All Opinion articles – Page 6
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ArticleTake this opportunity to reconfigure warehouse layouts to improve efficiency
Food and FMCG companies must take steps to organise themselves now if they are going to have the right warehouse infrastructure in place to meet post-lockdown trading conditions.In the early stages of the Covid-19 crisis fears over shortages of food and other essential items prompted panic buying in supermarkets across ...
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ArticleWhat can we learn from swine flu?
The coronavirus is not my first pandemic. Back in 2009 when I was working in depot operations, I remember being briefed on a potentially dangerous virus called swine flu that was prevalent across the globe.I was tasked with implementing a range of safety measures across our depots to prevent transmission ...
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ArticleAfter the dark days, some semblance of normality returns
After the dark and uncertain days of late March, here at ArrowXL we have now settled down into a more stable rhythm. Our plan is to simply carry on doing what we are doing which means continuing our focus on employee and customer safety whilst delivering the items people want. ...
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ArticleMajor changes for supply chains predicted post-Covid-19
The coronavirus pandemic will prove to be a defining moment for supply chains. CH Robinson supports some 119,000 customers globally through its multi-modal logistics platform, and we believe that recent events around the world will transform the logistics landscape, leading to significant technological investment, heightened risk management, new levels of ...
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Sponsored content
SPONSORED: Sustainability in the haulage industry
Sustainability is a hot topic as of late. Open any mainstream news website and it won’t take you long to find content focused on anything from limiting pollution to reducing waste plastic.As haulage plays a crucial part in a vast number of industries from waste collection to food delivery, it ...
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ArticleCOVID-19: Prepare an action plan to support your team
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, ...
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ArticleHome delivery staff are heroes too
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 ...
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Article
IR35 will only level the LGV driver pay playing field
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 ...
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Article
OTC does work hard to comply with the Code but simpler guidance would be welcome
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 ...
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ArticleOTC and DVSA reject Backhouse suggestion they are failing to comply with the Code
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 ...
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ArticleDriver shortage is about more than just low wages
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 ...
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ArticleTCs and DVSA falling short of compliance with Regulators' Code
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 ...
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ArticleHaulage industry pivotal to keep this country running during coronavirus outbreak
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 ...
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ArticleDigital innovations on the road ahead in 2020
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 ...
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ArticleMobile phone laws affect both drivers and operators
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 ...
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Article
Gender equality in logistics offers business benefits as well as a feel-good factor
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 ...
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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 ...