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5th February 1998
5th February 1998
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Page 1, 5th February 1998
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Page 6

Vito impound trucks following Budget cut

by Miles Brignall • The Government has told the Vehicle Inspectorate that it will get a below-inflation increase in next year's...

BRIEFS

• The ETA wants revenue from any increases in . duty in March's budget to be channelled back into transport. The Chancellor is...

Panic Link claims crisis conspiracy

• Troubled parcels carrier Panic Link has sent a memo to its franchisees, agents and staff reassuring them that there is no...

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CLS drivers plan a second strike

• More than 100 drivers at Consolidated Land Services of Scunthorpe plan to strike on Wednesday 18 February following a oneday...

Manslaughter cases fail

by Ian Wylie • Road safety campaigners are demanding a review of the way serious lorry accidents are investigated after the...

Prospects vary for GBE creditors

• Accountancy firm KPMG has admitted it cannot guarantee that all sub-contractors working for GB Express when it went bust will...

Exel Logistics is sued over pallets

• Exel Logistics' magazine distribution division is being sued for £100,000 by Leeds-based British Printing Company over the...

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FedEx licence suspended for missing tad') charts

by Michael Jewell • Parcels giant Federal Express was told to park up all the trucks at its Stanstead Airport depot for two...

COMMENT

THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE ore's one for latin scholars. Address the following passage: 'Null; vendemus, null! negabimus out...

French jail for drug driver

• A London driver arrested in France last July on the eve of his wedding has been sentenced to seven years in jail and fined...

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Drivers responsible for damage

• Thirteen van drivers at Shropshire-based Floor Shield Unit, a division of Laundry Craft Linen Services, have been told to...

VI examiners await decision on charges

by Sally Nash • Two Vehicle Inspectorate lorry examiners, who were arrested last November following allegations of issuing...

Banned brothers in business

• South-Eastern and Metro politan Traffic Commissioner Brigadier Michael Turner has written to the Department of Transport...

IRTU survey warns of 'tax jungle'

• international transport firms are becoming "lost in a tax jungle", according to a new survey on road transport in central and...

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Diesel hike in Highlands

• Angry Highlands and Islands hauliers are urging the Government to reduce fuel duty in rural areas so they do not face...

Countrywide checks result in 410 prohibitions

• The level of law breaking among truck operators was again underlined last week when vehicle and traffic examiners across...

Traffic reduction is the aim

• The Government is committing itself to reducing, rather than accommodating, predicted road traffic levels, but its efforts...

Subs slam extra time

by David Graik • An established Scottish operator claims that Taylor Barnard is operating unofficial 90-day payment terms for...

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Poole cuts anger VI

by Rob Willock • Vehicle Inspectorate staff have reacted angrily to a head-office dictate limiting their checks at Poole to one...

Polly is quarry's choice

• Owner-driver Polly Jones with 21 years in the business has been named "Haulier of the Year" by Singleton Birch Quarry of...

Off-on ban

• A Horncostle lorry driver who escaped a drink-driving ban after telling magistrates he got behind the wheel of his car...

Attentions of VI force haulier to quit transport

• The burden of running a transport firm has become too much for one SouthCoast haulier, who is leaving the transport business...

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Scania injecting life into engines

by Toby Clark • Scania will be at this week's Amsterdam Show with a new range of engines and a revised layout for the cabs of...

Scroll compressor on fridge

• Thermo King has launched XDS SR truck refrigeration units with chlorine-free R - 404A refrigerant, TherMax TM heat and frost...

Unit injectors • Scania's unit injectors are electronically controlled injectors

which incorporate cam-operated pumps. Each injector is individually controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) to allow...

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Volvo Canters into the UK

Three variants of Mitsubishi's Canter chassis-cab are now available through Volvo's UK truck dealer network in the first stage...

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Tanker for 21st century

by Brian Weatherley • Crane Fruehauf's new stateof-the-art "Millennium" spirit tanker not only offers operators more payload...

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See the lights in Switzerland

by Bill Godwin Swiss operators take fewer than 3,000 trucks a year over 3.5 tonnes and the majority of European truck...

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Decision reserved

II Scottish DTC Richard MacFarlane has reserved decision over what action to take against Milnathort, Kinross-based Road...

Heanor exceeded weights

• Derbyshire heavy haulier Heanor Haulage and one of its drivers were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £795 after...

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Licence suspended over maintenance

• Continunig maintenance problems have led to the licence and community authorisations held by Staffordshire haulier Graham...

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haulage factfile

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

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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...

What price a job in haulage?

I was interested to read over the past few weeks your articles on skills shortages. I forwarded a copy of your article from on...

Resistance vs drag

I refer to the letter from Gordon Spooner in Essex (CM 22-28 Jan). [would like to clear up an apparent misunderstanding of...

Trucking on the net

W e had every intention of writing to you concerning our new web page, but you beat us to it. I am referring to your article...

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

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

Is this your camel?

ver the years, the Hawk has heard some pretty odd tales, but none quite so bizarre as the Australian bushman charged with being...

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Knees up in paradise

D hivering away here in the depths of a cold, grey British winter the Hawk has to admit turning a certain shade of green when...

Apple surprise

0 lorry on its way to a cider-making company made i an unscheduled delivery when it overturned outside the home of Tim Reeve,...

Model news

U his small but perfectly formed model has been commissioned from the Lledo factory at Enfield to raise funds for BEN—the Motor...

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ROADTEST: MERCEDES VARIO 814D

At 7.5 tonnes the Mercedes-Benz Vario 814D is the biggest panel van in the UK. Is it just an oddity, or should truck operators...

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HAULAGE

BULLETIN VOLUME 2 NUMBER 5 FEBRUARY 1998 Red diesel users under fire Blatant misuse of rebated (red) diesel by hauliers is...

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HAULAGE

BULLETIN NEWS EC Law: Copyrights, data protection N Databases Employers should advise their employees to be vigilant in their...

Financial: Late payment The Department of Trade and _Nr r - t e

Industry has published the Late L Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Bill. If enacted, this will introduce a statutory...

Regulations: Packaging

The Department of Trade and Industry is consulting on proposed Draft UK Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, which...

Financial: Taxation

Self-assessment ▪ The long-awaited self-assessment e 4 Ir system for companies is being introduced for accounting periods...

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Courts: Naming defiant directors LE The DTI has a 24-hour Disqualification

Hotline (0845 6013546 —charged at local rates) enabling people to "name and shame" anyone who continues to run a company while...

Health & Safety: Manual handling

cl) The Health and Safety Executive has published Evaluation of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 with the...

Europe: Takeovers The European Commission has proposed new rules amending

the European Parliament and Council Directive on Company Law Concerning Takeover Bids. These will: • Require companies involved...

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Safe reversing: To bleep or not to bleep

Considering the number of accidents (including the average seven fatalities per year) caused by reversing vehicles, it is...

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How low can you go?

In the five years since Greenergy introduced its City diesel to the UK, it has made an impact on operators, politicians and not...

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PROFILE IR RINKERLEY

Bristol operator IR Dunkerley depends heavily on the construction industry which has led to some worrying times in its 50year...

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A fair day'!

pay... Drivers are so hard to come by that one Scottish-based haulier is exporting drivers to London to service its southern...

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THE LOS I LEADERS International hauliers who suffer losses from

strikes, blockades and riots can take out insurance against the risk. But the cost per truck can be high. Guy Sheppard examines...

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right Sparks

Savings worth £800m will come up for grabs in April when the electricity industry is deregulated. But it is important to act...

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Doug Chadwick, a haulier in the container industry, is concerned

that hauliers are not being paid a correct rate for the job... 'No independent haulier could have justified becoming...