NEXT WEEK
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WHEN CM carried out its overnight parcels carrier test last June three of the 10 carriers failed in at least one respect: one broke the goods, one did not deliver on time and the third failed to even collect the parcel. We have repeated the exercise this year — but we made it tougher. Read CM next week to find out how the overnight express carriers performed.
• While British hauliers are loosing, out to Continentals on international work, sonic firms continue to expand. Jack Semple talks to Seabourne Express, the express carrier which has recently opened three new locations in the Netherlands.
• For some time the Road Haulage Association's express parcels group has been waging campaigns to persuade retailers to accept goods when they are delivered, and the Government to end what it sees as unfair competition from the Post Office. But there are also nonpolitical advantages to membership, as Bob Greenwood reports next week.
• Parcels carriers are among the biggest buyers of big-volume, high-roof vans in the UK, and one model in particular — the diesel-engined Mercedes 3071) — is proving a popular choice with sonic of the largest fleet operators, such as Elan and Lex Wilkinson.
Mercedes-Benz's light commercials are gaining a reputation for extended vehicle life, but how do they measure up on fuel economy and performance? Brian Weatherley has road tested the 3071) high-roof van and he provides the answers in next week's C.W.
• Drawbars are a natural for operators who need to maximise either cube or deck length. For those who want to squeeze every last centimetre from the 18m overall length limit there is the new breed of close-coupled drawbars. David Wilcox reports on an operator who is running the first drawbars equipped with the Ray Smith Contar close-coupling system from Holland.
• The Vikings have invaded the USA — this time not in their long boats, hut with Mass Transit buses. Saab-Scania, a recently formed company in New England, is making inroads into a very tough market. lain Sherriff has been to see how they are tackling the American market, selling against the home-spun product. I Iis report is in CM next week.
• The Institute of Road Transport Engineers' 1985 conference theme was "encourage". It could not have been more appropriate. Speaker after speaker encouraged the institute to become more involved in a host of areas. In next week's CM Tim Blakemore reports on how the 1RTE has begun to find new hif in its 40th year.