by Ian Wylie • Lawyers have hailed a judgment last week by the European Court of Justice as a significant breakthrough for...

• "Phoenix firm" SMI Thermo Logistics is going into liquidation, just five months after director Alain Ball lost its...

• has bought French Logistics company UTL making it the second largest haulage firm in France. • Tubby American lorry driver...

• A Leicestershire haulier who pleaded guilty to fitting switches to all his vehicles' tachographs has escaped a prison...

Lorry drivers are second only to cabbies when it comes to displaying road rage, but are better at spotting potential hazards on...

by Rob Willock • Vehicle examiners' risk losing credibility if they continue to issue prohibitions "willy filly", according to...

• The Ocean group has refused to comment on reports that it was in informal talks with NFC earlier this year about forming a...

• Thousands of pounds may be saved in the future by international hauliers travelling to Italy if the go-ahead is given to...

by Rob Willock • Lorry drivers now face an annual limit on working hours as the European Commission seeks a compromise option...

• An Essex haulier has made an official complaint to Kent police after officers ordered one of his drivers to open a trailer to...

• The safety of hauliers on Britain's roads is under continued threat, according to a survey of local authorities which says...

driver who could not afford conventional tracel hitchhiked thousands of miles from Spain to Falkirk in central Scotland to face...

• Fines of up to 25,000 and two years' imprisonment face fleet and leasing company operators if they foil to take notice of the...

• Drinks distribution specialist Robson Road Haulage has ceased trading with the loss of about 20 jobs. Last week,...

• The Home Office has pledged to catch and punish more lorry drivers and transport companies involved in the smuggling of...

by Sally Nash II Hauliers with fewer than 50 staff will be able to charge a higher rate of interest on outstanding debt than...

by Ian Wylie • Truck-makers have poured scorn on a warning that streamlining dealer networks could force disgruntled dealers...

• One in five road haulage companies made a loss during the past financial year, according to a report which rates 40% of...

• A company director has had his firm's fine reduced by £400 after conducting his own appeal against a "draconian" magistrates...

• A councillor has called for new safety measures at an Aberystwyth level crossing after a collision between a lorry and a...

by David Craik • The Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators is in danger of collapse after the resignations of president...

• Hauliers regularly using the Skye Bridge have won a 25% reduction in toll charges first proposed this summer (CM 1016 July)....

• Wiciescale law-breaking among market traders' vehicles has been revealed after a roadside check by the Vehicle Inspectorate....

• Rush-hour driving is soon to become an even more frustrating experience for hauliers. Due to increasing traffic congestion...

• The European Commission has told the UK Government to postpone its planned imposition of compulsory Single Vehicle Approval...

Since becoming the proud owner of Mack Trucks seven years ago Renault has seen its US offshoot develop a range of engines that...

by Toby Clark • Long-established engine builder Perkins has been bought by US engine maker Caterpillar in a deal that creates...

by Toby Clark • The Transit will be the first Ford available in the UK with gas power, offered direct from Ford dealers from...

• Citroen is offering a new high-volume Relay conversion through its LCV dealer network. Built by Fame Commercials, the Relay...

• Isuzu has bought 20 ZF AS-Tronic semi-automatic gearboxes for fitting to the 600hp 6x4 version of its Giga Tractor. The...

by Toby Clark • Here is the first official picture of the new Mercedes-Benz middleweight—the Atego. Previously known by the...

• Truck sales for November continued their long-term downward trend, according to the SIVLMT's figures. A total of 4,360...

• International operator GB Express has bought 62 Seddon Atkinson Strato tractive units, comprising a mixture of 4x2 and 6x2...

Belgian trailer maker Stas sees the strong British pound as a green light and is aiming to sell its high-grade aluminium...

by Nicky Clarke • Truck drivers could soon face tougher drink/driving laws which would bring UK legislation into line with some...

• Chronic driver shortages around the country are giving new life to training providers, including one in the Midlands which...

• Baby Spice is truck drivers' favourite Spice Girl, and pop music is their preferred in-cab music, according to a survey...

• The Foreign Office has again been slammed for not supporting hauliers in foreign jails. Jacqui Rose had been imprisoned in...

Several key transport players have recently decided to ditch shared-user work. If the trend continues, smaller hauliers could...

• A disciplinary hearing against the licence held by Shropshire livestock haulier John Roberts has been adjourned while the...

Pumsaint Farmers £500 in fines and costs at Carmarthen magistrates. The court was told that too many bags of fertiliser had...

• A Wolverhampton operator escaped with a warning over his maintenance standards when he appeared at a Birmingham disciplinary...

MI A Penrith recovery vehicle operator was given an absolute discharge by the town's magistrates after admitting using a...

• Reedley, Lancashire magistrates ordered defence costs to be paid out of public funds after dismissing a charge that haulier...

likely to be caused, said Backhouse. "Likely" had been interpreted as meaning more than a mere possibility but less than a...

CM s Haulage Factfile page provides busy operators with brief news items on: forthcoming events, services, business products,...

in Commercial Motor? Does someone in the industry deserve a pat on the back—or a public dressing down? Or is there simply...

F urther to the letter from Mr Nayager in CM 4-10 Dec, I am unemployed with hands-on experience within the transport industry....

Mlle article 'Austrian eco1 tags are hard to grasp" in CM 4-10 December was somewhat misleading. It is true that from 1 January...

J am delighted that my previous correspondence has caused interest in the whole issue of transport career training (CM 20-26...

Commercial Motor takes road haulage very seriously. However, once a week our quirky correspondent, the Hawk, steps off his...

O t is true that the Hawk comes from a long line of distinguished bodgers. However this does not put him off and no DIY job is...

SOLI D O FFER Like it or not, tomorrow's trucks will be packed full of electronics. The question is, are you in a hurry to...

Many haulage companies concentrate on moving their depots near to the north/south motorway network and siting any smaller...

While ERF and Foden fight for business in the UK, their parent companies are slugging it out down under in the lucrative...

The Tata loadbeta has had TD added to its name and it's been tweaked here and there to improve performance and cab comfort with...

HE WAY CM has teamed up with Donald Armour from the Freight Transport Association's legal department to highlight laws in the...

HITTING BACK. French drivers have shown that blockades are an effective negotiating tool for improving their lot. As farmers...

still be surprised at some of the unlikely excuses for law-breaking that come their way. Patrick Hook recalls some of the...

east of tinpuinD Reindeer in the road, perpetual snow, five hours of daylight and temperatures 40° below freezing are just...

BULLETIN VOLUME 1 NUMBER 3 DECEMBER 1997 Heading overseas? You could be liable! How many UK road hauliers appreciate the...

if there is no time limit for delivery. Calculation of compensation in the event of loss or damage is related to the value of...

1E A new procedure for appealing against industrial tribunal decisions was introduced on 1 October 1997. All appeals are now...

than 600 organisations, the Low Pay Commission is now touring the UK (having started in Scotland) to gather evidence on which...

Regulations* have been laid before Parliament which, if enacted, will introduce a right of appeal against decisions by Customs...

Competition law The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published a draft competition bill*. If enacted, this will bring...

Fire safety The Home Office has published the 1997 edition of Fire Safety at Work (ISBN 0 11 341180 4). It is available for £6...

Importing food New regulations* replace existing UK provisions regulating the control of certain types of imported food. Food...

Highway code The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is consulting on proposed changes to the Highway Code. Among the proposals...

Road haulage firms that fail to tax their vehicles, either through forgetfulness or by deliberate policy, are about to have...

It used to be so simple. One week you were a car driver, the next you were pounding the highways in a fully freighted...

How many hauliers can claim to have been doing business before Columbus discovered America? Step forward Aberdeen's ancient and...

• The multi-wheeler market, so dependent on the state of the construction industry, has remained depressed throughout the 1990s...

Jim Duckworth, editor of Road Transport Law and head of Transport Law Services, Woking, Surrey, helps solve your legal problems...

One of our trucks went for annual test and after it had been on the brake roller tester the driver was given an immediate PG9...

make their journey smooth and enjoyable' M ore and more industry sectors are changing the traditions of Christmas....