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10th November 2005
10th November 2005
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Page 1, 10th November 2005
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Page 6

One third see WTD clash with Xmas

Drivers could be lacking Christmas presence if operators don't prepare for seasonal peaks and the effects of the WTD. Guy...

FTA and RHA prepare fuel tax challenge

THE INQUIRY BY the trade associations intothe government's fuel tax policy following the collapse of the Lorry Road User Charge...

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Good news for criminals

WEST MIDLANDS Police are scaling down Operation Indicate, its truck crime division. Steve Tolley, industrial liaison officer...

Driver dies after binge

CHESHIRE HAULAGE firm James Irlam has been offered advice after a driver was found dead next to his vehicle following a...

Montracon in job cut talks

THE TRANSPORT & General Workers Union is talking to trailer manufacturer Montracon in a bid to prevent 70 people being made...

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Suffolk firm ramps up its profit margin to 11.6%

Profit margins in the haulage industry are notoriously tight at present, but one firm seems to be bucking the trend. Dominic...

French win right to cut fuel duty

FRENCH REGIONAL governments have been given the power to cut local excise duties on diesel and unleaded petrol. Following...

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Sign up now for CM'S

training conference ANYONE PLANNING to register for Commercial Motor's conference on the Compulsory Training Directive should...

VOSA needs cash FTA

JOHN RUSSELL, president of the Freight Transport Association, has called on the government to provide more funding for the...

Engage brain first, please

Mr X stands up for the M42 thick overtaking ban and calls for a little understanding between road users. Once again the RHA...

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FTA says overtakin ban is victimisation

The FTA says the IV42 overtaking ban amounts to victimisation of operators. David Harris reports. A BAN ON 1 RUCKS overtaking...

FTA demands

parking review THE FREIG111 - 1ransport Association wants a review of parking enforcement in London; it claims collection and...

Turnover rises at Saints as 2004 profits fall

A FLEET upgrade and escalating costs have combined to erode 2004 profits at Berkshirebased Saints Transport. Full-year results...

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Investments hit profits at Stiller Group

STOCKTON-ON-TEES based haulage firm Stiller Group has said that large-scale investment in its network is the reason behind its...

Driver agency makes a spectacle of itself

DRIVER AGENCY Driver Hire has chosen Road Safety Week to highlig htthe danger of poor eyesight to drivers. The sight of as...

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Aspray set for period of 'prolonged growth'

A SPR AY TRANSPORT says its £6.5m revamp of its head office and main depot will allow it to double in size within five yeas....

Hauliers avoid farm row

AGRICULTURAL I 1AULIERS have given a lukewarm response to last week's three-day strike organised by campaign group Farmers For...

IN THE NEWS

Stuart Thomas brings you his regular round-up of the way our local and national newspapers have covered the wonderful world of...

Page 14

That was the year...

CM was launched in 1905; for our centenary year we're bringing you stories from years gone by. This week vvetre back in 1948...

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BP drivers win pensions row

BP and its tanker drivers may have settled, but there's trouble brewing at Texaco. Chris Tindall reports. A GROUP of 74 BP...

Palletline tops in user survey

PALLETLINE HAWS come out top in a survey of over 300 users of pallet distribution networks. The annual Tri angle UK Express...

P&O receives takeover approach

P&O IS SELLING its cold logistics division for £183m, but longterm plans to focus on its core international port business may...

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Currie European turned over £35.5m but lost £321,000

One of Scotland's biggest hauliers has seen a massive annual turnover translated into a considerable loss. David Harris...

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Deal won following recommendation

WEST Bromwich-based Transervice Express has won a contract to deliver supplies to 15 Tile Giant shops nationwide. The...

Fast recovery for Primark

TNT's DISTRIBUTION service for fashion retailer Pri mark is back to normal following a fire which destroyed tens of millions of...

AL Jones sells fleet after half a century in the industry citing rising fuel costs

NORTH WALES general haulier AL Jones has ceased trading after around 50 years in the road transport business. Owner Aneurin...

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Driven to stress

Stress when driving compromises safety and damages productivity and driver health. Louise Cole assesses the extent of the...

Page 24

Road Haulage Association chairman Willie Oliver warns the industry to help itself, or die.

Chris Tindall meets the man prepared to spearhead the change. W illie Oliver is in London for the Road Haulage Association...

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There's no profit in low margins

AS YOU report in this week's issue (CM 3 November), average profit margins in the haulage industry have shrunk to 2.5 To. In...

Forget LRUC rely on fuel duty

I'VE REACHED the point where I feel compelled to air my views on the failed Lorry Road User Charging project. Having read many...

Forcing down the cost of food is crippling farmers — and hauliers

MANY HAULAGE firms depend upon and co-exist with the agricultural community. It saddens me that the 'supermarket mentality' in...

Questions„,

Ever wondered what temperature diesel burns at? What happened to the great fleets of yesteryear? Why the wheels don't fall of...

Page 33

Tribunal not for turning

Operators convictions for falsrying tacho records and unauthorised vehicle use count against him in appeal against licence...

Page 34

Three drivers face jail for tachograph falsification

THREE DRIVERS face possible jail sentences after a district judge referred their case to the Crown Court for sentencing. He...

SAFETY CONCERNS The district judge took account of the fact

that there was a large public safety issue and the long period over which the offences, involving deceit, had been committed....

0-licence deceit costs owner-driver £650 A FORMER operator turned law

student must pay £650 in fines and costs for using a vehicle without an 0-licence and using an 0-licence disc with intent to...

Page 37

Licence revocation delayed to allow fresh application

A K ENT haulier has had the revocation of its licence delayed on appeal to give it time to make a fresh application. However,...

POOR RESPONSE The Tribunal considered that the written representations were

inadequate and took account of the fact that the company had rejected the opportunity of a public inquiry.

Unlicensed truck spotted at petrol station

AN EAGLE-eyed traffic examiner noticed a truck without a licence disc while he was filling his tank at a petrol station. The...

Page 38

Going dip

Members of the CM operators' p nel aim to avoid digital tachographs for as lohg as possible or else find ways to cut the imple...

THE PANEL

Adam Purshall TM Logistics Martley, Worcestershire Adam Purshall is contract manager in a company that employs 400 people and...

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Philip Baker AJ Baker & Son Hastings, East Sussex

Owner-driver Philip Baker is resigned to the fact that digital tachographs will, at some point, change his way of working....

Paul Arthurton Paul Arthurton Transport Norfolk

With a fleet of 12 vehicles on UK and international work, Paul Arthurton knows that he faces significant costs when it comes to...

Gerard Palmer Huniapac Transport Preston

1ransport manager Gerard Palmer is responsible for a 36-strong fleet in a company that grows and distributes fresh produce. It...

FACT FILE • ..ra.h loo s similar to a modular

analogue on • It comes in two parts a vehicle unit (VU) and a speedometer • The VU can store data on driving and duties for 12...

Page 40

Neil James Hunts of Redditch Removal firm boss Neil James

has been running his Redditch-based business for 15 years, under taking both international taking both international 1111=1111...

Ed Pargeler Director. EP Training Leatherhead, Surrey Ed Pargeter has

been involved in road transport industry training for more than 25 years. He and his colleagues are in the process of compiling...

Malcolm Millard MGM Haulage Flexford, Southampton Road industry veteran Malcolm

Millard has been in the business for more than 50 years. A specialist mover of classic trucks, coaches and other prized...

John Hunt

John English Coventry A staff driver who makes a weekly run tc Germany, John Hunt claims drivers are starved of information...

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The advice Problems associated with the digital tachograph include the

cost of training drivers and managers, ana the dual management of digital and analogue information for some time to come....

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New workplace rights include up to six months' paid paternity

leave. Most drivers are male, so operators must ensure they are prepared for change. John Davies repor - s. S mall firms are...

Page 46

F or this week's Eurotest we snatch an exclusive drive in

Scania's latest Euro-4 spec R420 4x2 tractor around our northern France route. Scania is one of only two European heavy truck...

Page 52

RT A IL TO RE LIABILITY

TIP Trailer Services has started buying trailers again. Sharon Clancy gets some tips on building them tough enough to survive...

Page 56

Teshr's impressiat lveco has been on a bit of a

roll of late. What is probably its best UK product range ever is doing much to help overcome an outdated 'give a dog a bad...

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Tester's inwessket The latest Canter 7,5-tonner, designated the 7C14, features

a major interior makeover. The gearshift now lives on the dash, while the old umbrella-type parkbrake so beloved of the...

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Model: TGL 8.180 BB

iefier'S illipreallt Two MAN Tas made their Tipper Light maiden voyages in this, the truck's UK debut year. The long awaited...

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Model: Mascott 160.65 4x2R

Testeesimpression: The 6.5-tonne Renault Mascott strikes us as the perfect compromise for those operators who don't want a...

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Model: Midlum 180.08/B Testeesimpression: Renault's Midlum 180083 typical of the

kind of 7.5-tonner rental fleets are buying. Simple, no-nonsense and fit for the job, which explains why our Tipper Light test...

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Tester's impression :So you want a 'real lorry to carry

out your lightweight tipping duties? Are you sure? If it's because that's what you've always had then maybe it's time...

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A QUESTION 0 1

Running a fleet isn't just about vehicles and drivers — it's also about managing risk. Robin Meczes reviews an online...

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User experiences

VFRM has some high-profile users. They include British Telecom, whose group safety adviser David Wallington has so far put...

Page 68

Slow train to China

Rob Bilato, owner of G&S Transport, runs two operations in Australia: one centrally in Alice Springs and the other in Karratha...

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Proceeding with caution

The small van markets, both new and used, are experiencing a slump. Could this be the first sign of a recession? T he first...

Page 72

Mixed messages , 1

....,, „_ ... ,.......... p..... Has the pre-Christmas wind-down started early? Used truck salesmen around the country are...

Driving schools snap up units

SALESMEN Al Volvo dealership Thomas Hardie's used truck centre have a particularly demanding task in hand. They're busy...

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Watts puts its used

trucks on one site DAF DEALERSHIP Watts is to concentrate all its used truck activities on a main road site in Worcester. Just...

Long wait to buy new boosts sales

WAITING LISTS for new tractor units are continuing to have a positive impact on sales of immediately available late-registered...

Operators become more 'picky' over mileage

UK TRUCK operators have become extraordinarily mileage sensitive, says Paul Prewett, used truck sales specialist at East of...