Truck Industry News

The Road Haulage Association has called on the Chancellor to vary the duty level on diesel and petrol to ensure that the pump price of the two fuels remain roughly the same – as has been the accepted price position of the two fuels for years.

The European Union has introduced regulations designed to increase lorry safety by improving the standards of drivers’ mirrors. Directive 2007/38/EC requires certain vehicles over 3.5 tonnes to be retrofitted with proper devices in order to improve the driver’s field of vision.

The Freight Transport Association has warned Gloucestershire County Council that its proposals for a Lorry Management Zone in the Cotswolds, designed to restrict the operation of commercial vehicles above 7.5 tonnes, fails to produce any benefits and should not be introduced.

From Algor in Northern Scotland to Cornwall, that’s the span of national coverage truck operators can now enjoy from Total Accident Management’s new HGV Accident Management Service (AMS).

Despite the recent and welcome fall in the world price of oil, and thus diesel, the UK transport industry remains at a major competitive disadvantage compared with its European rivals due to the excessively high rate of fuel duty imposed upon it by the UK Government.

The Freight Transport Association says that with Differential Parking Charges now firmly in place it is clear that there have been winners and losers. Private motorists have got a fair deal but commercial operators have not – their costs are up by a cool £100 million!

New forecasts of demand for rail freight to 2015 and 2030 have been published by the Rail Freight Group and Freight Transport Association.

No wonder UK truckers have been staging protests. Escalating fuel costs, green zone charges, increasing competition from foreign hauliers etc – something has to give. Well, valuable help is now at hand from renowned tuners Paramount Performance regarding fuel costs.

The Freight Transport Association’s Shopfta 2008 catalogue is now available, containing over 150 new products and completely new product ranges, including workwear and clothing, footwear, safety posters, driver training DVDs, racking accessories and a selection of warning and mandatory signs.

Commercial vehicle suppliers face a major challenge with the introduction of EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) legislation next Spring.

Changes to Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing are planned to be introduced in Northern Ireland from April 2011. These changes will require a step change by all operators of goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes in compliance practices linked to vehicle roadworthiness.

Improving standards for professional drivers and increasing road safety measures mean that bus, coach and lorry drivers will have some additional theory test questions from August 4.

2 years ago, RHA National Training broke the mould that had restricted the options available for studying Freight Management CPC.

Leading engine development and engineering services provider, Roush Technologies, is supporting Northern Ireland based Wrightbus on a major hybrid drive performance and optimisation programme.

The Road Haulage Association has welcomed progress on a new sanction regime for trucks. The Graduated Fixed Penalties, Financial Penalty Deposit and Immobilisation Schemes consultation is published today by the Department for Transport.

GAZ Group, Russia's largest automotive manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, cars, diesel engines, power-train components and road construction equipment, has announced that it will award Ricardo the contract to upgrade the UMZ-4216 engine to Euro-4 emissions standards.

German haulier, WLS Spedition, recently conducted a comparison of Premium tyres with low-cost Chinese-made products, in a bid to off-set rising fuel prices. For haulage companies, getting on top of the number one cost factor (the fuel consumption of their fleets) is all important.

Oxford based OxLok has announced a partnership with TomTom WORK to link the software through which OxLok manages its Asset Alert monitoring devices for plant and equipment with TomTom WORK’s WEBFLEET vehicle tracking and connected navigation.

The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the announcement of new powers for the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) to issue roadside fixed penalty notices against foreign lorry operators for a range of offences such as breaking driving hours, weight or vehicle safety regulations.

Lysanda, developers of a pioneering emissions monitoring technology, is expanding following the completion of its £1.25M venture capital funding led by Logispring, the Geneva-based Venture Capital fund.

A ban on truck dealers taking customers’ articulated trailers for testing using trade plates and their own tractor units has been lifted thanks an agreement reached between Government agencies and the RMI’s National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA).

The Freight Transport Association says that the Chancellor’s welcome decision to scrap the proposed 2p per litre rise in fuel duty from October must be only the first step in a major review of commercial vehicle taxation. The move will save UK industry £280 million per year.

The Road Haulage Association is disappointed at the timing of the latest Conservative proposals for a Fuel Duty Stabiliser.

Anglesey-based Lucas Oil Products UK is making commercial vehicle fleet operators and owner-drivers the target for a series of promotions that will focus on the cost-saving potential of its fuel and engine oil additives.

At an emergency meeting of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) in Brussels yesterday, the world body for the road transport industry drew up a resolution designed to put a united response to the current fuel price crisis to the EU Commission.

MetaDesign, the Berlin agency hired by Continental’s Commercial Vehicle Tyres division has been presented with a prestigious design award for its outstanding work in Visual Imagery on the new Continental Corporate brochures.

As part of its campaign to persuade the Government to reduce the enormous burden of fuel duty on diesel for UK industry, the Freight Transport Association is making available posters and stickers for use in offices and on vehicles.

The Freight Transport Association is dismayed at the decision to give discounts to residents using the Dartford Crossing while increasing charges for everyone else, including local businesses.

As part of the industry day of action planned for 2nd July, the Road Haulage Association will be joining forces with other protest groups, primarily to support the Fuel Price Regulator amendment to the Finance Bill (expected to be debated at that time) and also the seek the introduction of an Essential User Rebate.