Latest news – Page 616

  • Article

    DVLA postpones abolition of paper licence counterpart

    2014-12-18T16:53:00Z

    The DVLA appears to have postponed plans to abolish the driving licence paper counterpart from 1 January, yielding to concerns the new system would introduce unnecessary complexities.According to the FTA, the DfT confirmed the delay in an informal exchange with it in early December but gave no reason for the ...

  • Ryder Bridgestone partnership
    Article

    Ryder and Bridgestone deal reduces tyre breakdowns by nearly a third

    2014-12-18T16:15:00Z

    Ryder has claimed that the number of tyre-related breakdowns for its customers have fallen 28% since it launched an initiative to maximise fleet uptime with Bridgestone.The programme, which began last year and was jointly developed by the two parties, sees Ryder staff receive training from Bridgestone to enable them to ...

  • Article

    Quiet Cities video now live

    2014-12-18T16:11:00Z

    The Quiet Cities video is now live on the event's website, showcasing highlights of November's two-day global summit at Twickenham Stadium.Speakers including Ian Wainwright, head of fleet and freight transport at TfL; Richard Fleming, logistics director at Sainsbury’s and Tim Slater, MD of transport at DHL Supply Chain in the ...

  • Doddle shop
    Article

    CitySprint and Doddle prove parcel shop concept is gaining pace

    2014-12-18T12:02:00Z

    CitySprint has become the latest operator to introduce a parcel shop service to its delivery portfolio with the opening of a high street shop in Brighton.The parcel shop (pictured below) offers new and existing customers services such as same-day delivery, next-day delivery and international delivery by courier.Brighton service centre manager ...

  • Article

    Tesco puts its first refrigerated drawbar into operation

    2014-12-17T11:59:00Z

    Tesco has taken delivery of its first temperature-controlled drawbar vehicle, which will be used to make deliveries to its convenience stores.The 18.75m drawbar configuration will give the supermarket chain improved access to its Tesco Express stores, which are usually located in built-up and residential areas. It will allow it to ...

  • Danny-Glynn
    Article

    Burnt Tree set for growth under new ownership

    2014-12-16T16:51:00Z

    Just three months into his new job as vice president and MD of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent and Burnt Tree, MT meets Danny Glynn (pictured) at Enterprise Car Rentals’ swanky nearly-new European headquarters in Egham, Surrey. “Don’t touch the walls, the paint might still be wet,” he jokes.Glynn is responsible for fulfilling ...

  • Gregory-truck
    Article

    Margin remains king for Gregory

    2014-12-16T15:34:00Z

    Like many family-owned hauliers, Gregory Distribution is now run by the third generation – in this case CEO John Gregory – after being set up between the two world wars.“My grandfather started in 1919 with a horse and cart,” says Gregory. “His first truck was an ex-First World War Model ...

  • Enable acquisition
    Article

    Acumen acquires Stobart enclosed car delivery business

    2014-12-16T15:19:00Z

    Northampton-based Acumen Automotive Logistics has acquired Stobart Group’s enclosed car delivery operations for an undisclosed sum.The division, which trades as Enable, was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autologic before it was acquired by Stobart in 2012. It specialises in moving visually sensitive and specialist vehicles throughout the UK and Europe.The ...

  • Hinckley DPD hub Dec 2014
    Article

    DPD £100m hub complete

    2014-12-12T10:51:00Z

    Work on DPD’s £100m East Midlands hub has been completed, with the facility expected to be fully operational by next September.The 360,000ft² hub at Hinckley Commercial Park, Leicestershire, has 264 loading dock doors, 73,087ft² for mezzanine split over two floors and will have a Beumer automated sortation system which will ...

  • gordon-leslie
    Article

    Gordon Leslie expands warehousing division with Benchmark Packaging acquisition

    2014-12-10T10:21:00Z

    Gordon Leslie Group has acquired Glasgow-based warehousing and bonded storage business Benchmark Packaging for an undisclosed sum.The deal will boost Gordon Leslie’s turnover more than 40%, from about £7m a year to £10m, with headcount increasing from 50 employees to 110.MD Craig Leslie told MotorTransport.co.uk that the group had been ...

  • Roundabout_small_shutterstock
    Article

    Manpower to remain in short supply in road transport

    2014-12-10T07:19:00Z

    Well, with the chancellor blowing a raspberry in last week’s Autumn Statement in regards an HGV driver training fund, it looks like the industry is on its own when it comes to tackling the driver shortage (although the RHA haven’t thrown in the towel just yet).The newly released Manpower Employment ...

  • Article

    DX Group buys half of Gnewt Cargo shareholding

    2014-12-09T16:27:00Z

    DX Group has acquired almost half of last-mile delivery firm Gnewt Cargo for £1.75m.DX has bought a 49.8% stake in the firm, which runs a 100-strong fleet of zero-emission vehicles for last mile multi-drop deliveries in central London. As well as running electric vans, Gnewt also has a fleet of ...

  • Article

    RHA presses George Osborne for immediate HGV driver training fund

    2014-12-09T11:56:00Z

    The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has pressed chancellor George Osborne to reconsider making a training fund available for the industry, after hopes were dashed in the Autumn Statement last week.In a letter to the chancellor, the RHA called for an urgent meeting: “Government is failing this industry and the economy ...

  • Article

    Late-paying firms could be named and shamed

    2014-12-08T20:11:00Z

    Operators should soon be able to see how promptly large firms pay their bills under government proposals announced last week designed to name and shame businesses that “ride roughshod over their suppliers”.Increased transparency will, according to the government, enable smaller businesses to compare larger firms’ average payment times and the ...

  • MagnifyingGlass_shutterstock
    Article

    European Commission investigates truck cartel allegations

    2014-12-08T20:04:00Z

    Volvo Group has made a €400m (£317m) provision after being notified by the European Commission (EC) that it is suspected of involvement in a cartel, along with several other heavy- and medium-duty truck manufacturers.Last month the EC informed a number of truck manufacturers that it suspected them of being involved ...

  • Article

    Royal Mail may face a fine of up to 10% of its turnover from Ofcom

    2014-12-08T19:53:00Z

    Royal Mail could be hit with a fine of up to 10% of its “relevant turnover” if an investigation into final mile pricing finds it has breached competition law. Ofcom, which last week concluded that competition from rivals is not a threat to Royal Mail’s ability to provide a universal ...

  • farralls
    Article

    Farrall's Transport invests £3.5m in Deeside warehousing to unlock Liverpool SuperPort potential

    2014-12-08T15:31:00Z

    Farrall’s Transport has invested £3.5m in a new 81,000ft² food grade facility in Deeside to tap into a predicted boost in port-centric logistics from the opening of the Liverpool SuperPort next year.The new warehouse will be operational by January 2015 and complements an existing 80,000ft² DC on ...

  • Article

    Norbert Dentressangle and Wrings Transport fined for breaking weight limit

    2014-12-05T15:33:00Z

    Norbert Dentressangle and Wrings Transport have been prosecuted for a second time after breaching a weight restriction in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire.The companies were among eight operators hauled before Chippenham magistrates last month after breaking the 18-tonne ban over a bridge in the town, plus a 7.5-tonne weight restriction in ...

  • Article

    Driver shortage could see above inflation pay-rises for HGV drivers

    2014-12-05T13:30:00Z

    Concerns over the driver shortage and continuing growth in the economy could lead to above-inflation pay rises for 2015, the FTA has suggested. FTA research analyst Bruce Goodhart told Motortransport.co.uk research undertaken by the association recently showed the driver shortage was “a major concern” among members and that after wage ...

  • Wincanton new vehicle
    Article

    Wincanton has updated its vehicle and trailer fleet

    2014-12-05T13:18:00Z

    Wincanton has invested in 80 new Euro- 6 Renaults and Mercedes-Benz as part of its drive to increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of its operations.It has also bought 276 curtain-sided trailers, which adhere to the load restraint EN12642 XL accreditation.The company says the vehicles, which include Mercedes-Benz Actros ...