technology in the nineties and aims to provide practical commercial solutions while reducing the impact of its activities on the environment.It ...
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Guarantee 100% of COVID-19 business loans or face economic meltdown, RHA warns government
Hauliers are struggling to access loans via the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) which could leave hundreds of operators facing financial ruin, the RHA has warned.The news comes on the same day as the road transport industry sent a joint letter to prime minister Boris Johnson pleading for ...
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Bridgestone revives production at its European plants as Italy and Spain ease pandemic lockdowns
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone is re-opening its European plants from today (20 April 2020).The move comes as Italy and Spain take measures to ease their COVID-19 lockdowns.The firm’s manufacturing plants in Bari in Italy and Lanklaar in Belgium opened today, whilst the Béthune plant in France will reopen tomorrow.The re-opening of ...
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Government launches website of motorway facilities open to lorry drivers during lockdown
The DfT has launched a website of motorway services to help ease hauliers’ journeys as they deliver vital supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.The website provides a list of those services on the national road network which are still operating and open to lorry drivers during the lockdown, and the facilities ...
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Transport industry bodies plead for more coronavirus support in letter to prime minister
The road transport industry has sent a joint letter to prime minister Boris Johnson pleading for extra help during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent “widescale business collapse that could reduce capacity by as much as 50%”.The letter, written by the RHA and co-signed by five other bodies representing road transport, ...
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Motor Transport Awards moved to November 2020
The 2020 Motor Transport Awards have been rescheduled to 17 November to minimise the risk of disruption due to the coronavirus.The biggest event in the road transport calendar was originally planned for 1 July and later postponed to 27 August but, with uncertainty remaining over when the government lockdown will ...
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Moto closes more than half its M&S stores and trials hot food solution for HGV drivers
Motorway service area provider Moto has closed 70% of its M&S stores within its network due to the lack of demand caused by people taking fewer journeys as the COVID-19 lockdown continues.Ken McMeikan, chief executive of Moto, explained that traffic during the week is down by two-thirds compared to last ...
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Government confirms suspension of driver medicals amid mounting industry criticism
Professional drivers renewing their licences will not have to worry about the D4 medical after the government finally agreed to relax the requirement following mounting criticism it was failing to act.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the temporary removal of D4 medicals would ensure that HGV drivers can continue their “vital ...
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Public inquiries could use video conferencing software, claims lawyer
Traffic commissioner public inquiries held via conferencing software could become a regular feature if the coronavirus lockdown continues for much longer, according to a road transport lawyer.Jonathan Backhouse, director at Backhouse Jones solicitors, said many of its hearings had been adjourned following a decision by the TCs to postpone them ...
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Easing of drivers' hours rules extended to 31 May
The current limited drivers’ hours relaxation has been extended until 31 May “in response to unprecedented pressures on local and national supply chains".The Department for Transport (DfT) announced last month that the blanket relaxation of the regulations would last until 21 April, but it has now extended this for another ...
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"Workaround over driver medicals agreed but government dragging its heels," claims FTA
The FTA has accused the government of "heel dragging" over its continued failure to confirm the suspension of D4 medicals for HGV drivers despite allegedly agreeing a workaround with the DVLA over a week ago.The news comes as truck drivers fear they will lose their licences because GPs and private ...
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CNG and LNG sales hit record Q1 highs
Sales of compressed and liquefied natural gas (CNG/LNG) have hit record highs, with volumes more than doubling between Q4 2019 and the first quarter of this year, according to Gasrec.The fuel provider said the growth follows an influx of new trucks into the market running on the alternative fuels, with ...
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DVLA delay on D4 medical decision condemned by HGV drivers
Truck drivers in danger of losing their licences because GPs and private providers are no longer carrying out D4 medicals during the COVID-19 pandemic have accused the DVLA of throwing them to the wolves.Despite assurances from two Conservative MPs to their constituents two weeks ago that DVLA was about to ...
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Government gives HS2 companies formal go-ahead to begin construction phase
The government has given its formal approval for construction to begin on HS2, bringing much needed good news to the construction industry.HS2 Ltd, the public body tasked with overseeing the project, issued a ‘notice to proceed’ to the companies that will undertake construction of the railway.Notice to proceed marks the ...
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HMRC to pay furlough wages from next week
The government will start paying employers 80% of furloughed workers wages from next Monday (20 April), according to HMRC chief executive Jim Harra.Under the government’s furlough scheme, which is aimed at preventing redundancies during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, firms can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers ...
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Traffic commissioner public inquiries postponed until further notice
All traffic commissioner public inquiries have been postponed until further notice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.A spokesman for the Office of the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) said face-to-face hearings were all now postponed, with new hearing dates to be notified in due course: “Traffic commissioners have to ensure that hearings ...