Latest Industry news – Page 157
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Gas network growth will put refuelling stations under pressure to deliver on price
As the UK’s natural gas refuelling network grows giving operators more choice of where to fill up, some stations using more expensive refuelling technology may be forced to close, experts have warned.The business case for buying gas trucks depends heavily on the price operators pay for gas, so cheaper stations ...
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UK tops poll of cargo thefts across Europe and the Middle East in September
Almost 70% of reported cargo losses across Europe and the Middle East in September occurred in the UK, according to the Transported Asset Protection Association.The figures are revealed in TAPA’s latest survey of cargo losses across 11 European and Middle Eastern countries.Whilst TAPA acknowledged that some of the other countries ...
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Call for clarity on TfL's Direct Vision Standard
Industry experts have accused TfL of putting the cart before the horse with its Direct Vision Standard (DVS).Speaking at the Freight in the City Expo at Alexandra Palace this week (7 November), Ross Paterson, head of product and marketing at Mercedes-Benz, said customers were asking what star rating each model ...
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Traffic commissioners and DVSA call for more effective brake testing across the industry
The traffic commissioners (TCs) and the DVSA have urged operators to improve their approach to brake testing and maintenance after the DVSA revealed a quarter of defective trucks had a brake issue.The TCs said brake defects and shortcomings in brake maintenance procedures are appearing “far too frequently” at public inquiries, ...
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Pressure mounting on government to settle Standford West lorry park row ahead of court hearing
Pressure is being placed on the government to settle out of court a forthcoming judicial review into a lorry park to replace Operation Stack in Kent.Former Chancellor George Osborne pledged £250m to build a holding area for lorries at Stanford West in 2015, but campaigners opposed the plans and launched ...
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RHA slams Heathrow Airport’s failure to tackle chronic cargo terminal delays
The RHA has demanded that Heathrow Airport update its freight movement facilities “as a matter of urgency”, following complaints of congestion and delay accessing the west London site.Mounting congestion around the airport’s cargo centre is creating severe delays and making the cargo area inaccessible at times, with police frequently turning ...
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Pallet network volumes surge as sector takes greater share of the parcels market
Pallet networks are continuing to carve out a greater share of the parcels market, delivering record half-pallet volumes and next-day deliveries this year, according to the Association of Pallet Networks (APN).Latest figures from APN’s members reveal that pallet volumes grew by 6.3% to 19 million pallets in the first three ...
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Truck of the Week from commercialmotor.com
Truck of the Week is a new 2017 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 4148K 8x4 chassis designed to accommodate a plant body for concrete work.The unregistered vehicle with ClassicSpace day cab includes automatic transmission, power take-off equipment, hub reduction rear axle and cruise control.Billingham-based dealer Bell Truck and Van is offering it for ...
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HSE test results could open the door to stricter pallet weight guidance
The introduction of stricter guidelines on tail-lift delivery pallet weights moved a step closer this week after the HSE confirmed it had completed a series of additional tests to establish the maximum safe weight for pallets.The additional tests, which looked at push and pull forces, were ordered by HSE in ...
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Bullet Express: 'factor in growing tail lift costs or face price race to the bottom'
Operators must start factoring in the costs associated with the increasing volume of tail lift deliveries to avoid a race to the bottom on price, a leading haulier warned this week.David McCutcheon, MD of Pall-Ex member Bullet Express, estimates the additional cost of tail lift deliveries, which have grown exponentially ...
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London T-Charge effectiveness questioned by associations
Associations have expressed concern at the effectiveness of the new London T-Charge, which went live last week ahead of the introduction of an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) next year.The T-Charge fines drivers of pre-Euro-4 vehicles entering London’s congestion charge zone between 7am and 6pm on any weekday, £10 on ...
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Transport journalist and PR Steve Gray remembered
It is our sad duty to report the passing of former colleague and good friend, Steve Gray (pictured right), at the age of 71.He succumbed at the weekend after a period of gradually deteriorating health, throughout which he remained determined to live his life as fully as possible, both personally ...
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Transport minister pledges action to expand MSA lorry parking
Transport minister John Hayes MP has pledged to meet his opposite number at the Department for Communities and Local Government to try to free the blockage placed on the development of HGV parking at motorway services areas (MSAs) by local authorities.Speaking at the launch of the first annual survey of ...
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Jim Welch appointed chairman of Palletline
Welch Group MD Jim Welch has been appointed chairman of Palletline following the retirement of Trevor Ellis, who has been in the role for 11 years and will remain on the Palletline board.Welch, who became financial director at the pallet network after the firm joined in 2010, said: “I wasn’t ...
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European business representatives call for Brexit transition period to ensure frictionless trade
A selection of European businesses and trade bodies, including the FTA, has called for a Brexit transitionary period to ensure a frictionless customs and trade environment. The group has urged EU and UK negotiators to put legal and business certainty at the top of their negotiating agenda. It has also ...
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FORS to increase site audit frequency for gold members
FORS is to increase the frequency of site audits that gold members are required to undertake.From 1 January, gold operators whose membership comes up for review will be required to commission a site audit every two rather than three years, at an estimated additional cost of £75 a year for ...
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SOE chief executive Ian Chisholm dies
The Society of Engineers' chief executive, Ian Chisholm, has died aged 67. The SOE said Chisholm, who joined the society in 2001, left an 'incredible legacy' behind him.Ian was appointed chief executive of SOE last year, and the organisation said he played an instrumental role in making it an "influential, ...
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Oxford asks hauliers to help it ban petrol and diesel vehicles from city
Oxford City Council wants all freight deliveries made by zero emission vehicles by 2035 - and it wants hauliers to say how that could happen.It wants to create the world’s first zero emission zone in three years’ time and gradually ban the types of vehicles allowed into the city centre.The ...
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Government must tackle UK's creaking infrastructure
The UK will face gridlock on the roads and ever worsening air quality unless the government tackles the country’s creaking infrastructure, according to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC).It also said fuel duty needed to be overhauled and road pricing looked at again, despite a public backlash when it was last ...
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DVSA to issue £300 fine for weekly rest taken in HGVs from next month
Drivers who take their 45-hour weekly rest in their cab will face a £300 fine from 1 November, and may be required to restart their rest period.Transport secretary Jesse Norman said the measures should be a significant deterrent to operators and drivers tempted to breach weekly rest rules, and hopefully ...