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6th July 2000
6th July 2000
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Page 1, 6th July 2000
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ROADS TOLL

Injuries and fatalities on Britain's roads fell by 2% last year, says the DOT. There were 320.310 road casualties recorded in...

LITIMESSES SOUGHT

Herefordshire police are appealing for witnesses to a collision on the B4350 HayGlasbury road between a motorcycle and a truck...

11:=

The last section of the French Maurienne A43 motorway will open on 11July, connecting the Frejus tunnel to the French and...

FEES ESE

The Vehicle Inspectorate says that fees for annual truck tests are to increase by about 6%. Contact your local vehicle testing...

OCEAN IONS Transport and logistics firm Ocean Group has set

up anew management structure following its merger with the former NFC.

CURED The M2 in Kent will be closed between J3-4

between 22:00hrs on Friday 7July and 10:00hrs on Sunday 9 July while a bridge is demolished.

FLEXIBLE FERRIES

Merchant Ferries has introduced new timings for its Irish Sea services. Contact: 0151 955 4000.

BACKING BRAKE City Truck Group has joined the list of

corporate partners which support the road safety campaign group Brake. City Truck runs more than 2,000 tractors and trailers.

Dump the pumps web site steals industry's thunder

• by Sally Nash A web site calling for a "dump the pump" campaign has stolen the thunder from the Road Haulage Association,...

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Roderick joins FTA executive

• Edward Roderick, group chief executive of Christian Salvesen, has joined the national executive board of the Freight...

Stowaway fines are in force nationwide

• The £2,000 fine tor hauliers caught with illegal immigrants on board can now be imposed on hauliers entering any UK port....

Subbies hit by second collapse in four months

• by Melanie Hammond Subcontractors have been left reeling after an Essex-based haulier went into receivership just four...

'Worst ever' offences

is The managing director of a failed haulage company was disqualified from holding an Operator's Licence for 10 years after...

Driver bailed after fatal crash

• A French truck driver was given conditional bail on Monday at North Leicestershire Magistrates Court charged with causing...

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Costs of road wear may Justify high tax

by Guy Sheppard The government has published research which it could use to justify the tax burden inflicted on the haulage...

Rolling logs get new code

• Timber haulage leaders are due to meet tomorrow (7 July) to discuss revising a code of practice following a spate of...

Mobile weighers double checks

• The enforcement agencies plan to almost double the number of checkpoints which are available to assess truck weight...

Tarmac accused of dumping tippermen

• Tarmac has rejected claims that it has dumped a dozen tipper operators after putting its Hatton East coating plant in...

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'Unfit' haulier banned from links with SNIT

• A haulier which withdrew its application for an Operator's Licence after the Road Haulage Association made objections has...

White Arrow drivers in driver's mate con

Eleven more drivers employed by a leading haulier have been fined a total of t2,500 with £990 costs for working a "trucker's...

Pumping up the volume

Will thousands of members of the general public really start to boycott petrol pumps on r August to register their protest over...

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Rail freight to grow by 15% in ten years

by Melanie Hammond The government's 10-year transport plan will include measures to almost double rail freight over the next...

Scots warned of red diesel threat

• The Scottish lawyer who is single-handedly campaigning to stop agricultural hauliers carrying out general haulage with...

Roadside cafes offer poor fare

• Motorway service stations in the UK are among the worst in Europe, according to a survey by European motoring...

Irish trucks forced onto toll roads

• Hauliers in Ireland may be forced onto new toll roads under an ambitious road building scheme. The National Roads...

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AN supports its dealer network IN by Peter Lawton

MAN remains totally confident in its dealer network despite the disciplining of five employees over rogue sales tactics,...

The commission

The sale of four trucks to Rugby Cement which were heavier than promised raises an interesting and wide-ranging question for...

The memo

The investigation into the Sheffield sale was conducted by senior personnel at MAN. including the financial and personnel...

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US and Germany keep their cool

• by Colin Barnett Two leading trailer manufacturers from opposite sides of the Atlantic have joined forces to create a new...

Italians pursue UK livestock

• Italian livestock trailer builder Pezzaioli has launched a renewed assault on the UK market, spurred on by the competitive...

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af's double on the line

by Colin Barnett Truck driving can be a solitary job, but two new Daf 55s operated by Somerset White Linings are designed to...

Tuning Hills to hit Euro-2

• Volvo is offering to re-program FH12s for operators who want to move up to the Euro-2 emission standard. Engine management...

Bigger payload cuts VAT

Nissan has boosted the payload of its double-cab pickup, allowing buyers to claim back VAT worth up to £2,609. Capacity has...

MEGA SUCCESS

RH Stevens of Macclesfield is running four new Don-Bur 96m 3 Palletmasters on its international contracts after success with...

or= IMAMS

Scania is improving the traceability of its trucks by using the Alpha Dot marking system on every new truck delivered in the...

GAY CHEESE

Tracking system company Alcatel Euteltracs has added a "Traffic Snapshot" feature to its web site which pinpoints 20,000 trucks...

FAGAN'S PICK

Burnley based Fagan & Whalley has taken its first 18tonne Mercedes-Benz for its 45-strong fleet. The company picked the 1823...

GONDIAGE

Alta Gas has taken delivery of eight new 18-tonne Super Cargos and 16 7.5-tonne Cargo dropsiders from Iveco Ford. The vehicles...

Leyland Truck grows to meet demand

• Production has reached record levels at Leyland Truck's factory near Preston in Lancashire. The plant is turning out 65...

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No-cam route to a clean exhaust

• by Steve Sturgess US engine builder International has revealed its strategy to tackle the United States' next two emissions...

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UCENCE LOST

Convicfions for tachograph offences and overloading have led to the revocation of the fourvehicle licence held by Graham...

worm OFF

Scottish TC Michael Betts has cut the 10-vehicle licence held by Bo'ness-based Derek Heeps to five vehicles for one month. The...

REVOCATION APPEAL

Solihull haulier Robert James, who was jailed for 21 months for smuggling tobacco, has appealed against the decision of West...

SUSPENSION FINE

Using a recovery vehicle with defective suspension to recover a vehicle which had just been given a prohibition cost Merseyside...

UCENCE GRANTED

Spalding-based Peter Evans, trading as Evans Road Transport, has been granted a licence for two vehicles and two trailers on...

AXLE/VEHICLE h OVERLOADING T ENVIRONMENTAL ac 0 cheats sweat it out CONCERNS

Seven subcontractors used by Hayton Coulthard have appeared before Scottish Traffic Commissioner Michael Betts following...

Growing firm's wings are clipped

E2 A Cheshire family business which blamed maintenance problems on its rapid expansion has had its licence curtailed by five...

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Veteran's licence cut after standards sli

A Cumbrian operator who was said to be embarrassed to be at his first public inquiry after nearly 30 years in the business has...

Don't miss the CMweb site

• You can now check out the latest Vehicle Excise Duty rates on road transoortnet—the web site operated by Commercial...

Suspension for firm's one truck

Problems with maintenance have led to the one vehicle operated by Neath-based builders Dennis and Raymond Sparkes, trading as...

Lost repute but hired by haulier as a CPC holder

A Turkish-owned company which paid a man who had lost his repute 22,000 to be its CPC holder has had its licence cut from 10...

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TAX PLEA: 1

The Freight Transport Association has sent the following letter to Chancellor Gordon Brown.. This urgent communiqué concerns...

TAX PLEA: 2

I would like to send a message to the government to show them what the crippling fuel taxes of up to 85% of cost is doing to us...

FIGHTING BACK

When will the government introduce honesty and sanity into their political agenda when it concerns road transport? We will...

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FRENCH DISCOVER NORTH POOLE

We've all done it...you get off the ferry at a foreign port, still a bit bleary-eyed from your cross-Channel snooze, and take a...

A MAMMOTH TASK

The Hawk gave his reading specs a good spit and polish as he settled down to peruse the latest title from the Commercial...

VERY SPECIAL DELIVERIES

The Hawk would like to shake the hand of everyone who took part in the Convoy of Hope to Belarus, Croatia and Albania. TLS, the...

PEDAL POWER

This year's London to Brighton Cycle Ride was proof that two wheels can work in tandem with four wheels as truckers throughout...

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FORD RANGER PICKUP

Everyone knows that incorrectly inflated tyres will wear prematurely and hit your fuel consumption. But is the difference big...

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FORD RANGER

• We used an abridged version of our M25 van test route for this comparison to give a 53mile run (about 34 miles short of the...

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When CMinvited the organisers of the German-based 1000-Point Test to

provide the road test for our Christmas 1999 issue, we were impressed by their thorough approach. So much so that at the next...

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he high-tech Actros is now a familiar sight throughout Europe,

although still not quite in the numbers that its makers would like. Mercedes-Benz still feels some frustration at its slow...

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RENAULT

T he most recent Commercial Motorroarttest of the Renault Premium listed only two significant misgivings the elderly nature of...

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1

0 t might be thought that Scania put Itself at a disadvantage by pitching its Euro-3 contender against a pair of Euro-2s. But...

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HOW THE TEST WAS DONE

DAY 1 The first day is mainly concerned with the logistics of assembling the tractors and trailers in one place, and checking...

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SUMMARY

A nd the winner is...the Mercedes-Benz Actros. There is no doubt that the Mere took the victory on the strength of its...

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know where to go... know where to stop

• Many rules govern the loading and unloading of goods vehicles, particularly on streets in urban areas. Every delivery...

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Safety at work The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published Safe Unloading of Steel Stock, with guidance on unloading...

Occupational stress Two new reports by the H SE address

the issue of occupational stress in the UK. The first estimates that 20% of workers suffer from high levels of occupational...

Mobile telephones The Department of Health has issued its response

to a report made by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones and Health (IEGMP), which was commissioned in April 1999 by...

COMPANY

Small company fraud The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is to investigate the extent and impact of fraud...

Small firms online

The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) has launched a six-month pilot of a business-led online forum (at...

TAXATION

Tax helpline A telephone helpline, set up by the Inland Revenue as part of the New Enterprise Support Initiative (NESI), offers...

EMPLOYMENT

Working parents The Department of Trade and Industry has launched a review into issues surrounding parental leave and maternity...

Anti-discrimination code The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) is

consulting on a draft Code of Practice on new rights of access for employees with disabilities which will come into force in...

FINANCE

NI changes Following consultation after the Budget, the Government plans to draft legislation to help companies that grant...

Stakeholder pensions The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has produced a

free discussion paper on the approach to its regulation of the selling of stakeholder pensions. Contact 020 7676 3298. Send...

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MINIMODAI

CONTAINERS minimodal consortium—involving lynx Express and bailey, as well as a host of rail transport companies--received...

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T he rail freight industry collapsed almost overnight in 1991 when

the Government pulled the plug on the wagon-loaded Speedlink freight system because it recorded losses almost equivalent to...

URBAN DELIVERIES

• The sSRA has awarded £2.9m to Blue Circle Industries, Metalair FelcIbincler and Babcock Rail to develop a piggyback system...

MINI RAIL FREIGHT TRAINS

• The sSRA has given the private-sector team of Exel, AMEC Rail and Isotrak .221m to develop "mini' rail-freight trains....

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The art of BEAT

icture the scene: you're doing a steady 4omph up a long hill. Behind the cab is 13.6m of curtainsider, containing a full load...

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The price of landing a blow.

An argument at the roadside can easily turn into violence. Just one blow can have serious consequences for the offender, even...

Jimmy White. Austin Brown Transport, Perth. Driving a Renault Magnum.

When we spoke to White he had just completed a trip from Spain. "I dropped in Madrid, loaded in Vittoria and dropped again in...

Terry Blakeman, British Telecom. Driving a Oaf 10-tonner.

"In this day and age you have got to drive 60% defensively and 40% offensively—it's the only way you can get around," he...

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Bob Dickens, DCD Logistics. Ely, Cambs. Driving an Nem 7.5-tonner.

When we told Dickens that a recent survey showed Britain is the road rage capital of Europe, he was not surprised because has...

Joe Hennessy, Marconi„ Driving a Mercedes-Benz 1820 10-tonner.

"A lot of drivers turn off a motorway at the last minute. Others will fly inside the hard shoulder to get past," he commented....

Ashley Savage. Quantal Conservatories, Newton Abbott, Devon Driving a Leyland Daf 17-tonner.

Motorways are where truck drivers have to be extra vigilant, said Savage: "Car drivers slide right in front of the truck or, at...

Brian Hauxwell, George Allinson (Transport), Darlington. Driving a Volvo Fill

2„ Hauxwell was in a rush to get back onto the open road, but we managed to get a couple of comments before he took his artic...

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"You need a good eye to load quarried blocks, and you only get that with experience."

Robert Aston A lthough we all know that you shouldn't put all your eggs into one basket, many small haulage firms do so...

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Jack

• NEW LEGISLATION in the Employment Relations Act has increased the maximum payment for unfair dismissal from £11,000 to...

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VIARNI

Your biggest customer seems to be on the rocks. Should you pull out now or act fast to protect your interests in the event that...

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d The growing shortage of skilled drivers has resulted in

the temporary workforce becoming an increasingly important asset to the transport industry. The rising cost and time it takes...