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24th September 1998
24th September 1998
Page 1
Page 1, 24th September 1998
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Page 6

TCs' report slams lack of vital data

by David Craik • The Traffic Commissioners' fight against illegal hauliers continues to be hampered by a lack of vital...

BRIEFS

• Eurotunnel made a £46m operating profit in the first half of 1998; now it is to submit plans for a second Channel tunnel....

TNT loses appeal on overloading offence

II TNT (UK), which has never been convicted of any offence in relation to its 7,000 vehicles, last week lost its appeal against...

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EC delays 48hr working week

by Karen Miles • Hard-working drivers hoping to spend less time at the wheel are set to be disappointed following the European...

Exel drivers vote to strike over pay

• More than 3,000 Exel Logistics drivers and warehouse staff have voted to take strike action after rejecting a 3.5% pay...

Drivers unsure of Shell

• More than 300 drivers face an uncertain future following Shell UK's decision to contract out its tanker operations. The...

Brake survey highlights fatigue

• More than 80% of truck, bus and van drivers have found themselves falling asleep at the wheel and nearly 70% of them admit to...

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THE SAME OLD SONG

R eading the comments in the Traffic Commissioners' latest annual report is like watching that infamous newsreel of the...

First past the post

by Ian Wylie • Parcelforce and its rivals are poised for a head-to-head confrontation as speculation mounts that part of the...

Shippers fined for pricing policy

• Fifteen of the world's largest shipping lines have been fined a total of El 82m by the European Commission for abusing their...

Page 10

Protest injures driver

by James Keeler • Animal rights protesters have left a truck driver in a critical condition in hospital after throwing rocks...

Testers in court

• Two Vehicle Inspectorate testers appeared at Grays magistrates court accused of issuing fraudulent test certificates. Richard...

T&G plans Malcolm ballot

• Drivers at one of Scotland's largest transport firms are to decide whether to take industrial action in pursuit of a pay The...

Tadcaster plans three-road ban

• North Yorkshire County Council plans to impose a 7.5 tonne limit on three roads around Tadcaster. Area traffic engineer...

Page 12

Fastracs 'must have licences'

by Ian Wylie • Hauliers are venting their anger about the increasingly widespread use of JCB's Fastrac highperformance...

Trans-Action's Cain fined £50

• Activist Chris Cain has been found guilty of obstructing Queens Drive, Liverpool during a Trans-Action protest on 9 April and...

Immumimm■mi URTU to canvass at truckstops

• The United Road Transport Union is to take its "one-union" campaign to truckstops throughout the UK because it is confident...

Scots plan action over road closure

• Hauliers in the West of Scotland are threatening action to protect the future of their communities after the Scottish Office...

Page 14

Haulage shares slide

by Sally Nash • Signs that transport firms are being hit by the economic slowdown were confirmed last week when two major...

CONTRACTS

• Wincanton Logistics has started a five-year transport and warehousing contract more than £20m with Somerfield, delivering to...

Driver charged on minibus fatalities

• An Irish driver who was involved in a fatal accident with a minibus has been charged with causing death by dangerous...

M1 crash—appeal for witnesses

• A family is appealing for witnesses after a grandmother died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident involving a...

Page 16

Stop before you drop off

by Brian Weatherley • For the professional driver drowsiness is just another occupational hazard, like a bad back or a stiff...

Page 18

ERF to offer dual Cat

EXCLUSIVE by Charles Young • ERF is to offer Caterpillar's 12-litre dual-fuel diesel/gas engine in tractors and 8x4 rigids by...

DUAL - FUEL INJECTION • Dual-fuel refers to the engine's ability to

operate on a combination of gas and diesel fuel simultaneously. Unlike gas-only engines, which need spark plugs, this is a...

Tata tailored for Euro work

• The Tata SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) will be previewed at the NEC Motor Show next month and is due to be launched in the UK...

BRIEFS

• Cummins-powered ERF tractors are now being sold with an extended driveline warranty at no extra cost. It runs for three...

Page 19

Turbo-diesel Hyundai H100

by Charles Young • flyundai has introduced a turbo-diesel version of the H100 panel van which ousts the yearold naturally...

Hays buys 76 artic reefers

• Hays Distribution has added 76 low-height Volvo FL6.18 tractors and 116 refrigerated semi-trailers to its fleet to service a...

Page 20

Trackside truck technology

Is there a place for truck racing in the UK? The German round of the European Truck Racing Cup attracted 150,000 enthusiasts to...

Page 23

RH packs the booths in

• RH Bodyworks Paint & Accident Repair Centre in Eye, Suffolk now has 14 spraybooths on one site. Spraybake has recently...

Prices cut on remanufactured ZFs

_A • All five ZFGB DriveCentres are offering straight-drive ZFGB remanufactured service-exchange Ecomat transmissions to major...

Brake Alert wins safely award

• The Ferodo Brake Alert, the truck and trailer brake wear monitoring system, has won a Prince Michael Road Safety Award....

Portable heat for hire

assisted and direct or indirect fired units. The organisation is operated from more than 30 depots throughout the country,...

Parts supplier offers expansion help

• Kellett IUK), the truck, trailer and bus aftermarket parts supplier, has established a service to help its customers expand...

Page 24

Carrier revamps and adds models

• Carrier Transicold has added six models to its Supra range of diesel overcab refrigeration units. New features include...

BRIEFS

• Scandura Seals can now produce gaskets from com posite materials—either steel-faced with a soft core or soft-faced with a...

Weight-saving tail-lift

• A new folding tail-lift has been introduced by the Ray Smith Group made from aluminium sections fabricated by Hydro Aluminium...

Torque multiplier is more durable

• New from Britool is a redeveloped torque multiplier, specially suited to HGV applications. The tool is now more compact and...

Bars to give short, sharp shock

• Rutland Electric Fencing has introduced Induced Pulse Window Bars which combine the benefits of a strong barrier with the...

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anover show spills over

The recent IAA Hanover truck show was overflowing with innovation and new products—far more than we could ever cram into one...

BRIEFS

• The latest version of the Daimler-Benz/Hendrickson Discos modular disc-braked air sprung axle set has a new hub,...

Page 28

Agency drivers blamed

• Agency drivers were blamed for a shortage of tachograph charts when Northern Irish haulier Montgomery Transport appeared...

Chartrange stays for now

Ii • A tipper opera tor who has been using an operating centre without authority for the past 18 months is waiting to see if...

Page 29

Doubts over CPC holder

III A bid for a fresh licence by Willenhall-based LDS Haulage has been adjourned as West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner...

TC ponders licence

• North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth is to consider if a restricted licence is appropriate for a Sheffield...

Speeding penalty cut on appeal

• A 2300 fine imposed on a Southampton driver for speeding on the M4 has been cut to 75 on appeal to Swindon Crown Court and...

Page 30

haulage factfile

CM's Haulage Factfile pages provide busy operators with brief news items on: forthcoming events, services, business products,...

Page 32

letters

Do you want to comment on any of the stories in Commercial Motor? Does someone in the industry deserve a pat on the back—or a...

Wide ranging skills of truck drivers

T am sure that I will not be alone in expressing disbelief at the insult which Professor David Rose has levelled at...

Page 33

Rail grants T read with interest the 1 views of

David Northcott of Cobra Railfreight (CM 1016 Sept). I was pleased to note that David commends this unit for its openness and...

Page 34

bird's eye view by the hawk Commercial Motor takes road

haulage very seriously. However, once a week our quirky correspondent, the Hawk, steps off his perch to take a humorous look at...

Clampers are human—almost

u o say car-dampers get a bad press would rank as a big understatement. But next time you find yourself clamped and are about...

Speed thrills

Elj ere's one to keep your eyes peeled for if you are a motor racing fan. If when out and about you should catch sight of the...

Page 35

Don't take chances

FokDsotznEN with subcontractors I n early September Eastern Traffic Commissioner Geoffrey Simms revoked a large Loughborough...

COMMENT

How often do you use subcontractors? Maybe just the odd once or twice when you can't be bothered with the hassle of those...

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• In just over 100 years Scania has built some

850,000 vehicles; more than 60% of them during the past two decades, when half of the best known names in the industry merged...

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Hydraulic rams are widely used, but commonly abused. Chris Graham has been finding out how to avoid trouble.

W ilen it comes to maintenance, a little attention goes a long way. This adage applies particularly to the type of hydraulic...

Page 50

COST CUTTER

The arguments about which is best—mineral or synthetic oil—have raged for years. The latest evidence seems to leave little...

Page 52

STOPPING TRAIN

The increased use of electronics to stop trucks safely, straight and without drama has led to the development of more and more...

Page 54

REGIONALSPOTLIGIITWALIS

North Wales lies on a major European route that allows Irish traffic to reach the Continent and vice versa. But what do...

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David Furnell managing director, D Furnell

D Furnell Plant Services runs a specialist transport service involving complicated lifting of office, press and other...

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No joy in 41 tonnes

The crisis in UK manufacturing and confusion over 41 tonnes is breeding gloom among truck dealers worried about the prospects...

Imports hit reefers

Cheap imports are hammering the used refrigerated trailer market in the UK, causing values to plummet, says Robert Reed,...

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ROUND-UP ha re a d Com t p in et I iti I on n is

AIRFLOW Purfleet, Essex, independent used-truck outlet McKellar Motors has acquired truck cab conversion specialist Airflow....

Fear of hi•tech? There's a clinic!

Fears about the increased use of electronics in trucks should be dispelled by a series of special customer clinics being...

Northern Ireland Iveco Ford dealer Dencourt Trucks, in Newtownabbey, is

changing its name. From 1 October it will be known as NI Trucks. The firm's ownership and management remain unchanged. The move...