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Opinion – Page 8
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Article
Is a 5% profit margin really enough for today's hauliers?
Here we are at the end of yet another year and the time when the MT cost tables appear.I look forward to comparing my own costs to yours and the MT tables are not far adrift of reality.Except for one thing.I question the wisdom of advising your readers of going ...
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ArticleBarriers to electric power for commercial vehicles are not intractable
Recent figures from business intelligence firm JATO revealed an astounding rise in global demand for electric vehicles, with sales of non-hybrid cars increasing by 92% over a 12-month period. This is perhaps the clearest sign yet that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are finally a viable alternative in the consumer sector.The ...
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ArticlePallet networks can offer customer service as good as parcels carriers
Hand-held technology is now holding the hands of consumers who demand the same transparency from the pallet networks as they do from the major parcel carriers - as a hygiene factor rather than a ‘nice to have.’Gone are the days when consumers had to take time off work to wait ...
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Article
Deal or no-deal - the real cost of truck pricing
The Department for International Trade’s publication of a revised list of temporary tariffs on truck imports if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement once again raises the question of the impact of commercial vehicle pricing on haulage operating costs and profitability.A 10% tariff on imported trucks is better ...
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ArticleKnowing your driver better would be easier with more data on Driver CPC
Increasingly ‘knowing-your-driver’ has become a key fleet compliance requirement. As technology permits more frequent checking across a wider range of datasets, fleets are taking the opportunity to increase their awareness of their drivers. Improving risk profiles, insurance rates, HR strategies and road safety are all rolled-up in this. However, much ...
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ArticleFit safety systems in the factory
As an operator it’s frustrating to purchase new trucks and still have to fit additional safety features, now often mandated to work in the city centre construction sector, which are not currently available to be installed or supported by the manufacturer.New trucks have wiring looms cut into, additional cables run ...
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ArticleTry innovating like Silicon Valley
Peter Scraton Operations Director, ArrowXLAs the world’s leading technology centre, Silicon Valley is brimming with innovation – not just from a hardware or software point of view, but in terms of how it solves problems. One example of this is “design sprints”, a five-day process developed by former ...
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ArticleBack to school to fill skills shortage
Trevor Edden MD, TWE HaulageAt TWE Haulage we face the same driver recruitment and retention issues as everyone else. I’m a big believer in training and developing young talent and yet I’ve been frustrated for years with the sector’s apprenticeship offerings. So I decided to go back to the way ...
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ArticleTransport leaders’ drive for digitisation
Chris Fenton MD, Industrial and transport, WincantonAs we enter the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, we are beginning to reap the benefits of digital technologies in the supply chain, from cloud-based transport management systems and artificial intelligence through to 3D printing and fleet telematics. Digitisation of the supply chain – whether in ...
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ArticlePerformance is cause for optimism
Jason Whitworth M&A partner, BDOWhen it comes to merger and acquisition activity in the logistics industry, 2019 was always going to herald tough conditions.However, while transport and logistics companies are right to remain cautious, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Our latest ‘Logistics and Supply chain management quarterly review’ ...
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Article
Don't dismiss the value of driver medicals after Doctors on Wheels incident, says Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones
Following the Doctors on Wheels incident that has seen DVSA refuse to accept driver medicals conducted by the firm, Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones, medical director of D4Drivers, sets out why operators shouldn't dismiss the value of a check-up conducted correctly.With the average age of an HGV driver in the UK nearing ...
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ArticleTransport leaders and the drive for digitisation
As we enter the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, we are beginning to reap the benefits of digital technologies in the supply chain, from cloud-based transport management systems and AI, through to 3D printing and fleet telematics. Digitisation of the supply chain is a challenging process but one that presents opportunities if ...
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Article
Diversity in the workforce is essential to sector's success
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are key to a thriving and successful logistics sector, says Lesley O'Brien, Freightlink Europe and Freight Train.Today (8 March) is International Womens’ Day, when women throughout the globe celebrate. I love supporting and celebrating the success of my female colleagues.It is almost 3 ...
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ArticleApprenticeship Levy monies must be freed up for vital training
The Treasury has to act quickly to release some of the £83m the logistics industry has paid in the Apprentice Levy between April 2017 and March 2018 to help fill the skills gap as the UK heads for Brexit on March 29, says FTA head of skills Sally Gilson.The levy ...
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Article
No deal Brexit ‘catastrophic’ for UK supply chain
As confusion continues in Westminster over the shape of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, the FTA is urging politicians to find a solution which supports businesses so that Britain can keep trading effectively with its biggest market, the EU. As the clock counts down to March 29 when ...
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ArticleDelivering Brexit success
Britain’s ‘imminent’ departure from the European Union may have sparked huge debate across the UK logistics sector, with concerns of significant challenges throughout the international supply chain, but Brexit could also be a catalyst for change for the better for the industry, according to Clugston Distribution director Tim Doggett.Despite the ...
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ArticleNo deal doesn't have to mean delays if we work together
Robert Hardy, director, Oakland InternationalWith Brexit hanging in the balance and the prospect of no deal remaining very real, it would be sensible to plan for such. There is always talk of delays at Calais but we do not subscribe to this negative way of thinking as UK customs have ...
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ArticleLogistics can no longer ignore environmental measures
Patrick Gallagher, CEO, CitySprint GroupFrom April 2019 the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will come into effect in central London, with an extended north-south ULEZ announced for 2021.At CitySprint, we believe the introduction of government initiatives such as the T-charge and the ULEZ are necessary steps in combating ...
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Article
Love the lorry, it would be a poorer world without them
This week is National Lorry Week, designed to promote the road transport industry and the vital service it provides.But why wouldn’t we love the lorry? For those of us working in transport the appreciation of the lorry is a given, it’s our livelihood.Changing the perception of the general public though ...
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ArticleStop demonising diesel - just give us the facts
Just when you thought the ‘demonisation’ of diesel was well and truly dead and buried, as most people now understand that Euro-6 diesels are extremely clean, a press release from the Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance lands in my email inbox.Headlined “Government’s Clean Air Strategy ‘airs’ on the side of caution ...