OPERATORS
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HANDBOOK
PANNELL GOES EDBRO • Pannell Engineering of Andover, Hampshire (0264 55696) is now a distributor for the Edbro range of tipping hoists, hydraulic pumps and power take-offs.
BEDFORD TO IVECO • Four more ex-Bedford dealers have taken up Iveco Ford truck franchises. Dencourt Trucks of Newton Abbey, Belfast; SMT Sales & Service of Westfield Avenue, Edinburgh; and Norfolk Trucks of Sprowston, Norwich, are heavy truck dealers; Lookers of Quarry Street, Blackburn, becomes a truck dealer. More details are available from IFT on (0923) 46400.
EVENTS
scornsm CONFERENCE
• For the first time a twoday conference will be run in conjunction with the Scottish Freight, Transport and Distribution Exhibition on May 7-9.
The theme of both events, to be held at the Aviemore Centre, Inverness-shire, will be Focus on Distribution. Road haulage Association director general Freddie Plaskett will be among the speakers.
A package deal including full board is available for 2180; for more details contact Kathryn Walker at World Trade Promotions on 01-642 7688.
SEDDONS RALLY • A rally for all Seddon and Atkinson trucks built before June 1975 is scheduled for 31 May at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum, Leyland, Lancashire. Events will include a regularity run and concours d'elegance; more details are available from Seddon Atkinson dealers or from Seddon Atkinson direct, telephone 061-624 0566. as a more 'user-friendly' alternative to their original instrument for weighing loads lifted hydraulically. An operator now needs only press an 'enter' button mounted on a lift lever to see an instant readout of the load being lifted. Loadlog can also be set to deliver a cumulative total of cargo loaded on to a vehicle. Alternatively the instrument can be set to display a changing load when, for example, a tipper is being loaded from a chute.
Accuracy is claimed to be within 1-2% and a fitting/calibration service is available. Cost excluding installation is 2950. For more details contact RDS Technology at Stroud Road, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, phone 045-383 4084.
• A new heated mirror has been launched by Craswell Scientific of Cheltenham. It can be fitted to all classes of vehicles including forklift trucks to give a claimed 180° unobstructed rear view. For more details contact Craswell Scientific on (0242) 520700.
NEW NAME • The Institute of Materials Handling is changing its name and its approach in an attempt to increase membership and broaden its relevance to the country's materials handlers.
It will now be known as the Institute of Materials Management (IMM). There are plans to develop new special-interest groups for members, along the lines of the just-intime study group, and the institute plans to introduce a corporate membership scheme.
It is also to take part in overseas trade missions. Already the institute has sponsorship from the British Overseas Trade Board for a business trip to China some time next year.
For further information, the IMM can be contacted on (0234) 750662.
• The Institute of Road Transport Engineers' new engineering standards executive, Tom McCullough, has revised and updated the institute's VMRS (Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards) handbook: the new edition is now available.
Many American terms from the first edition of the handbook have been anglicised in the latest version and new codes applicable to specialist vehicles and equipment like fuel carrying vehicles, cranes and lorry loaders, have been introduced. All VMRS codes for computerised maintenance record systems were adapted by the IRTE from those established by the ATA (American Trucking Association). All VMRS codes are now available on IBM-compatible floppy disk, and a quick-reference separate list of component codes, in alphabetical order, is also available.
Cost of the new VMRS handbook is 220, the separate alphabetical list is 25.50. The VMRS disk costs 2130 plus VAT. The IRTE is prepared to act as a consultant, on a daily charge basis, to operators who need help in installing or extending the VMRS-based maintenance system.
For further details call the IRTE on 01-589 3744.
• UT Autochemilube (0295 56466) has improved its allyear diesel additive Dervanol and relaunched it as Power Plus 2000. The new additive is claimed to offer fuel savings of 5-7% while increasing diesel fuel's Cetane number by an average of three.
This is claimed to improve cold starting and reduce smoke emission when starting.
II The P600 Portable Eye and Face Wash from Maestro Safety Equipment is designed for fire tenders, dust carts, and other mobile service appliances whose personnel may need to flush-out chemicals, grit and other irritants from their faces.
The stainless steel rosehead spray is directed at the affected area and the hand valve squeezed to release a gentle but steady flow of water to dilute and flush out the irritant from the injured tissues.
The unit comprises a stainless steel 19-litre tank with built-in carrying handles. Operation is by air pressure which is controlled by a dualaction safety valve to enable airline filling and manual venting, with no risk of over pressurisation. Price is 2187 plus VAT.
For further information contact Maestro Safety Equipment, 6/8 Powerscroft Road, Footscray, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5NH, phone 01-302 4035.
• The Chartered Institute of Transport invites applications for a number of scholarships and grants for transport research. Worth up to 21,000, the scholarships are designed to facilitiate "travel, study and research into particular aspects of transport, both in the UK and overseas". Awards are also made to the authors of the best original papers on each of ten specified transport subjects.
In both cases the closing date for applications is 31 May. Full details are available from CIT examinations officer G Bird on 01-636 9952. • The Polytechnic of Central London is organising a fiveday course from 1-5 June on Strategic Distribution Planning. The attendance fee is £290, which covers refreshments and lunch on each day, with a dinner on 4 June.
The symposium will cover a wide range of topics including marketing and customer services, transport and warehousing operations and 'new opportunities'.
It will also include a day visit to Volkswagen Audi at Milton Keynes to study VAG's supply chain, starting with imports and ending with distribution to VAG dealerships in the UK.
Among the speakers will be Bob Goulborn of Lowfield Distribution and Ian Ramsay of Onward Road Transport. John Deavin will talk on the benefits of own-account operations and there will be further contributions from David Buck of National Carriers Contract Services, Malcolm Binder of International Distillers and Vinters, along with talks from VAG, and TNT Contract Services.
Course directors are Dr Jim Cooper, who has published and taught on a wide variety of transport topics including the impact of lorry bans, and Melvyn Peters, who has a special interest in systems approaches to distribution along with information technology in delivery control and the potential use of heavier drawbar vehicles.
Further details on the
course can be obtained from PCL, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS, or by calling 01-486 5811 ext 314/293.
• HM Customs and Excise has published a revised edition of Notice 706 (Partial Exemption) giving details of the new partial exemption rules that were introduced on 1 April. Copies are available from local VAT offices.
VAT-registered businesses incurring input tax relating to exempt supplies may be affected by the new rules in one of the following ways: I=1 Some businesses that currently have to restrict input tax recovery will now be able to recover all their imput tax. Di Some businesses that have previously been treated as fully taxable will have to restrict their input tax recovery.
Some businesses that already restrict their imput tax recovery will have to change to a different method for working out how much input tax they can recover.
The changes to the existing rules follow a period of consultation on proposals outlined in Customs consulation document VAT/Out Tax: Origin and Scope of the Right to Deduct, issued on 7 August 1986.
Although the changes will have a significant effect on the ability of certain businesses to recover VAT input tax, the number of such businesses will be small: around one half of one per cent of the total VAT trader population.
Both the old and the new partial exemption rules contain relieving provisions designed to free certain businesses from the partial exemption restrictions. One of the main features of the new rules is that they will apply more restrictively to large businesses while providing more generous relief for smaller businesses.
It is anticpated that around 6,000 large businesses will have to apply partial-exemption restrictions for the first time and around 2,000 smaller businesses will cease having to do so.
• Single line traffic will cause delays on the A205 South Circular Road at its junction with Gallery Road in South East London, between Thursday evening and Tuesday morning for the next few weeks during work on a water main. Right turns into and out of Thurlow Park Road and Gallery Road will be banned during the repairs. Vehicles denied access to Gallery Road should use College Road. Dulwich Village traffic should use Burbage Road, Turney Road and Croxted Road.
• LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST
M1 Junctions 9 to 10 (Harpenden/Luton) Reconstruction: Various lane closures, exits and entry slip road subject to closure at times.
MI1 London New road layout and reconstruction work continues at Redbridge roundabout.
M 11 at Junction with B406 Southend Road Motorway closed to northbound traffic from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday, 12 April: diversion via Woodford Avenue, Eastern Avenue and Redbridge roundabout. M25 Essex Widening work at Junction 31 roundabout (Grays) below the motorway. M2/A2 Kent Cobham intersection: construction and resurfacing work.
M2 Kent London bound at Farthing Corner Services: repairs to pedestrian bridge, nearside lane and hard shoulder closed, outside lane only in use.
M2 Kent Nearside lane of coastbound carriageway closed either side of Junction 4 (Gillingham), resurfacing 9am-4pm.
Al(M) Hertfordshire Joint sealing southbound between Junctions 10 and 7.
• THE MIDLANDS
M5 Hereford and Worcester One lane open Southbound and two northbound between Junctions 5 and 6 (Droitwich/Worcester north). Also southbound entry slip at Junction 5 and southbound exit slip at Junction 6 are closed. M5 West Midlands Various lane restrictions and some overnight carriageway closures between Junctions 4 and 8 (Bromsgrove/M50 South Wales).
A38(M) West Midlands Aston expressway: lane restrictions.
• THE NORTH
Construction of M63 flyover at Portwood roundabout, Stockport: road reduced to two lanes.
M63 Barton Bridge, Greater Manchester Major widening scheme: lane restrictions and slip road closures between Junctions 1 and 7 (Eccles Interchange/A56 Stretford), severe delays at times. A66(M) County Durham Replacement of bridge joints on Darlington spur: contraflow.
M6 Lancashire Between Junctions 31 and 32 (A59/M55), major resurfacing work.
M6 Cumbria Contraflow between Junctions 41 and 42 (Wigton/Carlisle).
M56 Cheshire Resurfacing at Junction 9 (Lynun Interchange): Road width on link roads will be restricted.
M66 Greater Manchester Resurfacing between Junctions 2 and 4 with contraflow (Bury/M62).
• WALES AND THE WEST
Patching work between junctions 24 and 25 (Bridgwater/Taunton): hard shoulder and nearside lane closed on southbound carriageway.
• SCOTLAND 518 between Junction 17 and 15 (Glasgow Kelvimide/Townhead) Constructicii work: outside Lane closed on eastbound carriageway.
• Information compiled and supplied by AA Roadwatch.