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8th October 1998
8th October 1998
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Page 1, 8th October 1998
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Pandoro northern fleet is slashed...

by Mike Jewell • One of the UK's largest operators, P&O subsidiary Pandoro, has had the number of vehicles it is allowed to...

BRIEFS

• Traffic flow analyst TrafficMaster is predicting a nationwide traffic jam on Friday 23 October, citing a mixture of half-term...

...as TDG is also hit over maintenance

• Maintenance problems have led to 10 of the vehicles on TDG's Scottish Area licence being suspended for two weeks. The...

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No exceptions to 48-hour rule

by Karen Miles • The European Commission has ruled that self-employed drivers will after all be governed by the same 48-hour...

Driver's body found in Berlin

• An Essex truck driver's body lay undiscovered in his cob for more than a week after he suffered a heart attack at a truckstop...

Let the train take the strain...

• Central Railways has launched a £5bn scheme to build a rail link between Liverpool and northern France. It is designed to...

Trans-Action plans Parliament demo

• Trans-Action, the group of hauliers protesting against fuel duty rises, is calling on hauliers to join a mass demonstration...

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Used engine dealers are charged with conspiracy

• Two men who ran a company dealing in used truck engines have gone on trial at Maidstone Crown Court for conspiracy to handle...

Court will hear leak case

II The Environment Agency is to prosecute the owners of a Derbyshire industrial waste plant after one of its tankers leaked...

TROUBLE AT THE TOP

D efective brakes...insecure road wheels and suspension components...defective chassis components.. .a "horrifying" maintenance...

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Tractor licence loophole

by Ian Wylie

• Hundreds of truck mechanics and salesmen may have taken

the full artic driving test unaware that a little-publicised rule change allows them to drive tractors on a Category-C...

Green light for Cardiff tunnel link

• Construction of the Cardiff Eurofreight Terminal is finally going ahead, thanks to a grant from the European Regional...

Conviction will hit pig transport

• The successful prosecution of the driver and operator of an Irish livestock truck could end the transport of ex-breeding pigs...

Heavy penalty for cracked mirror

• A haulage firm and its driver were fined a total of £300 for a cracked mirror. West Bromwich magistrates fined Nightfreight...

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Firm finished by ' loss of contract

by Guy Sheppard • A Black Country haulage company has folded following the loss of a chemical distribution contract, but the...

Driver took insufficient rest

• A self-employed driver was fined £250 with £65 costs by West Bromwich magistrates for failing to take 11 hours daily rest in...

Tippermen team up in a bid to beat the recession

• Two Preston-based bulk tipper companies have joined forces in an attempt to survive the impending recession and escalating...

Test stations will check VED

• A blitz on tax dodgers has been launched by the DVLA and the Vehicle Inspectorate in a bid to catch the 13,000 unlicensed...

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Top court supports TC

by Michael Jewell • Five senior judges in the Court of Session, the Scottish High Court, have ruled that operators cannot...

Animal rights attackers bailed

• Three people have been arrested following last month's bungled attack on a convoy of livestock lorries which left a truck...

Trucks go first in Dublin

• Dublin City's director of traffic became a trucker for a day recently to get a first-hand view of the problems facing...

Barge takes to the roads • Offshore Transport Services took

this Dutch barge from Warwick across to Dijon, France. The 73ft barge was carried on a Broshuis semi - low loader; the whole...

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Cracking down on HGV speed

by Karen Miles • Speeding lorry drivers look set to be slowed by Government plans to raise speeding fines. The current £40...

Two more drivers face drug charges

• The partners of two British lorry drivers held in a French jail on charges of smuggling a £7m load of cannabis in a trailer...

Haulier was £10,000 in the red

• The owner of a haulage firm told West Bromwich magistrates in a letter that his business was in financial trouble with debts...

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Unimog takes on the Fastrac

by Oliver Dixon • For some years now, hauliers have been faced with the increasing threat of the Fastrac tractor. Capable of...

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Plastic outlasts steel

by Bryan Jarvis • Tankfreight is about to start trials of-a Canadian monocoque composite road tanker supplied by Clayton...

BRIEFS

• Montracon is providing two-year AA breakdown cover with its new trailers, with a guaranteed onehour response time. Trailers...

Paris debut for Land Rover engine

• Land Rover's long awaited new turbo-diesel engine made its first public appearance in the car hall of the Paris Motor Show....

Canter upgrade will not affect list prices

• Volvo has improved the specification of the Mitsubishi Canter with no increase in prices. The Canter 35 now uses...

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Home side marks century

R enault marked the 100th Paris Mondial du Transport Routier with a new Premium Single (a one-man option on its Privilege cab);...

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BRIEFS

• Manitou launched a brace of truck-mounted fork-lift trucks. This electric TME15 is a folding model which adds just 800mm to...

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Application withdrawn

▪ International Container Movements, of Rayleigh, Essex, withdrew its application for a new international licence for 10...

One suspended

• Convictions for overloading and drivers' hours have led to one vehicle being suspended for a month from the 0-licence held by...

Financial standing falls down

• Leicestershire haulier Patricia Bakewell's 0-licence has been revoked on financial grounds by Eastern Deputy Traffic...

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Haulier agrees to limited hours and a clean sweep

A ro • Cheshire tipper operator Chartrange has won authority to use an operating centre the company had been using without...

1.1■11111.■ Vehicle's trip home costs £1,000

1136 *A driver who took his untaxed vehicle home after it failed its annual test cost his employers more than 21,000....

Second appearance leads to suspension

• Ammanford skip-hire operator William Munslow had his Operator's Licence suspended for three days when he made his second...

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haulage factfile

CM'S Haulage Factfile pages provide 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 ? Does someone in the industry deserve a pat on the back—or a public...

Subbies insured?

L egal Bulletin gave much apposite advice regarding subcontracting (CM 2430 Sept). However, one important element was...

No commitment

V our article headed "Pie 1 in the Sky?" (CM 3-9 September) gave the impression that the European Commission's White Paper on...

Tail-lift history

r an any of your readers help me out? I am in the final year of a BTEC HNC Management Course. For my study project I have...

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

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

Keeping forces moving

ere's a chap who's in love with his work. Mike Westerman, pictured looking adoringly at a chassis, is part of the Vehicle...

Digging a hole for himself

D ome people are not cut out to be master criminals. After attending a football semi-final between Kerry and Cavan, fruit and...

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HUSTLE AND

111111SCI. ERF's Fuel Duel programme has been an effective publicity campaign—and judging by our experience with the...

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Visitors to Cornwall have had their thirst slated for nearly

a century by drinks distributor Jolly's. Nicky Clarke reports on the company that puts the fizz into the West Country. R umour...

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Far-reaching proposals to make The Post Office more competitive are

due to be published by the Government this autumn and despite ministerial denials a partial privatisation remains a...

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Hauliers who export live animals face a new threat of

violence. Pat Hagan reports on a sector of the industry where publicity is the last thing operators need. I magine running a...

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Truck cabs are designed to be safe, efficient and comfortable

workplaces, but even the best of them can be improved with the right aftermarket equipment. From navigation systems and fridges...

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Bargain basement

Looking for a low-cost solution to buying new equipment, from vehicles to office furnishings? Industrial auctions offer...

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'Skill, legislation and pure chance play only a small part in safety'

R oad safety is all about attitude. Skill, legislation and pure chance play only a very small part. Most would define road...