Fleet Transport April 2019

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FEATURES: Renault Master Z.E. & Renault Pro+ LCV Range REPORT: FTAI Transport Manager Seminar 2019 PREVIEWS: CV Show 2019 • FPS Expo 2019 SECTOR FOCUS: Truck & Bus Tyre technology PROFILE: Eileen Dunne Haulage REGULARS: New Fleet • Fleet Maritime

APRIL 19

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Contents APRIL 19

Fleet Transport Magazine, D’Alton Street, Claremorris, Co. Mayo, Ireland. F12 E7P2 Tel: +353 (0)94 9372819/ 9372826 Fax: +353 (0)94 9373571 Email: enquiries@fleet.ie Subscription Hotline: 094 93 72827 Editor: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie Contributors: Sean Murtagh, Paul White, Cathal Doyle, Jonathan Lawton, Donal Dempsey, Howard Knott, Jerry Kiersey, HSA, Dr. Betty Maguire, Rob Van Dieten Photography: Jarlath Sweeney, Paul White, Cathal Doyle, Rob Van Dieten, Howard Knott, FPS Expo, Newspress Administration: Denise Owens, Paula Mullarkey Email: enquiries@fleet.ie Advertising: Mary Morrissey - mary@fleet.ie Sponsorship/Events: Orla Sweeney - orla@fleet.ie Design: Eamonn Wynne

4 News • Irish Commercials adds Sales Executives • Cancer Care West gains new Turas 700 • 46th IRHA AGM & Conference heads to Cavan • Increased connectivity on motorways & railways • Take a gallop to Waterford Truck & Motor Show!

• Ireland Skills Live at RDS, Dublin 8 Interview Talking about the Renault Master Z.E. 10 Cover On board the Sinotruk A7 8x4 12 New Fleet I 191 Renault Trucks, DAFs & Scanias 14 Report FTAI Transport Manager Conference 2019 18 New Fleet II Volvo, Renault and Mercedes-Benz featured 20 Preview I CV Show 2019

Printed in Ireland

25 Urbanisation Looking at future logistics 26 Profile Eileen Dunne Haulage

Fleet Transport/ Fleet Car/ Fleet Bus & Coach/ Fleet Van & Utility/ Fleet Trailer & Body Builder/ Fleet Maritime/ Green Fleet Management are published by JJDS Publications Ltd. Registered Office: D’Alton Street, Claremorris, Co. Mayo.

Co. Reg. 368767 Directors: Jarlath Sweeney, Sean Murtagh.

Disclaimer: Fleet Transport Magazine management can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of contributed articles or statements appearing in this magazine and any views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Fleet Transport management, save where otherwise indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the authors, contributors, Editors or publishers.

The Editor reserves the right to make publishing decisions on any advertisements or editorial article submitted to the magazine and to refuse publication or to edit any editorial material as seems appropriate to him. Professional legal advice should always be sought in relation to any specific matter.

Fleet Transport Official Irish Jury Member of the International Truck of the Year Award

Official Irish jury member of the International Intralogistics & Forklift Truck Awards follow us on twitter.com/fleettransport

29 Awards Entries open for Fleet Transport Awards 2020

www.fleet.ie | 3 38 LCV Highlighting Renault Pro+ offerings 40 Preview II FPS EXPO 2019 41 Health Matters Alcohol Dependence 42 Safety Nationwide Transport Safety Seminars 44 Comment The direct route to the EU 45 Fuel Prices From around the World 46 Opinion Getting Ireland Brexit Ready 48 Finance The Accountant plays an important role 50 Legal Playing the right tune 51-54 Fleet Maritime Shipping & Freight Newsletter 56 Trailer Schmitz Cargobull Ireland established Kel-Berg deals with Enric Ltd 58 Soapbox IRHA AGM coming up

34 Tyres Special Sector Report

P4

P12

P25

P38

4 | NEWS 1

Irish Commercials expands Volvo Truck Sales Team

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rish Commercials, the Volvo Truck & Bus dealer network has invested in expanding its sales team over the past few months. Headquartered in Naas, with sales and service outlets in Santry, Dublin and Oranmore, Galway, the company has announced a number of personnel appointments for both its new and used sales side of the business.

Conor Horan, a Director and co-owner in the business is planning to spend more time with clients, building on existing customer relationships and establishing new ones.

He will be concentrating mainly within the Dublin region, while also managing some Key National Fleet Accounts. Commenting on his new position Conor said: “I’m really enjoying being able to spend more time with new and existing customers. Regular customer contact is key to developing strong working relationships, and ensures that we are constantly developing new ways to meet operator's requirements. The addition of our new Santry depot has enabled us to better serve our North Dublin customer base, and we are getting great feedback from customers in the area about the convenience and service levels from the new depot.”

New sales team member Liam O’Shaughnessy is responsible for the West of Ireland region while Gillian Smyth who was in Sales Support moves into the Accounts Department. John Hamm takes on the Sales Support role having worked at Irish Commercials’ allmakes spare parts business, Partech. Well known and highly respected Sales Executive Jim Bergin continues to be responsible for the Eastern and Midlands region.

An additional position of Used Trucks Sales has been added and JJ Farrell has been recruited to take on this responsibility.

Irish Commercials has strengthened its pre-owned truck offering considerably,

holding a large stock of used Volvo trucks, all available with comprehensive Volvo and Irish Commercials warranties, depending on age and mileage. All stock can be viewed at icusedtrucks.ie Brendan McGarry recently started as Sales Director to co-ordinate the team and activities. “It’s an exciting time for the Sales Department at Irish Commercials. We have a strong and experienced team and a fantastic range of products to sell. We are really looking forward to the year ahead, to meeting new operators and growing our customer base,” commented Brendan.

New Noone Turas for Cancer Care West

C

ancer Care West, the West of Ireland cancer charity recently acquired a new Noone Turas 700 Series midicoach for its new bus service for Mayo based patients who travel to University Hospital Galway to receive treatment.

Every year approximately 250 people from County Mayo travel to University Hospital Galway to receive Radiotherapy treatment, which is generally 6-8 weeks duration, with one treatment per day.

Cancer Care West runs its own 33-bedroom residential service, Inis Aoibhinn, on the grounds of UHG, providing accommodation, Monday to Friday for radiotherapy patients who travel long distances from home for their treatment. Annually the lodge accommodates over 100 such patients from Mayo and the provision of this service will mean patients have the option of availing of the free transport service to Inis Aoibhinn on Monday mornings, and home again on Fridays.

Commenting on the new service Richard Flaherty CEO of Cancer Care West stated that: “Transport for rural West of Ireland patients to and from their treatment is an increasingly significant problem.

There are currently designated bus services from both Sligo and Donegal, which transport cancer patients to our lodge on a Monday and home again on a Friday. No such service existed for Mayo patients and more than one third of the patients that stay with us at Inis Aoibhinn are from that county. Many of these are quite elderly and would not be in a position to drive themselves; they FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

would previously have had to rely on family members and friends to bring them to Galway.”

“A cancer diagnosis is a very difficult time for cancer patients and their families, and we are confident that this new service will help alleviate some of the stress of travel for many patients from Mayo.

We are delighted to receive the funding of €100,000 from the CLÁR programme for this initiative. However, the cost of the proposed new bus is €150,000 and it will take another €50,000 per annum to operate the service. Cancer Care West do not charge for any of its services and we hope to bridge the funding gap by raising funds for the service through fundraising initiatives in the Mayo region,” he added.

NEWS II | 5

46th IRHA AGM & Conference

T

he Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, County Cavan is the venue for the 46th Annual General Meeting & Conference of the Irish Road Haulage Association.

The weekend gathering pencilled in for the 5th and 6th April will once again bring together committee, management team members and regional branch delegates. Obviously, Brexit will top the agenda during the discussion sessions which will also cover other matters pertaining to ongoing operations in the haulage business.

Guest of Honour at the Banquet Dinner is Mairead McGuinness, Vice President of the European Parliament who is also the keynote speaker.

The Fine Gael MEP for the Midlands – Northwest Constituency will address the audience mainly on the EU Mobility Package.

Among the topics at the seminar sessions include Employment Law and an update on the EU Truck Cartel situation.

Linked to the outdoor exhibition are leading brands of trucks, trailers and associated services, all displayed around the hotel grounds.

In addition, an Eco Drive competition will be held, sponsored by Setanta Vehicle Sales Ltd., the Renault Trucks people in Ireland.

Drivers are invited to partake in a fuel efficiency driving trial in the award-winning Renault Trucks’ Range T 520 High 6x2, the reigning Fleet Transport Irish Truck of the Year 2019, with Schmitz Cargobull box trailers on tow. The most economical performer will be honoured with a special prize at the Gala Dinner.

Ireland preparing for Motorway Electromobility and increased Rail Freight

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reland is preparing for autonomous driving and increased rail freight according to Sean Canney, TD, Minister of State for Natural Resources, Com munit y A f fairs & Dig ita l Development, who addressed the Irish Exporters Association’s Western Regional Council meeting held at Masonite, Carrick-on-Shannon last month.

The Minister stated that recent, current and future motorway developments now feature parallel ducting to facilitate highfibre connectivity in order to provide for autonomous driving and electric mobility while investment in the rail network to increase passenger and rail freight is deemed the best method of reducing congestion and decreasing the country’s carbon footprint.

The current objective is for communications network deployment to reach a level of 5G nationwide, with the provision to extend to 8G when required, in order to meet the higher demands of autonomous driving.

Minister Canney, who chairs the Government’s Atlantic Economic Corridor Working Group is a fi rm advocate of the restoration of the Western Rail Corridor link between Claremorris, County Mayo

Members of the IEA Western Council with special guest Sean Canney, TD, Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs & Digital Development at its meeting at Masonite, Carrick-on-Shannon

and Athenry, County Galway to allow for instant connectivity between the west, midwest and southern counties. “The asset is there,” he said “and it wouldn’t take an awful lot of money to bring it back to life again. We can then utilise the ports along the routes such as Galway, Foynes, Cork and Waterford. Many of the West of Ireland’s exporting manufacturers could avail of this service which would be less congested and quicker than the west-east line and the opportunity to add more companies to rail freight along the route is enormous, not to mention the passenger transport potential.”

section of rail line (unused since 1999) is about to begin and he encouraged all stakeholders in the west especially members of the Irish Exporters Association to engage with the Consultants and to set out their required objectives.

The Minister also believes that investment in our rail network should run parallel with further road improvements, particularly in and out of the west, to meet growing demand, help improve road safety and overall increase fuel economy. He added that increased rail usage will significantly assist in reducing the nation’s overall carbon footprint.

Minister Canney noted that an independent review on the viability of restoring this www.fleet.ie

6 | NEWS III

Craic Galore at Waterford Truck Show 2019 in Tramore!

T

he 2019 Waterford Truck & Motor Show takes place in Tramore, County Waterford on the 4th and 5th May 2019 (during the Bank Holiday Weekend). The two-day event will not only be one of Ireland’s premier Truck & Motor Shows but this year has an added big att raction – a super Country Music Weekend!

Now in its eighth year, the 2019 Waterford Truck & Motor Show is returning to Tramore where it all began, albeit this time based at the Racecourse and will mark two significant anniversaries in the truck industry - 25 years of Volvo Truck’s FH Series, and 50 years of Scania’s legendary V8 engine.

With a record year for Waterford Truck & Motor Show in 2018, this annual event will once again attract a wide variety of exhibitors and attendees from Ireland and the UK. The organising team appreciates the continuous support of a number of high profi le sponsors including Circle K, Bridgestone Tyres, Dennison Trailers, Volvo Trucks and media partners Fleet Transport Magazine.

What to See Custom & Vintage trucks.

Everyday Working trucks and impressive fleet line-ups.

Trade Stands.

A selection of new trucks.

Top Country Music Artists on stage.

Food and Drinks available on site.

As a non-profit organisation, this year the Waterford Truck & Motor Show will be a fundraiser for the RNLI, a voluntary life-saving organisation which is fully reliant on charitable donations.

Ireland Skills Live at RDS - “Logistics Apprenticeship delivers the future”

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cross a wide range of disciplines from Hairdressing, Cookery and Wood Turning, to Custom Car Restoration and Information Technology - a generation of Apprentices were being assessed to find the National Skills Champion for 2019. The National Champion will then go forward to represent Ireland in the World Skills Competition in Kazan, Russia this August. Ireland has Declan Allen, School of Business always performed well in the Technological University Dublin and Anna Gorecka, FTAI Project Manager, Logistics World Skills Competition, and Associate Apprenticeship. judging by the quality of work on display at the RDS this year will be no exception.

There are many new Apprenticeships available to school leavers and mature students, and one that the transport industry focused on was the Logistics Associate Apprenticeship (LAA). The LAA is a joint venture between the Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI) and the new Technology University Dublin (TUI). The FTAI’s Project Manager Anna Gorecka was on hand to deal with the many enquiries about the LAA, and it would appear that when the industry has a higher profi le people become more interested in joining.

Apart from the many new Apprenticeships developed between Solas and the various industry partners, there was keen interest in one of the more traditional programmes namely the Heavy Vehicle Mechanics (HVM). Denis Brazil from the School of Transport Engineering at the Technological University Dublin explained about the competition, “Six apprentices are presented with a series of tasks to be completed across a range of automotive systems, such as engine, transmission, steering braking, electrical, and diagnostics. From the assessments the overall winner is then decided.”

The winner of the 2019 Ireland Skills Live Logistics Apprentice was Megan Yates of TU Dublin, and the winner of the HVM Skills Apprentice was Daniel Curtin of Athlone IT who is employed by Bus Éireann.

Paul White

Times & Tickets The 2019 Waterford Truck & Motor Show will open to the public at Tramore Racecourse, County Waterford from 11.00am on Saturday, 4 May and from 10.00am to 4.30pm on Sunday 5 May. Ticket Details: Adult Weekend package - €16 available online.

Truck Registration available on-line.

Adult Day Tickets: Available at Gate on the Day. Children admitted free of charge.

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

The Heavy Vehicle Mechanics' Assessment Team

8 | INTERVIEW

Renault Master Z.E. Meeting real market demand for e-Mobility

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rawing upon more than a decade of experience under real operating conditions with partner customers, Renault Trucks has become a pioneer in the field of electro-mobility. The Group is launching the Renault Master Z.E., an all-electric light commercial, now on sale at Renault Pro+ dealers and Setanta Vehicle Sales.

Katell Simon, Marketing Manager LCV & Servicing Offering at Renault Trucks HQ in Lyon, France was asked at the beginning of the interview, as featured in Optimun magazine – Does the launch of an electric utility vehicle meet a real market demand? "Yes", she said, "because legislation is changing. Countries, regions and cities are now all seeking to limit polluting emissions and improve quality of life in and around the cities. Urban mobility is therefore a front-line concern: delivery, rubbish collection and public transport are all involved.

Electric vehicles will be able to serve areas with limited access, but also make certain rounds at night, for example, without generating noise to disturb residents. Renault Master Z.E. meets all these demands. Identical to the Renault Master Thermal in appearance, this new model has lost none of its power or payload."

camera, for example, the wide view anti-blindspot mirror, the cruise control/speed limiter and the Z.E. Voice, which warns pedestrians when the vehicle is travelling at between 1 and 30 kms an hour. The aim is to give drivers as much information as possible so that they can focus all their concentration on actually driving."

What characteristics does the Renault Master Z.E. have?

Which models are available for the Renault Master Z.E.?

"We have replaced the internal combustion driveline with an electric equivalent. Neither the passenger compartment nor the rear of the vehicle - used for carrying the cargo – was impacted by the battery we installed under the front seat. The payload is the same as that of the Renault Master dCi diesel model, but is lighter and has a gross weights of 3.1 tonnes, in comparison with the 3.5 tonnes GVW for the standard Renault Master. We can therefore carry out the same operations, cleaner and quieter than ever before. We also replaced the bench seat with a single passenger seat."

What is the battery’s actual range capability?

"It’s around 120 kms. Average consumption for standard use is 25 kWh/100 km. The Renault Master Z.E. is really a vehicle devoted to transport in urban and suburban areas. We know that this operating range is sufficient for most of our customers, who cover between 20,000 and 22,000 kms a year, which is around 100 kms a day. It is also important to stress that the operating range largely depends on driving conditions: speed, the load carried topography and weather conditions. It takes six hours to recharge the batteries completely using a purpose-designed charger. Th is varies according to the type of charger used and its power. Cities are installing more and more charging stations, which is making it easier for these vehicles to operate efficiently."

"Two models are on offer this year. There is a choice of four types of van, depending on height and weight, while the cab floor is available in two versions. The vehicles are becoming available gradually because, in parallel with offering this kind of solution, we are also providing a comprehensive aftersales service. Th is involves sett ing up a network of authorised dealers for the sale and maintenance of electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the method of fi nancing depends on each country." *The battery pack has a real operating range of 120 km and a charging time of six hours using the specific charger. The four van versions offer a usable volume of 8 to 13m3 for a payload of 975 to 1,128 kg. Both platform models can carry up to 22m3 for a payload of a 1,355 and 1,377 kg. *Renault Master Z.E. is available in 6 versions, 3 lengths and 2 heights, to meet all kinds of professional needs.

What advantages does an all-electric vehicle offer?

"Zero noise and zero CO2 emissions when operating. Th is means being able to use the vehicle even when there are traffic restrictions due to peak pollution, for example. Maintenance is also greatly reduced. Th is will only concern changing air fi lters, cab fi lters and brake pads. Furthermore, Renault is in a position to provide a number of safety-related items of equipment such as the radar and rear view FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

Text: Rob Van Dieten - rob@fleet.ie

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10 | COVER

Sinotruk A7 Road Test -

‘When you add it all up’

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he Sinotruk brand has been with us for a number of years now, and its popularity is increasing. While everyone in the industry is aware of the models, in reality few people have actually driven examples from the Chinese brand. Fleet Transport visited the Harris Group’s new state-of-the-art headquarters on the Naas Road in Dublin to get re-acquainted with a truck that is building a reputation with operators as a capable unit, with a strong earning potential.

Sinotruk is a brand within the China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (CNHTC), and the corporation has an extensive product portfolio. Here in Ireland and for the UK, The Harris Group are the importers and distributors for the Sinotruk brand.

When the truck first arrived in Ireland the styling appeared somewhat unusual, and operators were a litt le unsure about its looks. However, this is often the case with all new brands, trucks, and even updated

versions of established models. Though after a short time we become accustomed to the new profi le. Such is the case with the A7 and after a time the styling appears to lend the truck a certain futuristic look such that when parked beside more conventional units, it can highlight how dated some of them are.

Our test unit was a silver A7 8x4 chassis with tipping bodywork by Fitzgerald’s of Cork. Access to the cab is good as the A7’s doors open to almost a full 90 degrees. Although the fi rst rung of the three cab steps is positioned quite high, the driver can adjust quickly. The semielliptical grab handles are reasonably well located and access and egress is fi ne. Once inside you fi nd a large roomy high-roof sleeper cab that is appealing and at this point we have litt le to criticise. All the necessary switchgear is in place and while the switches may not be exactly the same quality as with some other marques - they work just as well. Equally the dash has a slight wraparound which creates a comfortable workplace and one that is not too dissimilar to some other marques.

On further inspection there are a couple of issues that could be improved, one being storage, although this would really only be an issue if nights out were required. The A7 has two generous outside lockers which are both accessible from inside the truck, and will more than cater for general equipment and tools. There is also reasonable storage under the bunk, which should satisfy the driver’s needs, and a sturdy overhead parcel shelf will look after the paperwork - so in reality there is not too much to complain about.

We found it easy to get a good driving position especially with the high spec ISRI seat, which allowed a large amount of travel to accommodate even the longest legged driver. However it was not possible to adjust the steering wheel, and while it was not an issue for us on the day, it may be for some drivers. Our other minor criticism from the driver’s seat would be the side window sun visor could be better designed.

The A7 has a full set of electrically adjustable mirrors which are well positioned, and though sizeable do not create any significant blind-

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

COVER | 11

spots themselves. The truck does have quite a high dashboard, which to some extent limits visibility to the nearside. Also the nearside door panel sits quite high. This may seem more pronounced now that some other brands in this segment have begun to lower door panels to increase the area visible from the driver’s seat. Nevertheless, we did take the truck through Dublin city centre to mingle with the cars, cyclists and pedestrians, and in reality if the mirrors are used as they should be, there is not really any problem.

The drive began from the Harris Group’s HQ and headed north across the M50 and on to the N3. We then turned off in the direction of Ratoath taking the national roads over to Ashbourne, towards Drogheda then turning south on the M1 to Swords. Staying on the M1 we travelled down through the Port Tunnel and along the Quays, returning to the Harris Group via the M50 and N7. A route that covered the variety of roads encountered by an eight-wheeler in a typical days work.

Th is 8x4 was fitted with the Euro 5 (SCR only) D12.42-50 inline 6-cylinder from Styer (MAN). The 11.6 litre D12 was rated at 420 hp (305 kW) @ 2,000 rpm, and develops 1,820 Nm between 1,100 and 1,400 rpm. The 420 hp was transmitted through the well regarded ZF16-speed Ecosplit Transmission with ServoShift. In our test truck we found the gear selection slightly notchy though we will reserve judgement as the unit was new. The gear-selection on other trucks with more mileage we tried back in the yard was fi ne.

While there are rear axle ratios of 3.7:1, and 4.1:1 available as options, the test truck came with a fairly typical ratio of 3.36:1 and we found this to be more than suitable especially with the 420 hp D12. When running at a steady 80 kp/h the rev counter sat at 1,200 rpm and when at 90 kp/h, it had moved up to sit just under 1,400 rpm. Therefore, with the green band ranging from 1,100 to 1,600 rpm the truck was nicely geared for the mixed road driving of the tipper sector.

While ride comfort was enhanced by the four point cab suspension, the truck was arguably a bit stiff over some of the bumps, especially once we left the tarmac, though not unduly so, and during the offroad drive the truck performed well. While test conditions were not extreme with the reasonably dry mild weather of late which has made most sites easy to negotiate, the A7 coped well with anything thrown at it, and we could see no reason to expect it to falter if conditions worsened. Though not really needed we found the differental and inter-axle locks engaged and disengaged simply and appeared to be effective. Th is was a positive as we noticed that our unit did not Text & Photos: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

have the recent OEM modification to fit a front towing pin.

The truck comes with respectable offload credentials with front axle ground clearance of 296mm with approach and departure angles of 20º and up to 42º degrees respectively. Also respectable is the A7’s braking and stability. The truck holds the road well. Though the steering at fi rst feels light, it is accurate and the unit goes where it is told. It also comes with a quite impressive turning circle for a large eight-wheeler.

Braking is delivered from discs up front and drums on the rear and we found it to be well balanced across all axles and wheels.

The service brakes are supplemented by a simple to use on/off powerful engine brake that if used correctly would greatly reduce brake lining wear.

Sinotruk’s A7 is a truck that is the sum of its parts. The 420 hp rated D12 engine is a well proven unit developed by one of the leading names in engine design and production. Th is block is linked to a transmission widely used by many vehicle manufacturers, from a company that supplies all manner of components to all vehicle manufacturers on a global scale. The seats are from Isringhausen, the brakes are from WABCO, and the tyres are from Bridgestone.

When you add it all up, the facts speak for themselves, and the facts seem to make a strong business case for Sinotruk’s A7.

Spec Check Make/Model/ Cab

Sinotruk A7 / Hi-roof Sleeper

Chassis Type

8x4 Ladder Chassis / Tipper Body

Engine

Styer MAN D12 42.50 In-line 6-cylinder Euro 5 SCR

Rated Power/Torque

305 kW (420 hp) 2000 rpm – 1,820 Nm @ 1,100– 1,400 rpm

Transmission

ZF 16-Speed EcoSplit with Servoshift

Endurance Brake

Engine Brake - Stalk Operated

Braking

Front Discs - Rear Drums - WABCO ABS, ASR,

Suspension

Front Leaf Springs - Rear Leaf Springs

Drive Axle/s

Differential Locks plus Inter-Axle and Cross Locks

Axle Ratio / @ 90kp/h

3.36:1 / Engine Speed @ 90 kp/h 1,380 rpm

Wheels & Tyres

Steel Wheels All Round Steer Axle/s: Bridgestone M-Steer - 315/80.R22.5 Drive Axle/s: Bridgestone M-Drive 298/80 R22.5

Fuel & AdBlue Tanks

300 Litres / 20 litres

Standard Equipment

Four Point Cab Suspension, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control Multi-Function Display www.fleet.ie

12 | NEW FLEET I

Provincial Floorcoverings Another Renault Range on the right foot with T for K & N Quality Renault Trucks Transport

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ith branches in Limerick, Dublin and Belfast, this new Renault Trucks' Range T380 6x2 rigid will be kept busy for flooring distributor Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd. The 26-tonne GVW truck sold by Setanta Vehicle Sales, Dublin comes with a 30-foot box body built by CAFCO Vehicle Solutions, Dublin with a Zepro tail-lift.

A

quality high-spec new truck for K & N Quality Transport, the Virginia, County Cavan based liquid milk haulage company, which has chosen another new Renault Trucks’ Range T.520 6x2 tractor-unit from Setanta Vehicle Sales, Dublin.

Th is is the third new Renault truck in recent years to join Noel McConnell’s fleet that’s contracted to Glanbia.

New DAF LFs for Mooney Furniture & Rathcoole Commercials

J

ohn McCann, DAF Trucks Ireland, Regional Sales Manager, is pictured at the keys handover of a new DAF LF 180 to owner Martin Mooney, Mooney Furniture Ltd., Drumconrath, Navan, County Meath.

Finished in glowing Jamaican metallic blue, the 7.5 tonne rigid features a 16-foot box body built

by CAFCO, Dublin.

Meanwhile, a similarly shaped DAF LF 180 12-tonne rigid with 22-foot box body built ex-factory at Leyland, GB, has been sold to Rathcoole Commercials, Dublin.

Natural Gas Scanias for Elsatrans

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efrigeration transport specialists Elsatrans Ltd., Naas, County Kildare has put into operation two new Scania G410 4x2 tractor-units, purchased from local dealer Delaney Commercials. They are powered by Compressed Natural Gas. Pictured at the handover are John Delaney, Delaney Commercials and Aaron McAleenan, Managing Director, Elsatrans Ltd. At the time of delivery, Aaron said; “Interesting times ahead comparing them to their diesel equivalents in the fleet. We aim to deliver CO2 reductions for environmentally conscious clients reducing emissions in their supply chain.”

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FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

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14 | REPORT

FTAI Transport Manager Conference 2019 “We should not waste a good crisis”

T

he annual Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI) Transport Manager Conference at the Johnstown Estate Hotel has become an important date in the industry’s calendar of events. It updates members on the latest trends and regulations, while offering a chance to meet and discuss relevant issues with one’s peers in a professional sett ing. Of course there was litt le doubt that this year’s conference would be dominated by the topic of Brexit, and that certainly was the case.

In his opening address, FTAI General Manager Aidan Flynn set the agenda for the day which listed a number of topics. These included alternative fuel technologies, road safety, operator compliance, and the skills shortage – nevertheless, top of the list was Brexit. The difficulties surrounding the topic of Brexit were to a large extent summarised by Aidan when he said: “Our advice to members is the same now as it has been for the past two years, prepare contingency plans, and work with your clients to develop collaborative relationships that will prepare you for a new trading environment post Brexit.”

Aidan was quite correct in what he was saying. That core message has not changed for the past couple of years - change is coming.

“We need as an industry to accept that there will be change and to plan accordingly. Managing that change is not easy, change can of course be positive if it is embraced for what it can deliver. It can sow the seed of innovation through exploring new opportunities.”

Th rough the organisation’s contacts and discussions with various Government agencies the FTAI is hopeful that the physical checking of vehicles will be kept to a minimum to reduce delays.

Although this is predicated on there being 100% compliance with declarations and documents for the loads and the vehicles, Aidan also calls on all the agencies involved including the Port Authority, Road Safety Authority, and Health & Safety Authority, “to provide more information on plans to cover the important issues of welfare Helen McEntee, T.D., Minister for EU Affairs.

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

facilities, and parking facilities. and to provide suitable rest areas for drivers and traffic management plans in the event of delays in Dublin Port.”

While Brexit is a problem, all problems need solutions and the FTAI has developed a ‘Brexit preparedness guide for the haulage sector,’ which was distributed to delegates. Aidan also availed of the opportunity to mention that Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland have some funding available to assist companies, especially SMEs. The event’s keynote address was delivered by Helen McEntee TD., Minister for EU Affairs. Her presentation did offer some comfort in the sense that the Government appears to be addressing the potential issues as best possible, with the information available at any point in the process. As she explained: “The answer lies in Westminster, and the ball is fi rmly in their court. Because of uncertainties in London, we have moved to implement plans for a no deal scenario.”

One of these efforts relating to the Landbridge was to meet with European colleagues in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Th is has ensured “quick and easy access for our hauliers through the use of designated lanes”. However, at this time “delays at UK ports cannot be planned for with the British authorities.”

In closing, Minister McEntee thanked the FTAI and especially Aidan Flynn for the Association’s help and support when planning Brexit contingency measures. She concluded by saying: “With a no deal scenario, there are elements which we can’t plan for.”

The next speaker was John McGrane, Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce who stated that when the UK becomes a third country, complexities arise: “If all States were to impose every letter of the law, we would be in a very difficult place.

We have grown used to the fluidity of the EU”. He believes the UK is still not fully aware of what might happen and feels the singer Joni Mitchell sums it up well with the line from her song Big Yellow Tim Daly, Head of Training, Bus Éireann.

REPORT | 15 developments across a wide range of subjects including the FTAI’s Anna Gorecka on the new Logistics Associate Apprenticeship (LAA), the roll-out of alternative fuel options from Dan Fitzpatrick of Gas Networks Ireland, while Laura Behan from the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport outlined possible measures to reduce heavy vehicle emissions.

Pictured (l-r) John McGrane, Director General, British Irish Chamber of Commerce; Pauline Basidon, Head of Global & European Policy at FTA; Aidan Flynn, General Manager, FTAI and Ray Ryan, Revenue Commissioners Brexit Team.

Taxi - “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

In outlining his thoughts on what is to come, John said that the UK has not planned at all, but he is hopeful that realism will come into play. He closed on a positive note by proposing the idea that: “We shouldn’t waste a good crisis” and should learn from these difficulties, and avail of any possible opportunities Brexit may create.

Other speakers delivered presentations outlining their position on how transport operators can deal with or mitigate the potential damage Brexit may cause. These included Ray Ryan from the Revenue Commissioners Brexit Team, and Pauline Bastidon of FTA in Britain.

Both delivered highly detailed and informative presentations, although as is often the case with Brexit, the presentations raised as many questions as they answered.

According to Anna, the newly launched Logistics Associate Apprenticeship (LAA) in association with the Technology University Ireland, appears to be a resounding success. The blended learning programme encourages not just new entrants to the industry, it can through ‘Recognised Prior Learning’ (RPL) att ract more mature students who wish to create a new career in the industry.

Anna reported that of the 60 places available for the programme scheduled to start in September, only 21 spaces remain. She said that due to the success of the LAA it has been decided to expand the programme with an additional course set to begin in Cork with 30 places available.

Also due to roll out this year is a nationwide network of natural gas refuelling stations. Dan Fitzpatrick of Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) delivered an update on the long hoped for expansion of the network through the ‘Causeway Project’. Th is programme is co-fi nanced by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union and will as stated by GNI, see delivery of 6 stations in 2019 with the aim to complete contracts for all 14 Causeway Stations soon after.

Beyond 2019, Dan explained that GNI has been given grant aid by the European Commission to develop the ‘Green Connect’ programme over the next five years to 2023, which will see 21 public stations

One important though possibly overlooked point noted by Pauline is that UK licensed commercial vehicle drivers working for an Irish company, will now need to complete their Driver CPC to work in Ireland. Also noted in the fine print was an issue surrounding wooden pallets which may no longer be accepted if the UK becomes a third country due to the possibility of contamination. Pauline’s primary point expressed was to ensure delegates understood the importance of correct paperwork for absolutely everything concerning the truck, trailer and the cargos being transported.

The issue of correct documentation, fully competed, and detailing all relevant consignor and consignee information was also highlighted

by Ray Ryan from the Revenue Commissioners Brexit Team. “There will be huge potential for delay,” he said and urged those who have not yet achieved ‘Authorised Economic Operator’ (AEO) status to become compliant as soon as possible. AEO status can also help to reduce any fi nancial guarantee to Revenue. He also encouraged companies to acquire an Economic Operators Registration and Identification Number (EORI).

It is clear that Revenue has been working on the issues for quite some time and are ready and willing to help, and welcome the opportunity to assist companies to continue trading efficiently.

Ray Ryan was credited with another valuable and concise point of the day when he said - “None of these rules and regulations apply if you go on the direct ferry.”

While obviously a critically important issue the day was not totally dominated by Brexit. Other speakers addressed delegates on

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16 | REPORT On other health and safety matters Dr. McGuinness stated the Authority will continue to focus on work related vehicle safety. Th is is especially in light of HSA inspections in 2018 which showed that while 94.7% of companies have a safety statement, in the area of ‘Driving for Work’, 72% had no risk assessment completed.

Pictured (l-r) Dan Fitzpatrick, Gas Networks Ireland; Laura Behan, Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport; Dr. Alan Power, Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation; Anna Gorecka, Logistics Associate Apprenticeship Project Manager and Aidan Flynn, General Manager, FTAI.

opened, 4 direct injection facilities for renewable gas, and 4 mobile CNG refuelling units commissioned. In addition, there is promised grant support available for 400 CNG powered vehicles.

In addressing climate change, Laura Behan of the Department of Tourism Transport and Sport said we are going to have to decarbonise, and that will require transport to emit zero emissions.

New regulations will require all public authorities to use only low emission or electric vehicles. She outlined that a Low Emission Vehicle Taskforce will in Phase 1 of its remit focus on electric vehicles for passenger transport, with Phase 2 addressing alternative fuels for heavy duty vehicles.

While this is all worthy there was a sense that the Department has suddenly woken up to the impending fi nes due because Ireland is not reaching its emission targets, and realising it needs someone to blame - and the transport industry is it. We can expect new measures quite soon, according to Laura: “Fuel prices will increase, and carbon taxes are being seriously discussed.” There would appear to be an impending policy of a lot of stick, with not too much carrot going to be applied to an industry that has few alternatives available.

Dr. Sharon McGuinness, CEO of the Health & Safety Authority (HSA), which marks 30 years this year, did mention the Brexit word again and did so in relation to impress on businesses their responsibility to fully ensure that any materials or equipment they use will be compliant with EU regulations in the future. “The majority of products come from the UK, and in a no deal scenario - you become the importer,” she emphasized. Sharon urged companies to check their supply chain, and if they have any doubts regarding this issue to contact the Authority. However one point cleared up was that transports under the ADR Regulations will remain as is, due to it being an international protocol.

The Harris Group displayed a selection from its Sinotruk and LDV Commercial Vehicle portfolio.

Road safety and work vehicles was a feature of the afternoon session, in which Tim Daly, Head of Training at Bus Éireann give an insight into vehicle compliance at the semi-State company. These impressive standards could be used as a benchmark for all other transport operations, be they goods or passenger. The simple key feature of their policies is that nothing is left to chance, and one example of that policy would be that all vehicle tyres are changed with a tread depth of 3mm, which is almost twice the legal limit. Another would be where a manufacturer would advise to re-torque wheel-nuts after a set distance. The Bus Éireann policy requires that this is completed three times before the vehicle is released back into service.

Other areas Bus Éireann has invested in with its growing fleet is the training of technicians. Th is investment has realised a remarkable increase in fi rst time fault diagnosis, which in turn has returned a significant reduction in vehicle downtime and component replacement.

While many operators believe such policies are excessive and uneconomical, Bus Éireann can clearly show that such policies deliver valuable fi nancial benefits through reduced maintenance and breakdown costs, in addition to the improved safety benefits for everyone.

The day’s fi nal presentation from Declan Allen of Technology University Ireland (TUI) focused on some fi ndings from a recent TUI study. The study investigated the transport industry from the drivers’ perspective in an attempt to better understand why the industry is experiencing difficulty att racting new entrants. The document confi rms that while the situation is currently difficult, unless the problems are addressed the situation will quickly deteriorate. A major factor behind this is that the age profi le of the driving population is high with over 60% of drivers being between 40 and 60 years of age. The research also discovered that while rates of pay are important they are not the fi rst priority, and that other issues rated equally as high in the survey. These included aspects such as long working hours, the impact on social and family life, and the issue of an overall lack of respect for the job of the driver.

The findings are interesting and certainly merit further investigation, and a methodology for additional research is currently being developed. Declan also asked people to be creative in their efforts to encourage new entrants, and as an example he noted there is an abundance of awards for all aspects of the industry - yet litt le recognition for drivers.

In closing, Aidan Flynn thanked the exhibitors at the event and the sponsors for their support, which included Bridgestone Tyres, Enprova, Harris Group, Brigade Electronics, and media partners Fleet Transport Publications.

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

Text & Photos: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

DON’T MISS

FPS EXPO 2019 The UK & Ireland’s leading liquid fuels distribution industry event.

With exhibitors and visitors from across the world, the FPS EXPO is not to be missed! Organised by the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers – the voice RI WKH LQGXVWU\ Č‚ WKLV \HDUȇV HYHQW RÎ?HUV JUHDWHU opportunities than ever before: Learn about future trends Compare products and services Network with industry partners Industry led panel sessions Keep up with your competitors Stay on top of new regulations and legislation :KDWHYHU \RXU UROH LQ WKH RÎ? JULG HQHUJ\ VHFWRU QRZ is the time to visit our website and reserve your place.

For full details of the event, the venue and how to register, visit www.fpsshow.co.uk.

This is the place people have in their diary to come to every year.

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18 | NEW FLEET II

Twenty-five Volvo FMs for O’ Reilly Transport

O

’Reilly Transport Ireland recently took delivery of 25 Volvo FM tractor-units from Irish Commercials in Naas.

Th is renewed fleet will service O’Reilly’s customer Saica, which is a European paper and packaging company that employs over 10,000 people.

The new trucks are FM11 4x2s with 410hp engines, and feature Globetrotter Cabs, I-Shift transmission, Rear Air Suspension, Comfort Seats with heater element and armrests, and are fitted with Michelin 315/70 tyres.

As with usual O’Reilly new truck fleet handovers at Irish Commercials, it was done on a Saturday and was truly a family affair with three generations in attendance! All the drivers came down by coach and had the ‘full Irish’ before a health, safety and operational briefi ng

by O’Reilly’s managers, and then a driver handover session by Irish Commercials’ team.

Company Director at Irish Commercials Conor Horan who concluded the deal, commented: “O’Reilly’s have been running FMs

on this contract for many years, with the last fleet going in back in 2012, so they came back to renew the fleet for more environmentally friendly Euro 6 vehicles. O’Reilly’s are a loyal Volvo Truck customer and we would like to wish them the best of luck with their new fleet and their continued partnership with Saica.”

Glowing Moyglare livery on Renault Trucks

A

ccording to its Facebook page, ‘power and performance meets show stopping looks’ as two new Renault Range K 8x4 trucks wear Moyglare Sand & Gravel’s distinctive colours.

Th is K520 is the second Renault to join the Moyglare company fleet with a further ten units operating in the unique Moyglare livery.

One such contractor is John Kelly of Aran Transport with his new K520 8x4 tipper with impressive air-brushed artwork on the cab’s side panels. Both trucks were supplied

by Setanta Vehicle Sales, Dublin.

New Mercedes-Benz Sprinters for CD Group

F

ive new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans have been delivered to Irish automotive component distribution company, the CD Group to strengthen its fleet of commercial vehicles. Supplied by Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle dealer MUTEC, Dublin of which CD Group is a long-standing customer, the new units will soon be put through their paces delivering vehicle parts and components to motor factors throughout the country. Finished in the company’s distinctive white and red livery, each of the new Sprinter 314.36 low roof panel vans are fully ply-lined and come with multifunction steering wheel, reverse camera and 7” MBUX multimedia system.

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

Describing it as ‘a great all-rounder for any business’ sector’, Terry Knox, Managing Director of CD Group said: “When you couple the online connectivity system that gives operators comprehensive fleet control with the high-spec features and superior comfort in the new vehicle, it is easy to appreciate why the spaciously-large Sprinter was voted the 2019 Irish Van of the Year.”

Established in 1963, CD Group specialises in the importation, sales and distribution of automotive aftermarket products to motor factors, body shops and fast fit centres throughout Ireland, North and South. With depots in Dublin, Cork and Mallusk, the Group now employs just under 200 people.

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

20 | PREVIEW I

CV Show 2019: NEC, Birmingham - Get Ready!

M

ore than 400 exhibitors have reser ved their ex hibition space at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham a little later than usual (from 30 April-2 May). Once again latest products and services will be showcased by manufacturers, distributors and companies supplying and supporting the commercial vehicle industry.

Show visitors will be pleased to hear that some of the major manufacturers are booked in. These include Citroën, Ford, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Toyota, Fiat Professional, LDV, SsangYong, Isuzu, Vauxhall and Volkswagen all representing the light commercial sector while DAF Trucks, MAN and Iveco feature strongly at the HGV end.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has gone all out with one of its biggest displays ever, (12 vehicles in all) needing all the space to exhibit its latest all-electric versions of the Caddy, Transport and eCrafter together with its latest ‘green mile’ innovative delivery solution – the eCrafter bike.

After a year’s absence, DAF Trucks (long time sales leaders in the UK) returns with the latest generation of its LF, CF and XF series – all award winners in the recent past. Phillip Moon, Marketing Manager of DAF Trucks, said, “We are delighted to be exhibiting at the CV Show again this year FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

in line with our intention to attend the show on a two-yearly cycle. The CV Show always provides us with a great opportunity to network with customers, both existing and new, plus a chance to exhibit our LF, CF and XF product range.” Displays will feature both indoors and outdoors with concentration on aftermarket business.

MAN Truck & Bus will also be exhibiting both inside and outside the National Exhibition Centre with the new Special Edition MAN XLion 6x2 tractor-unit, a 3.5 tonne TGE flat-frame chassis/cowl, a TGE minibus (5-tonne) while the new MAN D15 Diesel engine block will be shown independently. Central billing will also point towards the MAN TGX 250-tonne GTW heavy-haul tractor.

disc brakes systems on road and limited off-road applications. Light weight too. As company representatives will inform visitors, EcoAir will be available from May. Of keen interest will also be the Hestal’s CargoMaster strap lift system. User-friendly CargoMaster, which can be retro-fitted significantly, improves unloading times. iDem is BPW’s telematics offering for temperature sensitive goods and currently there are over 55,00 customer systems in operation.

On the accessories side, Truckman has lots of interesting new products with developments in Pick-up hardtops, van racking and lighting, all to be revealed.

Designed and manufactured in-house the new RS-3 cab-high hardtop facilitates all round access through three lockable side gullwing doors. The West Midland’s company will have a Vauxhall Movano kitted out with ALUCA racking and this vehicle will then leave Birmingham to go on a demo tour nationwide visiting new and existing customers.

EcoAir is BPW’s new modular air suspension system that’s developed for both drum and

Eberspacher Coldtainer

PREVIEW I | 21

Combilift increases efficiency with Cartwright Trailers

At Cartwright Trailers stand, it’s all about innovation as the Cheshire builder showcases a broad range of new products. For its sheer size and volume capability alone the new 4.65m Double Deck refrigerated trailer will take centre stage. Situated alongside is a frameless tri-axle curtainsider trailer built on a Cartwright chassis. Also on display will be a new box body on a 7.5 tonne Iveco Eurocargo that’s CNG powered. A busy stand awaits for visitors to Eberspachër where an array of its products will feature on minibuses, trucks, motorhomes, service vans and emergency vehicles. What will also catch the eye is the new Hot Meal Line, that will keep food hot (+65oc) during transport. It’s an evolution of the successful Coldtainer insulated box that does not need an external power source.

Its new Cooltronic 1000 G2.5 Slim Hatch mounted cooler is designed specifically for MAN TGX/TGS/TGA cabs. There are lots to be seen from the fi rm in the Cool Zone area too.

While the arrival of the new L200 Pickup is eagerly anticipated, Mitsubishi will concentrate on promoting the new Outlander PHEV Commercial, offering businesses the

benefits of an ultra low emissions vehicle for deliveries in congested zone areas as well as the ability to cover long distances without the need to seek out charging points Mandata Manifest App (TMS)

Mitsubishi PHEV Commercial www.fleet.ie

22 | PREVIEW I Thermo King Prisma S-4.2 Evaporator

or recharging during the day. With 135 hp available from the 2.4 litre petrol engine with an electric motor, the commercial version has a flat load area with a payload of 510kg.

Added variants of the award winning Peugeot Partner van range will include a crew cab type offering, built ex-factory in the LWB version. A unique feature is that the second seat row can be folded down to accommodate larger loads while still leaving room for the fi rst row passenger seat to be retracted to provide space for longer loads. Attendees will be curious to sample the workings of the intuitive i-Cockpit infotainment system and the overload indicator system option.

EMobility and EU regulations are much to the fore at Thermo King and Frigoblock who together have developed a portfolio of

ORBCOMM Transport track monitor control FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

solutions that are future proofed for urban and long haul reefer units suited for truck, trailer or home delivery vans.

Among the highlights will be the new E200 all electric unit for delivery vehicles as fitted to a Tesco box body, while the UT-Series Hybrid prototype will receive its global premiere at the NEC. It combines Thermo King’s diesel refrigeration unit with Frigoblock alternator and inverter – drive technology to provide constant electric power and operation in electric mode.

ORBCOMM will demonstrate its expertise in developing solutions that connect transport businesses to their assets that deliver increased visibility and operational efficiency. It specialises in providing complete and integrated fleet monitoring systems for road, rail, passenger and sea transport and

logistics, with refrigeration top of the list.

Truck, driver and tachograph management programmes as well as temperature recorders and a new all-in-one integrated cargo sensor and tracking devices will be demonstrated by the team.

V ide o ba sed te c h nolog y f i r m SmartDriveSystems ensures that f leet operations can be reduced and controlled as well as enhancing safety. The systems help to identify and eliminate risky driving behaviour and can even exonerate drivers when not-at-fault collisions occur. Through its management services, road risk is addressed while fleet management workloads are kept to a minimum.

Big news from Toyota is that details of the all new small van will be revealed. Originating from Groupe PSA, and based on the current

PREVIEW I | 23 SmartDrive SR4 Kit

tyre for electric buses. Also to feature are concept tyres from the Hankook Tyre Design Innovation Programme ‘Extend Future Life Beyond Mobility’, created by students from the Royal College of Art in London.

Taking its fair share of the spotlight beams will be the Citroën Berlingo, the reigning International Van of the Year 2019 (along with the Peugeot Partner & Opel/Vauxhall Combo). Berlingo’s many driver assistance systems, specially developed for this small van will be highlighted along with other att ractive comfort features. 2019 marks the centenary of the French automotive brand.

IVOTY award winning Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo, it will be produced in Vigo, Spain initially. Th is is the fi rst time that Toyota will have a van of this size in the marketplace in Europe.

Get caught up in a Raptor on the Ford stand as the ultra-performance Pick-up will att ract big attention. No less focus will transcend on the new 2-tonne Transit range, which now includes a mild hybrid version. Information on the Plug-in hybrid

variants of the Transit Custom and Tourneo Customs will be available along with details of the new 2.0 litre diesel drivetrain on the revised line-up.

Did you know that Hankook supplies tyres on original equipment to the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers and to replacement markets in over 180 countries?

In Birmingham, the Korean company will be presenting a comprehensive range of truck and trailer tyres together with its bus

Mission critical soft ware for road haulage operators is how Mandata describes its business. Among its latest innovations are systems that improve connectivity between operators, drivers and subcontractors. Recent updates include an HR App that facilitates drivers to request holidays, collect expenses and record timesheets, plus a booking portal for sub-contractors.

Within a short period of time Tevo has become market leader of commercial vehicle racking and storage solutions. To increase the available payload, Tevo utilises Modul-Floor, Modul-Connect and ModulSystem to aid weight reduction and provide communications to the vehicle.

Hankook presents new commercial tyre solutions

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

TRANSPORT www.fleet.ie

Engaging Connectivity

AWARDS 2020

The leading Awards Programme for the Irish Road Transport and Haulage Industry.

BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT Business associates, clients, partners and friends are all welcome to attend the Fleet Transport Awards and Gala Dinner 2020, which will take place on Thursday 10 October 2019 at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin.

Book your place now at the biggest event in the Irish transport calendar by emailing awards@fleet.ie or telephone +353 94 9372819.

A table of 10 is €1,200.00 + VAT Price includes pre-dinner drinks, 4-course dinner, wine and Awards presentation.

A single place is €125.00 + VAT Price includes pre-dinner drinks, 4-course dinner, wine and Awards presentation.

Please reserve seats @ €125 or table(s) of ten places @ €1,200 at the Fleet Transport Awards 2020 in the Citywest Hotel, Dublin on Thursday 10 October 2019 commencing at 6.30pm.

The above prices are plus VAT and will be shown as such on the official receipt.

Name of Company: _________________________________________________________________ Invoice Address: ___________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Name: _____________________________ Tel: ___________________________________ Dress Code: Gentlemen: Lounge Suit. Ladies: Cocktail Dress This Booking Form can be posted to: Fleet Transport, D’Alton Street, Claremorris, County Mayo.

To book your place now at the biggest event in the Irish transport calendar, contact Orla or Denise on +353 94 9372819 / email: awards@fleet.ie or log on to www.fleet.ie

URBANISATION | 25

eCommerce is about to change LCVs into the future

F

or over a century, load-carrying vehicles have evolved in relation to their powertrain, carrying capacity and overall design. Towards the latter part of the 20th Century, the light commercial vehicle sector had prett y much levelled off in terms of conformity. As we head towards the second decade within the 21st Century, the future scenario looks challenging as various issues and complexities are coming into play.

New trends and expected implications have to be catered for such as meeting compliance on new regulations and local restrictions introduced by city and urban councils. Pressure is increasing from customers to reach higher productivity and efficiency levels but in a more sustainable manner. Then there’s the reduction in operator’s carbon footprint requirements as diesel rejection gains ground and the mission to drive electrification and commercial vehicles intensifies.

Allied to a piece of the every changing jigsaw picture is the whole viability of these new drivetrains in terms of total cost of ownership or what now goes beyond same in terminology to Total Cost of Transport Solution.

Fiat Professional is currently working on drafting a white paper on the subject mentioned above. At a special briefing held at the Transpotec Logitec Exhibition in Verona recently, company executives presented some details from the early draft of the document. “Last Mile Delivery and eCommerce is about to change dramatically, as vans with higher cargo volume will be expected because of home delivery growth, dealing with high traffic volumes and more restricted zones within the cities,” said Luca Marengo, Head of Product Marketing & Pricing LCV EMEA FCA – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

From 2015 to 2025 the revenue pool and growth of the logistics market served by the van segment alone is set to increase by 120%, as shown on a graph, presented by Luca. He then outlined the evolution of the van segment over the past twenty years or so. Taking the three main category of vans – Compact (small), Midsize (medium) and Large.

Payload, seating capacity and load volume have changed significantly and what we now call traditional vans is set to be revolutionised, according to Luca, who revealed to the attendees, Fiat Professional’s future concept thinking.

Segment/Year

Load

Payload

Seats

Wheelbase

MPV

Compact <2000 2000 2005 2010>

Volume 3m 3 3.2m 3 4.0m 3 4.6m 3

600 kg 750 kg 850 kg 1,000 kg

2 2 2 3

1 1 2 3

Seats 5 5 5 7

Sales: 65% = SWB

35% = LWB Average: 4.5m3

Segment/Year

Load

Payload

Seats

Wheelbase

MPV

Midsize <2000 2000 2005 2010>

Volume 4.0m3 5-7m3 5-7m3 4.6-8m3

900 kg 1.1 - 1.2t 1.1 - 1.2t 1.1 – 1.2t

3 3 3 3

2 2 2 3

Seats 9 9 9 9

Segment/Year

Load

Payload

Sliding

FWD

Large <2000 2005 2010>

Volume 5 – 13m 3 7 – 20m 3 7 – 20m 3

C900 kg C900 kg C900 kg

door width 1m 1m 1m

Types 7 7 10

Within the framework of the medium van segment, a high proportion Text & Photo: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

of sales stem from the passenger transport with practically all manufacturers offering nine seat variants an area that cannot change much into the future due to their specific usage.

Then there is the lower carbon emission regulations due in 2020 which requires gramme per kilometre reduced by almost 30%. This will lead the way for the majority of big players to move towards all-electric, zero emission technology to run concurrently with city limit restrictions.

Stephane Gigou, Head of Fiat Professional estimates that by 2024 the number of brands with BEV- Battery Electric Vehicles will increase by more than two-fold from 12 models presently to 26 with a moderate increase in natural gas offerings.

In the eyes of Fiat Professional management team, with this alternative energy source in mind its design team partners are working on reshaping the cab area. Reducing the unnecessary bonneted frontal area in order to provide more driver and load space is under consideration.

To back up the figures on charging trends and the push towards e-mobility, Fiat Professional conducted a year-long survey (through Leasys) whereby 3,000 businesses from its customer base responded towards their van usage which was then categorised into high and low mileage daily operations. While the short distance operators were most suitable for the adaption to electric power, over 25% of the high mileage category could work within the daily range distance on electric power alone.

The advent of electric power cargo bikes may not cut the mustard in some urban areas, as certain cities restrict their usage in that they are not allowed on the streets, cycle lanes or footpaths. Nowhere to go therefore. For the same reason, remote controlled autonomous small load boxes on wheels may have their innovative usages curtailed and that’s before mentioning the security element!

For now, the current panel van design style is adjusting to electric technology. Manufacturers are working hard on increasing the range distance with Survey Results: Average mileage usage per day: more powerful moves Low Retail deliveries - 7.7% Construction/utilities - 18.5% and more compact Tradesmen - 17.3% battery packs without Parcel deliveries - 8.9% comprising a load Temperature controlled distribution - 4.8% volume or gross Rental/Hire - 10.1% weight capacit y. High Municipals - 3.6% Speed of charging is to Home deliveries (food) - 3% Urban waste collection - 1.8% be further optimised Utilities - 6% also. All to play for Shutt le bus - 4.2% therefore.

Pictured left is Luca Marengo, Head of Product Marketing & Pricing LCV EMEA FCA – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles alongside Stephane Gigou, Head of Fiat Professional at the press briefing in Verona, Italy. www.fleet.ie

26 | PROFILE

Eileen Dunne Redefining women’s roles in road haulage One part of the industry though where female names are still a rare sight is, literally, the name on top of the truck. However if you are in the Kildare / East Leinster region, keep your eyes pinned for a rather smart looking Volvo FM concrete mixer truck bearing the red livery of Hanlon Concrete. Th is one comes with a rather special difference - the name over the cab is one Eileen Dunne.

For those in the industry, Eileen is well known as the administrative side of Dunne Haulage, the successful operator based in Kilmeague near Naas, County Kildare. And rest assured, this new 8-wheeler isn’t an indication that Eileen and her husband Damien are going separate ways. Eileen laughs at the suggestion.

“When you’re married, there’s no separation - they are one and the same whether you like it or not. Damien would say I am the concrete division of Dunne Haulage because he is tippers born and bred, that’s his speciality. So he leaves the concrete to me.”

Or as she nicely puts it - It takes a hard woman to deal with hard stuff !

“Damien and I have done haulage together as an entity,” said Eileen, explaining that the Volvo - the fi rm’s fi rst, will join a second demountable in providing a dedicated service for Hanlon Concrete.

“Th is is a new venture with an extra concrete lorry. It’s been sprayed up with Hanlon’s livery with a twist of Dunne Haulage added to it, and with my name on it, so it’s a litt le bit different to the rest.”

H

istorically and traditionally a hugely maledominated sector, there’s no doubt that women are playing an increasingly important role in the haulage industry. Each passing year the Women in Transport category at the Fleet Transport Awards highlights the ever more diverse roles that women undertake, many of them increasingly high profi le as they prove that whatever men can do, women can do better.

A long standing relationship with the ready-mix concrete supplier has led to the new addition to the fleet. “We have drawn for Hanlon’s for years and years. They have been very supportive of us throughout, and it’s probably only fitt ing that we do carry their colours. When you work with the best, you become the best.”

However, while the concrete mixer bearing her name can be seen traipsing the highways and byways of County Kildare, Eileen is still fully occupied with the administrative side of the family business.

That’s family business in the fullest sense. Dunne Haulage isn’t merely a husband and wife team, three generations are doing their part in growing what was a one truck operation into today’s fleet of eight trucks, not to mention a selection of plant machinery including a CAT dozer, mini-diggers, and teleporters. It includes Damien’s father Noel, aka ‘Sugar’, while the next generation comprising 14 year old Damien Junior and 8 year old Ned are fully involved as well.

Meanwhile Eileen keeps the show on the road: “Damien loves to drive, that’s what he’s happiest doing. It’s very hard when you’re driving every day to be dealing with all the other stuff, so I do anything that doesn’t involve the driving. From collection permits to insurance to everything taxed and ready for the road, invoicing statements, AER reports, all those things that have to be kept up to date. Everywhere you go now, there’s so much paperwork involved, permits, soil analysis, it’s quite detailed.”

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

PROFILE | 27

Keeping eight trucks busy is a complex task. “We supply all types of sand and stone, all aggregates. We haul by-products as well for construction, rubble and clay and things like that,” explained Eileen.

“Our permits cover us for all of Leinster, but it’s all local based. We do a lot of site clearance, we work on the Aviva Stadium every year where we do the pitch. We do a lot of big developments for site clearance, and then drawing in stone and the like for foundations.”

Dunne Haulage started nearly 16 years ago when Damien, after years of working for Roadstone at its Belgard Block Plant in Dublin, purchased his fi rst truck. The acquisition of a second was the cue for his father Noel, himself a trucking veteran of forty years to come on board. From there the fleet has expanded steadily, with the current eight trucks comprising of MAN, Hino and the new Volvo including a mix of tippers, concrete trucks, and a grab ranging in age from 2005 up to a 152 plated MAN. Maintenance is done in-house where possible, with other work outsourced to David Grey, while MAN also look after certain maintenance aspects.

That the company sets and achieves high standards is validated by the fact that Damien Dunne twice won the Fleet Transport Owner / Driver Haulier of the Year, in 2013 and 2014.

“Probably our commitment to service, to our customers, the relationship that we build with them, and the honesty in what we deliver” - is Eileen’s response when asked what makes Dunne Haulage stand out from the competition: “So the product is what it says it is, we’ll be there when we say we’ll be there, and we charge at what we say we charge. Our customers know that they are gett ing the best product at the time and that’s what we’ve always tried to achieve and deliver. Once our customers are happy, their customers are happy, and then we are happy - it’s a good combination.“

Obviously the fact that the next generation is taking such a keen interest is an incentive to Damien and Eileen to continue to put in the long hours. “What’s in you is in you,” emphasized Eileen, recounting her own childhood time with her grandfather and working in his garage. “From the time I was small I was passing spanners, helping bleed brakes, going for parts, so inevitably it was in me,” she said, noting that the same love for the industry can be seen in Damien Junior and Ned. That enthusiasm was obvious even five years ago at the Fleet Transport Awards in Citywest when Damien Junior, then all of nine years of age, accompanied his father to the stage to collect the second of his Owner / Driver Haulier of the Year awards, and proceeded to confidently tell the assembled crowd that his favourite truck brand was Iveco - much to the delight of the representatives of the Italian manufacturer. Commitment to the local community is quite visible as the Dunnes sponsorship activites include Coil Dubh Hurling Club, Cian Donaghy Bike Racing, Club Kildare GAA, Allen National School and the Winifred Dunne Memorial Cup, which is close their hearts.

Regarding being a woman in the world of haulage, Eileen sees it as a sector offering more and more opportunities. “It’s an industry that is very male dominated but at the same time because of all the administration that’s attached to it and all the regulations and everything, there’s a lot that women can bring to the table that previously wasn’t there for them. If you weren’t driving in the past there wasn’t as much for you to do, whereas nowadays it’s not just in the office doing the invoicing, there’s so much more.”

Has she thought about going driving herself? “I’d be tempted but I’m afraid I’d show them all up,” is her instant response. Which, you’d feel, is spot on - Eileen Dunne is very much a lady redefi ning suppositions about female roles in the transport industry.

Having quality customers like Hanlon Concrete helps. “We’ve been very lucky with the likes of Hanlons in that we are always associated with the highest quality of product and service.”

Eileen is aware that having a range of customers with differing needs is essential. “You’re always looking to diversify somehow, so that if the market does drop in one part you do have other options available. When we fi rst bought the demountable that was the fi rst step in that direction for us.”

Text: Cathal Doyle - cathal@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

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AWARDS 2020

,ULVK +DXOLHU RI WKH <HDU Rewarding Best Practice

‘Have your Team beam at the Fleet Transport Awards - Enter on-line today’ in association with Rosslare Europort

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2 | AWARDS

FLEET TRANSPORT AWARDS Irish Haulier of the Year 2020 The leading Awards Programme for the Irish Road Transport and Haulage Industry Fleet Transport in association with Rosslare Europort, is delighted to announce the launch of its 2020 Awards programme with 17 qualifying categories this year. If you are a Road Transport Operator in Ireland, however big or small, you are eligible to enter the awards. The simplest way to enter the awards is online at www.fleet.ie. Alternatively a hardcopy application can be downloaded from www.fleet.ie The Fleet Transport Awards 2020, celebrating excellence in the road transport industry, will take place on Thursday 10 October 2019 at Citywest Hotel, Dublin. In addition to numerous awards recognising all areas of the industry, the ‘Irish Haulier of the Year 2020’ and the ‘Irish Truck of the Year 2020’ awards will be presented at this national event, bringing together commercial vehicle brand distributors and road transport operators operating the length and breadth of Ireland.

For the past number of years this awards ceremony has received the support of the industry, not just from the leading operators in the country, but also from small relatively unknown firms, demonstrating that companies of all types and sizes are recognised and awarded. Whether you operate or manage a large, medium or small sized company your application will be welcomed. This is the only awards programme that is truly supported by the whole transport industry.

Why Enter?

Winning an award will have a direct commercial impact on your business by not only retaining existing clients, but also in securing new business.

In the current economic climate it is more important than ever to differentiate your company from the competition and a Fleet Transport Award is an independent stamp of approval, which is highly valued by customers.

Entering the awards is also the best way to demonstrate your company’s commitment to the specific area of the road transport industry in which you operate and to be associated with management excellence and best practice. Companies that reach the finalist stage will gain extensive recognition and profile building opportunities during 2020 and beyond through Ireland’s leading commercial vehicle magazine, Fleet Transport, website, ezine and social media. Again this year the category winners will be supplied with logos and photographs for their own promotional purposes.

What category can my company enter?

• National Haulier of the Year • International Haulier of the Year • Own Account Transport Operator of the Year • Owner Driver Haulier of the Year • Regional Transport Operator of the Year • Best Van Fleet Award • Best Livery Award • Best Safety Practice Award

• • • • • • • • •

Innovation Award Environment Award Fleet/Transport Manager of the Year Women in Transport Award Excellence in Warehousing & Product Handling Customer Service Excellence Award Technician of the Year Best On-Line Transport Company Award Services to the Transport Industry Award

You may enter as many of the following categories as you wish. A full description of each category is included on the attached Application Form.

The overall title of Irish Haulier of the Year 2020, sponsored by Rosslare Europort, will be selected from one of the category winners.

What do I need to do now? ……….. 3 simple steps!

There are 3 simple steps in the entire process to complete your submission.

STEP 1 - Enter online The easiest way to enter is online at www.fleet.ie which takes approximately 5 minutes. Alternatively complete the attached form.

STEP 2 - Submission After receipt of your entry form you will receive a number of questions related to the category/categories which your company has entered into.

All information submitted as part of this process is handled in the strictest confidence and is protected under the Data Protection Act. STEP 3 - Important dates for your diary Please reserve the following dates in your diary now: • 8 & 9 July - Interviews - Johnstown Estate, Enfield.

• Finalists will be announced in the September edition of Fleet Transport.

• 10 October - Fleet Transport Awards Gala Dinner, Citywest Hotel, Dublin.

Questions? if you would like to discuss any aspect of the process please contact our Awards Team at: E-mail: awards@fleet.ie or telephone +353 86 1451330 | +353 94 9372819.

Main Sponsor www.fleet.ie

Associate Sponsor

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Award Categories

TYRES | 27 3

NATIONAL HAULIER OF THE YEAR

INTERNATIONAL HAULIER OF THE YEAR

(sponsored by Volvo Trucks)

(sponsored by Thermo King)

This category is open to operators that transport goods within Ireland and are registered in the Irish Republic. Companies will need to show the active measures they have taken to improve service levels and to grow the company, in both quality and profitability. The judges will be looking for all-round commitment to good business practice led by a commercially minded individual.

Open to Irish registered hauliers that transport goods internationally.

Details of vehicle fleet and type of contracts undertaken should be outlined. If there are depots overseas, please state so, and detail measures taken in terms of driver and load security when overseas.

Adhering to European/International legislation is also a key consideration within this category.

OWN ACCOUNT TRANSPORT OPERATOR OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles)

OWNER DRIVER HAULIER OF THE YEAR

Entrants must operate their own fleet of vehicles to distribute their own goods. Companies will need to show the active measures they have taken to improve service levels and to grow the company, in both size and profitability. Judges will focus on investments or improvements made to increase efficiency of the distribution sector of your business/production facility.

Operators of own vehicle(s) as an owner-driver are eligible to enter this category. History of involvement in business and type of work undertaken must be outlined as well as vehicle details. National, International and Regional hauliers can be in contention for this award. Details of vehicle fleet should also be outlined together with service and maintenance routine.

REGIONAL TRANSPORT OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

Best Van Fleet Award

(sponsored by Applegreen)

(sponsored by Peugeot)

This category is open to operators who transport goods within a specific region of Ireland, operating a specific fleet of vehicles for local distribution. High levels of customer service together with efficiency and reliability are key factors here. If a member of a network, please state. Details of types of vehicles as well as service and maintenance routine should be outlined. Highlight any special areas of service provided.

This award sets out to recognise companies which operate a number of light commercial vehicles and consistently demonstrate best practice in their operation. As the van sector includes a large number of companies who are not primarily engaged in transport, there is great scope to include companies who use light commercials to provide services to their customers or end users. Outline any special or specific equipment fitted to the vehicles.

BEST LIVERY AWARD

BEST SAFETY PRACTICE AWARD

(sponsored by ORBCOMM)

(sponsored by Health & Safety Authority)

A good corporate image can be achieved through stylish and modern livery on operatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vehicles. These mobile advertising billboards can impress both the customer and public alike and do a lot to increase levels of professionalism within the company. Not only are clean, effective graphics and colour schemes required here, but the condition of the vehicle carrying the livery is also up for consideration when the marks are allocated. Details on how the corporate image supports the business objectives/strategy is also key in this category.

Companies entering this category should show evidence that their company embraces safety as a culture and provides the same resources to it as all other activities in the organisation.

INNOVATION AWARD

ENVIRONMENT AWARD

(sponsored by easytrip)

(sponsored by Gas Networks Ireland)

The Innovation category seeks entrants who can demonstrate that their ideas have made a genuine difference to their company, resulting for example in either profitability, a new or altered business process within the company or changes in the products and services provided.

Companies that have entered new sectors/markets or have introduced a new product should enter this category.

Companies will need to demonstrate how they have developed environmental impact assessments and environmental statements to meet planning, transport and other environmental consent requirements. Increases in efficiencies through reducing empty running, driver training, purchasing of Euro 6 or alternatively powered engines will prove your care of the environment as will recycling/waste disposal regime.

FLEET/TRANSPORT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

WOMEN IN TRANSPORT AWARD

(sponsored by Iveco in partnership with Emerald Truck & Van.)

(sponsored by TBC)

Overseeing the efficient and safe operation of a fleet of trucks and their drivers are what the judges will look for here.

This category is designed to recognise women working in all areas of the transport and haulage industry. If you have achieved success in your area of expertise in the road transport industry, the judges will welcome an entry from you, whatever your position.

This person must demonstrate the highest levels of ability, professionalism and knowledge of fleet. Methods of reducing costs as well as knowledge of IT techniques in improving the day to day running of the business must also be detailed. Type of vehicles used and employment responsibilities should also be outlined.

(sponsored by MAN Truck & Bus)

An active safety management system which includes Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment must be in operation for all the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities. Investment in safety procedures through implementation of staff training or safety items must be outlined.

This category aims to recognise women who are positive role models in the industry to encourage more women to see the haulage industry as a worthwhile career. The judges will look for innovation, enthusiasm and dedication in what is often perceived as an unattractive industry by women. www.fleet.ie

4 | AWARDS Best On-Line Transport Company Award –

This category promotes good web design from a user’s experience (or UX). How well the transport company presents itself on the web, how easy it makes itself found and what information it provides to customers will also be taken into account. Other aspects which will be taken into consideration will be Website functionality; Website Best Practice; Social Media; Website User Experience.

(sponsored by TBC)

EXCELLENCE IN WAREHOUSING & PRODUCT HANDLING (sponsored by Combilift)

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD

This category offers an opportunity to a broad range of operators in the transport, storage and handling of products. It is open to companies such as hauliers, own account, distribution, freight consolidation, forwarding and logistics specialists. The judging panel will assess policies and procedures covering aspects of this specialist sector including history, customer relationship management, security, Health & Safety, HR & Training and care for the environment.

The ‘Customer Service Excellence’ award recognizes specific accomplishments in customer service, whether they are achievements by an individual, a team, or a department. The judges will look for evidence of the effort and impact of excellent customer service on the customer and business. Training and demonstrable commitment of the company to customer service will be an added bonus in this category. Customer testimonies will also be of benefit.

Technican of the Year

SERVICES TO THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY AWARD

(sponsored by Renault Trucks)

(sponsored by Close Brothers Commercial Finance)

Entrants in this category must have completed an apprenticeship and have a minimum of one year's experience. Entrants should be fully competent in the servicing/repair of commercial goods/passenger vehicles to the highest manufacturer standards. As well as technical competence in the mechanics of a vehicle, entrants must have a thorough knowledge of the electrical and electronic components of a vehicle and be comfortable with using the latest diagnostic equipment to identify and rectify faults.

Any individual who has made a significant contribution to the transport industry can be nominated in this category. Those who have helped to raise standards or are actively involved in campaigns on behalf of the transport industry will be acknowledged with this award. It is open to nominees of all ages not just those who have completed a life time of service.

(sponsored by Valero Marketing Ireland Limited)

Fleet Transport Awards 2020 Irish Haulier of the Year Entry Form Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Position: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Telephone: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Website: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. of Vehicles: . . . . . . . .

Category Entering - please tick boxes National Haulier of the Year International Haulier of the Year Own Account Transport Operator of the Year Owner Driver Haulier of the Year Regional Transport Operator of the Year Best Van Fleet Award Best Livery Award www.fleet.ie Best Safety Practice Award

TRANSPORT

Innovation Award Environment Award Fleet/Transport Manager of the Year Women in Transport Award Excellence in Warehousing & Product Handling Customer Service Excellence Award Technician of the Year Best On-Line Transport Company Award Services to the Transport Industry Award

A

AR 2

‘I have read and understood the terms and conditions of entering the Fleet Transport Awards 2020’.

Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please send completed Entry Form plus additional material by Friday 7 June 2019 to Competition Secretary, Fleet Transport Awards 2020, D’Alton Street, Claremorris, County Mayo. Alternatively it is much simpler and quicker to enter online at www.fleet.ie Tel: 094 93 72819 Email: awards@fleet.ie Terms & Conditions: • • • • • • • • •

Any licensed Haulier or Own Account Transport Operator is eligible to enter in the Fleet Transport Awards 2020, established to honour excellence in operation or services to the transport industry.

Entries must be received by Friday 7 June 2019 and will not be returned. There is no entry fee.

All entries will be treated in strict confidence and are judged by a panel of experts from the industry.

Confirmation of receipt of entries will be sent out to all applicants.

The completed entry form can be accompanied by a 1000 word document outlining further details on your company and its operations. Photographs and customer testimonials can be included.

The finalists will be published in the September edition of Fleet Transport Magazine.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for interviews on 8 & 9 July 2019. A five minute video or Powerpoint presentation, although not essential, will be welcomed on the day of the interview.

Presentation of the prizes will take place on Thursday 10 October 2019 at the Fleet Transport Awards Gala Dinner at Citywest Hotel, Dublin.

The decision of the Adjudication Panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into afterwards.

www.fleet.ie

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www.bridgestone.ie Trade Journal 35

34 | TYRES

Special Sector Report -

R

eplac i ng t y res can be a painful experience because the expense appears to be a large sum of money relative to what you get. Although private car owners will pay little more for a new tyre than they will to fi ll the tank with unleaded, and while people complain about the cost of tyres, very few will ever check the inflation pressure or condition of the tyre after fitting. If everyone checked tyre pressures at service stations every second-time they fi lled up, there would be quite a queue at the air line.

It is a similar case for commercial truck and bus tyres. The manufacturers will tell you that the cost of a full set of tyres on a standard truck and semi-trailer equates to around 2% to 3% of the running costs. Yet, in a similar fashion to the private motorist, too few commercial users pay any great attention to gett ing the best out of what is a significant investment. For those companies that do, they can achieve savings that are quite surprising.

Arguably the most important aspect of keeping tyres ‘well-serviced’ is to ensure inflation pressures are correct. Manufacturers have found that 89% of tyre failures their agents are called out too arise because of incorrect inflation. When incorrectly inflated, the tyre runs hot and overheats causing usually a catastrophic failure which destroys the tyre and occasionally damages bodywork. The failure can lead

to knock on issues with delays and missed deliveries. However, installing a tyre pressure monitoring system can alleviate such problems.

Fleet Transport recently spoke with two high profi le operators who have installed such systems to remotely monitor tyre pressures as their vehicles exit the yard. They independently commented that monitoring has reduced tyre failures by over 80%, and that they couldn’t be without it now - adding it achieved significant savings by eliminating the associated costs.

Other savings can be gained from fitt ing low rolling resistance tyres, although the savings will depend on the type of work being done. In a similar way that a full set of correctly adjusted wind deflectors will save money by lowering the air drag coefficient of the vehicle, the systems only work when the vehicle is rolling. If stuck in traffic or working in urban areas there is litt le to be gained, and a better investment would be reinforced side-walls for city bus, refuse trucks and tippers.

According to Bridgestone, one of the most revolutionary developments in tyre technology is due to be unveiled later this year. In early June at its European Proving Ground (EUPG) at Aprilia just south of Rome, the company will unveil what is termed a ‘game changing’ range of steer, drive, and trailer tyres, covering all popular sizes across the commercial truck, bus and

trailer segment.

In addition to testing at the EUPG, Bridgestone has trialled the tyres in over 15 countries with operators across a wide variety of real life operating conditions.

Bridgestone Ireland’s Commercial Product Sales Manager Conor Curran is keen to point out that three of the chosen test companies are based in Ireland. Looking forward Conor briefly outlined some forthcoming tyre design regulations. These regulations that aim to further reduce emissions levels will demand that all tyres are manufactured to meet a ‘Rolling Resistance’ rating of no lower than C on the A to G scale.

There are other changes in the pipeline and many of these will emerge from the IT sector rather than the tyre and rubber sector.

Conor highlighted the immense benefits from Bridgestone’s ‘Fleetpulse’ monitoring system, which is a clever Driver’s App that can be used during the initial walk-around check. What makes Fleetpulse different is that it integrates a dongle into a smartphone, and via a ‘Radio Frequency Identification’ (RFID) measures tyre pressures on a vehicle or combination of vehicles such as a truck and trailer while reporting simultaneously to the driver and to the fleet manager.

Conor explained: “We will see greater use of technology in the future,” and Bridgestone’s acquisition of Tom Tom Telematics would certainly indicate that to be the case.

Conor describes the extent of Bridgestone’s technology in tyre development with an ever increasing use of ‘Nano Technology’ in product development and in the proving and mixing of compounds pre-production.

Bridgestone is at the leading edge of tyre technology and development. If its new range of highway tyres (which have yet to be named) prove to be the preferred choice for vehicle operators this could well be as Conor Curran describes “a game changing development.”

Another important industry development sees Michelin in association with the UK Company Wheely-Safe solving a problem that has blighted truck and bus operators for decades - the issue of wheel loss. Wheely-Safe is a technology company that has launched the Michelin Wheel Security and Tyre

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

TYRES | 35

Technology enhanced Tyres fitted within the tyres and the units have a life expectancy of some six years. When ContiPressureCheck is combined with ContiConnect Live, the system notifies truck and bus operators if there is a problem with tyre pressure, even when the vehicle is out on the road.

Pressure Management System. In addition to monitoring tyre pressure the patented system makes the claim that it is “the world’s fi rst ‘in-motion’ driver alert system that detects the onset of wheel loss.” The clever system uses a sensor mounted on a bracket sitt ing across the studs and if a nut begins to loosen by just 1 mm, an alarm is triggered in the cab alerting the driver.

Gary Broadfield, Group Managing Director of Wheely-Safe and the inventor behind the technology, stressed: “We’ve taken an entirely fresh approach to tackling wheel loss.

Existing solutions such as indicator tags can only detect potential wheel loss situations on stationary vehicles; but wheels don’t detach when a vehicle is parked!”

A wide selection of the Michelin tyre and management systems will be on display at the forthcoming CV Show 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham. One interesting addition to Michelin’s van range is the new Agilis Cross Climate, which has performed remarkably well in the passenger car market and should repeat this performance in the light commercials and bus sector. The Birmingham show will also feature the latest additions to the Michelin X Multi truck tyre range, with the new X Multi HD drive tyre making its NEC debut in 315/80 R22.5 and 315/70 R22.5 sizes. Michelin is also claiming that “the X Multi Energy is reducing fuel consumption by up to 1.2l/100km over the X MultiWay 3D whilst equalling mileage potential.”

For coach operators the versatile 295/80 R 22.5 Michelin X Coach Z is an att ractive option chiefly because it can be fitted on both steer and drive axle. The tyre is both M+S (Mud + Snow) and 3PMSF (Three Peak Mountain Snowflake) approved meaning it strikes a good balance between winter and summer running.

Specifying the correct tyre for the work is certainly important - although it is not everything. Just because you have invested in a top spec tyre for your truck or bus, does not mean you will receive all the benefits the manufacturer said it will deliver. If you fail to look after the tyres then you may as well have bought a budget brand and saved money. Neither premium nor budget tyres will deliver if they are not looked after. This is a point clearly made by Steve Howat, General Manager - Technical Services, Continental Group UK & Ireland mentioning that “a tyre under inflated by 20% can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.”

Steve advised: “Tyres should be checked when cold with an accurately calibrated tyre pressure gauge. Continental has found that the most neglected tyre for inflation pressure is the inner twin tyre, and this is purely due to missing or inappropriate valve extensions.” Which begs the question about technology solving the problem especially for large fleets, and especially for large trailer fleets which may be operating remotely and rarely returning to base. Continental’s ContiPressureCheck system uses sensors

In addition to these systems Steve is keen to highlight Continental’s new Yard Reader Station which automatically logs tyre pressure and temperature from all trucks and trailers leaving and entering a f leet operator’s yard. The system has performed well in pre-launch trials and was found to give accurate readings of tyre pressure and temperature. Based on what the manufacturers are reporting it would appear the technology can go some way to alleviating the issues with tyre maintenance.

Greater use of technology will no doubt become the norm, especially as many of these tasks are moving further and further away from the remit of the driver.

Head of UK Fleet, Goodyear Tyres David Morris believes that tyres probably aren’t at the top of most fleet manager's list of priorities at present. “They’re often seen as a necessity, litt le more than a box to be ticked. As long as a manager knows that their fleets have tyres that are functional and road-legal, they will consider that box well and truly ticked until they next need replacing.” In reality David is telling it as it is. If there is a problem with a tyre on a trailer leaving the yard to collect or deliver, any fleet manager will just want the problem solved and the truck back on schedule - and often litt le thought is given as to how that is achieved.

David added: “Proper tyre maintenance is essential to the smooth running of a successful fleet. Regular maintenance could save fleet managers a lot of money and regular tread depth checks contribute to driver safety.” He makes an interesting point regarding tyre maintenance and the education of drivers, and others who may be involved and feels fleet managers could run an education programme to ensure drivers know their duties. David narrows it down to three easy steps to tyre checking.

The first step is to ensure the pressure is at the www.fleet.ie

36 | TYRES which result in B labelling.

The tyre was developed in cooperation with Giti’s European research and development centres in Germany and the UK, and is available in 385/65R22.5 164K and 385/55R22.5 160K. Both sizes are 3PMSF marked to indicate excellent winter and allseason traction and braking properties.

manufacturer’s recommendations - Check the tread depth, tyres are illegal if they are running under 1.6 mm at any point across the tyre. Finally drivers should check general condition of tyres, check for bulges, issues with sidewalls, nails, cuts in tread.

Goodyear also recently announced the appointment of Richard Tawlks as TruckForce’s Equity Business Manager.

Again it appears that telematics will become an ever increasing factor and Goodyear feels it is already ahead of the game. Goodyear’s predictive technology and advanced telematics allow TruckForce to identify and resolve tyre-related issues before they happen.

Looking forward Richard commented: “The industry is facing many changes as we transition to an electric future within the automotive sector. The biggest challenge is to ensure our technicians and network embrace the new technology and see it as an aid to the daily routine rather than a threat.”

While good tyres and good tyre management can deliver savings, other elements of a vehicle’s wheels help to achieve efficiencies.

Th is is of particular importance in the liquid tank, aggregates and animal feeds sectors, where per kg transported can be the difference between profit and loss. For such operators aluminium wheels are not specified for ascetic reasons they are fitted to save weight and increase payload.

MWheels has launched the next generation 9.00 x 22.5 Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels. Two ten stud variations are available weighing 25.9kg and 25.7kg. They are FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

designed for 295/60R22.5, 315/60R22.5, 315/70R22.5 and 315/80R22.5 tyres. Both wheels have a load capacity of 4,125kg, have been TÜV tested and gained KBA approval, and importantly each wheel carries a fiveyear warranty. The company claims that both the Xlite and Xbrite models are five times stronger and 40 % lighter than the standard steel equivalent. They are spin forged from a single aluminium billet, in what is described as “a unique manufacturing process that produces a higher degree of production accuracy and a truer running wheel.”

Tony McHugh, Sales & Marketing Director UK at Giti Tire, said: “Trailer tyres make up 35% of the European truck tyre market, and it is imperative we have a product which is comparable against the very best in the sector. “We will actively be targeting original equipment trailer manufacturers as well as the aftermarket with this tyre. It is also worth noting the GTR955 is our very fi rst trailer tyre to carry the ‘Combi Road’ designation, which means it will be used in both long distance and national usage which again widens its appeal.”

Xlite is available in machined and polished fi nishes, while Xbrite goes through several automated treatment stages which permeate the metal deeper to deliver a wheel with the highest levels of corrosion resistance and shine. The ultimate advantage of operating with aluminium wheels including extra payloads, reduced diesel consumption and decreased CO2 emissions.

Apollo Tyres Ltd has been establishing itself in the European market since 2009.

The Indian company has ambitious plans for its increasingly popular Truck and Bus Radial Tyre range which is being made available across Europe. Apollo fi nd that often purchasing managers look at the cost price, at least in terms of where a brand sits against the rest of the market alternatives, and then they would look at mileage life.

Secondly they may then look at other considerations such as rolling resistance, fuel saving and performance in terms of grip, but usually only after the tyres were fitted, and often only if they had drivers consistently complaining of poor grip, in which case they might move on to trying another brand.

Giti tyres may not be that familiar a name here, however, that could well be about to change. The company is headquartered in Singapore, and has grown to over 34,000 global employees and distributes to more than 130 countries. The Asian fi rm has recently launched its new generation trailer tyre – the Giti GTR955 Combi Road and claims that it delivers a mileage increase of around 30 percent against previous comparable products. Giti is confident with stating such a dramatic figure as it resulted from a four-year design and test period on several different fleet types across various diverse sectors. Other key developments see rolling resistance improve by approximately 10 percent and better wet braking, both of

An Apollo Tyres representative makes an interesting point: “Very few fleets are operating in conditions where lower rolling resistance tyres would deliver an appreciable fuel saving. Premium manufacturers’ tyres that are lower rolling resistance will only give tangible benefits if the trucks are travelling in a straight line at a constant speed for a significant part of their operating time. Motorways, the frequency of accelerating and braking, and then the number of roundabouts and junctions on national-roads, all mean that the benefits are negligible.” It is interesting to hear a tyre producer comment in such a way and again it would appear that the results you get are determined by the work you are doing.

TYRES | 37 There was a time when the name Kumho u Tyres was unfamiliar to many. However its reputation for performance and reliability ma Kumho as mainstream as has made other ppopular brands, and deserving of the lo loyalty it receives from truck and bus operators. Kumho’s commercial veh vehicle tyre sales in Ireland is ha handled by the familiar and wellre regarded name of Modern Tyres.

A with most producers Kumho As T Tyres is continuously expanding a developing products to meet and m market demands, and some of t updates can be found in the m models like the KRS50. The K KRS50 regional steer pattern was in initially available in just 295/80 siz Since then it has become a size. pri option in the sector and has prime pro provided a number of premium equ equivalents with a degree of healthy comp competition.

Th is popular pattern is now al also available in 385/65, 315/80 315 and 315/70R22.5 XL sizes. simil case with Kumho’s drive and It is a similar erin Regarding its KRD50 drive trailer offerings. tyres Kumho claims: “On average customers have experienced a 10-15 percent increase

in mileage and improved wear performance characteristics.”

Certainly anecdotal evidence would appear to confi rm that once an operator runs a set of Kumho across a vehicle they are usually converted and Kumho will in many cases become the brand of choice.

Another brand that has become a standard for many operators in Ireland is Hankook.

The AH31 Smartflex is available in 315/80R, 315/70R, and 295/80R 22.5 sizes, and is continuing to expand the range of sizes. As the SmartFlex AH31 is an all season tyre that is suitable for both truck and bus this means it is highly versatile and will appeal to many operators. As expected the AH31 SmartFlex features the M+S and 3PMS marks as well as a pattern with wide tread and shoulder design, along with 3 dimensional kerfs which ensures longer mileage, good handling performance and minimised irregular wear.

Hankook’s Tread Wear Equalised Stepper (T.W.E.S.) ensures even wear and longer working life.

It is certainly worth mentioning that Hankook’s AH31 SmartFlex has collected a number of awards for technological design since its launch, including the - iF Design Award, IDEA, Good Design Award , and the highly respected Red Dot Design Award giving it a total of four of the world’s top design accolades.

It appears that tyre manufacturers are becoming leading advocates in the application of technology to deliver solutions to their customers. In reality few operators view tyres as an investment that can enhance a company’s fi nancial performance, with most believing tyres to be an unfortunate cost that must be borne. To get the benefits from their tyres it is recommended that operators develop a more proactive tyre policy, in particular a focus on issues such as axle alignment which can have a dramatic effect on wear rates and fuel consumption - regardless of what brand of tyre if fitted.

Also apart from any benefits technology can bring, it seems the simple steps can produce the best results - especially checking tyre pressures.

Text: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

38 | LCV

Renault Commercial Vehicles add a few pluses with Irish line-up

Renault Master Box Chassis

W

ith market share rising in Ireland and leading the charge in electric vehicles European-wide, Pro+, Renault’s commercial division is aiming to move further ahead with new additions to its model range line-up for business users. Over the past three years, Renault Ireland’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) market share has gradually increased in a fluctuating market and 2018 recorded its best registration results (13.49%) in recent years. Regarding its dominance in Europe, for the fourth year running, Renault’s electric vehicles have topped the sales charts with Kangoo Z.E. van commanding 51.5% market share.

To ensure that the ever expansive light commercial business user is well catered for, Renault Ireland is offering a selection of bespoke conversions based primarily on its Master van and chassis-cab range. At a special press briefing held at Renault Pro+ dealer Joe Mallon Motors Renault Master Dropside Chassis

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

(Naas), Richie Hunter, Renault Ireland’s van specialist outlined the new product line in detail and the potential customer base. eCommerce delivery specialists, furniture or home removal experts will be particularly interested in the Renault Master Box Van, retailing from €37,150 (incl. VAT). Specified on the LL35 Energy dCi 145 (hp) chassis cab, the kit assembled box body has a load volume of 20m3 and offers a payload of over 1 tonne. For €40,350 this version is also available with rear-wheel-drive (on twin wheels) and a larger load volume of 22m3. Options include a slide loading door and Luton head.

From €36,650, the Renault Master Tipper Single Cab will appeal to construction companies, utility providers and Local Authorities. Based on the RWD ML35 dCI 130 chassis cab, payload goes beyond 1 tonne by 100kg and has a towing capacity of 2,500kg, with independently braked trailer, that’s beneficial to this segment.

LCV | 39 Renowned Italian body manufacturer and supplier Scattolini provides this kit as well as a derivative of same, namely the Dropside version.

Exampled was the RWD LC35 TW Energy dCi 145, at €33,900 which comes with a payload of 1,115kg, but this version carrying ability is reduced when the twin-wheel RWD version is ordered.

For added convenience, the Master Parcel Van (FWD LM35 dCi 130 Business at €28,650) is fitted with its bulkhead cut in the middle to provide a walk-through option with a secured internal sliding door closing the divide (optional) at €3,030. In addition, for €500 there is a folding passenger seat option (for more productive kerb side access usage) and a panoramic rear-view camera for €350 extra, all worthwhile additions for efficiency and safety. An agreement with van racking specialists Sortimo can provide any type of shelving required. All conversion models are Europe Type Approved and available to order from the dealer.

Renault Master with load through access

A vast array of exterior and interior trims can be specified on this variant that boast comfort and convenience levels, too many to mention! Best check with local dealer for full details.

Moving on to Renault Ireland’s electric commercial offerings, well, while we all know about the successful Kangoo Z.E.33 with its extended range distance, keen interest has been expressed in the arrival of the larger Master Z.E. Featuring the same 33 kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the Kangoo Z.E., real world range averages 120km, according to Richie, once kept within the 80 km/h EcoMode and under its potential 1.1 tonne payload. Load volume extends from 8-13m3 and three wheelbases are offered – short medium and long.

Renault Kangoo Z.E.

Retail prices begin at €75,100 for the SL31 Z.E. Panel Van and top €77,300 for the flagship LM31 Z.E. Panel Van. VAT and VRT are included in the initial purchase cost, which does not incorporate the Government SEAI grant of €3,800. It takes just 6 hours to fully charge.

Richie mentioned that the potential customer will be fully advised by the Renault Pro+ sales person to ensure that this type of powered vehicle best suits their application. Once decided, full induction demonstration will be provided in order to gain the knowledge on how the electrical system works. He also pointed out that the Pro+ dealer network is comprehensively trained up to service and maintain the EV models.

Other interesting additions to the Renault Ireland’s commercial fleet are the ZOE (electric) commercial and the return of the Megane Sport Tourer Commercial, selling at €34,545 and €28,720 respectively. ZOE Commercial based on the passenger car version comes with added financial bonus of a €3,800 grant from the SEAI. Sales representatives, merchandisers and veterinary surgeons are the target market for the Megane Sport Tourer Commercial.

Renault Zoe Commercial

Finally, for mobile leisure pursuits, two campervan conversions on the Master and Trafic panel vans attracted a lot of attention by the gathering.

Developed and fitted out by Cosy Campers, the Cosy Leisure Company, Rathcoole, Dublin, use of internal space in relation to equipment provided for 4 to 5 berth accommodation is well considered.

On display was the Renault Master Saol Camper based on the LWB LM FWD dCi 110 with an on the road price of €60,857, while the Trafic Urbem Camper (SL dCi 95 Business) comes in at just under €39,740. More details on www.coleco.ie Text & Photos: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

Trafic Campervan www.fleet.ie

40 | PREVIEW II

FPS EXPO 2019

F

PS EXPO 2019, the biggest exhibition dedicated to the liquid fuels distribution industry and its suppliers takes place in Liverpool from Wednesday 15 to Thursday 16 May 2019. Th is year’s exhibition marks the start of a year of celebrations for EXPO organisers, The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Following a very successful show in 2018, FPS EXPO 2019 will again take place at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. Th is gives FPS EXPO the added bonus of having all exhibitors in one exhibition hall and under one roof, with a total exhibition floorspace of over 8100 sq. metres. The following information has become available in advance for visitors interested in attending.

Opening times & Schedule for FPS EXPO 2019 Wednesday 15 May 2019 09:30 – 18:30hrs AGM 13:00 - 14:00 hrs FPS Awards Presentations & Presidents Drinks 17:00 - 18:30 hrs Reception (more info below- Networking Events) Thursday 16 May 2019 10:00 - 16:30 hrs After Show Party- The Pump House, Albert Dock 19:30 – late! (more info below- Networking Events)

How to get there With two International Airports, 20 minutes from the UK motorway network and closer still to trains and ferries, Exhibition Centre Liverpool is easy to reach.

Rail - Exhibition Centre Liverpool is a short taxi or bus ride away from Liverpool Lime Street Station and its direct services to London that take litt le over two hours. Regional and local rail connections are even closer.

Fly - Liverpool John Lennon Airport features charter and low-cost scheduled flights to a range of domestic, European and international destinations. All from the convenience and ease-of-access of a regional UK airport and an international airport at Manchester just 45 minutes away. Regular Public bus services from Liverpool Airport which stops outside the Excel Centre are available.

Organisers of the EXPO, FPS has again joined forces with Reservations Highway and negotiated discounted rates with accommodation providers in the area. Please note that Reservations Highway is the only accommodation booking service authorised to act on behalf of FPS EXPO 2019. Log on to: http://www.reservationhighway.co.uk/conference Be aware that exhibitors have previously been targeted by fraudulent booking agents.

New Green Award The FPS is pleased to announce a new Green Award in partnership with OIL SHIELD. The Green Award is open to all FPS members and the FPS is honouring outstanding environmental initiatives by presenting an award to the member who has implemented an ‘Environmental’ strategy which has produced positive results. The closing date for entries is 16th April 2019 and the winner will be announced at the President’s Reception during FPS EXPO 2019 on 15th May. Diary Dates - Networking Events Presidents Drinks

Date

Time

15/05/2019

17:00 - 18:30

Reception & Awards After Show Party

Location ECL Liverpool Seminar Area

16/05/2019

7:30pm - 3am

The Pump House, Albert Dock

Golf Day

04/06/2019

11am

The Mere Golf Resort,

onwards

Knutsford, Cheshire

Where to stay while at FPS EXPO 2019 Due to the popularity of FPS EXPO, accommodation near to Exhibition Centre Liverpool will be in demand throughout the duration of the exhibition.

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

HEALTH MATTERS | 41

Alcohol Dependence - an Insidious & Pervasive Problem

D

ependence is demonstrated when the person drinks in a manner which regularly causes problems to themselves or others, in spite of which the person has a compulsion to keep taking alcohol. As tolerance is developed, the person needs to take more and more alcohol to produce the same effect.

The drinker never intends to take that amount of alcohol, and continuously and unsuccessfully tries to cut down intake. The trouble is a persisting craving for it exists and much time, money and energy is spent obtaining and ingesting the alcohol.

Due to this, the alcoholic finds themselves unable to perform adequately at work or at home, and may either lose their job or be passed over for promotion. While under the influence, this person may place themselves in dangerous situations but is unable to heed medical advice to cut down on intake – even though this alcohol dependence may have destroyed valuable relationships such as a marriage or those with other family members.

In fact, if attempting to reduce or eliminate the alcohol intake, severe withdrawal symptoms are experienced, such as agitation, hallucinations, sweating and tremors – the cure for which of course is to take more alcohol.

Alcohol related brain damage - a form of dementia - is seen at an earlier age in chronic drinkers than brain failure /dementia in the non-drinking patient.

Th is alcohol related cognitive impairment is complicated by the fact that persisting drinkers - usually socially isolated males - are often deficient in thiamine – one of the essential vitamins. Th iamine deficiency from whatever cause will result in forgetfulness, restlessness and stupor, as well as physical symptoms such as nerve problems in the limbs and deficiencies in the balance and the eyes.

The “secret drinker” or functioning alcoholic may suffer from sleep disturbances, mood swings, persistent irritability, anxiety and depression. This person may have poor coordination and “the shakes” – even when sober and will have unexplained injuries, falls or bruises, and perhaps evidence of poor hygiene.

The affected will probably be suffering from a poor memory, inappropriate drowsiness, and impaired reaction time, and tend to withdraw from social interaction with family and friends, and will tend to quarrel needlessly with people over minor causes.

Persisting alcohol intake is associated with pancreatitis, in fact 70% of cases of chronic pancreatitis are associated with alcohol abuse.

(Most of the other 30% have gallstones). Pancreatitis has now been

classified as a precancerous condition as those with this disease are twenty times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer – and this cancer is a disease with a very poor prognosis.

At present there is no specific treatment for chronic pancreatitis, and it is not clear exactly how alcohol injures the pancreas because many non-drinkers also get pancreatitis. It is surmised that the alcohol sensitises the pancreas to other agents – so that is falls prey to infections or to nicotine in the system, or to a high fat diet. It cannot repair itself once it becomes injured, and this is a major problem if the patient continues to drink.

It is important for the social drinker to be aware of the amount of alcohol present in the average helping of drink – a half glass of beer, a single measure (25 ml) of spirits or one small glass of wine – these each contain 8 mgm of ethanol or alcohol and this is referred to as a unit of alcohol.

The other thing that is not as obvious is the calorific content of alcoholic drinks – a pint of beer will provide 250 kcalories – a recommended daily calorie intake for an adult working male is about 2700 kcal - so that it is not surprising that the regular and dependant drinker – who is almost unable to stop will also be able to add obesity to his list of things to worry about.

If the drinker can be motivated to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, or if admitted to a specialist unit which deals with chronic alcohol abuse, there is light at the end of the tunnel – most of the damage done to the patient’s physical and cognitive system is in fact reversible.

It is important to remember that alcoholism is a combination of addiction and disease, with a probable genetic component , and it is most praiseworthy when the drinker - usually with great difficulty - finally calls quits.

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Text: Dr. Betty Maguire - contributor@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

42 | SAFETY

Safety Matters . . . Safety Matters . . .

Health & Safety Authority Transport Safety Seminars - May 2019 Protect your employees and others from vehicle related harm The Health & Safety Authority (HSA) is running a series of regional seminars in May to highlight the importance of managing vehicle related risk. The seminars will be of interest to all employers that operate vehicles in the workplace and on the road.

Why attend?

The operation of vehicles is probably the most dangerous activity that transport and logistics businesses engage in on a daily basis.

Every year, people are killed in incidents involving work vehicles, both in the workplace and on the road. On average, vehicles are involved in approximately 40% of all work related deaths reported to the HSA each year. Thousands are injured as a result of vehicle related activity in the workplace and on the road every year. Much damage is also done to vehicles, cargo, property, and company reputation. Th is can have an adverse effect on a business balance sheet.

There are a multiplicity of risk factors associated with every journey made, no matter how big or small, on the road or within the premises boundary. The risk of something going wrong is very real. There are clear and present dangers all around. The main risk factors are known.

Employers have a duty under occupational health and safety legislation to manage the risks that employees face themselves and create for others when they operate vehicles at work.

A systematic risk management approach is a fundamental legal requirement for worker protection. It starts with identification and evaluation of risks in your business through a risk assessment process.

Preventing work related vehicle incidents involves safety leadership, safety culture, employee engagement, risk assessment, clear policies and procedures, instruction, information, training, employee supervision and system monitoring and improvement.

Seminar content Attendees will be provided with information, guidelines and tools to understand and manage Work Related Vehicle Risks. As well as highlighting the legal, safety and business cases for action, the seminars will outline: • The key elements of a workplace transport risk management system; • The safe management of vehicle operations and associated activities; • Vehicle related manual handling risk management; • Vehicle related slips, trips and falls risk management; • Transport of dangerous goods [ADR]; • Commercial Vehicle Road Worthiness [RSA]; • Potential implications of Brexit for workers in Supply Chain FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

•

[FTAI]; Business Case Study on Fleet R isk and Driver Management.

Content will be delivered in a practical and easy to understand format and no specialised knowledge or expertise is required.

Who Should Attend?

The seminars will be of interest to all employers that operate vehicles in the workplace and on the road. They will be of particular benefit to: • Business owners • Logistics/Fleet/Depot Managers • Industry Organisations • Truck and Van fleet operators • Vehicle leasing providers • Transport managers • Retail and Distribution centre managers • Warehousing managers • Waste industry fleet managers • Insurance risk managers • Transport operators • Health & Safety managers • Safety Representatives These seminars are free of charge but due to the limited number of spaces at each venue we would ask that you pre-register for this event. For Bookings: Please see http://www.hsa.ie/eng/ News_Events_ Media/Events/ for further details.

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44 | COMMENT

Taking the direct route to Europe

I

n writing this month’s piece the shadow of Brexit is looming large but the difficulty is that, sitt ing here in mid-March, the exact shape of Brexit remains anything but clear.

Perhaps the best thing is to assume that by the time you read this the breakup has gone ahead and everybody is feeling their way through the new reality. That allows me to pick up where I left off with last month’s comment piece, particularly in relation to the use of the British Landbridge to access EU markets.

A month ago, it seemed that there could be serious traffic congestion at the Ports of Dover and Calais.... It seemed that hauliers might be well advised to look at using those routes to the continent that the operators, DFDS and Britt any Ferries would be operating with extra services having received substantial subsidies from the UK Government. However, the Port of Dover people have now come back to say that, following an analysis of facilities there by the independent consultants Drewry, they expected that they would be able to work effectively even with the different controls being put into operation. The details of the study are discussed in this month’s Fleet Maritime and, as one might expect, do contain a lot of “ifs and buts”.

It now appears that, following a threatened legal action against the UK Department of Transport by the owners of Eurotunnel, that company will be granted €38 million which is to be used to upgrade the Tunnel’s infrastructure and services for freight transport.

Currently, more than 1.7 million trucks carry 22 million tonnes of freight through the Channel Tunnel and this represents about a quarter of the trade between the UK and the Continental EU. Eurotunnel has developed a central location at its Calais Terminal in which all French State control services will be located, from which they will operate on a 24/7 basis.

Th is may all seem to indicate that fi rms shipping goods to and from the Continent using the British landbridge don’t need to worry too much. The freight can still get through, perhaps the transit will take a number of extra hours, but one of the conclusions of the study undertaken by the IMDO on landbridge traffic was that a few extra hours would not matter greatly. Adding days to the transit would of course be a different matter.

The real issue that may have slipped below the radar for many people is that a journey that transits a ‘Th ird Country’ (which UK becomes) must do so under regulatory control. The most obvious facilitation is that the load must travel subject to control from the time it leaves the EU, such as Dublin Port, through to where it returns to the EU, for example, Calais.

To do this the haulier or agent must have in place a Customs Bond facility with the Revenue which will cover any duties or taxes that the goods could face were they imported into the Th ird Country.

Th is bond must be backed by a Bank, an insurance policy or a cash lodgement with the Revenue. The cost of bonding each transit load along with its presentation at each point of control will vary, but is unlikely to be less than €200. Where a haulier or agent is involved in a flow of vehicles requiring such bonds the management of the bonds will be a critical function if the administration and costs are FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

From where I'm sitting - Howard Knott - howard@fleet.ie

not to run out of control.

Brexit will put pressure on hauliers to ensure that their drivers are well up to speed in the way in which Customs, Department of Agriculture and other regulators will work. Among the innovations will be the driver receiving a text while still aboard the ferry, perhaps half an hour from docking, advising of Customs control routing on arrival at the port. Th is should operate so as to enable to make plans as to the next move when leaving the ship. If all drivers follow the instruction without having to stop as they come down the ramp, then the ports could operate more effectively.

All in all, it still seems to be difficult and makes the direct route to the Continent all the more att ractive.

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FUEL PRICES (WEEK 13) | 45 Country

Currency

95 Lead Free

98 Lead Free

Diesel

Austria

EUR

1.210

1.362

1.210

Belarus

EUR

0.660

0.707

0.660

Belgium

EUR

1.446

1.515

1.528

Bosnia-Herzegovina

BAM

2.16

2.31

2.26

Bulgaria

BGN

2.14

2.42

2.34

Croatia

HRK

9.60

10.50

9.82

Czech Republic

CZK

30.18

32.18

31.09

Denmark

DKK

11.09

11.69

9.89

Estonia

EUR

1.313

1.363

1.333

Finland

EUR

1.532

1.621

1.482

France

EUR

1.517

1.570

1.491

Georgia

GEL

2.32

2.43

2.49

Germany

EUR

1.348

1.523

1.258

Greece

EUR

1.539

1.755

1.361

Hungary

HUF

371.20

381.90

393.60

Ireland

EUR

1.369

-

1.329

Italy

EUR

1.597

-

1.530

Kazakhstan

KZT

180.00

-

191.00

Latvia

EUR

1.194

1.249

1.174

Lithuania

EUR

1.125

1.194

1.085

Luxemburg

EUR

1.177

1.267

1.086

Macedonia

MKD

66.00

67.70

60.50

Moldova

MDL

18.35

19.35

16.60

Montenegro

EUR

1.230

1.320

1.190

Netherlands

EUR

1.724

1.804

1.454

Norway

NOK

16.20

17.04

15.74

Poland

PLN

4.78

5.11

5.08

Portugal

EUR

1.528

1.560

1.437

Romania

RON

5.29

5.48

5.63

Russia Federation

RUB

46.14

52.48

46.95

Serbia

RSD

145.70

154.70

163.40

Slovakia

EUR

1.290

1.460

1.250

Slovenia

EUR

1.270

1.401

1.270

Spain

EUR

1.269

1.416

1.240

Sweden

SEK

15.34

15.94

15.74

Switzerland

CHF

1.540

1.570

1.720

Turkey

TRY

6.70

6.74

6.34

Ukraine

UAH

28.44

29.79

28.33

UK

GBP

1.210

1.328

1.303

USA

USD

0.674

-

0.810

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46 | OPINION

Clearer blue and red skies need on Brexit

B

rexit and all that goes with it, or more likely comes with it, has become like a bad flu that we just cannot shake off. Everybody has an opinion on it, most people seem to know how it will affect everybody else and the solution as to how it might be implemented. For those people in small and medium enterprises, our politicians, State Agencies and Government Departments keep saying that these SME’s are not “Brexit Ready”. How can anybody be ready, or prepared for something that nobody knows how it will pan out?

On a recent national radio show the Minister for Agriculture was asked what on the surface seemed like a simple question: “What procedures will need to be followed for a truck load of produce to be transported from Strabane to Donegal?” The Minister danced around the question with a non-committal answer, in spite of constant badgering by the interviewer. So, why did he not answer the question? Simple, he did not know the answer!Nobody does and nobody will until Brexit actually happens, if it does at the end of March, at the time of writing.

Brexit, with or without a deal is not going to be trouble free or without a lot of inconvenience for everybody. Once State Agencies get established and appointed by Government, words like ‘seamless’ and ‘soft Border’ go out the window.

An incident that occurred in early March should be a lesson for everybody to sit up and take note. An Irish naval ship arrested two Northern Irish fishing trawlers for what it seemed like a technical issue. However, it became a major diplomatic incident and caused uproar and a lot of embarrassment for politicians on both sides of the Border. So was the naval officer that ordered the arrest overzealous and unnecessarily dutiful, or actually was he or she carrying out their duty as they felt they were expected to do? It does not matter, following this incident the important point we should all take note of, is that once Brexit happens, politicians lose control. The agencies take over and implement the law as they see it should be enforced.

Currently we see some unrest amongst TDs about the way Gardaí are enforcing the drink/drive laws, but in fact there is nothing they can do, enforcement is the business of the Gardaí. I have no doubt that whatever way Brexit turns out we will see business and individuals being put to significant expense and inconvenience by agencies on both sides of the Border. Any ideas or thoughts politicians have need to be brought up and acted on now.

View from the Operators Desk

by Sean Murtagh sean@fleet.ie

come back then let us hope that these inter-State crossings will be a “people and business friendly” experience.

On a more positive note I was heartened to hear an interview with Eamon O’Reilly, CEO of Dublin Port, on Pat Kenny’s Newstalk radio show. He convinced listeners that the Port is as ready as possible for Brexit. One interesting statistic he quoted was on pre-clearance in claiming that over 90% of containers arriving currently from outside the EU are cleared before the freight arrives in the Port. A challenge for Custom officials no doubt, but light at the end of the tunnel for importers and hauliers alike. Brexit is an ugly prospect, in whatever format it arrives, but more of these positive stories would be more helpful.

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Like everybody I hope that agencies with authority and obligations in the new “Border” scenario will remember they have the ability to keep this simple for all, notwithstanding they have a job to do. From my years as a long distance driver, I always felt that the frontiers and borders between countries were often ugly and intimidating, for tourists and in particular truck drivers. In Europe, we like to think we live in a democracy, which for the most part we do, although sometimes at a border crossing one would not be so sure.

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48 | FINANCE

Are the Accountants Gone?

Ask an accountant a straight question and stand back for the five different answers all non-committal, but ask them to produce a set of accounts and they are in their element. Senior bank officials foresaw the demise of the profession by 2020, facing extinction like the arctic polar bear. Just as the ice is melting, so smart IT graduates would take the accountants place, simply feed the figures into the computer and the result is the result! Unfortunately, for mankind the bankers', predictions about the accountants were wrong. So letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iron out what relevance or assistance the accountant can bring to your business.

In any profession there are many niche areas, in accounting the auditor who checks and fi les the annual accounts is an expert in matters that happen in the past, and he/she will be a stickler on books of account and the relevant data needed to hold to compliantly face a Revenue inspection. The auditor will have litt le if any interest in the bottom line, other than the fi rmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to pay the fee and remain in business. They may give advice on business liquidity, level of debt and if fortunate to have excess funds, some tax efficient investment options. Not all fi nancial accountants may have had the same path to qualification. Some went directly to an office from school, some have primary degrees from Universities that set them apart thanks to the wide network of contacts they have plus their qualification may cover law, marketing, industrial psychology and other business related subjects.

Some accountants tires of the audit role and head out into industry, some that are Chartered Management Accountants never take the auditing route but are trained and concentrate on the present and future fi nancial well-being of a business. Most management accountants went to this area of the profession because they have a genuine interest in how business operates and performs. They may have been in a technical role in the business and realise to get to the top an accountancy qualification is required to take up a role in the boardroom. Management Accountants prepare the fi nancial figures for audit but they also monitor how the business is doing now, how this can be improved and what dangers lie ahead. To gain an understanding of the business most internal accountants will spend time understanding how their business sector works. They build up a network of contacts in fi nance, customer and suppliers so when they present figures or are asked direct questions they can answer with authority and accuracy on the subject.

The key role of the accountant is in knowing the main elements that make up a potentially profitable proposal and the ability to monitor and update actual monthly results and convey this in a logical and understandable manner to owners and fi nanciers. As accountants progress they may end up running many businesses.

The main attribute that sets these individuals apart is their ability to FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

communicate with all sectors of the business, learn and understand the issues and opportunities and use their skill sets to improve your business profitability. No one person has all talents, the accountant brings certain training and skills to a problem that the business owner can add to. Gett ing the best out of people is ultimately the biggest skill a business owner can possess.

In summary, at the next meeting the external or internal accountant works to see what they can contribute to the business. Perhaps itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as simple as asking them for their feedback on issues that they see in the business. The owner will defi nitely get a different perspective, how it is used, is in the hands of the owner.

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50 | LEGAL

Music may change but the lyrics remain the same

I

t is the Enforcement officers of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) who check vehicles at the roadside and at the operator’s premises who, on a daily basis look for errors made by both the drivers, and their employers, in complying with the legislation, Sadly, in 2018, the offences discovered were effectively the same as those discovered in previous years.

The main offences which were discovered in roadside checks were as follows: • Failing to take an adequate break.

• Failing to use the Driver Card with a digital tachograph.

• Failing to check that the digital tachograph was working correctly.

• Failing to take an adequate daily rest.

• Incorrect use of the sw itch mechanism.

• Checks at operator’s premises found similar offences with drivers who had failed to take a weekly rest.

• Drivers who had exceeded their daily driving time.

• Drivers who had failed to complete the centre-field on the tachograph card.

Two things need to be noticed, fi rstly the legislation is not confined to the Republic of Ireland but is common through the European Community. Secondly, that the legislation is designed to obtain the safety of both the driver and the public. All the offences discovered at roadside checks should have been detected by the employer, and the offences found at the operator’s premises are specifically within the knowledge of the employer. All of which means that the majority of these offences should be rare, rather than matters of daily occurrence.

If this apparent indifference to the legal requirements displayed by drivers is to change then change must start with a determination by the management of all the transport companies to accept their responsibility, and to make it clear to their drivers that this type of offence will not be condoned. The world in which a driver of a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) lives is surprisingly small. By and large a driver will only meet other drivers briefly in the course of a day’s work, meeting work colleagues at the beginning and

FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

end of the working day. Such things as failing to take a break of the length that the law requires is unlikely to att ract a comment from fellow drivers.

The legislation here in the Republic derives from EC 561/2006, the European driver’s hours legislation which applies across the EC. These regulations have only one main purpose, and that is to obtain the safety of both the drivers and the public by minimising the risk of fatigue. It is now a well-established fact that driver fatigue will have been a contributory factor in the majority of road traffic accidents, but trying to get a driver to admit to driving while he feels tired is well-nigh impossible.

Drivers need to be persuaded that the regulations are truly for their benefit, and that complying with the regulations is not a sign of weakness. It seems clear that if

there is to be any change in the way in which these regulations are viewed by drivers the initiative will have to come from employers.

Employers should make it clear to their drivers that an explanation will be required for every breach of the regulations. The explanation may well be clear and straight forward but the very fact that the employer is looking for explanations should be enough to cause the drivers to be more concerned to comply with the regulations.

It is worth remembering that any reduction in the number of offences is likely to improve a company’s reputation with the RSA and, perhaps more importantly, to avoid any action being taken against the operator’s licence. It may be that the drivers will take a greater pride in their work and that fact will improve the company’s relationship with its clients.

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fleetMaritime: IRISH SHIPPING & FREIGHT

MARITIME I | 51

Compiled by Howard Knott Edited by Jarlath Sweeney email: maritime@fleet.ie

Volume 14, No. 2 Spring 2019

There’s something familiar about…..

Kaitaki loading at Picton

Kaiarahi

Strait Feronia

T

ake a look at these three photos.

Each of the ferries operates two daily round-trips across the Cook Strait between New Zealand’s capital, Wellington on the North Island and the Harbour at Picton. The Kaitaki and the Strait Feronia are pictured at Picton while the Kaiarahi is at Wellington.

At one time these vessels operated out of Ireland!

The services linking the two islands are operated by two lines, The KiwiRail owned Interislander Company with the Kaitaki, the Kaiarahi and a third vessel, New Zealand’s only train ferry, the Aratere and Bluebridge Ferries with a two-vessel fleet. The Cook Strait is where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet and sea conditions there can be tough.

All three of the vessels pictured were built during the 1990’s and placed by their then owners on Irish Sea services where they operated for a number of years. The Kaitaki was built in Holland in 1995 and joined the Irish Ferries fleet as the Isle of Innisfree, initially on the Dublin-Holyhead route before moving to take over the Rosslare-Pembroke service when the Isle of Inishmore entered service. In 2002, Irish Ferries brought the Ulysses onto the Dublin-Holyhead service,

displacing the Isle of Inishmore onto the Rosslare run and the Isle of Innisfree went on charter to P&O Ferries sailing at the Pride of Cherbourg on their Cross-Channel routes until P&O withdrew from a number of its ferry operations in 2005. The charter to P&O continued through to 2016 but it sub-chartered the vessel to the Interislander company and she took up service on its Cook Strait service having been renamed Kaitaki.

In 2016 the P&O charter ended and Irish Ferries sold the vessel to Interislander.

Interislander’ s Kaiarahi was launched in 1999 as the Dawn Merchant. She was one of four sisterships introduced by Norse Merchant on their Dublin-Liverpool and Belfast-Liverpool services. One of the sisters, launched as Midnight Merchant currently sails for P&O Ferries on their DublinLiverpool service having been renamed European Endeavour.

The Dawn Merchant left the Irish Sea in 2005 and sailed for a variety of owners and under a variety of names in the Mediterranean and Bay of Biscay before moving to New Zealand in 2013 to take up service with Interislander.

She was then re-named Kaiarahi.

As the Dawn Merchant left the Irish sea in 2005 the vessel that had sailed from her time of building in 1997 for Norse Merchant

Ferries as the Mersey Viking on the BelfastLiverpool route arrived in Dublin and took up service for Norfolk Line Irish Sea Ferries as the Dublin Viking. In 2010, DFDS took over the Norfolk Line ferry operations on the Irish Sea but dropped them a year later.

Stena Line bought the vessel re-naming her Stena Feronia. She was then bought by Ferry Lines Ltd., in 2015 and re-named Strait Feronia as she entered the Bluebridge Ferries, Cook Strait service.

The ferry Aratere is the only Interislander ferry that was specifically built for that service and her main vehicle deck can accommodate freight trains using the four tracks laid out there, in addition to trucks and cars. The mainline rail gauge in New Zealand is a very narrow 1.07 metres and the network is almost entirely a freight carrier.

An update on Le Rif which was the subject of February’s “something familiar” piece.

The periodical Ferry & Cruise Review has reported that following completion of her major refit earlier in 2018 the vessel was laid up at the Italian Port of La Spezia where, in late October, she broke her moorings and caused substantial damage to other boats and equipment. An owner of one of the damaged craft has secured a Court Order for her arrest leaving her operating future in doubt.

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52 | MARITIME II

PORT PORTALS The Chinese Avic Weihai Shipyard launched Stena Line’s Stena Estrid in January. Th is is the first of up to a dozen similar vessels being build at the yard for the Stena organisation under the designation of the E-Flexer Class.

The Stena Estrid will now be fitted out for service as a day ferry operating on the Dublin-Holyhead route. She is intended to displace the Superfast X in early 2020, though a late 2019 introduction has been mentioned.

As part of the line’s preparation for Brexit P&O Ferries has re-flagged its six vessel Dover based fleet from the UK register to the Cypriot register. The planned change has been severely criticised by trade unions and others who are seeking assurances from the company that working conditions for the personnel aboard the ships will not be downgraded following the change.

Spirit of Britain

Stena Explorer in Dun Laoghaire

CLdN Ro-Ro has taken delivery of Laureline, the fi rst of four sisterships built for them by Hyundai Mipo in South Korea and she has taken up service on their Rotterdam-UK routes. All four of the 50,000 tonne vessels are expected to be in service by the end of Summer 2019.

Stena Estrid Float Ceremony Mazarine

The High-Speed ferry (HSS) delivered to Stena Line in 1996 as the Stena Explorer and which sailed from then until 2014 on the Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire route is reported to be back on the sales market. The vessel, which was built at a cost of £65m, was sold, following her withdrawal from service, to the Turkish company Karadeniz Holdings and was delivered to its Turkish base. The company planned to develop the ferry into a mobile office but has now put the vessel back on the market with an asking price of $6.5 million. The Stena Explorer’s two sisterships have been scrapped.

CLdN Ro-Ro SA has now deployed dedicated vessels to operate on the direct RotterdamDublin trade route offering an increase from three to four sailings in each direction, while improving the spread of the sailings and increasing capacity. Th ree of the sailings are operated by Ro-Ro vessels, departing from Rotterdam on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and from Dublin Thursday, Saturday and Monday. In addition, one LoLo vessel will sail ex Rotterdam on Saturday and ex-Dublin on Tuesday.

The company stated that this expansion will allow customers to maximize equipment turnaround without having to rely on land-

bridge solutions going forwards, thereby strengthening the direct Irish Continental trade.

The Zeebrugge-Dublin service will for the present time remain as per today, but the intention is to develop this route also, as additional tonnage comes on line, which will be advised in due course. CLdN operates a “hub and spoke” system under which, for example, trailers being shipped ex-Dublin can be transferred at Zeebrugge, in the main, onto vessels sailing to Scandinavian and Iberian ports without the need for them to be moved to another terminal Benelux.

The German Ferus Smit Leer shipyard has launched the 16,000 deadweight tonnes bulk cargo vessel Arklow Wind for Arklow Shipping. The introduction of these larger vessels is a further stage in the broadening of the range of vessel sizes in the County Wicklow based shipowner’s fleet which now numbers in excess of fi ft y vessels.

Irish Ferries has locked horns with the National Transport Authority (NTA) over that body’s insistence on observance of its interpretation of an EU regulation that would lead to compensation being paid to those intending passengers whose sailings on board the W.B. Yeats in 2018 were cancelled. The case has now gone to the High Court and, if they lose there, Irish Ferries stated that it could take the case as far as the European Court of Justice. Irish Ferries, in a statement also said: “Ongoing discussions with the NTA on the interpretation of EU regulation has been a critical factor in regretfully concluding that we are unlikely to operate the Oscar Wilde to France out of Rosslare in 2019 – a service which has been in operation continuously for 45 years, providing the South East of the country with an important tourism and freight link directly to the European market. The NTA’s approach to the Regulation has contributed to making the route commercially unviable into the future. Furthermore, the NTA interpretation of the EU Regulation specifically regarding landbridge (i.e. travel between Ireland to France through Britain),

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MARITIME III | 53 significantly penalises regional ports due to their lower frequency of back up ferry services from Ireland to the UK in the event of a cancellation of a direct Continental service.”

On 14 March, Irish Ferries switched the vessels Epsilon and W.B. Yeats with the former taking up the Dublin-Holyhead service and the latter running between Dublin and Cherbourg three times weekly.

The reduction of passenger capacity on the central corridor route arising from this change is being met with the re-introduction into service of the fast ferry Dublin Swift. In the course of the winter overhaul for Dublin Swift her capacity to carry vans and light commercial vehicles has been extended.

From 27 May, capacity on the DublinCherbourg route will be further increased by the W.B. Yeats moving onto seven round-trip sailings a fortnight for the summer season.

Th is schedule and introduction of the W.B. Yeats adds 35% passenger capacity and 50% to freight capacity to the Irish Ferries direct sailings to France.

Irish Ferries Managing Director said: “Th is is a significant investment in the Ulysses, which we know is a much-loved ship for both freight and tourism traffic. We are delighted to see her return to service to continue to provide the comfort and reliability that our customers expect from the Irish Ferries fleet.”

The recently reported trading figures for Dublin Port show that cargo volumes hit record levels for the fourth year in a row with growth of 4.3% to reach a new record 38.0m gross tonnes in 2018. Th is brings overall growth at Dublin Port in the five years since economic recovery began in 2013 to +35.7%.

To facilitate future growth, Dublin Port continues to invest in new infrastructure based on its Masterplan 2040 and a €1 billion ten-year programme of works is underway.

The company invested €93 million in port infrastructure in 2018 and plans to invest a further €147m during 2019.

Ulysses upgrade

Le Havre port

Dublin Port Pilot with Tall Ship

Dublin Swift

The vessel Ulysses has undergone an upgrade costing €4 million at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside. The four-week job included substantial work involving new propellers and rudder components, items that had given trouble during the 2018 season and caused many missed sailings.

Speaking about the upgrade Andrew Sheen,

Rouen and Paris under the management of a single Port Authority, effective January 2021. Th is will facilitate the promotion and development of the Seine Seaports and hinterland as a single logistics space and a multimodal gateway for global imports and exports. The proposal comes following similar changes in management of ports on the Mediterranean and on the River Rhone.

Commenting on the results, Dublin Port CEO Eamonn O’Reilly said: “Dublin Port is the country’s most important port for Ireland’s import and export trades handling 84% of all containers and freight trailers in the Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo cargo modes. In recent years we have seen huge additions to shipping capacity on services linking Ireland directly to Continental Europe to the extent that two and a half times more freight already moves on direct routes to Continental Europe than goes via the UK landbridge.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Low Sulphur Rule which limits the sulphur content of bunker fuel for ships or all types and in all locations to a maximum of 0.5% instead of the current 3.5% in operation on most routes is causing difficulties for Shipping Lines on a number of fronts. Questions surround the availability of low sulphur fuel, the risk that increased demand for such fuel will impact diesel fuel prices for all forms of land transport, and the likelihood that Service Operators may struggle to secure freight rates that will compensate them adequately for the extra costs.

Norcape Tipperary

The French Government has announced plans to put the HAROPA Ports of Le Havre,

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54 | MARITIME IV

Is the cruise business a cuckoo in the nest for the Port industry?

I

n the course of a commentary on the Port’s 2018 traffic figures Dublin Port stated:”Dublin Port’s cruise business grew again with 150 cruise ship arrivals (compared to 127 in 2017) and growth of 32% in visitor numbers. The average size of cruise ship increased yet again reaching 50,085 gross tonnes in 2018, an increase of +10.6% compared to the previous year.”

Taken in isolation that may seem to be very good news with more and larger vessels flooding into the Capital’s Port. However, in the course of a subsequent conversation with The Sunday Independent, Dublin Port CEO Eamonn O’Reilly said that rising freight volumes and the need to create space on Port lands due to Brexit meant that trade just had to be prioritised over tourism. He went on to say, “that the cruise ship business would peak during 2019 and from 2021 we will be taking significantly less bookings for cruises.

Our primary business is freight and we are committed to our freight customers – that’s our core business. Last year, 8,000 ships used the port, just 150 were cruise ships ….. it’s a small part of our business.”

If the number of cruise tourists coming into Dublin Port is reduced over the coming years then there will be a reduction in earnings

for a number of the capital’s tourism-based businesses, coaching, shops etc., but there is some doubt that the industry’s figure of an average visitor spend of €80 might be a significant over-estimate with much of the excursion expenditure going to the Cruise Line. However, in order to keep Ireland on its list of destinations, Dublin’s move might push more calls to other ports and harbours. There is already a significant and growing number of calls for larger vessels each season to Cork, Bantry/Parknasilla and Killybegs while smaller vessels are calling at these and a number of other locations. While Southampton is the major British Cruise Port, a large proportion of the passengers are either joining or leaving the cruise there and the most-visited British Port is Invergordon where in 2016 134,000 cruise passengers went ashore.

Invergordon is on the Cromarty Firth, deep in the Scottish Highlands and far away from Killybegs Cruise any significant town or city.

Venice and Dubrovnik are introducing measures to reduce or halt the growth of cruise tourism at their facilities. In the case of Amsterdam, the city now levies a day tourist tax of €8 a day on visitors from cruise ships, other than those that are leaving or joining the vessel at the port. In Dubrovnik, from this year, the number of cruise ship dockings will be capped at two a day with a total of 5,000 visitors. In Venice there have been popular demonstrations against mass tourism and specifically, ”No Grandi Navi”- No Large Cruise ships.

While all of this is happening the global cruise industry continues to record annual growth of more than 6% and new vessels are being delivered from mainly European yards at a rate of one every three weeks, many of these with a guest capacity of between 5,000 and 6,000.

In future years the big engine for growth is likely to be the Asian Celeb Eclipse market as tourism booms with rising incomes.

A number of ports including Amsterdam,

Independent Consultant study shows that Dover Port has Brexit resilience

T

he consultants, Drewry maritime advisors has carried out a study of the Port of Dover’s resilience to the stresses likely to arise in a Brexit situation.

The study finds the Port would be able to cope with moderate Brexit induced disruption and that there is latent short-sea capacity to absorb significant overflow at the Port in the event of capacity constraints. The study conclusions included: • Dover Port capacity: Dover has the Border Control, check-in, embarkation area and berth capacity to cope with existing demand with some margin and could cope with a 50% increase in process times in key areas, although traffic peaks (a characteristic of the cross Channel

RoRo trade) would need to be managed; • Alternative routes and modes: If Dover were capacity constrained following Brexit, some cargo that did not require high frequency short transit services could be accommodated on unaccompanied trailer and short sea container services; supply chains would need to be redesigned. Studies carried out for the Port of Dover suggest that not more than 20% of existing traffic would be suitable for re-routing; • New Customs processes: New Customs processes are designed to keep traffic flowing through Dover but have not been widely tested.

If they work successfully, the new processes will avoid Customs becoming a bottleneck; • Check-in: Dover Port throughput capacity would be constrained in the

event of a doubling of check-in time from the present 2 minute to 4 minutes; • Vessel capacity: Vessel capacity is highly utilised; any significant delay to vessels, for example a doubling of port time in France, would lead to a reduction in service frequency and cause a bottleneck.

The recently announced British Government funding going to the Channel Tunnel Operator and to a number of Ferry Lines operating outside the Dover Straits would appear to be aimed at taking pressure off Dover and Calais Ports and the Ferry Companies, P&O and DFDS operating through them.

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56 | TRAILER

Schmitz Cargobull set to deliver for Ireland

E

urope’s largest trailer manufacturer and associated systems provider, Schmitz Cargobull, has set about to strongly demonstrate its commitment to the Irish market by establishing a stand alone subsidiary, reporting directly to its German parent. Over the past number of months following the appointment of Paul O’Ceallaigh as Regional Sales Manager Ireland, several pieces of the products and services jigsaw had to be pieced together.

Not only will the full range of Schmitz Cargobull trailers be available to existing and new customers, but also a broad spectrum of aftermarket services and solutions will be offered to ensure that clients remain on the road and profitable.

“It’s all about partnership - having the right products and people on board including customers, suppliers and partners,” began Alan Hunt, Managing Director, Schmitz Cargobull UK & Ireland at the official launch in Trim, County Meath. “Although we have a strong and loyal presence in Ireland for many years, full support to the Irish market is long overdue and today it could be said that it’s the start of a new venture for us.”

Paul O’Ceallaigh who has hit the ground running since his appointment in assuring that the right back-up is put in place, outlined the six after sales service agents stretching from Belfast to Cork along the North/East/ Southern seaboard with concentration on near-to-port locations. An announcement regarding the appointment of a service agent in the West in imminent. “The overall

investment in forming a stand-alone Irish division is down to loyalty to our customers and it’s my vision to get even closer to them and help bring their businesses going forward. Schmitz Cargobull has been making and delivering top quality products for over 125 years, with reliability the key factor, but should anything happen, we have the backup at home and abroad with 1,700 service partners across Europe working 24/7 - 365 days a year,” he said.

Under his Project Ireland agenda, the service element is enhanced by a dedicated spare parts supply from within Ireland, hereto-fore it was stocked from Warrington, England.

Product related information included the launch of the S.KO COOL Refrigerated trailer Version 7, making its debut in Ireland alongside the new Container Chassis, which has been redeveloped after a four year absence from the market. Added value systems from Schmitz Cargobull’s Smart Trailer Technology cover everything

from connectivity (that includes remote diagnostics and preventative maintenance) to full blown telematics programmes that can keep the load temperature controlled and secure. Mentioning temperature control, Schmitz’ fully integrated refrigeration system on its box trailers has huge sales growth potential, according to Paul.

Representing Schmitz Cargobull AG from company headquarters was Boris Billich, Sales Director who highlighted to the gathering the company’s long and rich heritage, while Steve Vincent, Head of Aftermarket outlined the service partner network developments. From a customer/ operator perspective Glen Morgan presented the experience as Fleet Manager at Dixon Transport in dealing with Schmitz Cargobull.

Simon Mols, Sales Manager, Telematics and Services rounded up the day’s product information sequences. Attendees were then invited for product demonstrations from the range of trailers on display outside the Knightbrook Hotel venue.

Quick supply a key factor on the Kel-Berg deal with Encirc Ltd

N

ine new Kel-Berg T100 alloy tipping trailers have been supplied to to Encirc Ltd., in Northern Ireland.

Fermanagh headquartered glass manufacturer Encirc is a fi rst time customer for Kel-Berg Trailers & Trucks Ltd., and needed the trailers on a quick delivery. Using KelBerg’s extended facilities in Oxfordshire, all nine were built, customised, painted and delivered by the Kel-Berg team within just 4 weeks of order.

Commenting on the quick supply Martin McGoldrick at Encirc said: “Encirc decided to go with the Kelberg T100 tippers as their Half Pipe tippers have been operating with hauliers for many years and are tried and tested product. After looking at many manufacturers we went with the T100 Alloy Tipper as it was light FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

weight and helped increase our payload by an average of 1 tonne per trailer which in turn will reduce our carbon impact by almost 18,000 tonnes per year. Kelberg were also able to deliver all trailers in a short lead time to meet our delivery schedule.”

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

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58 | SOAPBOX

Become active at the 46th AGM of the Irish Road Haulage Association

T

he news that European Parliament Vice President Mairead McGuinness MEP (pictured) is to be the guest of honor at the 46th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) confi rms the position of the road transport body’s influence in both the national arena and the European Union (EU). That recognition on a national scale was confi rmed by the presence of An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar at the 45th AGM last year.

Th is recognition does not come easily, as someone involved in the organization and the industry in general knows, and over many years, we have found it difficult to get anyone to represent the body politic at our AGMs. Indeed our President Michael D Higgins was unable to attend our conference in Galway when he was Lord Mayor of the city. In those days the State saw itself as the primary mover of freight and found it very difficult to recognize the role of the private sector that it had legislated virtually out of existence in the 1920s in order to protect the State owned railways that was a fading dominant position. Change came only when EU membership forced it.

Today our role is legislated primarily by the EU with national enforcement (or lack of it) down to national authorities known as subsidiarity. Regarding the EU, the IRHA has established its own representation in Brussels with Eurotran, which has proven vital with major legislation such as the Mobility Package and the Driver CPC. As a small island nation what tends to arrive on our doorstep is something far more suited to the needs of Franco/German industry.

However, there have been some gains and more importantly at Transport Committee level in the European Parliament recognition that one size does not fit all. That recognition was signed sealed and delivered by the invitation of IRHA President Verona Murphy to address the Parliament. Ms. Murphy was accompanied by committee members David McArdle, John Nolan and General Secretary Tony Goodwin at meetings in Brussels and Geneva to discuss Brexit issues.

Back at base, while much work has been undertaken the outstanding success has been the work of Paul Jackman in piloting through the IRHA Traineeship Programme in the South East, which later this year will be extended to the North West. It is vital to bring more young people into the workforce.

In my view the greatest challenge to our industry over the years is not necessarily from competition, rather it comes from bureaucracy.

Bureaucrats do not intend necessarily to be obstructive (in most cases), however their decisions are based on paperwork assessments delivered by in many cases “Consultants” - paid a substantial fee rather than the messy task of dealing with actual operators themselves. We then have to appeal to the various EU Commissioners and Ministers to get decisions reversed or changed, for example, extention of the

TRANSPORT www.fleet.ie

Engaging Connectivity FLEETTRANSPORT | APRIL 19

42 tonne GVW limit. These Ministers can at times be like ‘Failing Grayling’ in that we have our own ‘Shankill Shane’ who has absolutely no interest in keeping the wheels of the industry turning. So the needs of industry rest ultimately on the hard work of the IRHA. Brexit has this year led the membership to keep the current Management Team of the IRHA in situ. While I do not disagree under the circumstances, it is true that without organic change our organization will not thrive. I have attended so many meetings at which I have heard articulate comment from the floor and wondered why at branch level their names have not come forward for office? It is our own internal challenge, not down to anyone else but ourselves to keep the IRHA alive. Branch Chairs who take the easy road and accept their own reoccurring nomination are harming the IRHA, their job is to either progress higher up the ranks or identify the new blood that will. To that new blood, the reward of office and high office in the IRHA will bring personal growth and rewards that sometimes will not be apparent until time has passed but they will come.

If you have pride in what you do, working hard and keeping a good fleet on the road, and you are concerned with the issues that dominate your work, please become active in the IRHA - that is your challenge.

If you have something to say, say it at the 46th AGM and consider running for office in the IRHA Committee.

AWARDS 2020 Text: Jerry Kiersey - jerry@fleet.ie

Ashbourne Truck Centre, Ballymadun, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, Ireland Tel: 00353 18350573 Josef: 0035387 255 66 77 Sarah J: 0035386 255 66 77

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Close Brothers | Modern Merchant Banking Close Brothers Limited (being a UK registered private limited company and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 907899), trading as (and having as registered business names) Close Brothers Asset Finance, Close Brothers Commercial Finance, Close Brothers Premium Finance Ireland, Close Brothers Motor Finance and Braemar Finance, is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00195626. Directors: M. Biggs (UK), O. Corbett (UK), P. Duffy (UK), G. Howe (UK), L. Jones (UK), E. Lee (UK), B. Macaskill (UK), M. Morgan (UK), P. Prebensen (UK) and A. Sainsbury (UK). Close Brothers Invoice Finance and Close Brothers Commercial Finance are registered business names of Close Invoice Finance Limited, a UK registered private limited company (and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 908024). UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00935949. Directors: J. Brown (UK), C. McAreavey (UK), A. Sainsbury (UK), I. Steward (UK), D. Thomson, (UK).