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8th February 2007
8th February 2007
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Page 1, 8th February 2007
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Page 6

French cops promise to proted Brits at Calais

Following the attack on two British drivers at Calais, the French promise to take action — but not everyone is convinced. David...

Job losses as Newport operator is wound down

KPMG administrators are winding down fruit & veg wholesaler Hurst Parnell Westland in Newport, with the loss of 20 drivers'...

Page 7

Hours rules presume guilt

THE NEW drivers' hours rules are set to make UK operators automatically liable for driver infringements, allowing them only a...

T&G backs bill on agency workers' rights

A PRIVATE Member's Bill designed to give agency workers the same employment rights as full-time and directly employed staff has...

Busy website

The RoadTransport.com website is off to allying start in its first week with more than 5.000 users visiting the site and...

Upgrades delayed

Planned improvements to the M1/M6/A14 junction in Leicestershire are not expected to start until 2009.

Young driver

Scania is launching its Young European Truck Driver 2007 competition; the winner will receive an R-Series truck.

FPS conference

The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers exhibition and distributor conference will be held at the International Centre in...

Errata dept

Our speed camera investigation (CM 25 January) said that a truck doing over 50mph in a 60mph zone cannot be caught on camera;...

Page 8

Liquidation looms at Coventry Express Services over taxes

HM Revenue and Customs is determined to wind up an international haulier unless it receives the money it is owed. Chris Tindall...

Balloting to begin on Vosa strike action

PROSPECT, the union representing Vosa's roadside enforcers and testers, will start balloting on strike action next week. This...

Page 9

Canal call for London

BRITISH WATERWAYS has hit back at claims that it is doing too little to promote freight on London's canals. And the...

• Formal warning for 'road haulage star'

A SCOTTISH OPERATOR described by a Traffic Commissioner as "one of the stars within road haulage" has escaped a licence...

Page 10

Jobs threatened by planned depot closures at Wincanton

"Structural simplification" of Somerfield's supply chain could lead to more than 500 redundancies, including 200 driver jobs....

M&S trials electric 7.5t

FOLLOWING TESCO'S purchase of Modec electric vehicles, Marks & Spencer is trialling a 7.5-tonner from Smith Electric Vehicles,...

Logistics ideas please

LOGISTICS COMPANIES are being urged to contribute ideas for a National Skills Academy for their industry before the closing...

Page 12

From Om loss to £2.1 m profit in one year

The loss of two contracts threw Lloyd Fraser into the red — but within a year it bounced back into the black. Chris Tindall...

Freight train blaze causes rail chaos

AS CMWENT to press, rail freight operator EWS was investigating the cause of a blaze on one of its trains that paralysed the...

Page 13

DHL is pioneer in green reporting

DHL IS THE first company in the UK to complete a sustainability report on its operations using guidelines for the logistics...

Samskip snaps up Saltire Integrated Shipping

INTERNATIONAL container transport company Samskip has purchased Scottish freightforwarding firm Saltire Integrated Shipping....

Page 14

TNT Logistics defends against claim of unfair dismissal

When does harmless flirting become sexual harassment? A Birmingham employment tribunal must decide. Peter Swingier reports. AN...

WE Han charity truck

WELSH HAULIER WF Hall Transport is supporting the Noah's Arc Appeal charity with the purchase of a new Mercedes truck....

HA seeks input on storm damage

THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY has asked the industry trade associations to help compile a report into the effects of the recent storms in...

Page 16

Row brews over green-belt road-rail development plan

Residents near a green-belt site in Her ifordshire are opposing its development as a major road-rail interchange. David Harris...

Taking out the Daf gets heavy with the XF

laundry in NI A "HIGHLY EFFICIENT and sophisticated" file I -la un d e ring plant with an estimated weekly output of 150,000...

Page 18

Five or more axles banned from Dublin city centre

Driving a top-weight artic into the centre of Dublin could cost you €1,500 and a spell behind bars. Chris Tindall reports....

Brace of Stralises for MBT

NOTTiNGHAM-BASED Martyn Barrett Transport has taken delivery of two new lveco Stralis Euro-3 6x2 curtainsiders with Ante°...

Volvo moves into alternative fuels

VOLVO TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (VTT), a subsidiary of Volvo, is investing in Swedish company Chemrec to increase its involvement in...

Page 20

Riding the truck crimewave

LGV drivers are more at risk of hijacking than ever before, according to figures from crime intelligence unit TruckPol. Louise...

Stolen trailers fall through the police net

PC ANDY ROUND believes his fellow police officers need more training in how to record vehicle losses if the road transport...

Page 22

The rising wages of sin

The TruckPol team's latest report highlights the hijackers favourite loads and areas — are you doing your bit to make life...

Page 24

Test failure rate and prohibition rate rise

Vosa handles more than 460,000 LGV roadworthiness tests per year to ensure the vehicles comply with road traffic legislation....

Page 26

Living by numbers

GM's Luton assembly plant has pinned its hopes on winning the contract for the next-generation Vivaro. Plant director Donna...

Page 30

Searching for Centurion number 100

I WOULD LIKE TO find out what happened to the Master Centurion number 100 of the limited edition range brought out in 1991 (reg...

Man will solve energy crisis

HAVING READ Oliver Dixon's article and his predictions of gloom about oil (CM 25 January) I wondered whether it was just me who...

TCs still make licence decisions

I THOUGHT IT would be helpful to write to you to remove any uncertainty arising from changes to the administrative procedures...

Page 32

Winds of change

The HSE has produced a document, Driving at Work, Managing Work-Related Road Safety, which explains an employer's...

Page 34

FREE DIGITAL TACHO SOLUTION

W hether you're talking about digital or analogue tachographs, few companies can rival Tachodisc for technical expertise and...

Page 35

No intensification of nuisance

Two operators sharing a base appeared at the same inquiry. One had licence restrictions imposed, the other didn't. Michael...

Page 36

Absent operator awaits international decision

STAFFORD-BASED Neil Harding, who failed to attend the second day of a disciplinary inquiry, must wait to see what action is to...

No return for impounded 38-tonne ark

KENT OPERATOR Caiross lost its bid for the return of an impounded vehicle after South-Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic...

Page 37

Licence authorisation halved due to drivers' hours and tacho offences

THE LICENCEAUTHORISATION of Derbyshire specialist bulk powder haulage company Kenneth Twyford has been halved from 21 vehicles...

Farrari granted licence despite opposition

COBHAM, SURREY-BASED Farrari Demolition has been granted a licence for three vehicles, despite opposition from Surrey County...

Page 38

The Dubliners

T he Port Tunnel in Dublin was promoted with the promise that it would provide a smoother trip for trucks using Dublin port...

Page 40

The Foreign Legion

Lir I f you hire illegal migrant workers, you're as illegal as they are." This was the message attached to a recent Home Office...

Page 42

Keeping to a rninimu

Changes to the way national minimum wage legislation is enforced could lead to operators paying hefty fines if they fail to...

Page 43

WIN A STYLISH BLACK RHINO LIGHT BAR

Commercial Motor has teamed up with accessories specialist Vantage One to give one lucky reader the chance to win a top-of-the...

Page 50

TESTING, TESTING, TESTING

When we started thinking about the design of the ste, we wanted to be sure it played to the strengths of Commercial Motor and...

Page 52

VOSit SURVEY:

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNOBTAINABLE O ne of the most common gripes we hear in the CM office is from operators and, more...

Page 56

BU RN N

SSIJES A n average of 40 trucks a week catch fire on UK roads, and it is not only hauliers who pay the price. Other vehicles...

Page 64

Life and death in Dakar

IF THE SHOCKINGLY bad standard of driving doesn't get you, the carbon monoxide fumes will. That sentence just about sums up...

Page 66

One shi 109,000 horses

CMchecks the vital statistics of the world's longest container ship You may have heard of the giant new container ship, the MS...

Page 69

Mixed fortunes for 2007

Dealers are optimistic that trading conditions will improve in 2007, dismissing the recent downturn as the traditional...

Page 70

Don't undersell your &fleeted vehicles

Company directors who fail to apply effective vehicle disposal policies are losing their businesses money, according to a...