Page 1
Page 4
A future Labour Government is unlikely to back 44-tonne lorries, says I ony Blair. It would threaten a fifth of rail freight...
• Up to 50 Axial drivers whose jobs have been threatened following Volkswagen's decision to change its delivery operations to...
Page 5
by David Harris • Irish hauliers are poised to link up with their Dutch and Belgian counterparts to strengthen their bid for...
• A number of LGV driver training associations and schools are calling for an independent inquiry into the Driving Standard...
W e admit it. In the past Commercial Motor has been rather critical of the Vehicle Inspectorate—and we stand by everything...
Page 6
by Karen Miles • Truck drivers are taking a more active role in helping the Benefits Agency to crack down on hauliers who...
• A Cambridge lorry driver who swallowed a hard-luck story from a Polish student found himself in court charged with...
• Two drivers appeared at Dover magistrates court last week separately charged with illegally importing drugs. Naylor Transport...
IN Imprisoned British driver Steve Bryant is hoping that a royal pardon will free him from his Moroccan jail cell. The Essex...
• The newly announced Food Safety Council is to study the role of transport in food safety. The council will be chaired by an...
Page 7
by Karen Miles • Ford drivers at the centre of the company's race row have accused their former union of giving them a racist...
A former Fair Trials Abroad case worker has set up a rival organisation to help truck drivers Fight charges when they are...
• Facilities at Tilbury docks have become so bad that drivers are being treated like animals, say some hauliers using the...
II Almost 30 Surrey hauliers set out to beat the thieves this week by offering £100 rewards to truck drivers who help recover...
Page 8
hy Karen Miles • BP is restructuring the work rate of its tanker drivers in a move that will have important effects for its...
are to be axed following the Ministry of Defence's decision to contract out part of its distribution and warehousing operation....
• Iveco is denying it plans to close of its Langley plant with the possible loss of 500 jobs. The huge factory near Slough,...
• A number of potential buyers have shown interest in South Wales tipper bodybuilder K&J Withey since it went into...
Page 9
by Lee 1Cimber II Derbyshire police want the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute the driver and the owner of a runaway truck...
• Big hauliers are officially out of recession but small hauliers are storing up cashflow problems that could bite back if...
• Truck operators delivering to Salisbury town centre face severe disruption if Wiltshire County Council goes ahead with a...
fto British Gypsum has appointed Scottish haulier WH Malcolrn to take over the distribution of its plasterboard products from...
Page 10
MAN has joined the ranks of manufacturers offering approved used trucks. The MAN Select scheme is an important part of the...
Page 11
by Toby Clark • Volvo has developed a 26-tonne variant of the FL6, intended for weightconscious 6x4 tipper and mixer operators....
Page 12
by Dan Gilkes • Trailer manufacturer Montracon has extended its Woodville plant in Swadlincote, Derbys with a five-booth...
Page 13
• Parcel Force has bought 17 MAN L2000s following long-term trials. They will be fitted with GRP box bodies with rear roller...
• ERF has built a one-off 6x2 low-height shunter for Martin Retail. The nationwide newsagent and convenience store chain's main...
• Foden has exported three 4000-Series 6x4s to Portland Transport in West Africa. The tractors are powered by Cummins 340hp...
Page 14
X Penrith magistrates have decided charges involving the falsification of tacho records by driver Robert Stratford are so...
• Eddie fav Stobart Ltd has been fined 6 4 0 by Penrith magistrates for aiding and abetting the unauthorised use of a vehicle....
• Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth has warned an Accrington haulier who falsely claimed VAT payments that he is likely to...
Page 15
by James Brewster • The police have a duty to protect the vehicles of live animal exporters from demonstrators—but not at any...
1 • A South Yorkshire general dealer has lost the use of his Operator's Licence for two weeks after being told by the North...
• GB Express (Midlands) was given an absolute discharge by Poole magistrates after the company admitted exceeding the permitted...
Page 16
Everyone talks about how cowboy hauliers blight the industry. But how can a roadside inspector tell the good guys from the bad?...
Page 18
• 25-27 February: Commercial Vehicle and Bodywork Show, Hall 4, NEC, Birmingham. Contact: 01634 261262. • 26-27 February:...
• Holyman Sally Ferries, which takes over from the existing Sally Freight organisation on 1 March, will have a new freight...
• A new report by Professor Alan Woodside of the Highway Engineering Research Centre at the University of Ulster calls for...
• The Road Ilaulage and Distribution Training Council has set up an NVQ in Distribution and Warehousing Operations. The...
• Software by Solution helps employers with van fleets to meet requirements under the new self-assessment tax system_ Self A...
Page 20
I do not believe that your use of the word "idiosyncratic" to describe the FTA's position on the 0-licence procedure (CM 23-29...
A nthony Bucke is quite /Aright about fuel prices (letters, CM 30 Jan-5 Feb). The variation between pump prices is such that...
T he Government is proposing a £500 "rebate" for hauliers who put particulate traps in their trucks. The traps cost £4,000...
I n a recent conversation with a retired fire officer I discussed the emotive subject of the Freight Shuttle wagons relative to...
W hat did Judge Tom Cracknell think he was doing when he gave a 12month suspended sentence to John Williams (CM 16-22 Jan), who...
Page 21
eaders may by now have seen Supply and Demand, a new Lynda La Plante drama shown on Wednesday 5 February, starring Freddie...
A day of "timber nostalgia" is promised on A day of "timber nostalgia" is promised on Saturday 17 May when the Round Timber...
strive to fix broken down trucks in the teeth of biting winds have a new ally— inflatable workshops. The shel ters, featured in...
O n a recent feature on roadside recovery, headed Cold Comfort (CM 16-22 Jan), we wrote about the excellent work of the Road...
Page 24
around 38 vs 40 tonnes on five axles. Why? Because in 1989 the UK was granted a derogation from the EU's harmonised five-axle...
Page 27
Should profits be reinvested or handed to shareholders? Labour's corporation tax proposals could be a powerful incentive to...
Page 29
Fact: despite the hysterical claims of the environmental fanatics, six-axle 44-tonne trucks would not wreck our roads. Fact:...
Page 30
After 65 years in business Yorkshire operator Jefferies has learned that the secret of running trucks full is to treat other...
Page 32
When a truck driver successfully argued that he shouldn't be banned for drink-driving because he was on a private dock road...
Page 34
R cached an impasse? Negotiations in deadlock? All trust in the opposing side evaporated? Does industrial action seem...
Page 36
to rise, do operators need to change their ways to prevent gridlock and avoid a threatened backlash against trucks? T he road...
Page 38
How much does bad weather hurt your fuel consumption? A truck needs more power, and fuel, to overcome a strong headwind. But a...
Page 39
As air becomes cooler and denser the aerodynamic drag on a truck increases and so the demand for more engine power rises. The...
Page 40
One of my vehicles broke down so I had to hire a truck from a rental company. An hour later I was stopped by police who found...
Last year we bought a distribution centre which, up to 12 months earlier had been specified on an Operator's Licence. We...
Page 41
I n the two years that I have been I n the two years that I have been European Commissioner for Transport I have seen and...