Hot News
07/08/08 • BUS, coach and lorry drivers now have some additional theory test questions. Drivers will now be tested on 100 questions and need to correctly answer 85 of the 100 to pass the multiple choice part of the test. Currently drivers get 60 questions and need to score 51 out of 60 to pass. The number of hazard perception clips will also increase from 14 to 19 and the pass mark will increase from 50 out of 75, to 67 out of 100. The other theory test change, which is being made at the request of the industry, is to split the test into two parts. This will allow candidates to take the multiple choice element separately from the hazard perception element; and in either order. The cost of the theory test has increased from £32 to £50 (£35 for the multiple choice test and £15 for the hazard perception test). Tests can be booked separately.
07/08/08 • TACHODISC are distributors of a new range of Drivers’ Hours Guard, which are compliant with the latest drivers’ hours legislation and can be used by drivers operating either analogue or digital tachographs. The handheld timers notify of any impending breaks or rests required under the current driver’s hours or working time directive regulations. The timer will also alert drivers to maximum shifts, reveals Tachodisc. ‘As you approach 15 hours, the timer sounds a loud warning which must be cancelled by the driver confirming they have been made aware of the warning. If the driver has already used his 3x15 hours shifts for the week, the timer will warn them as the 13 hour maximum approaches,’ said spokesman.
07/08/08 • THE Road Haulage Association says it welcomes the Transport Select Committee’s finding that the high fuel taxes UK hauliers pay compared with their EU rivals are unfair and that the government should do something. In its Freight Transport report, published recently the committee repeats the comments that the RHA has been making to the government for years. ‘The government must stop pretending that there is no problem and that in any case nothing can be done,’ said RHA chief executive Roger King. ‘If it cannot announce measures immediately, then the pre-Budget statement presents the ideal alternative,’ concluded Roger King.
07/08/08 • VAN and truck maker bosses pretty much all want more effective global standards, particularly for emissions. So said most of the senior truck industry figures speaking at the VDA’s recent ‘curtain raiser’ press conference for this autumn’s Hannover truck show. Three sets of regulations dominate, one based on European laws, a second based on Japanese and a third based on North American requirements. The lack of global standards means vehicle makers have to design, develop and test three different engines to do the same job, when one would do.
07/08/08 • THE VDA, the German automotive industry trade association behind the IAA Hannover truck show, says the 2008 event will set records for the number of exhibitors, the amount exhibition space and number of countries represented. Over 2,000 exhibitors from 47 countries will between them use 275,000sq.m up 10% on the previous record. The number of exhibitors is up by 25% on the previous record set by the IAA truck show in 2006. The show opens to the public on Thursday 25 September.
07/08/08 • A new inspection light from Haztec International features 30 Super-Bright LED’s and can be re-charged by the fold-away hand-winder, from a 12v car socket with the charging lead supplied or from 240v with an optional mains charger. With sure-grip rubberised finish and two levels of light switching this versatile product comes complete with a built in fold-away hanging hook and rear magnet mount. Just one minute of hand winding will charge sufficiently to operate Level 1 for up to 20 minutes. When fully charged Level 1 will light for up to ten hours or Level 2 up to four hours. www.Haztec.biz
07/08/08 • VOLVO truck, bus & coach dealership, Thomas Hardie Commercials Ltd has launched an interesting interactive website and membership club called the Little Truckers Club, designed to give children under the age of seven years old an understanding of the logistics industry. Through the world of the Little Truckers with Tommy Truck, Carrie Curtain Sider, Wilson Wagon and all their friends at Hardie Haulage they want to inspire, educate and motivate children about the industry. But why? First and foremost they want children to have fun and learn about the diverse and interesting roles that the industry offers. The UK logistics sector is suffering from an estimated shortage of over 40,000 LGV and van drivers nationally. 22% of the workforce is aged between 45-54 years old and a further 19% over the age of 55 years old. The recruitment of younger people is also an issue, with only 11% of the workforce under 25. Women are also under represented with only 27% employed within the logistics industry. Getting them young could be the answer!
07/08/08 • IRREFUTABLE proof of compliance with the exacting demands of the Working Time Directive is now available to hauliers and fleet managers thanks to ClockWork from Navman Wireless. The vehicle tracking specialist’s reporting tool, which monitors the activity of drivers as well as vehicles, has been upgraded making it more comprehensive and intuitive than ever before, say the company. ClockWork automatically alerts drivers when they need to take rest breaks, tells them how long the breaks must be and enables fleet managers to react instantly to stop drivers from working longer than the stipulated limits.
07/08/08 • AN innovation in hubodometer technology from Secureseal will make it much easier for companies to monitor use of their trailers. The new electronic hubodometer is a cost effective universal solution that can be used with any size tyre and is easily programmed for measuring distance travelled in miles or kilometres. The electronic hubodometer is attached to a wheel hub to precisely record the distance travelled relative to wheel revolutions. This new device replaces mechanical hubodometers that have to be purchased according to specific tyre sizes and measurement requirement. Featuring a large LCD, and no moving parts, Securseal’s electronic hubodometer offers a long battery life giving up to four years of monitoring.
07/08/08 • TYRE retreader Vaculug is offering a full set of tyres for a 4x2 truck in what is believed to be the transport industry’s first ever eBay charity auction. Worth £1,000, the tyre set includes two Yokohama steer axle and four Duramold drive axle tyres and the firm says all the money will go to Transaid. To help the charity and maybe pick up a bargain, go to www.ebay.co.uk and search for ‘vaculug’.
07/08/08 • BRAKE, the national road safety charity, is looking for volunteers to climb Snowdon, Wales’ highest mountain on Saturday 20 September and raise funds to support its work. ‘Every day nine people die on the roads in the UK and ten times as many are seriously injured,’ says Lisa Kendall at Brake. ‘Every penny raised in sponsorship will go towards Brake’s dedicated work preventing road death and injury and caring for people bereaved or injured in road crashes.’
07/08/08 • PENNY Hydraulics has developed a special vehicle-mounted platform lift for Royal Mail Letters. The aim is to simplify the safe handling and collection of post trolley cages using smaller vans. The platform lift, known as the York Load Lift, was designed to replace conventional underslung tail lifts that could no longer be fitted to Royal Mail Letters’ new van models because of their lower ground clearance. The Load Lift means the vehicle can carry four York cages, each weighing up to 250kg without breaking current load limits. Royal Mail Letters says it put around 50 of these Four York Carrier vans to work, so that mail meets new delivery schedules.
07/08/08 • JANE’s Defence Weekly has been reporting a military mindshift from tracks to wheels for fighting vehicles. This has its roots in logistics; broadly, a wheeled vehicle can take itself to war while a tracked one needs a transporter. When it gets there, lots of big wheels still give pretty good mobility. This shift was clear at the recent Defence Vehicle Dynamics show at Millbrook in Bedfordshire. The annual opportunity to tear round the site’s impressive off-roads tracks on anything from trail bikes to tanks was dominated by 6x6 and 8x8 drive trains, with barely a tracked vehicle to be seen. The UK’s Ministry of Defence took the opportunity to announce orders for more fighting vehicles, all of them wheeled.
07/08/08 • FOLLOWING full consultation, VOSA introduced new commercial vehicle test fees from 13 July and O-licence fees from 1 August 2008. Fees generally rose by an average of 5% though fees for Single Vehicle Approval rose by 20%. VOSA says it needs the higher rise in SVA fees because volumes have dropped by 70% over three years. VOSA has held fees level from 2001 till 2007 meaning the annualised rise in SVA fees is 3.66%. Fees for operator licensing and related services also rose by 5%, generally, on 1 August. VOSA aims to cut the time to do a standard truck test from 90 to 72 minutes and to introduce on-line test bookings later this year.
07/08/08 • IN A recent statement to the House of Commons, UK transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the future of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency is secure. He announced improvements in VOSA’s testing services to improve access to commercial vehicle tests and cut vehicle downtime. He wants to see more VOSA tests at operators’ premises, at more convenient times and also wants more VOSA tests at service and maintenance providers’ premises. The aim is to improve quality of service and choice. On top of the £28m already promised for modernisation and IT support, the minister committed another £36m over the next two years to support VOSA spending. The results will include extended opening hours and benchmarking between test stations. He aims to increase choice for customers ‘not just about where testing is done, but also when.’
07/08/08 • VAN and truck registration data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a 2.3% drop in June and a 5.1% rise to 395,582 for the rolling year. Within those totals, trucks were up 21.6% in June and 22.9% to 58,288 for the rolling year and vans were down 5.7% for the month and up 2.5% to 337,294 for the rolling year. ‘Healthy truck order books suggest we’ll see stable demand and strong registrations for some time while van registrations have stabilised at record levels,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.
07/08/08 • INTERNATIONAL development charity Transaid is launching a nationwide search to find 30 individuals from across the UK transport and logistics industry to take part in the Transaid Cycle Zambia Challenge 2009. The event will build on the success of Cycle Malawi 2006 and Cycle Kenya 2007 and is hoping to raise more than £100,000 to support Transaid’s vital work to help people in Africa gain better access to healthcare, education and the opportunity to earn a living, through safer, cheaper and more efficient transport. The 10 day challenge (five days cycling) will run from 7-16 May 2009 and will cover over 420km across Zambia, starting in the capital Lusaka and ending in Livingstone - home of the spectacular Victoria Falls. Participants will need to train in the UK prior to establish a good level of fitness for the trip, which will include on and off-road cycling and is officially graded as ‘challenging’. www.transaid.org
07/08/08 • THE safe loading of vans and light goods vehicles is the subject of a Freight Transport Association DVD. The short film covers best practice procedures in relation to loading within weight limits, even distribution of load and securing the load properly. A second disc contains printable manager’s notes, test and answer papers. Both DVDs are £15 each for FTA members and £20 each for non-members, with discounts for multiple orders, and are available from Shopfta on 08717 11 11 11, email sales@fta.co.uk or online at www.shop.fta.co.uk
07/08/08 • WEBASTO say their AirTop 2000 diesel powered, blown air cab heater leads to significant fuel savings every day for the rest of the vehicle’s life span! Taking average figures for a typical HGV, one hour’s engine idling will consume around 4.5 litres of fuel. If the vehicle’s engine was turned off during this period, the fuel used heating the cab with the AirTop 2000 heater would be only 0.1 litres. The cost of purchasing and installing the AirTop 2000 would be recouped in three months, with around a £250 fuel saving bonus every month afterwards, say Webasto.
07/08/08 • ATS Euromaster is in the process of taking delivery of 150 new light commercials valued at more than £4,500,000, as part of its fleet replacement programme for 2008. The new vehicles comprise primarily of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Iveco Daily and Renault Kangoo vehicles and are being supplied on a mixture of four and five year contract hire agreements.
07/08/08 • THE Freight Transport Association’s annual series of Transport Manager seminars will take place at 12 locations across the UK between 17 September and 4 December. As ever, the events will cover a range of current operational issues together with a round-up of forthcoming legislation. The introduction of the Driver CPC from 2009 will require transport operators to put in place adequate systems in order to meet their legal obligations. The seminars will provide guidance on how to maximise the opportunities available. The new regime of roadside enforcement and the introduction of graduated fixed penalties will be dealt with by a representative from VOSA, who will also consider aspects of vehicle testing and developments on OCRS. The FTA Transport Manager seminars take place at: Warrington Wednesday 1 October; Belfast Wednesday 15 October; Dunblane Wednesday 12 November; Sheffield Wednesday 19 November; Bradford Wednesday 26 November. www.fta.co.uk
07/08/08 • A MULTI-million pound scheme to upgrade part of the A68 took a significant step forward recently. This project is part of a wider commitment to a three scheme improvement package on the A68, worth in excess of £40m. This investment will also deliver the Dalkeith Bypass, due to open to traffic shortly, and the Soutra to Oxton scheme for which early preparations are already under way. The Pathhead to Tynehead project involves construction of almost two miles of new, wide carriageway and improvements to the existing footway/cycleway. Once complete, not only will this provide guaranteed overtaking opportunities on both the north and southbound carriageways it will also deliver new right turn facilities at all remaining junctions and increased visibility across Fala Tunnel.
07/08/08 • IVECO’s nationwide network of 107 authorised service locations is set to benefit from a £1 million business development programme during 2008 as part of a new initiative announced by the company’s customer service division. Appropriately named the 2008 Five Star Customer Programme, the scheme has been launched exclusively in the UK to provide additional support to the dealer network as Iveco moves towards achieving its strategy of a 15% market share for Daily, 30% for Eurocargo and a 15% share for Stralis and Trakker by 2011.
07/08/08 • SOME operators had thought that Transport for London had dropped its policy of a 28 day grace period after a vehicle was first spotted in the LEZ. However TfL says its policy of issuing only warning letters to operators of non-compliant vehicles the first time they are seen within the Low Emission Zone will be in place throughout the life of the scheme. The policy has worked well in the months since the scheme started and TfL is pleased with the levels of vehicle compliance. The scheme hit trucks over 12 tonnes but from 7 July extended to trucks over 3.5 tonnes and buses and coaches over five tonnes with nine or more seats. Those vehicles must meet a Euro 3 emissions standard for particulate matter or pay a £200 daily charge.
07/08/08 • GERMAN car maker Volkswagen says it has received regulatory approval for its planned takeover of Scania. VW said that as well as last month’s EU approval, it had also gone through a ‘large number’ of antitrust proceedings in various countries. In March this year, VW took sole control of Scania, increasing its holding in the Swedish company to 68.6% of the voting rights and 37.73% of the capital rights.
07/08/08 • THE Department for Transport has published Road Statistics 2007: Traffic, Speeds and Congestion. This shows car traffic up 11% since 1997, up 0.4% from 2006, and now comprising 79% of all traffic. The largest rise has been for light van traffic that grew by nearly 5% between 2006 and 2007 and has soared by 40% since 1997. According to research from the British Chambers of Commerce, the annual cost of congestion to UK business is £17.55bn.
07/08/08 • IMEXPART has an anti-siphoning device which will help prevent fuel theft and deter would-be thieves. Prices start from £64.00 plus VAT for orders of 10+ and £69.00 for single units.
07/08/08 • THE John Clark Motor Group has purchased Clark Commercials, one of Scotland’s longest established independent commercial vehicle businesses, as part of its strategy to develop its business sector services. Clark Commercials will continue to operate under its existing trading name, as a separate company within the John Clark Motor Group, selling all makes of van from the present 2.2 acre site in the Dyce area of Aberdeen.