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22nd January 2004
22nd January 2004
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Page 1, 22nd January 2004
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Page 6

No legal aid for Customs comeback

A Customs cock-up ruined an operator's business — and he can' have legal aid to appeal. Guy Sheppard reports. AN INTERNATIONAL...

Subbies angry at directors' new start-up

DIRECTORS FOR Boltonbased HT Storage and Distribution have angered subcontractors they owe money to after appointing insolvency...

Page 7

Bruce: more hot water

A SHEFFIELD COMPANY whose MD and two staff were ailed for aggravated racial harassment of an employee has had seven vehicles...

No Christensen

Safeway operations director and former FTA president Lawrence Christensen will not, after all, join the board of Morrison's in...

Double diredor

Chris Thorneycroft-Smith ha been appointed as director of iveco's truck business un alongside his existing role o director of...

Motorists jailed

Too many drivers are being jailed for motoring offences, resulting in prisons being overcrowded with shortterm prisoners, says...

Duty talks

The [ntroduction of a lorry road user charging schemE to the UK in 2006 should provide the best chance fa many years for the...

DAM right

Better pay and conditions for truck drivers are among the measures included in tt Drivers Action Movement charter for the 2005...

Knowles must prove itself to TC

KN OWLES TRANSPORT'S licence has been cut by eight vehicles and 10 trailers until it proves to Eastern Traffic Commissioner...

Page 8

M6 Toll lanes closed for repair

The IV6 Toll is hit by roadworks just five weeks in — CM news team reports. THE COMPANY RUNNING Britain's first toll motorway...

King has big plans for Isuzu line-up

THE UK IMPORTER of Isuzu trucks is to change hands, with Nikki King and her management team joining the Japanese manufacturer...

Page 9

French cops take British truck after demanding €6,000 fine

WEST MIDLANDS haulier las slammed the treatment of one 3f his drivers after French police eft him stranded in France with3ut...

GO ON, OWN UP

Brian Weatherley can't understand why we are all in such denial over speeding and ready to shout foul whenever we're caught on...

New doubt over Vasey trial

JOHN VASEY, the British haulier held on drug smuggling charges in France for nearly a year without trial, will go to court on 4...

Page 10

STRESS: SPEAR IT OR RUN AWAY!

Poor concentration, panic attacks, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, damaged performance and decision making... these can all...

Page 12

Corporate killing law 'soon'

The laws on corporate manslaughter are about to change, making it easier to prosecute companies following fatal accidents. Guy...

MAN and ERF to launch fla ships

MAN and ERF will both spotlight top-of-the-range, flagship tractors at the CV Show in March. The current MAN TGA Excalibur,...

Page 13

Ten years for drugs

A CHESHIRE truck driver has been jailed for 10 years for smuggling £2.7m worth of cannabis into the UK. Ian John Bridgwater,...

FTA vidory in London congestion charge

THE FREIGHT Transpoi t Association is claiming a major victory after London Mayor Ken Livingstone said he will consider cutting...

Page 14

Don't make it easy to steal

Operators are still ignoring TruckPol advice. Jennifer Ball reports. AS TRUCK CRIME uses du us the UK operators are being...

Daihatsu Extors virtues

DAIHATSU HAS launched an all-new competitively priced compact van aimed squarely at the Suzuki Carry. Called the Extol, it will...

On the margin

IN THE NEWS Take a stroll with us through the little sideroads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the...

Page 16

Scots timber needs ElOm for access

Timber plantations need new roads to stay accessible, says Guy Sheppard. TIMBER IND USTRY leaders are calling for Lift a year...

Roads policy is 'ad-hoc short-term and dire'

THE RAC FOUNDATION has launched a withering attack on the government's failure to tackle what it calls "the dire and growing...

Kerax drops a few kilos

RENAULT'S KERAX8x4 tipper. often perceived as being strong but heavy, has been on a diet. A new version for the muckaway market...

Page 18

Dublin keeps tighter time

Dublin is about to impose time slots for deliveries on key routes to the city centre. Brendan Nolan reports. TIME RESTRICTIONS...

Did you see a cyclist hit?

GLOUCESTERSHIRE POLICE are hunting a hit-and-run truck driver who collided with a cyclist and drove off leaving her with a...

IRHA: UK law la shambles'

BRITISH ATTEMPTS to deal with illegal immigrants smuggled in the back of trucks are a "shambles", according to the Irish Road...

Page 19

No Mersey hike

PLANS TO INCREASE the Mersey Tunnel tolls to pay for safety improvements to the Queensway tunnel have been shelved after the...

VW heads the table in Brazil

VOLKSWAGEN HAS taken top spot in the Brazilian HG V sales league for the first time since opening its dedicated truck plant at...

Page 20

Sales are strong in a polarising market

Following last week's analysis of the overall truck and van registrations for 2003, Andy Salter takes a closer look at the...

7.4-7.5 tonnes WHILETHE TOTAL truck market above 3.5 tonnes was

up by 7.1%, the 75-tonne sector once again failed to keep pace with the market. Registrations were down 0.4% on 2002, which in...

Page 22

15 tonne-plus 4x2 rigids

THE FOUR-WHEELER rigid sector, predominantly an 18-tonne GVW market, has been fairly static for the past five or six years,...

CM VERDICT

UK truck market dy 5a1Ier gives the final verdict It's been a healthy year for UK truck sales, particularly heavy trucks and...

Page 23

Who goes there]

Truck drivers entering ports could soon face tough new security measures. Jennifer Ball investigate F ollowing the September...

Page 24

Aussie rules

Gary Satchwell left Australian sunshine to head the UK's Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators (AVRO). Jennifer Ball finds...

Page 26

Bunds are good value

JAM WRITING about your article headlined "Friend or Flow?" setting out areas of concern for the storage of oils or solvents at...

Heavy handed

I READ WITH CONCERN the article headlined "Salvage regs set to slash truck prices" (CM 18 December 2003).We are a major...

Page 28

Red for danger

Chancellor Gordon Brown has ordered Customs & Excise to crack down on the use of illegal diesel. Miles Brignall reports. B...

Page 30

LAUNDERING

Until relatively recently, plants laundering red (UK) or green (Republic of Ireland) diesel. using strong acids to remove the...

Page 31

'Arrogant' firm gets truck back

TC orders return of impounded vehicle after hire company takes steps to improve t compliance with the 0-licensing legs. Mike...

Page 32

Three-week reduction for 0-licence breaches

A CO DURHAM FIRM said to have broken almost every undertaking given when it was granted an 0-licence has had its licence cut...

Stobart driver fined €145 TAKING INSUFFICIENT daily rest has cost

a Warrington lorry driver working for Belgian-based Eddie Stobart International £145 in fines and costs. Ian Baguley admitted...

Page 33

Owner-driver awaits revocation decision

AN UNLICENSED OPERATOR who mistakenly believed he was operating under the margin belonging to a licence held by a contractor...

Page 34

Family affair

Small business partnerships can save about E7,500 a year by making sure the spouse is employed. Mark Lee explains how. E...

Page 36

Safety in the yard

Evidence shows that the humble haulage depot is a death trap. Pat Hagan highlights 10 areas that will yield safer working...

Page 37

Safety checklist • Do drivers have a safe place to wait during loading and unloading?

• Are security and loading staff made aware of the dangers of moving vehicles? • If reversing is unavoidable, could you fit...

Page 38

Stressed out

Operators beware: compensation claims for stress are creating payouts of up to £300,000. Fiona Paddon reports. E very...

Page 40

I'S UNE TO SAY GOOD BUY

CM puts a used FH 12 tractor with entry-level sleeper cab through its paces to find out whether the extra space justifies the...

Page 45

A dece t It - actor worth a little above book price

gives the final verdict All the manufacturers well aware how competirve the used market s. X39 JCW does not compete directly...

Page 46

MIG fume protection

MIG brazing has benefits over welding and its OK Autorods shield the operator from gas. MIG BRAZING OFFERS a number of...

On your knees

Laser Tools is marketing a kneeling pad and mechanic mattress to make repairs and maintenance that bit more comfortable. They...

Seeing the light

Two auto-darkening welding filters are available from Hornell. The Speedglas 9002V and 9002X feature a new electronics unit...

Safety on page

Murex has published a 70-page catalogue which includes personal protection products, welding tools and special process...

Cleaner wheels

Alcoa has launched Alprotect, a temporary protective coating for aluminium wheels designed to repel dirt and salt. It can be...

Bedford bonanza for bedtime reading

AFTER A LONG and colourful history the last Bedford truck to be built in Britain was shipped out of the Marshal Is factory in...

Find the right lever

REMOVING CV WHEELS by hand can be hard work and exposes fitters to the risk of injury.The Clever Lever by Alba Diagnostics is...

Spot-on drilling with boron drill bits

USING CONVENTIONAL drilling bits to replace damaged body panels made from high-strength steels can he a time consuming task.To...

Page 47

EW SECTORS of ad transport are as amorous as heavy

taulage and no name rom that world is as vocative as Wynns, specially for those of is lucky enough to be )orn Welsh. A new...

APART FROM books. the evening's in-cab entertainment options tend to

be liquid or electronic. We'll gloss over the first, but rapidly shrinking electronics mean it's possible to watch the latest...

Drive like a Frenchman

3NCE YOU'VE GOT your n-cab DVD player you'll be teeding something to watch. And what better way to unwind after a aressful day...

Escape the motorway

FED UP with eating in motorway service stations? Want to find cheaper diesel? Or somewhere better to park'?Then this book might...

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DATE Vil ['EST 1

Robin Meczes reviews some computer software that is designed tc make a busy transport manager's life that bit simpler. V...

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User views

Both the users we contacted about this software liked it, and both confirmed that their systems were working perfectly in terms...

Page 54

FIESTA GEARS UP

ft's been two years in the pipeline but Ford's all-new Fiesta van is finally here. Julian MiInes reckons it was worth waiting...

Page 56

PlititIVI SELLING

011ie Dixon heads to Egypt to find a country hovering between growth and turmoil—and a big order for lvecos from Cairo city...

Page 60

THE FINAL TWO DOZEN

In next week's issue of Commercial Motor we will reveal the winners of Testers' Choice — our selection of the best vehicles...

Page 63

TEEING OFF

Everyone knows a cabover makes the best use of an artic's legal length limit, so why does Bulmers Logistic run the UK's biggest...

Page 66

Go profitable... or go home

Does 'Happy New Year' mean much in haulage? Rob Salter is determined that it N early all the Christmas cards I got wished me...

Page 67

There's money in muckaway

Major road-building projects have pushed up demand for tippers — and high-power tractors sell well too, says an expert at...

Page 69

Auction sense Be wary of cash buyers Operators should be

wary about disposing of vehicles through auctions that allow bidders to pay in cash and fail to identify them properly, Gray...

Page 70

Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes-Bern

We see what makes clients happy at M-B dealership intercounty Truck and Van. G ive Ian Hamilton a yard full of clean,...