Page 1

Page 4
by Miles Brignall and David Craik • The Government will not be including own-account drivers in its implementation of the...
• French haulage giant Norbert Dentressangle has announced a 15% rise in turnover. Profits were up to £8.3m. •...
• Proposals for a new forum for the UK road transport industry have received a mixed reception from company and drivers'...
Page 5
by Karen Miles • Nearly 2% of the trucks stopped during last Thursday's national road check were running without Operator's...
• Latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a small growth in the sale of commercial...
• Two Vehicle Inspectorate annual testers are due to appear next week at Grays magistrates court accused of corruption. Richard...
• Hauliers are paying unreasonable levels of Vehicle Excise Duty because the way the Government calculates the damage done to...
Page 6
PRESSURE ON licence at risk TO REGROUP by Michael Jewell • A Liverpool skip hire operator which was caught using kerosene in...
• Lane Group has moved back into the black, helped by the renewal of a major contract with Next worth £21m. The group, which...
A request to the RHA, the FTA, and any other bodies supposedly representing the industry: "Gentlemen, stop your individual...
Page 8
by David Craik • Lincoln haulier KDJ Haulage plans to set up an operating centre on the Belgian/Dutch border next year and will...
• East Coast Ferries will launch a RO-RO freight service between Hull and Dunkirk on 14 September. It will run every day except...
• Oxfordshire hauliers could soon be faced with 30mph speed limits on all country lanes in the south of the county following...
• HGV driving instructors fear their livelihoods could be at risk if the Government acts on a proposal to impose a minimum...
Page 10
by Karen Miles • Operators could be forced to pay higher-than-expected tolls when the long-awaited Birmingham Northern Relief...
• A new breed of roadside camera that would boost enforcement fourfold is being tested by the Home Office. Digital equipment...
• A general haulier is paying to train drivers because it says too many licence holders are not good enough. Page Group, of...
Page 12
by David Craik • Eurotunnel's plans to create an in-house firstline response team to fire and breakdown evacuations in the...
has won a contract to move bulk powders for American chemical giant Eastman Chemical Company. Goods will be transported from...
MI Plans by the United Road Transport Union to publicise a meeting to promote a single truck drivers' union have been scuppered...
• Northern Irish chassis and component manufacturer MDF of Antrim has bought SDC Trailers from Powerscreen International for...
Page 14
Question: How on earth do you cover a truck show with 1,220 exhibitors from 39 countries in a show ground that makes the NEC...
Page 17
with a new XIY-1 variant with a revised tread pattern featuring a less chunky block design on the edges. SCANIA has developed...
Page 22
by Brian Weatherley • The Atego circle is now complete. After launching its 7.5-15 tonne models in May, MercedesBenz has...
With the arrival of its three-axle Atego rigid. M-B (UK) now has to decide what to do about a new eight-wheeler. The current...
MODEL: 1823/182811/18-TONNE CVW 4x2 RIGIDS Engine: 0M906 LA charge-cooled six-cylinder at 230/280hp. Torque ratings: 810ftm and...
Page 23
by Steve Banner • Mike Payne's latest party piece is bashing a section of plastic planking as hard as he possibly can. "And the...
Page 24
• A company and its principal director have been ordered to pay fines, costs and back duty totalling £11,600 after "month...
the tax to run from a later date, certifying that the vehicles had not been used on the public road between the two dates. But...
• Cowbridge-based Simon Leadbeater Transport's licence was curtailed to two vehicles and three trailers at a Cardiff...
• A company and driver, fined for a gross over load on the tractor unit of a 38-tonne artic, escaped punishment for overloading...
Page 25
• The licence held by Fife hauliers James Ogg and Charles Bell was revoked when they failed to appear at a disciplinary inquiry...
• A company a operating without a licence from April to August • A company a licence from April to August after a sister firm...
• A haulage firm caught using red diesel has escaped having its licence revoked. A bulk tipper operated by C Smith & Sons, of...
Page 26
CM'S Haulage Factfile pages provide busy operators with brief news items on: forthcoming events, services. business products,...
Page 28
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...
Tread your article "Red 1 diesel scam in east London" (CM 20-26 August). I have three 38-tonners that draw diesel from the...
R egarding your call for trailer registrations, a good idea would be to weld on the inside of the chassis a coded number such...
is timely to reconsider the conspicuity of road users. Drivers, in particular, have a poor appreciation of what the term means,...
r ood luck to London VILorry Ban victim Tim Griffin in his appeal against such a ridiculous fine (CM 39 September), Barry...
Page 30
very seriously. However, once a week our quirky correspondent, the Hawk, steps off his perch to take a humorous look at the...
5 he Hawk has a bit of a reputation as a cautious driver at the wheel of his trusty Reliant Robin. However, next to 83-year-old...
al ast month Dylan Thomas put in an appearance in these hallowed pages (cm 27 Aug-2 Sept). Not the Dylan Thomas, but Dylan...
[El ere's a date to mark in your diary: 20 June, 1999. This is the day that the Fourth Swansea Festival of Transport will be...
Page 32
Encouragement from all quarters to be green is now greater than ever and the pressure is not going to go away. Commercial Motor...
Page 38
Price as tested: 29,995 (ex-VAT). Engine: 2.31itre diesel, 74hp (55kW). GVW: 2,220kg. Payload: 770kg. Fuel consumption (laden):...
Page 40
at Haydock on Merseyside is now protected by a sophisticated network of on-site intruder detectors and closed-circuit...
Page 44
Own-account operator Superdrug claims a switch to agency drivers, as part of a three-year shake-up, has provided a tonic for...
Page 48
T he idea of landfill tax must have seemed seductive. Taxing material to be buried in the ground appears an...
Page 52
have failed the transport industry, says David Northcott, commercial director for Cobra Rai 'freight. 'Like most compromises...