1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152 
Kwikasair London-Paris hop
Page 48
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• A daily direct freight link which, it is claimed, will be the fastest service available of its kind between London and Paris, is to commence later this year. It will be operated by Kwikasair Ltd, a member of the Thomas Nationwide Transport (TNT) Group. The group has 15 years' experience in express transport, and already operates similar services across Australia, New Zealand. Brazil, Canada and the USA. (First details of TNT's entry into the UK freight scene were given exclusively in CM on June 15).
The new service will carry parcels door to door between the two cities, and clothing on hangers, computer tapes, wines, medicines, machine spares and indeed almost any kind of freight up to multi-ton machines, for example.
The service will operate on a regular daily schedule, delivering freight to its destination in the other city the next day.
Speed and security will be the keynotes, says Kwikasair, with normal freight rates being charged for a fast service. To cut time at the ports, the company has a special ferry link between England and France. There will also be an economy service for less urgent freight. Radio-controlled pick-up and delivery vehicles, with uniformed drivers, will cover the Greater London and Paris areas.
Rolls-Royce Eagle 20-engined Scammell Crusaders and Berliet TR 320 tractive units will be used, fitted with tachographs to record the entire journey to ensure that drivers observe legal limits.
To earn incentive bonuses, drivers will need not only to keep up to schedule but must also avoid exceeding speeds laid down for each leg of the journey. A shuttle relay system will be operated between the ports, so that drivers will return with their vehicles from the ports to .their depots. Driver fatigue and the need to change from left to right of the road will consequently be avoided.
Kwikasair intends to extend the service progressively to cover ultimately all the EEC countries.