Latest news – Page 755

  • Article

    French Connection

    2012-02-23T16:48:00Z

    Norbert Dentressangle’s acquisitions of Christian Salvesen in 2007 and TDG in 2011 made the French group’s UK logistics operation a £1bn a year business, representing almost a third of group turnover, and silencing critics who had questioned the company’s commitment to the UK.On the face of it, ND’s ...

  • Article

    Taking a cool approach to ambient distribution

    2012-02-23T16:46:00Z

    While Fowler Welch-Coolchain (FWC) has built a successful business in chilled distribution, the company is now looking to expand into bigger – and arguably more profitable – ambient markets. A glance at the business card handed over by Nick Hay – installed as MD in November 2010 – reveals the ...

  • Article

    Keeping the shelves stocked

    2012-02-23T16:42:00Z

    Sainsbury’s is Britain’s third largest grocery retailer (behind Tesco and Asda), turning over nearly £23bn in the year to 19 March 2011 and making a pre-tax profit of £827mn.Despite buying 24 stores from the Co-op in 2009 in the north and Midlands, Sainsbury’s stronghold remains the south east of England, ...

  • Article

    Big game hunter

    2012-02-23T16:39:00Z

    When Peter Backhouse was appointed CEO of contract hire specialist Fraikin in May 2010, he set out a clear vision of where he wanted the company to be. 18 months on he gives Steve Hobson a progress report.Since his arrival at Fraikin after two years in charge of Bunzl Healthcare ...

  • Article

    Yodel confirms depot closures

    2012-02-23T15:48:00Z

    Yodel has confirmed the schedule of its service centre closure programme, as it enters the final phase of the merger of the Home Delivery Network and DHL Domestic UK businesses.According to an internal letter seen by MT, the parcels giant has been transferring volumes across from Cardiff (the first site ...

  • Article

    Stobart and AW Jenkinson buy another 1,000 Scanias

    2012-02-23T15:46:00Z

    Stobart Group and A.W. Jenkinson Forest Products have struck a second joint procurement deal with Scania to take delivery of a combined 1,000 trucks over the next two years.Between March 2012 and December 2013 Stobart and A.W. Jenkinson will take a mixture of R-series and G-series models. The first 300 ...

  • Article

    ND enjoys a good cuppa

    2012-02-23T15:39:00Z

    Norbert Dentressangle (ND) has won a three-year contract with Tata Global Beverages for the UK storage and distribution of Tetley teas, with its shared-user network cited as a major factor in clinching the deal.The contract will see ND relocate the warehousing from the current Tetley warehouse at Newton Aycliffe, County ...

  • Article

    Harlequin picks up Kellogg’s

    2012-02-23T15:38:00Z

    Haulage consortium Harlequin Logistics has injected some snap, crackle and pop into its five members after revealing that its first contract has been signed with Kellogg’s.Harlequin will deliver some 15,000 Kellogg’s loads per year from the cereal manufacturers depot in Manchester to retailers’ RDCs, wholesalers and cash and carry ...

  • Article

    DPD goes carbon neutral

    2012-02-23T15:33:00Z

    B2C parcel giant DPD says it is enhancing its green credentials by providing carbon neutral shipping from its five major European markets at no extra cost to the customer.The initiative, badged Total Zero, will see the company build on measures to reduce its carbon footprint as well as buy carbon ...

  • Article

    Co-op takes delivery of 330 Carrier Transicold units

    2012-02-23T15:29:00Z

    The Co-operative Group has taken delivery of 330 new Carrier Transicold refrigeration units to coincide with the final stage of development at its RDC in Andover, Hampshire.The order includes 171 Supra 950 multi-temperature systems mounted to 18- and 26-tonne Scania rigids, and 159 Vector 1850 units fitted to Gray & ...

  • Article

    Carlson buys car transporter assets

    2012-02-23T15:27:00Z

    Carlson Vehicle Transfer, part of Groupe Cat, has bought some of the remaining assets of Quantum Automotive out of administration.Quantum appointed administrators Simon Plant and Daniel Plant of SFP on 31 January just days before the assets of sister-firm Sensible Transport were acquired by Autologic after it fell into administration ...

  • Article

    Bow moves to UPN

    2012-02-23T15:15:00Z

    Derbyshire’s Bow Distribution has moved from UK Pallets to the United Pallet Network (UPN), ending an eight-year relationship with its former network.Bow made the switch last month and is covering the same DE postcode for UPN. It has been replaced at UK Pallets by Allegro Transport.Andy Bowd, chairman at Bow ...

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    Article

    Save Truckpol campaign

    2012-02-23T15:00:00Z

    Major operators are throwing their weight behind a campaign to save TruckPol, led by MT’s sister magazine Commercial Motor, the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association.Since the withdrawal of its government grant last April, the freight crime intelligence unit has managed to survive on funding from the private ...

  • Article

    Police launch URTU fraud investigation

    2012-02-23T14:56:00Z

    Seven men, including URTU general secretary Bob Monks, have been released on bail after a series of co-ordinated arrests as part of an investigation into alleged fraud offences relating to LGV licences and Driver CPC.The operation, conducted by Greater Manchester Police’s Volume Fraud unit in conjunction with the Driving Standards ...

  • Article

    Plan now for Olympics

    2012-02-23T14:51:00Z

    This summer it won’t be business as usual for the road transport industry.The world’s biggest sporting event is hitting UK shores on 27 July and bringing with it a host of traffic restrictions and road closures that will result in changes to delivery patterns and the way you normally operate.If ...

  • Article

    Operators urged to cut carbon

    2012-02-23T14:44:00Z

    The FTA has urged operators to join its Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) to strengthen its efforts to avoid government action over commercial vehicle emissions.Evidence from the scheme, which published its second annual report this week, will be submitted to the DfT's Freight Review later this year. The FTA hopes ...

  • Article

    Cabotage deal in the offing

    2012-02-23T14:36:00Z

    UK and Irish governments are set to meet next month to discuss cabotage regulations after intense lobbying from Irish hauliers.For years hauliers in both countries have delivered trailers to ports, where they were collected for inward delivery by a driver working in that country. This practice falls foul of cabotage ...

  • Article

    Buyers’ guides now on commercialmotor.com

    2012-02-23T14:31:00Z

    “Challenging.” That seems to the euphemistic description for the tough economic times in which we find ourselves. Capital budgets are being cut to the bone – and then trimmed some more.That’s where our series of free buyers’ guides on Commercialmotor.com will come in handy. We aim to cut a route ...

  • Article

    Attracting and retaining talent remains key concern for logistics bosses

    2012-02-23T14:23:00Z

    Almost three-quarters (72%) of transport and logistics bosses plan to overhaul how they manage the talent within their companies in response to the skills crisis.Sector analysis of PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) 15th Annual Global CEO Survey reveals that attracting and keeping hold of talent is a significant concern for most bosses within ...

  • Article

    ATF fees reform “not enough”

    2012-02-23T14:07:00Z

    Stan Robinson says VOSA's new MoT test fee structure, which will make it financially more attractive for hauliers to use private test facilities, has "not gone far enough".The organisation confirmed that from 1 April, HGV annual test fees at authorised testing facilities (ATFs) and designated premises (DPs) will go down, ...