Operator news – Page 281
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MT Article
Fortec debuts Simply European service
Fortec has launched a new European service which will see it make daily and scheduled deliveries through parent company Geodis’s network. ‘Simply European’, which is designed for frequent movement of low-volume pallet loads, will allow Fortec’s customers to send consignments to up to 24 countries across the continent.The service includes ...
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MT Article
AKW Group Logistics targeting larger customers post merger
Newly created AKW Group Logistics believes its enhanced scale will allow it to hunt further up the food chain.The group created after the merger of "friendly rivals" AK Worthington and Global Logistics (UK) will have an approximate turnover of £26m in its first full year of trading.Integration began last summer ...
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MT ArticleCo-operative Group writes to its drivers to deny that it plans to outsource its entire transport operation
The Co-operative Group has written to all of its 1,000 drivers this week to reassure them the group has no plans to outsource its remaining transport operations.It comes after the news that it is to transfer 50 Midlands-based drivers to Eddie Stobart in April.This prompted the Unite union to threaten ...
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MT ArticleCemex opts for 40 Daf CFs for cement operation
Cemex has signed a deal with Daf for the supply of 40 CF tractor units.Some 18 of the 460hp 6x2 tractors (an unliveried example of which pictured) have already been supplied to Cemex’s Rugby-based cement operations, with the rest due before April.They will maintained on a seven-year Daf MultiSupport R&M ...
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MT Article
NFT Distribution profit up, turnover down, with new owner
NFT Distribution reported profit up but turnover down in its first trading year under the ownership of private equity backer EmergeVest.For the 12 months to 31 March 2015, turnover fell 4% to £162.6m, compared with £169.4m the previous year. Pre-tax profit rose 28.7% to £2.2m.NFT said the dip in turnover ...
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MT Article
Investigation launched into fatal accident at Great Bear Distribution warehouse
Kettering Borough Council has launched an investigation into a fatal accident at a Great Bear Distribution warehouse in Northamptonshire earlier this month. A spokeswoman for the council said it opened the investigation after it was handed the case by Northamp- tonshire police, who attended the incident at the Great Bear ...
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MT Article
Unite threatens Co-operative Group with industrial action over transfer of drivers to Eddie Stobart
The Unite union has threatened The Co-operative Group with nationwide industrial action over the transfer of 50-Midlands based drivers to Eddie Stobart. The union is up in arms at the planned transfer, via Tupe, of 50 Co-op drivers based in Coventry to Eddie Stobart this April.Unite believes this has implications ...
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MT ArticleProfit and turnover down but Pickfords still on the up
Removals firm Pickfords suffered a small decline in turn-over and profit in the last financial year but still managed to keep well ahead of its performance two years ago. In the year to the end of September 2015, turnover fell 3.75% to £67.2m (2014: £69.8m), while pre-tax profit was down ...
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MT Article
The Co-operative installs Microlise telematics system
Retailer The Co-operative has installed a telematics and transport management system from Microlise. The system, which includes features such as electronic proof of delivery, driver fuel efficiency monitoring and planned-versus-actual route and schedule comparisons, will cover more than 1,300 trucks. The deal extends an existing nine-year working relationship between the ...
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MT ArticleCanute launches cyclist awareness course for HGV drivers
Canute has launched a new cycle safety scheme in conjunction with its supply chain client Wilko’s. The scheme involves training drivers to improve their awareness of cyclists, particularly in urban environments, and ensure they are equipped to take all available precautions to avoid collisions with vulnerable road users.The training involves ...
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MT ArticleCulina buys 20 new Daf XFs
Culina has bought 20 new Daf XFs from dealer Daf Greenhous. The food and drinks logistics provider said it chose the tractive-units because they were the best match for its company's priorities of ensuring drivers can work in comfortable conditions, while minimising the business's environmental impact.The company also recently bought ...
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MT ArticleBridgestone beat roadside response time in 2015
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone assisted more than 35,000 stranded operators at the roadside in 2015 through its roadside assistance network. Bridgestone Partner, made up of a network of tyre dealers, also reduced its average response time by four minutes to 62 minutes between the first phone call and a partner arriving ...
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MT Article
Last-minute talks stave off strike at XPO Logistics Motherwell
A strike by drivers and warehouse staff at the Motherwell site of logistics giant XPO Logistics (formerly Norbert Dentressangle) has been suspended after last-minute negotiations between the company and union Unite. Almost 90 staff at Motherwell, including around 70 truck drivers, were poised to undertake a 48-hour strike from 2pm ...
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MT ArticleWoodside Haulage reports soaring profit
Consolidated results for the Woodside Haulage group of companies show that the County Antrim operator saw pre-tax profit soar 42% last year. The substantial increase to £1.4m, compared with £999,000 in 2014, was on the back of a healthy 6.3% increase in turnover to £54.6m in the year ending 31 ...
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MT ArticleAbbey Logistics targets £70m turnover as it kickstarts expansion strategy
Abbey Logistics Group is to reboot its expansion strategy following a “self-imposed” pause on growth during 2015.It is back on the acquisition trail looking to expand in mainland Europe, or enter the UK chemical transportation market, having secured £13.5m of funding from HSBC.Two-time MT Haulier of the Year winner has ...
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MT ArticleUnited Biscuits on lookout for new subcontractors
United Biscuits is on the hunt for subcontractors to carry its products, according to head of distribution Rob Wright.Wright told Motortransport.co.uk the company looks for new subcontractors to join its team of approximately 70 small to medium-sized businesses every year. “What tends to happen with small to medium-sized family businesses ...
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MT Article
Yodel names Mike Cooper as CEO
Yodel has appointed Mike Cooper as its CEO, after his predecessor Neil Lloyd stepped down last July. The parcels firm brought “turnaround specialist” Lloyd in to improve the company’s public image and customer service in February 2013, and Yodel executive chairman Dick Stead said he is confident Cooper (pictured right) ...
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MT ArticleFred Sherwood and Sons (Transport) sees profit soar
Profit at Fred Sherwood and Sons (Transport) saw a resurgence in the year to 31 March 2015, climbing almost 70%.The rise marked a significant recovery in the firm’s fortunes since 2014, when it saw pre-tax profit fall by a third.The haulier’s annual accounts showed pre-tax profit up from £944,077 in ...
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MT Article
Rico buys Circle Express
Rico has bought a majority shareholding in air freight distribution carrier Circle Express as part of a “strategic acquisition” plan. Circle Express, which has been trading through a CVA since May 2012, had an annual turnover of £29m in 2014, and runs more than 300 vehicles across eight airport-based depots.The ...
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MT Article
Ferguson Transport sees turnover climb as profit takes a dip
Ferguson Transport (Spean Bridge) increased turnover by almost 11% last year, despite downturns in some of the sectors it operates in.The Highlands haulier said sales had increased to £16.4m in the year ending 30 April 2015, up from £14.7m in 2014.However, pre-tax profit fell to £120,000, compared with £881,000 the ...