• Charles Dickens gave no sign that Oliver Twist's rotund protagonist, Mr Bumble, ever worked as a road haulier, but Bumble's...

M6 kills man tag • A wheel-loss accident, which killed a car driver and injured his passenger on the M6 last week has...

first two Seddon Atkinson Strato 1733 Multidrive 10X6 outfits. They are fitted with VSE air-sprung pusher axles, and 18m' s...

bulk price of around 28.5p/litre, prediets oil analyst John Hall, "Many bulk buyers are not aware that the prices they are...

• The spirit of glasnost has reached the UK's refrigerated transport industry with a Russian temperaturecontrolled company,...

• Truck prices throughout Europe are set to rise by up to 20% as the EC rushes through Green legislation for cleaner, quieter...

• Commercial vehicles have been banned from next year's Frankfurt Motor Show. According to the exhibition's German organisers,...

• The Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association have both slammed parts of the EC driving test proposals...

• Road freight is set to continue its domination of European freight markets into the next century, according to a new report...

few and persuading the Swiss to take heavier trucks on its roads. Brussels plans draft proposals by April so tough new truck...

• The 'Wipe the Slate Clean' interpretation of drivers' hours rules is about to be dropped with changes to the Department of...

• The bitter nine-month battle for Sea Containers, the parent company of cross-Channel ferry operator Sealink, ended this week...

• Merseyside-based Bestelve Transport Contractors has gone into receivership, putting 22 jobs at risk. The business ran a fleet...

• The Department of Transport has bowed to pressure from operators who have bought 16.5m articulated units, by issuing special...

• Around 2,000 United Road Transport Union members who work for the Federation of Bakers are being balloted on a new wage...

• Arcotel, the French truck-stop specialist, is believed to be talking to a leading oil company about a series of truck stops...

• BRS Northern has won a million contract hire deal with Sutherland Holdings to supply 29 refrigerated vans.

MI Engineer recruitment problems are still plaguing the Vehicle Inspectorate, which is trying to find staff for seven southern...

• Desira Group, which has Fiat and Citroen main dealerships and Austin Rover and Vauxhall dealer outlets in East Anglia, has...

• Proposals to ban vehicles of 7.5-tonnes and above from Cocker Street in Blackpool are being opposed by the Freight Transport...

• Christian Salvesen's commercial director of UK distribution, David Hall, has left the company. 1.:1 US specialist hire firm...

• A pay rise of 210.25 a week has been accepted by TGWU drivers in Northern Ireland, along with a El increase in overnight...

• There were dramatic increases in the volume of commercial vehicle rental and leasing deals last year, according to the...

• Environmental groups from seven European countries have joined forces to campaign for "a sustainable European Transport...

• Renault Truck Industries says that it is "exceptionally pleased" with the reaction to its new middleweight Midliner range....

• Office and commercial removal companies are expected to become eligible for membership of the British Association of...

• High interest rates and a downturn in UK orders have forced trailer axle manufacturer Rubery Owen-Rockwell to lay off 21...

• The EC Commission plans to spend £18 million on transport research over the next four years with priority given to the...

• Agreement between Eurotunnel and contractors Trans Manche Link should secure the future of the Channel Tunnel link, but the...

III From 5 February, hauliers operating from Tilbury will be allowed to collect import containers from 04:00hrs on a Monday...

• After eight years in production, the Renault Master chassis cab is being brought in line with the rest of the range by being...

• As predicted exclusively by Commercial Motor, Leyland Daf is to overhaul its middleweight range of trucks with replacements...

• The Mercedes-Benz SK 33 range of heavy trucks, which includes the 1733 and 2433, has won the Truck of the Year award. Long,...

We will shortly be losing Andrew English to become deputy editor on Fast Lane magazine with the result that we are looking for...

outside mainland Europe, express parcels company GB Express has ordered 140 Pegaso Ironer tractive units, worth around .E8...

deal with Raba, the Hungarian state-owned truck maker, to build engines and assemble Opel Kadett models at a new plant at...

• A 14% increase in load capacity for milk tankers has been achieved by a development programme involving the Motor Industry...

• Specialist trailer builder King Trailers has developed an extended stepframe trailer for Brown Engineering (Hyrnae) to enable...

with ERF operators • ERE has sold 40 E12 topweight tractive units fitted with the Perkins Eagle Tx engine since the vehicle...

• Tyres have a part to play in helping environment-friendly 'quiet' trucks meet the increasingly stringent noise regulations...

• Littlehampton-based Farplants claims to be the first UK operator to take delivery of the new Mercedes-Benz 1726 drawbar...

E465 14litre air-to-air after-cooled engine (CM 21 December 1989-3 January 1990) at the RAI Motor Show in Amsterdam next month....

• Hope Safe T Bars are to be fitted as standard on York trailers and Crane Fruehauf drawbar units.

• YAP( TEC is to launch a positive steering system in April for trailer axles, which will be offered at a price "comparable...

million contract to ' build ambulance bodies on 112 Leyland Daf 400 Series chassis for the Scottish Ambulance Services. The...

• Major changes are underway at ANC, following the appointment of a new team of directors, who plan to expand into Europe and...

• A door-to-door road and rail transport service to Hungary has been set up by Norfolk Line following a bulk material...

• Paper merchant William Guppy & Son will take delivery of 10 AWD 13tonners over the next three months, from J Toomey Motors of...

• A Welsh shipping company has formed its own transport fleet because it could not agree "acceptable and competitive" rates...

• General haulier J&P Bell Distribution has gone into liquidation with the loss of 50 jobs after several of its major customers...

• Federal Express has won a major healthcare distribution contract with Swindon-based ViggoSpectramed, part of BOC Healthcare.

• Thompson Jewitt International has won the British International Freight Association gold award for its short sea and overland...

• Durham company John Dee Group has won BS5750 for its warehousing operation. This is the first of John Dee's 11 UK...

• A South West carrier plans to join forces with transport firms around the UK to offer a full nationwide service. Action Link...

• Renwicks Freight has pulled out of warehousing and storage in the Avonmouth area following a Department of Transport...

• NFC division Exel Logistics was hit this week by the loss of two prestigious contracts — its Masterspeed dedicated Marks &...

Heronfreight has taken delivery of 14 Leyland Daf Roadtrain tractive units worth £450,000. The vehicles will all work on...

• A Guinness railfreight contract covering the North West has been won by Otis Euro Transrail. More than 600,000 kegs-ayear...

• A High Wycombe chemical distributor has been taken over by United Transport. Fast Line, a 19-year-old family company, has...

• AWD has appointed 11 new distributors in the Middle East, the Far East and North and West Africa.

• The Swedish Scansped Group, part of the Bilspedition Group, has taken over Tekatrans Transport in West Germany and Holland....

• A Manchester-based parcel and express freight company is on the prowl for UK operators to extend its nationwide distribution...

Will 1990 be boom or gloom, feast or famine for the road transport industry? Neither, says Commercial Motor's latest quarterly...

• The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority has issued a consultation paper on the future of its subsidiary Greater...

• York-based Reynard Pullman has started competitive services in the city, in response to a lack of full-size buses on certain...

• Dennis has won a £2.6 million plus order from London Buses' subsidiary companies, Selkent and London United, for 57 Dart...

• The Transport Tribunal has dismissed appeals from Welsh bus operator Clayton Jones Group whose licences were revoked in...

• London Country North West has taken delivery of 15 new Leyland Olympian doubledeckers, worth £1.3 million, to operate a...

• Shares in Yorkshire Rider have doubled in value to 10p each following good operating results for 1988/89. It was the first...

• Wakefield-based Compass Bus is being streamlined with an influx of newer vehicles. Seven two-year-old Renault midibuses have...

• Tendering of London's bus services will be stepped up in the run-up to the next election, says Transport Minister Michael...

• Caldaire subsidiary Selby & District has taken full responsibility for Selby's urban services, with the purchase of four town...

• Leyland Bus is to transfer all chassis assembly to Workington during 1990, and will close its Farington assembly plant with...

• The sale of Falkirk-based PSV coachbuilder Walter Alexander should be completed this week, following the disposal of its...

• An Office of Fair Trading investigation has cleared Kings: ton upon Hull City Transport of anti-competitive practices. It has...

• Following service trials, West Midlands Travel has ordered 40 Scania double-deck buses worth £3.6 million for delivery this...

• York's latest competitor Target Travel has been snapped up just two months after its formation. York's parent AJS Group has...

Stephen Hall's childhood obsession with trucks carried on into adult life, and has just earned him a coveted prize. • When all...

• Bolton Crown Court has quashed the conviction of coach operator Smiths Shearings on 138 offences of failing to produce...

g • Maintenance problems and failing to declare convictions have led to the deletion of three vehicles from the...

• When neighbouring residents made representations on environmental grounds against a licence application by South...

• A Birmingham industrial tribunal has refused to review its decision awarding £831 for unfair dismissal to driver Leslie Jay,...

been given one last chance by South Wales Licensing Authority John Mervyn Pugh. On 13 December he revoked the firm's 16-vehicle...

into account when considering environmental matters, says North Eastern DLA Anthony Richardson: road safety matters are mainly...

• A bid for an interim Operators Licence by Bryan Harris, trading as Talywain Salvage of Newport, has been turned down by South...

this country, so it can be very difficult for operators to keep abreast of the law. We know from your frequent letters that...

Q Our drivers load at a quarry and are weighed on the platform bridge before leaving. They are then instructed to go to the...

Q I have been told that have to change the type of fire extinguisher in my minibus. It was registered on 12 June 1988. The one...

Q It seems that your answer to the problem of writing on the face of tachographs (CM 7-13 Dec) has created confusion with our...

Q Our breakdown unit was called out to one of our tippers which had blown an engine and the vehicle was towed back using the...

Q We collected our 38tonne tractor unit from the workshop that does our service on a Saturday morning. Our driver picked up a...

Q Last week one of my drivers was stopped by the police in London and, because he was French, was kept in a cell overnight...

Q I have been charged with causing and permitting my vehicle to be used in a dangerous condi tion. I think this is wrong...

BY THE HAWK • If the Christmas festivities have not completely addled your brains, you may remember we ran a caption contest...

POWER Commercial Motor takes pride in offering the most comprehensive commercial vehicle road test programme of any British...

THREE PART BENDIX FOR EUROPE • Bendix Europe SA is dividing into three companies. Bendix Services Techniques SA covers...

Contact (0903) 48887.

ITALIAN CRANES • Avon Crane and Commercial Repairs of Bristol has been appointed distributor for Italian built Cormach cranes...

SEA CHANGE • Ferry operator B&I Line is to introduce a replacement vessel, the MV Munster, to its Rosslare-Pembroke service in...

FULL COLOUR • Warwick-based PPG Auto Refinish has brought out two new colour directories to cover the Deltron system and the...

number etched onto all windows as a theft deterrent. The service is free. Insurance cover — providing the loan of a van for...

The Bunkerfuel card can be used to obtain fuel at below the retail price from 100 Bunkerfuel sites, and normal outlets....

TACHOGRAPH LAW • At the end of January, it becomes law to fit only tachographs which have been repaired by a DTp-approved...

DOUBLE TROUBLE • Two Mercedes-Benz 1635 tractors have been stolen from G Soller (Transport) of lords Road, Frognell, Deeping St...

Holmes 750 twinboom crane was stolen on the night of 5 January from Phillips Recovery's yard at the Blackwall Tunnel, east...

MANAGEMENT MOVES • Short Cycle Management is the title of a two-day conference which will cover competition, employee...

Profit is a conference at the Ramada Inn, West London, to be held on 13/14 February. It includes speakers from Cranfield...

SAFE TRANSPORT OF LPG FROM HSE • The Health and Safety Executive has published a leaflet advising on the safe transport of...

Health &Safety Executive BUSINESS GRANTS UP FOR GRABS • Government grant aid to business totals 2500 million — but a large...

its contract hire services. Contact (0203) 638666 for a free copy.

ON THE BUSES • To celebrate 80 years of service, Alder Valley has produced a bone china plate, handlined with 22ct gold,...

Easy Lift container handling machine, designed for small to medium-volume units. The unit has telescopic legs and carries the...

• Lectrotect from Forward Chemicals removes moisture from metal, leaving a protective film. It prevents corrosion, lubricates,...

• A mini portable recovery station, the RRH 200, has been developed by Refrigerant Reclaim for the recovery of R12 refrigerant....

BRIDGING GAPS • Menai Bridge repairs are causing delays at peak hours, and on the Telford suspension bridge, one of two lanes...

• LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST M1 LONDON: Reduced slip road widths at J5 (A41), M1 LONDON: Overnight closures of entry and exit...

ED Before you start out in business, consider the possibility of failure. One in three never make it. What price peace of...

which combine an ERF dealership with other transport services. But is there a conflict for an outfit which runs its own fleet...

EALITIFUL A new Daf 95 Series eight-legger, a restyled Renault R-range tractor and a re-engined Mercedes-Benz Unimog all broke...

(CM 21 December-3 January), you refer to various manufacturers and their possible future plans. You state that "Scania has yet...

read that TNT advocated the need for the speed limit for HGVs to be raised to 70mph. May I ask if the person in question...

David Bermingham has become business development manger of Ryder Distribution Services' new home delivery and furniture...

Express parcel operator City Link Transport has named Duncan Brazier as national transport development manager, responsible for...

Henry Holleran has become manager, national franchise development, at Peugeot Talbot, responsible for appointing new vehicle...

Brian Bolam now heads TNT's pan-European Contract Distribution operation as general manager. He joined TNT Express as general...

John Taylor has been promoted to area director for Ryder Truck Rental's western region, responsible for 100 staff and the...

The ZF Group has appointed Dr Klaus Bleyer as chairman of the management board. He joined ZF as the deputy chairman in October...

Paul Conlon, chairman and chief executive of Coras tompair Eireann, has been elected president of the Chartered Institute of...

LEP International has promoted Maria Soares to chief executive of its Portuguese company, Lassen Transport, where she has...

Federal Express Systemcare's new national operations manager is Tom Main. He joined the company from Great Universal Stores...

property manager at Kenning Tyre Services, responsible for the company's depots. He joined from Nottingham Manufacturing...

El Bradford remoulder Colway Commercial has added a drawbar outfit with demountable bodies to its fleet of rigids and artics...

• A new type of all aluminium demountable tank container equipped with a pneumatic discharge system capable of working at...

• London-based Wallminster, which produces solar-powered ventilation systems for trailers and containers, is marketing a new...

• Coboco, CWS Transport's bodybuilding division, has completed a batch of nine 7.92m Norfrig reefer-bodied rigids for the...

• Milnethorpe bodybuilder Houghtons Parkhouse has built a dual-purpose livestock semitrailer which converts quickly into a...

MI West Yorkshire bodybuilder Customline has been awarded a contract worth £1.2 million to build 112 frontline accident and...

• The latest generation Telstar gritter/snowploughs from Accrington-based Transport Engineering are entering service in the...

• Genfab, the fabrication division of Cumnock, Ayrshire-based engineering group Vitrux, is now building car transporter systems...

• Boalloy is launching its Dutch-built Cabriolet curtaintopped body at this month's Amsterdam Truck Show. The new design is...

• Specialist coachbuilding is currently faring better than other areas of bodybuilding; the premium horsebox sector is...

• I .ancashire Foden service dealer NL Walling of Broughton has built a versatile coach or truck recovery vehicle that can also...

Volvo, like every other truck manufacturer, wants bodybuilders to specify its chassis. But rather than sitting back and waiting...

Not many Cargo 1313 chassis end up as part of a 2650,000 vehicle. Lanmear builds some sophisticated bodywork onto Cargos to...

Al International, part of the burgeoning Had eigh International group, is relishing the challenge of the Single European Market...

manager (spares) at Tidd Strongbox. He will supervise the company's truck and trailer spare parts business.

His role is to apply and maintain SPC methods, and to handle new development projects. He was previously a technical estimator.

sales director of SDC Trailers' St Helens branch. He is responsible for setting up a marketing department and taking on a...

He has worked at the company for three years as a charge hand in the Chorley works, and has 22 years' experience as a CV...

of Hampshire-based bodybuilder, Sparshatts. His brief is to handle the day-today running of the company. Buckley has 27 years'...

the promotion of Richard Young from sales manager to commercial director. He is now a board member, and heads the company's...

as managing director of Motor Panels' operations in Wigan. His position will be taken by Greg Mullins, formerly director and...

area sales manager for the East and Midlands for Leicestershirebased King Trailers, the specialist trailer manufacturer. lie...

He has previously worked at bodybuilder Giltsave, where he was a sales executive for five years, and for Harrietsham-based...

as southern region sales manager. He is responsible for handling bus, coach and welfare sales in the South. Bell was formerly...

manager of Placketts Transport, has taken on the additional role of general manager of subsidiary East Midlands Bodybuilders....

Cryogenic tankers are among the most technically advanced bodies in the field of road haulage — with cargo temperatures of...

Not many types of cargo will load itself— but then not all cargo makes determined attempts to kick holes in the trucks that...

When news broke of the longer artic limit, it looked like a useful move. But, as usual, there's a catch: the 16.5m rigs, now...