Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
5.6.17
the NEXT GENERATION SCANIA
PREMIUM REDEFINED CONGR ATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST
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NEWS INSIDE Lucky seven
Kinaxia acquires Maiden’s in seventh deal in five years p3
Purchasing power
Gatemore adds to shares to halt DX Menzies deal p6
Future freight
Governments should plan for autonomous trucks p8
Under pressure
Are PCNs just another business expense? p10
OPERATORS IN THIS ISSUE Absolutely ............................................p3 Clipper Logistics....................................p9 DHL Supply Chain .................................p3 DX Group ..............................................p6 Great Bear Distribution ........................p12
Freight industry is not ready for relaxation of rules, says FTA
EU proposes to relax cabotage By Carol Millett
The EU is proposing to relax cabotage rules to allow HGVs on foreign runs to make unlimited deliveries and drop offs over five days rather than the existing limit of three internal movements in a member state over seven days. The proposal is contained in the EU’s Mobility Package, announced last week. Another key proposal is for drivers working out of their home countries for more than three days to be paid the local minimum wage to prevent so-called “social dumping” by operators based in low-wage countries such as Poland and Romania. This saw protests outside the EU’s headquarters in April. Other proposed changes include a ban on drivers taking their weekly 48-hour rest in their cabs, the removal of the need for transport companies
NOT SO SOCIAL: Transport workers protest against ‘social dumping’ in front of EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Image: Wiktor Dabkowski
to keep a representative in countries through which their drivers are travelling, and a cut in the level of evidence needed to prove drivers are being paid the local minimum wage. No reference was made to France’s plans to charge €40 (£35) to foreign drivers travelling through France, which is being challenged under existing EU legislation.
FTA head of licensing policy James Firth raised concerns about the cabotage proposals. “Five days is a working week. This proposal allows total freedom of movement and is an extreme relaxation of current rules and a liberalisation for which the UK freight industry is not prepared, particularly considering the existing disparity in fuel duty.”
MT remembers former editor Former Motor Transport editor Andrew Brown has died, aged 62. Brown was editor of MT from 1995 to 2007. During his time, the Motor Transport Awards expanded significantly in size and scope to become the industry’s Oscars that we recognise today. Brown also recognised from an early stage a number of issues facing the haulage industry, including the Working Time Directive (WTD) and in the lead up to the legislation being enacted, organised a series of popular Motor Transport WTD Conferences. He was a staunch defender of MT’s independence and shepherded the title through the cost-cutting that followed the recession after 9/11 and the growth of online publishing. After stepping down from the editorship, Brown became special projects editor for the road transport titles for several years. He is survived by his wife Lu and children Joshua and Hannah.
Kuehne + Nagel...................................p12 Maiden’s of Telford ................................p5 Menzies Distribution .............................p6 Suttons Group .....................................p28
OUT OF THE RED: Europa Worldwide Group smashed through the £100m turnover barrier and returned to profitability in 2016. The group also boosted its turnover by a fifth. For the year ended 31 December 2016, Europa recorded turnover of £116.4m (2015: £96m). Pre-tax profit saw a significant jump last year, rising to £2.3m from a loss of £1.6m in 2015. Turnover increased in all divisions with year-on-year increases of 47% in warehousing and 17% in road transport. Europa said the year had seen the business recover from the “disruption” of the company's restructure in 2014/15.
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Show report: Microlise p14 Highwayman p18 Focus: Politics p20 Profile: Ryder p25 Interview: Suttons p28 MT Awards shortlists p32-38 Careers Hub p41
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