Opinion – Page 8

  • HCP02127 b&w
    MT Article

    COVID-19: Prepare an action plan to support your team

    2020-04-29T09:00:00Z

    COVID-19 has changed life as we know it. Health and safety has never been more essential and implementing the necessary precautions, like social distancing, has taken its toll on everyone to varying degrees.One aspect that will definitely be impacted more than others will be our collective mental health. At O’Donovan, ...

  • arrowxl charlie shiels
    MT Article

    Home delivery staff are heroes too

    2020-04-16T11:27:00Z

    From the outset of this pandemic the government made it clear that home delivery was vital to the fight against COVID-19 and that company’s like ours were doing essential work. It made sense – home delivery enables people to get the items they need while self-isolating or following the government’s ...

  • MT Article

    IR35 will only level the LGV driver pay playing field

    2020-03-25T14:38:00Z

    Given the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting likelihood of recession, we are likely to find that the LGV driver shortage becomes more of a challenge than ever before.As a result Driver Require feels that it is still relevant to maintain awareness of the potential impact of a driver shortage and ...

  • MT Article

    OTC does work hard to comply with the Code but simpler guidance would be welcome

    2020-03-20T11:58:00Z

    We are well aware of the distinction between the Office of the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) and the DVSA. However, the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 and the relevant statutory instruments from which the Code derives, expressly relates to both institutions and, in the constraints of a short article, we ...

  • Nick Denton
    MT Article

    OTC and DVSA reject Backhouse suggestion they are failing to comply with the Code

    2020-03-18T11:30:00Z

    TC Nick Denton is a regular speaker at compliance events for operatorsMuch of James Backhouse’s piece appears to conflate DVSA and the Traffic Commissioners (TCs) together and confuses the role of the regulators (TCs) with that of the enforcement agency (DVSA).Nonetheless, there are some points that we would like to ...

  • Gary Gates
    MT Article

    Driver shortage is about more than just low wages

    2020-03-16T13:46:00Z

    I would like to reply to Driver Require CEO Kieran Smith's article which only shows the issue from a selfish point of view ie the agency trying get more money for itself. I would like to offer up another side to the issue.Having worked in logistics for some 30 years ...

  • James-Backhouse
    MT Article

    TCs and DVSA falling short of compliance with Regulators' Code

    2020-03-12T16:21:00Z

    Regulators of any function – be it regulating the road transport industry, medicines, the protection of animals or even water – must regulate for the protection of the vulnerable and with consideration for environmental or social impacts, as well as any other objectives. They must also, however, regulate with consideration ...

  • Caroline Moody
    MT Article

    Haulage industry pivotal to keep this country running during coronavirus outbreak

    2020-03-06T14:09:00Z

    Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced that he is confident food supplies will not run out in the event of a prolonged outbreak of coronavirus.There already seems to be sporadic so-called panic buying. I’ve noticed empty shelves where the own-brand paracetamol and ibuprofen used to be down at the local ...

  • Derek_Bryan
    MT Article

    Digital innovations on the road ahead in 2020

    2020-02-16T10:39:00Z

    New technologies are accelerating the pace of change for businesses across Europe, with many businesses unsure how developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, data analytics and other innovations will impact their operations in 2020.AI and machine learning will open up new possibilities that seemed unimaginable only a short ...

  • Regan Peggs
    MT Article

    Mobile phone laws affect both drivers and operators

    2020-01-16T10:19:00Z

    The current rules for HGV drivers when it comes using a hand-held mobile phone are exactly the same as those for drivers of any other type of vehicle. However, enforcement is typically more stringent for commercial drivers, with increasingly creative strategies being developed by police to catch offenders - including ...

  • MT Article

    Gender equality in logistics offers business benefits as well as a feel-good factor

    2019-12-31T13:11:00Z

    There are too few women holding senior roles within logistics and supply chain. A 2018 Gartner report shows that, although women account for 37% of the total supply chain workforce, only 25% of senior managers or directors are female.However, organisations have much to gain from achieving gender equality at higher ...

  • MT Article

    Is a 5% profit margin really enough for today's hauliers?

    2019-12-25T11:10:00Z

    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 ...

  • Julie Furber
    MT Article

    Barriers to electric power for commercial vehicles are not intractable

    2019-12-02T13:28:00Z

    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 ...

  • Peter Eason
    MT Article

    Pallet networks can offer customer service as good as parcels carriers

    2019-10-28T13:12:00Z

    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 ...

  • MT Article

    Deal or no-deal - the real cost of truck pricing

    2019-10-09T14:58:00Z

    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 ...

  • Glyn Jones
    MT Article

    Knowing your driver better would be easier with more data on Driver CPC

    2019-10-07T13:00:00Z

    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 ...

  • Carl-Milton
    MT Article

    Fit safety systems in the factory

    2019-08-24T10:49:00Z

    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 ...

  • Peter-Scraton
    MT Article

    Try innovating like Silicon Valley

    2019-08-23T09:00:00Z

    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 ...

  • MTR_240619_012
    MT Article

    Back to school to fill skills shortage

    2019-08-22T10:55:00Z

    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 ...

  • Chris-Fenton-1
    MT Article

    Transport leaders’ drive for digitisation

    2019-08-22T08:47:00Z

    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 ...