Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
18.10.21
NEWS INSIDE Not your scapegoat
PM plays skills blame game p3
Voice of experience
TPN names new ops director p4
DHL’s big ambition
3PL to train up 1,000 drivers p8
OPERATORS INSIDE Abbey Logistics............................................. p3 Bartrum Group .............................................p10 Booker Retail Partners .................................. p4 Connect Plus Services..................................p30 DHL Supply Chain.......................................... p8 Downes Transport ......................................... p4 Europa Worldwide......................................... p6 Great Bear Distribution.................................. p8 Hermes......................................................... p6 Hoyer Logistics.............................................. p3 Suckling Transport ........................................ p3 TPN .............................................................. p4 Walker Logistics........................................... p8 Wren Kitchens .............................................p28 Yodel............................................................. p3
EV DEAL: Volvo Trucks has received an order for 100 Volvo FM Electric trucks from shipping and logistics giant DFDS. The deal is said to be the largest to date for Volvo electric trucks, and one of the largest ever for heavy electric trucks worldwide. First deliveries to DFDS will start in the fourth quarter of 2022 and continue throughout 2023. The trucks will be used for short- and long-haul transport in Europe, although Volvo declined to say how many would be coming to the UK. The FM Electric can haul 44 tonnes and has a range of up to 300km. The first vehicle was handed over to DFDS by Volvo Trucks president Roger Alm (pictured above right with DFDS executive vice-president and head of logistics division Niklas Andersson) in August.
Pallet networks call for two-year break from Driver CPC requirements to reverse driver exodus
APN: suspend the Driver CPC By Chris Tindall
Pallet networks want to see the Driver CPC suspended for two years with a promise it will be reformed or abolished, in order to attract back a “mass exodus” of professional drivers. The Association of Pallet Networks (APN) also said allowing standard driving licence-holders to drive 7.5-tonne vehicles once again would help haulage operators recruit young candidates. APN chairman Paul Sanders said he “absolutely” agreed with Pallet-Track’s chief executive Caroline Green that a moratorium on the Driver CPC was a quick way of getting lapsed drivers back into the industry. Green told MT last month that it was already too late to save peak Christmas trading, but that suspending the Driver CPC could solve driver shortage problems in time for Easter 2022. “When we speak to experienced drivers that have gone through
some of the training for the CPC, they say the quality has been inconsistent,” Sanders said. “They really don’t think it’s been adding value to the cost and the time to have to do it. That has driven drivers to move away from the industry. There was a mass exodus when it first came into play. “A temporary holiday would definitely be an advantage. It would have to be a couple of years and an agreement that it’s reformed
or abolished,” he continued. Sanders added that putting the 7.5-tonne vehicle driving entitlement back onto car licences was also a good way of getting young people back into the industry. “For decades we saw it was an excellent training ground for young drivers,” he said. “7.5-tonnes is not a van, it’s a truck. “They learned the job and then operators invested in them and put them through further licences.
It was proven to be successful.” The government’s response to the driver crisis – introducing a temporary visa scheme – has been widely criticised by the industry; Sanders described it as “too little, too late” and Harinder Singh, MD of BJS Distribution Storage and Courier, called it a token gesture. “No one is going to come here for three months,” Singh said. “Immigration, movement of people – it only happens if people can improve their financial situation. “You are not going to leave your family unless it will make you all better off. “All we’re doing is costing the haulage family a bigger problem – you’ll end up having to pay a lot more money for the drivers temporarily. The long-term solution has to be immigration from countries struggling financially – not Europe, unless we are giving them longterm visas.” ■ For more industry reaction, see our Vox Pop on page 6.
News extra p12 Tip-Ex/Tank-Ex p14 Freight in the City p16 Viewpoint p20 Skills shortages p22 Hydrogen p26 MT Awards winners p28-35
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The GMB union has praised Yodel for “doing the right thing” and offering staff a pay increase that will see LGV drivers receive £16 per hour. The move comes after stormy negotiations saw 95% of members vote to take industrial action, threatening the supply chains of some of the UK’s biggest retailers, including M&S and Aldi. The union is still in discussions over some outstanding issues including the settlement of an employment tribunal affecting 137 employees, which Yodel has agreed in principle to resolve. “This is a great outcome for our LGV1 drivers at Yodel who before this earned some of the
Photo: Shutterstock
Union praises Yodel for backing down in LGV pay dispute
worst wages and endure less than satisfactory working conditions,” said GMB national officer Nadine Houghton.
“By standing strong and together, GMB members have held Yodel to account and helped the company realise the true worth of LGV drivers. “It took some time, but Yodel did the right thing and agreed to the pay rise. Our members will now vote on the new offer and strike action may yet be avoided. “If anyone ever doubted the worth of being in a union, they need only read this story.” n Yodel is looking to recruit 4,311 staff as it prepares for the peak season and a further surge in online shopping. The roles are across the company’s 50 depots and include couriers, parcel sorters and warehouse operatives.
‘Government policies, not industry’ responsible for driver shortages
Sector hits out at PM’s blame game By Carol Millett
Haulage operators have accused the Prime Minister of attempting to scapegoat the industry for the petrol pump crisis after failing to heed their warnings of a serious supply chain issues months ago. The industry criticism follows comments made by Boris Johnson on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show earlier this month. He said that for “decades” the haulage industry “was not investing in the truck stops, not improving conditions, not improving pay. “We relied on very hard-working people who were willing to come in largely from European Accession countries to do that work under those conditions,” he said. Steve Granite, Abbey Logistics chief executive (pictured right), was one of several hauliers to reject
Johnson’s claims. “It is a tactic to deflect the blame onto the sector and it is infuriating,” he said. “The driver shortage is a result of Brexit, which lost us over 10,000 drivers, combined with the delays to the HGV driving tests during Covid-19, which lost us another 30,000 drivers and the government’s IR35 tax rule changes, which also lost us many European drivers who could no longer operate as limited companies. “We have increased our pay rates by double digits and brought in better facilities and conditions for our drivers, but there are not enough drivers out there to meet demand. The government has to put drivers on the skills shortage list. They have to accept that their immigration policy since Brexit does not match the needs of the UK economy.”
Meanwhile, The RHA has given a cautious welcome to the government’s decision to set up an industry taskforce to advise on the UK’s supply chain crisis led by former Tesco chief Sir David Lewis. However, they warned that ministers must not use it as a “smokescreen” to hide a lack of action.
Hoyer UK reports huge interest in tanker driver roles Hoyer UK has taken on additional staff to process the flood of applications it has received from people wanting to work as tanker drivers, following the petrol pump crisis. The company is seeking around 50 drivers and had been struggling to fill the vacancies. The fuel haulage sector as a whole is estimated to be short of approximately 500 tanker drivers. 18.10.21
A spokeswoman said: “We have had a huge volume of applicants, so much so that we have had to take on extra HR staff as we are so overloaded.” She added that the crisis has also highlighted the pay levels of tanker drivers, which have risen in the sector as demand continues to outstrip supply, with some being paid over £50,000 a year.
Suckling looks forward after pandemic woes Turnover at Suckling Transport fell by £9.4m last year due to a reduced demand for road fuels, coupled with a partial reduction in long-term contractual business. In its latest results, the Essexbased haulage contractor said prompt decision-making regarding resource levels, significant cost controls and reliance on the furlough scheme ensured the pandemic had a limited impact on its business. Pre-tax profit for the year ending 31 December 2020 reduced by 76.9% to £283,000. The company said that despite the challenges, it had been able to widen its customer base and increased revenue with a key customer. It also managed to boost growth and customer take-up in its wider customer service offering, such as order taking, scheduling and stock management. Suckling said: “With stringent control and close monitoring, the cash position for the business remained strong during 2020 with no requirements for external funding. “The company continued to invest in new vehicles and trailers during the year to ensure we maintain a modern and efficient fleet with the latest safety features. “The trading outlook for 2021 appears positive as Covid-19 restrictions begin to be lifted and volumes start to improve and the company is well positioned to respond to these improving market conditions.” MotorTransport 3
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Richards appointed as operations director following lengthy search
Industry veteran adds experience in TPN role By Carol Millett
me was the culture and embedded values of the business. It’s a busy environment, but it’s clear that TPN people are happy to be here and strive for excellence because they believe in it. “TPN has a young and promising operations team and I am excited about the opportunity to help them grow and develop.” MD Mark Kendall said: “Finding
Downes Transport reunites with its Pallet-Track ‘family’ Downes Transport has returned to Pallet-Track just over a year after it left the network for UPN. The Wiltshire haulier said the return to the pallet network it had previously been a member of for 14 years was like “coming home to the family” and it commenced covering the SP postcode from 4 October.
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Downes Transport director Craig Downes (pictured with Pallet Track chief executive Caroline Green) said: “Like Pallet-Track, we pride ourselves on service and quality and we know this is a perfect partnership. “Being part of a network such as Pallet-Track gives us the strong footing we need to continue providing an outstanding service to our customers, in light of the unprecedented challenges our industry has faced over the last 18 months.” Green said she was delighted to welcome the haulier back. In 2020 Downes Transport left Pallet-Track and joined UPN after being given 12 months’ notice by the network. Pallet-Track declined to comment on the reasons behind this.
someone to fill your own previous position, who you trust will make it their own, is always a special kind of challenge. “I’m confident that Bob’s extensive experience and his obvious commitment to creating operations, which are values- as well as results-driven, will make him a huge asset to TPN and a great fit for our culture.”
The family of a man killed when a lump of concrete fell off a wagon and smashed through his windscreen are promoting the importance of securing loads. Steven Oscroft died last year when a rock fell from an HGV in Meden Vale, Nottinghamshire and landed on his car. Police arrested the lorry driver on suspicion of dangerous driving, but he was released without charge after a serious collision investigation concluded there were no offences against him or the haulage company, Paul Wainwright Construction Services. However, a coroner said action needed to be taken and he called on the DVSA to clarify legislation around securing loads. Gordon Macdonald, head of enforcement policy at the DVSA, said drivers, operators and consignors all play a part in safe loading. “DVSA is revising the guidance available on load security to ensure those involved in loading vehicles are fully aware of all safety requirements, and the implications of choosing to ignore the guidance,” he said.
Picture: Shutterstock
The Pallet Network (TPN) has appointed industry veteran Bob Richards (pictured) as operations director. Richards takes on the role that Mark Kendall vacated last January when he replaced Mark Duggan as MD. TPN’s new operations director will take responsibility for the day and night operations at its Minworth hub, and its regional hubs in Preston, Northampton and Coventry. Richards brings 30 years of experience to the role. Previous posts include general manager at David Hathaway Transport, divisional general manager at Palletways, general manager at Bidvest, and head of central operations at hygiene specialist PHS Group. He has also worked for Christian Salvesen, TDG, Heinz and Pall-Ex. Most recently, he ran his own logistics consultancy, Jacs Innovations. Richards said: “What impressed
Grieving family press for action on load security
Booker drivers agree new pay deal The threat of strike action among HGV drivers at Tesco-owned wholesaler Booker Retail Partners has been lifted after drivers accepted a new pay deal. The Unite union said industrial action was cancelled following a vote on the offer from the company. The long-running dispute involving all 40 drivers at Booker’s Thamesmead depot centred on what they claimed was a failure of the Tesco subsidiary to include them in a temporary £5 per hour pay uplift, which the company had
granted to drivers at its Hemel Hempstead site. Unite regional officer Paul Travers said its members voted “overwhelmingly” for the new pay deal. “It is a good deal that owes much to the solidarity that our members displayed during the dispute,” he added. “The details of the offer remain confidential. Our members are working normally and we wish to have a constructive dialogue with the management as we move forward.” 18.10.21
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VOX POP Should the Driver CPC be suspended and revised? Kevin Buchanan, group chief executive officer, Pall-Ex The most important thing is for government departments to get back to work and deal with the backlog of medicals and applications; this will create around 20,000 drivers. The CPC needs reforming in any event and was responsible for seeing a large number of older drivers quit when it was introduced. I would be in favour of a suspension for 24 months while it is reviewed and made more meaningful as part of creating a more structured career for drivers, which will help the perception of it as an option for young people. If we had a licence grading system right up to graduate, which entitled the driver to be paid more as they became more qualified, this would help create a clear career path and also reduce insurance costs for operators when they employ the highest-graded drivers. Stuart Charter, MD, Aztek Logistics No logistics business would oppose the suspension or a permanent moratorium on the CPC as it was this EU regulation that probably did most to create the driver
shortage in the first instance. It created one regulation too many for a large swathe of drivers who simply retired or got out of the industry when faced with having to review their competence every five years – as well as pay for the privilege! It is also ironic that it has taken the government – so keen on jettisoning what it sees as Eurocratic red tape and retaining sovereignty over our law-making post-Brexit – this long to recognise this as a potential solution. Moreton Cullimore, MD, Cullimore Group The drivers’ CPC as a shortterm measure should be suspended for 6-12 months. In the experience of my company, it would allow a couple of drivers to return to work more quickly at a time when we need everyone we can get. These drivers are experienced and took a step back during the Covid-19 lockdowns to be with their families due to age and their higher risk level. It would allow them to return more quickly. The whole drivers’ CPC is a main contributing factor into the attrition rate of people leaving this job and seriously needs to be looked at. I am all for training, but the way it is imposed and taught is antiquated and not effective in today’s industry. To deal with the shortage problem we will
need several such measures, many of which are contained within the RHA’s 12-point plan on this subject sent to government back in June. Clive Brooks, MD, ABE (Ledbury) I am a supporter of the DCPC in general, although I believe the ‘refresher’ hours should be reduced to make it more practical. We had many enquiries from retired drivers, in response to Baroness Vere of Norbiton’s letter to all HGV licence holders, looking for some part-time work, but they were all put off by the need to complete 35 hours of DCPC. It would be a great short-term help to have the need to hold a Driver Qualification Card suspended, on the basis that the employer has a robust induction process. Bob Terris, chairman, Meachers Anything that improves the availability of drivers would be helpful. In the long term the whole situation with licensing, CPC and training needs to be reviewed. We should not overlook the very substantial amount of money our industry pays into the training levy, which could be recycled to improve the spend on driver training.
Europa Showfreight lands win treble as crowds return
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Europa Showfreight, a division of Europa Worldwide Group, has signed three events partnership deals with exhibition agency Human Built, event organiser Prysm Group and aircraft supplier AV Buyer. The deal with Human Built will see Europa Showfreight deliver logistics for the agency’s entire event portfolio, including shows such as EMEX 2021 and AM Live 2021, which take place at ExCeL London in November. Exhibition organiser Prysm Group has appointed Europa Showfreight as the sole official logistics contractor for several of
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its events to provide worldwide transportation solutions, temporary and permanent imports, unloading and reloading, on-site handling and empty case storage. Upcoming events include Farm Business Innovation and Holiday Park, both taking place at the NEC, in Birmingham in November. Europa Showfreight will also be the official logistics provider for the White Label World Expo at Excel, in London in March 2022. AV Buyer, which offers a range of aircraft for sale, has selected Europa Showfreight as its logistics partner for the 2022 Aeroexpo and Rotortech shows at Cotswold Airport next June. n Europa Worldwide Group has promoted Europa Road’s northern regional sales manager Adrian Redmile to the role of branch network and sales director. He replaces Dionne Redpath, who has become chief operating officer.
Hermes gets ready for festive season with new southern sites Parcel delivery giant Hermes UK is set to open a new distribution depot in Test Lane, Southampton ahead of the peak season. The company said the 118,000sq ft facility will create 20 new permanent, full-time jobs and over 80 seasonal temporary jobs. It will be opened as Black Friday and the Christmas peak period approaches. The new facility will be able to handle over 180,000 parcels each
day and has the ability to operate around the clock seven days per week. Hermes is also opening a new distribution depot in Valor Park, West Thurrock. Over 60 permanent jobs have been created at the 157,000sq ft warehouse, which will be able to handle over 220,000 parcels per day and will also have the ability to operate around the clock when needed. 18.10.21
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DHL Supply Chain says training and benefits programme could get 1,000 new drivers on the road
Grand ambition for 2022 DHL Supply Chain has launched Driving Ambition, a new training programme that aims to train 1,000 HGV drivers in 2022. Driving Ambition offers candidates free driver training worth up to £3,000 to obtain either a Category C or a C+E licence. The programme is open to new recruits with no commercial driving experience through to those wanting to upskill from a C licence. Training will take place at dedicated centres set up in the South East, Avonmouth, Crick, Worksop and Bellshill. All new employees will be invited to join DHL’s pension scheme, along with accessing a range of exclusive benefits such as mortgage advice, online tutor-
ing for children and a free online GP service, plus retail and supermarket discounts of up to 10%. Marks & Spencer has backed the programme and is inviting its staff to take the opportunity to retrain. The programme has already been trialled with internal candidates, with 250 people completing it so far. Ian Clough, MD of transport at DHL Supply Chain UK, said: “New recruits will be welcomed into the wonderfully diverse DHL family and we’re very much encouraging applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as those under-represented in the industry, such as women and the ex-military.”
Majority of HGV test sites still battling long delays
PEDAL POWER: Transaid and its supporters returned to the road last month as the charity enjoyed its first cycle ride since 2018. On Friday 24 September and Saturday 25 September, a team of more than 30 riders from across the transport and logistics industry completed the 170-mile ‘Way of the Roses’ challenge, cycling from Morecambe, Lancashire to Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, to raise £35,000 for its programmes.
Great Bear roars to bumper profit Great Bear Distribution increased turnover and profits again in 2020, as the company shrugged off any adverse impact from the coronavirus pandemic. The distribution and storage firm, which operates more than 400 HGVs and manages over 6 million sq ft of warehousing, reported revenues of £282m last year, up 6% from 2019. Pre-tax profit increased to £13m, up from £9.5m. Great Bear, which was bought by Culina Group in 2016, said it 8 MotorTransport
had taken all necessary steps to protect employees in the face of Covid-19, while maintaining business continuity. “The continuation of the Covid19 pandemic and its potential impact on the company is being continually monitored,” it added. “The directors have undertaken detailed planning and cashflow forecasting that has taken into account possible scenarios, allowing the company to continue to operate as a going concern throughout the pandemic to date.”
Almost two-thirds of HGV test centres are battling with waiting lists of at least 11 weeks, with several booked up for six months, according to a freedom of information (FOI) request. An investigation into how long the current driving test waiting periods are across the UK found 43 out of the 69 test centres around the country have a backlog of at least 11 weeks. Three, in Aberdeen, Lerwick and Machrihanish in Argyll, said customers were having to put up with 24-week delays. The FOI query, by Driver Hire Training, also revealed that
Cumbria, Isle of Wight and South Yorkshire were the counties with the shortest waiting times, averaging out to just one week. As the government overhauls the testing regime in a bid to get more drivers into the industry, Driver Hire said its study showed the average waiting time across all UK test centres was nine weeks. n Insurers cannot rule out a rise in premiums for hauliers as a result of the government’s plan to speed up HGV driving tests. More drivers with less experience on the roads is likely to lead to more accidents, they said.
Skirrow takes on Walker ops role Walker Logistics has appointed Adrian Skirrow (pictured) as its new head of operations, overseeing all administrative and operational processes at its Berkshire site. With over 20 years’ leadership experience, Skirrow has held senior operational positions across manufacturing and logistics. William Walker, MD of Walker Logistics, said: “Adrian has expertise and strength in areas that are key to us as a company and his extensive knowledge of the UK distribution and logistics market, together with his wealth of professional relationships, will be of great value to Walker and our clients.” 18.10.21
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MD reiterates that animal food manufacturer scheme is ‘unnecessary’
RHA in ‘safe’ row By Chris Tindall
The RHA has reiterated its hostility to a SafeContractor scheme promoted by AB Agri after the animal feed manufacturer used a quote by its policy MD Rod McKenzie seemingly encouraging hauliers to sign up. Last year the association criticised the food giant for holding its hauliers to ransom by making them sign a scheme operated by risk management firm Alcumus, which requires firms to pay a fee to be assessed on a list of health and safety requirements and undergo two audits before qualifying. AB eventually backed down, but the situation became inflamed again after it used a quote attributed to McKenzie claiming the scheme was “an exciting prospect” and that he looked forward to its “successful development”. McKenzie told MT that he met with AB Agri in June, where he
told the firm the RHA was committed to best practice and that it would support any scheme that improves safety. “It was fairly bland and general,” he said. “But it’s used it and not in a positive way. I wouldn’t have minded being quoted in a general state-
Energy Saving Trust, the Department for Transport and Zemo Partnership have relaunched the online Freight Portal, providing greater support to operators to reduce carbon emissions and fuel bills The revamped portal contains information on vehicle adaptations, training courses, and telematics systems. It also now includes new case studies, worked costings examples, and new tools that provide further free and impartial advice Visit the portal today and sign up for updates here:
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ment of safety in our industry.” McKenzie said the RHA maintained that the scheme was unnecessary. “If you have an O-licence it’s a badge of honour, and from a traffic commissioner’s point of view, it is all that needs to be done to ensure safety and best practice.”
Bartrum profit up 53% in 2020 East Anglian family haulage firm Bartrum Group has weathered Brexit, driver shortages, extortionate agency rates and the pandemic to deliver a 53% rise in pre-tax profit in 2020. In its latest annual results to 31 December 2020, the group reported that while revenue had fallen to £26.1m (2019: £31m), pretax profit had risen to £2.3m (2019: £1.5m), aided by falling sales and administration costs. The company, which is a Hazchem and Pallet Track member, operates a fleet of approximately 150 trucks and 300 trailers from its headquarters in Eye, East Anglia, and employs 235 staff. MD Robert Bartrum said: “We have seen a busy year, despite Brexit and Covid-19, the fuel crisis and the effect of IR35 on the driver shortage. But we feel that we have turned a corner.” He added that the group has taken on a number of drivers who have returned to the industry, lured by the rise in rates and improved conditions.
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Sharp rise in cost of ammonia production could have serious consequences for AdBlue prices
A bad case of the blues? By Steve Banner
AdBlue prices look set to rise by 5p to 8p per litre over the next few weeks, UK producer NoxDown has warned. “It’s because the price of industrial urea, AdBlue’s main ingredient and responsible for most of its cost, has almost doubled,” commented NoxDown director Joe Tuohy. “It’s gone up by £200 a tonne.” Major AdBlue maker Yara has already announced a 5p per litre price hike, which it has described as a temporary surcharge. Rugby, Warwickshire-based Sam’s Transport, which supplies AdBlue as well as providing haulage and warehousing services, has just put the price up by 4p per litre – its first increase for a year. The price surge is occurring because a sharp increase in the wholesale cost of natural gas has led to a cut in ammonia production.
Production worries
Ammonia is a key constituent of automotive urea, and manufacturing it consumes large quantities of energy. As a consequence Yara, which also produces ammonia and fertiliser, has slashed its European ammonia output by 40%. It has said that it cannot rule out curtailing AdBlue production “where necessary”. High energy costs recently caused US-owned CF Industries to stop making ammonia in the UK, but it has recently restarted with government financial
LOOKING AHEAD: Yara chief executive officer Svein Tore Holsether believes importing ammonia from outside Europe could be the way forward
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support. Westminster’s backing was primarily driven by its need to ensure the company also kept making CO2 for use by the food industry. Soaring shipping rates have also helped to push up the price of urea, said Tuohy. “We don’t make automotive urea in the UK, so we have to import it,” he explained. “At NoxDown we charter a ship and bring in 3,000 tonnes every six to eight weeks.” NoxDown blends 12 million litres of AdBlue annually. “Given what’s happening, we’re telling our customers that the price will have to go up,” commented Tuohy’s fellow director, James Spencer. Both men are also directors of Portland Fuel, NoxDown’s majority shareholder, with Spencer serving as MD. Most hauliers had yet to be affected by any price rise at the time of writing and were not reporting any difficulties in obtaining the fluid. Tuohy said that at present, there was no indication of AdBlue supplies running short. Clive Brooks, MD of Herefordshire-based ABE (Ledbury) said: “Maybe I’m living in blissful ignorance, but I’ve not seen rates increase at all. We don’t get deliveries all that often though and we’ve got a fair bit of AdBlue in reserve.” Paul Richards, transport manager at West Bromwich, West
Midlands-based Transervice Express Transport, added: “We bulk-buy; we’re fine at present, we’ve not seen a price increase – the price has been consistent – but having said that we’ve not bought any during the past month.” The price increase will be felt more widely, however, as hauliers run out of the fluid and re-order, predicted Tuohy. He said it would be around six months before prices started to decline again. “I can’t see them falling this side of winter,” he observed.
Cost concerns
Hauliers are understandably more concerned about the cost and availability of diesel than they are about AdBlue. But rising prices could soon prompt them to scrutinise their invoices more closely to see how much they are paying for the latter too. As things stand – before the anticipated wave of price increases takes effect – some hauliers may pay as little as 20p per litre if they regularly buy their AdBlue in volume in a 1,000-litre IBC (intermediate bulk container). That could rise to 56p a litre if the fluid is purchased in a 5-litre jerry can. One well-known transport company in the north-east recently realised, however, that it was paying a hefty 89p per litre for AdBlue purchased by its drivers on service
station forecourts using a fuel card. That was well over double the price it was paying when it bought AdBlue for the dispenser in its yard. When challenged, the card company said it was the consequence of a 20% surcharge it had imposed (no reason was given for the imposition), which was then removed. It did not offer the aggrieved haulier a refund. Tuohy was not surprised by this tactic by a card company, and advised hauliers to check their invoices carefully. “Incidentally, it’s worth noting that the per-litre bulk price for AdBlue 10 years ago was 30p,” he remarked; so even with the latest increases, it will be cheaper in real terms than it was in 2011. Steps taken by Yara, the world’s larger ammonia trader, could provide some grounds for AdBlue price optimism. A report from Reuters states that it is starting to ship in ammonia from Trinidad, the USA and Australia because doing so is more cost-effective than producing it in Europe. Yara chief executive officer, Svein Tore Holsether commented: “We’re essentially using gas from other parts of the world to make that product and bring it into Europe. “We’re importing it from our other facilities – and those facilities are running full-blast.” ■ 18.10.21
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12/07/2021 14:11:03
Tip-Ex and Tank-Ex
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Transport News Northern Rewards winners revealed The inaugural Transport News Northern Rewards Breakfast proved to be a resounding success as 15 awards were presented to winners across the north of England. JOST claimed the coveted Tip-Ex Tank-Ex Innovation Award, sponsored by Iveco, for its KKS2 , an automated trailer coupling device that handles the entire coupling and uncoupling process via a remote control (pictured). The judges called KKS2 “genuinely groundbreaking” and a “game-changer”, as the design handles air, electrics and brakes, and improves safety and saves time. Paul Clayton, JOST GB’s UK technical sales and support manager, said: “The design improves safety, and that is what everyone wants.” Head to tip-ex.co.uk to see the full list of winners.
Top tips and tanks TIp-Ex and Tank-Ex burst back onto the scene in the Yorkshire town of Harrogate earlier this month for an action-packed three days of bulk haulage-focused content. It ranged from a busy conference schedule – including a keynote presentation from the traffic commissioner – through to four halls and outside displays of the latest trucks, tippers, tankers and technology
TC warns traction-only operators on trailer safety There has been “an explosion” in the number of traction-only operators during the pandemic, according to traffic commissioner (TC) for the north-east of England Tim Blackmore (pictured), speaking on the opening morning of the show. More than a quarter (28%) are traction-only operators, while half are choosing to run their own trailers. The remaining operators (22%) are hiring in their trailers, but the TC warned that there was a lot more risk being introduced in the trailer space as a result. “We’ve seen an explosion of traction-only operators during the pandemic. The trailer owner would normally be responsible for maintenance, however, the operator must still comply with the obligations,” Blackmore said. “So, if you hook up to someone’s trailer and incur a prohibition, it’s your licence that is getting hit. 14 MotorTransport
“There has to be a partnership between the traction-only operator and the trailer owner, and they must work together and be able to give the traction-only operator the assurances that it is roadworthy, including an in-date brake test,” he added.
Speaking at the inaugural Tip-Ex Transport Manager Briefing in Harrogate, Blackmore also noted that the pandemic had been particularly hard financially for operators, but that they must continue to report their situation to the traffic commissioners who will show understanding. “Throughout the pandemic we’ve been assisting operators, but we’ve only had 150 requests for periods of grace, which is probably nowhere near where it should be,” he commented. “Operators still need to tell us about material change and it’s a repute issue [if they don’t].” It’s not all doom and gloom, however: in a survey, 65% of respondents said they thought their fleets would increase in size throughout the year. “The sentiment is good – despite Brexit and Covid there is positivity in the industry,” noted Blackmore.
Construction range on show at MAN MAN was at Tip-Ex with a TGS 35.430 8x4 with day cab in the livery of PMW Quarries, bodied by L Townend. It’s one of various TGL, TGM, TGS and TGE-based construction vehicles that have been tested by numerous customers at a variety of locations across Britain and Northern Ireland as part of MAN’s ongoing construction vehicle roadshow. Also on display was a MAN TGL 8.190 4x2 day cab with Thompsons Roadmaster body. 18.10.21
Tip-Ex and Tank-Ex
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Spiralling raw materials costs leave bodybuilders struggling to price their products accurately
The spiralling cost of raw materials and long lead times for new truck chassis represent significant challenges for the UK’s tipper bodybuilders. “The price of steel has increased by 73% since January, and just about everything we do, from the bodies to the sheeting systems, is made of steel,” explained Simon Shields, director at Thompsons Group. “Meanwhile we will be waiting a year for the delivery of some chassis. I can’t get a price for steel in September 2022, so how can I quote for a body?” These sentiments are echoed by Toby Welch, director at Aliweld, who said he had experienced a 35% increase in the cost of aluminium in the past three months alone.
“We have just had an order for 15 tippers for January 2023. But how can we possibly give an accurate price?” he asked. Martin Hardman, UK sales and business development manager at Marshalls Truck Bodies, added: “Price rises are coming thick and fast from suppliers who normally increase on an annual basis. The difficulty is trying to second-guess what the price [of raw materials] will be when chassis are delivered in the third quarter of next year.” Crick Trailer Sales, which is experiencing lead times of six months, is in the same boat. Technical sales manager Scott Pagano said: “We don’t know what the price will be in six months, so we’re just projecting it at 10%. We
Photo: Shutterstock
Steel costs cause challenges have had to put a clause in the quotes to say that this is the price, but if materials prices go up, we’re just going to have to adjust it” “Every part of the supply chain is struggling,” said Wilcox Commercial Vehicles sales manager Jamie Boyce. “We can quote, but there’s no guarantee we can hold that price until next June.” But all of the bodybuilders we spoke to confirmed that their
customers were being cooperative with current price increases and projected rises. Hardman said: “We’re saying to customers, let’s get the chassis ordered, let’s reserve some build slots, and let’s have a conversation [about price] a quarter before we build them. It’s about trust, and with this industry at the minute, we have to trust each other more than ever.” “So far, customers have been very understanding,” confirmed Boyce. “None of us are going to be greedy and rip people off.” Crick Trailer’s Pagano added: “It’s a UK-wide situation, and the customers understand that. The knock-on will go to the man on the street.”
Vol-Tar mixes it up
X-WAY TO GO: Iveco showed the depth of its tipper range at Tip-Ex with examples of its new X-WAY tipper chassis and tipper grab, as well as the expanded Driveaway range of the Daily van.
The Vol-Tar is the world’s first volumetric asphalt mixer, designed and built in Yorkshire. The culmination of a two-year project by 29-year-old Sam Hunter, who has a background in volumetric concrete, the Vol-Tar can mix and deliver up to 20 different blends of asphalt using fresh or recycled base mixtures with a single operator. Deliveries from a single 100kg wheelbarrow up to 20 tonnes can be mixed on-board within five minutes of arriving on-site. The burner system for the 615kg bitumen tank can be fuelled by either red diesel or biofuel. With the benefit of zero waste, Hunter is counting on a UK market of 40 units in the first year. The Vol-Tar goes on sale at £375,000.
Volvo predicts rethink on tipper configurations
Evolution proves key for Renault
The electrification of road haulage will require the industry to rethink what the conventional tipper looks like, according to Volvo Trucks UK and Ireland product manager John Comer. Volvo will offer its first zero tailpipe emissions tipper in the first quarter of 2023, and according to Comer it will be a Tridem. He said moving from double front axles
Tip-Ex/Tank-Ex 2021 saw the UK premier of the new Renault T Evolution (left). The truck was launched virtually via the Euro Truck Simulator game earlier in the year, but this was the first time it had been seen in the metal. In addition to new LED headlamps and a revised honeycomb grille, the T Evolution features a number of interior improvements. These include a fully adjustable steering column, improved storage, a more comfortable bunk and better sound deadening. Later this month it will be joined by right-hand-drive versions of the new C and K Evolution construction trucks.
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will be necessary in order to free up enough space on the chassis for the batteries. Comer said another viable option might be switching from 8-leggers to 4x2 tractors pulling short trailers. “Another thing you may need to consider is whether you actually need double-drive,” he said, suggesting that a 6x2 rigid with a short drawbar trailer could also prove a popular electric option. He said this combination was already popular in Norway’s light construction sector. “The construction sector will need a complete re-evaluation as we work out how to get maximum payload with zero emissions,” he added.
■ Tip-Ex and Tank-Ex is moving to a new home at the brand-new Road Transport Expo launching next summer at Stoneleigh Park from 30 June to 2 July. MotorTransport 15
Freight in the City Expo
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Freight in the City Expo returned to London’s iconic Alexandra Palace last month in a bustling event full of the latest innovation aimed at city freight operators and a topical seminar programme. We’ve rounded up some of the highlights for you here, but for more you can also check out the event video at freightinthecity.com
Urban manoeuvres put E SMEs will need government help in switch to electric Much bigger government subsidies are needed before SMEs can meet zero emissions targets, according to industry experts speaking during a panel discussion at last month’s Freight in the City Expo. The lighter end of the truck market is due to switch from diesel by 2035, with HGVs to follow in 2040. But in an audience poll at the event, only 50% thought the freight and logistics sector would be ready for a diesel ban that soon. “The cost, and not knowing the full length cycle of the vehicle, scares the life out me,” said Tony Stuart (picured below),
16 MotorTransport
head of logistics operations support at Hovis. “There’s a lack of integration between operators and legislation from the top. It will cost more money unless we can find a magic way to extend vehicles’ lives from 5-7 years to 10-15, which is an alien concept to an operator today. But we’ll get there because we adapt well as an industry. We should be concentrating our efforts on getting that urban truck to do what we want it to do and to last longer. Then the bigger trucks will naturally follow.” DAF electric vehicle sales manager David Price agreed: “We need to increase competition, but we also need more significant investment,” he said. “We’ve been set the deadlines, but we’ve not been given the financial assistance from government to achieve them more quickly.” Zemo chief executive Andy Eastlake (pictured right) said the results of large-scale government trials would be crucial: “This is about the operator and manufacturer
and the energy provider all working together – plus the infrastructure provider, and indeed government and local government,” he said. “It’s a whole new complex integrated solution to our delivery challenge and we need to learn to do that effectively.” In a panel session on policy and fleet strategy, Natalie Chapman, Logistics UK head of policy, south, called for a clearer roadmap on zero emissions from government. “Manufacturers are creating vehicles for an international market,” she added. “We could be shooting ourselves in the foot in the UK because we’re at the back of the queue when it comes to availability. We need to make sure we have realistic targets. It’s not just about jumping from Euro-6 diesel to an electric 44-tonner. It’s great to be ambitious, but we see a lot of false statements out there about companies’ targets.” Delegates also heard from Neil Herron, chief executive of GRID Smarter Cities, which is easing kerbside delivery
pressures with the arrival of a digitised, dynamic and bookable kerb system. And in a session explaining how to take the first steps with electric CVs, MAXUS regional sales manager Mike Harran provided practical tips and debated the benefits of total cost of ownership versus leasing to spread the cost. Meanwhile, a fourth seminar session focused on how innovations such as hydrogen range extenders, solar mats and optimised charging are helping solve other challenges associated with urban deliveries.
18.10.21
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t EVs in focus
Freight in the City Expo
MAX IMPACT: Maxus used the show to display the merits of its two new platform 100% electric Maxus vans launched last year – the e DELIVER 3 and e DELIVER 9 – as well as to talk to customers about its expanding national dealer network. Designed from the ground-up for electric power only, the e DELIVER 3 is a small van, available in multiple variants and wheelbase options that can clock up to 213 miles on a single charge. It features a 92kW motor, with two battery options: 35kWh and 52.5kWh. The e DELIVER 9 has it all in terms of spec and space and illustrates the manufacturer’s focus on innovation, customisation and greener motoring. It is available in two sizes and with three battery options.
Bradshaw looks to EVs for last-mile deliveries Small electric vehicles seem destined to play a significant part in last-mile deliveries, and Bradshaw Electric Vehicles is set to benefit with its range from French manufacturer Goupil. The company displayed examples of its G2, G4 and G6 models at Freight in the City. With N1 type approval, all can be used on the road.
Not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ Volta moves from the drawing board to the real world with pre-production 16-tonner At Freight in the City two years ago, Volta Trucks showed a drawing of its proposed 16-tonne Volta Zero delivery truck. This year, the company was able to display a pre-production vehicle for the first time at the exhibition. After its London appearance, the vehicle was due to head across the channel to go to the Netherlands, Luxembourg and back to France. “We launched the truck on 3 September 2020,” explained Volta chief communications officer Duncan Forrester. “In that period of time, we’ve been on a tour of Europe, introducing the vehicle to a large number of customers in France, Spain, Germany Italy and the UK.” Volta has racked up over 1,000 vehicle demonstrations in that time and now has around 2,500 pre-orders for the truck, worth over €600m (£510m).The first series production model is due to roll off the production lines by the end of 2022. 18.10.21
Undoubtedly the smallest vehicle on display at Freight in the City was the if.Vehicles prototype, an electrically powered multi-modal last-mile delivery vehicle. It can be transformed from a light quadricycle to a powerassisted trolley by sliding the driving position away under the load bed. In power-assisted trolley mode it can be used in pedestrian areas to access collection and delivery points. “We don’t want to replace vans, we just want to make sure they are 100% efficient,” CEO Andrew Hodgson told MT. “At the moment, delivery vans, especially in the last mile, are around 50% full, because that’s all that the person that’s driving them can actually do. “We are working with our partners, the Algorithm People, to carry out simulations to work out exactly how many we can replace. Our
early simulations have estimated that one van servicing a hub and spoke operation can drop off four or five of our vehicles and we can probably replace six or seven vans because that one van is 100% efficient, doing three or four round trips to the depot.”
MotorTransport 17
Freight in the City Expo
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PHEV, EV and HVO take centre stage on Swedish manufacturer’s stand
Scania majors on alternative options Iveco focuses on the instant gains of gas Iveco’s focus at Freight in the City was on reducing emissions now using the company’s range of natural gas-powered vehicles like this S-WAY 4x2 tractor unit. The vehicle was fuelled using compressed natural gas (CNG), with the gas pressurised to 200 bar. The vehicle also comes in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) variant. In either case it can be fuelled with biomethane, reducing well-to-wheel emissions significantly. The S-WAY on display could carry 920 litres of CNG, enough for around 500-550km of range, depending on operating conditions. So how does the market for CNG-powered trucks compare with that for LNG-powered vehicles? “We started with LNG and customers were not that keen to try CNG because of range concerns,” Jorge Lopez, country product manager and alternative propulsions business lead, UK & Republic of Ireland for Iveco, told MT. “But what they have found is that now more fuelling options are available, customers are moving to CNG. The price of CNG tends to be cheaper than LNG. “Obviously, the carbon impact of the fuel is much lower than for LNG because you are compressing, liquefying and using biogas, so the process is more energyintensive. The mix that we are seeing changes, but it tends to move around 70/30 to 60/40 in favour of CNG. “What we think will happen in the UK, seeing how the fuelling station trend is going, is that CNG will gain space compared with LNG.” 18 MotorTransport
Scania displayed three vehicles on its stand, demonstrating the variety of its alternative fuels range. The display included a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) launched in 2020, equipped with a 5-cylinder, 9-litre diesel engine and Scania P-cab with City Safe window in the passenger side door, designed for urban operations. It has 90kW of installed electric power capacity, which provides for a 60km pure electric range. “In operations where perhaps we’re skimming round the outside of the city and driving in, it’s a nice transition for some customers, taking those first steps, but still offering flexibility of operation,” said Phil Rootham, pre-sales technical manager at Scania GB. The next development for the PHEV range will be the launch of an electric PTO, due soon. Scania also featured a 6x2 rigid rear-steer battery electric vehicle with 300kW of installed power
capacity, which featured a low-entry height L-Cab and City Safe window in the passenger side door. Alongside the battery electric model, Scania also displayed a municipal model with diesel powertrain that can operate on HVO. This was also equipped with Scania’s low-entry L-cab.
“The new feature on this vehicle is that it has our new bus-style door,” explained Rootham. “For municipal operations, the door opens inwards, so there’s no egress onto the pavement, and whether you are sat in the centre seats or passenger side seats, you can still exit the cab.”
Tevva launches third-generation 7.5-tonner Tevva used the show to launch its brand-new, all-electric 7.5-tonne Tevva Truck. The British-designed battery electric vehicle is Tevva’s thirdgeneration vehicle and has a range of up to 160 miles, which can be extended to 310 miles with its hydrogen fuel cell-powered rangeextender technology. The vehicle can carry up to 16 euro-pallets and over 2 tonnes of payload at 7.5 tonnes GVW.
The manufacturer said the total cost of ownership was comparable to a diesel, with parity achieved at approximately 3,000km, or when
500 litres of diesel a month were consumed. Tevva is also in the process of developing technology that will allow the Tevva Truck to be fully charged in just one hour, which will make double-shift operations possible and further reduce the total cost of ownership. The Tevva Truck should be in production from July next year. Pre-orders can be made now, with first deliveries expected in Q3 2022.
Volvo confirms production of FM electric tractor for 2022 The Volvo stand featured an early example of an electric FM 4x2 tractor. Production is scheduled to begin in September 2022 and Volvo is currently taking advance orders for the model. The model shown was rated at 40 tonnes GCW with a 300km (186 mile) range on a full charge. Volvo will
offer battery capacity of up to 540kWh and 440hp or 650hp power options through either two or three motors. Also on show was an FL 16-tonner rated at 16.7 tonnes, powered by a single 200kW (270hp) motor with battery capacity of up to 400kWh. 18.10.21
Freight in the City Expo
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eCollect sorts out the refuse Dennis Eagle’s stand featured its eCollect fully integrated 27-tonne GVW 6x2 refuse collection vehicle. “We’ve now got probably around 30 of them running in the UK and there are some in southern Ireland as well,” said Dennis Eagle’s product marketing manager – chassis, Andy Graves. The unit on display featured a narrow track chassis of 2,250mm to 2,300mm, depending on tyre choice, and its 19cu m Dennis Eagle Olympus body can accommodate 10-10.5 tonnes in payload. “The idea is that it can do the same as our diesel equivalent – two
or three collection rounds a day,” said Graves. “We have got customers like Sunderland and York, where they regularly come in with pretty much to-the-limit payloads.” With Terberg bin lifts fitted, all bodywork is effectively built in-house.
Urban solutions at Mercedes-Benz Mercedes was showing off its Econic 4x2 tractor unit, one of the best-selling trucks in London, with its low-entry cab and five-star Direct Vision Standard rating. Representing zero-emission transport was a 7.5-tonne GVW FUSO eCanter electric, which can carry a 4-tonne payload and go for 100km (62 miles) on a full charge. The display also included the eActros, which goes into production this month, and the eEconic, due on UK roads next year. This is due to be followed by eActros long-haul with 500km battery range. And in 2027, the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Actros is due to enter production, offering rapid refuelling with electric power.
Renault puts a buzz into the show with light, medium and heavy electrics The Renault Trucks display at Freight in the City was completely electric, starting with the firm’s latest Master ZE platform cab at 3.5-tonnes GVW. “It’s the first in the UK with a fridge/freezer conversion and we are delighted with the fact that it has a 929kg payload, despite being battery-powered with a freezer and chiller,” Grahame Neagus, head of LCV and municipal for UK & Ireland at Renault Trucks, told MT. Some of Renault Trucks’ exhibits were displayed separately from the vehicles on the stand, including a 16-tonne GVW 4x2 D ZE model designed for urban logistics.
“The news on that is that we’ve now got its bigger brother in 18-tonne configuration, allowing some operators to just go up a notch,” said Neagus. The 19-tonne GVW rating includes an additional tonne to help offset the weight of the batteries. The display was completed with two 26-tonne ZE D Wide models with low-entry cab, one with a body and the other as a bare chassis. Renault Trucks also announced at Freight in the City that it had signed a contract with recycling specialist Recycling Lives for the delivery of the UK’s first two 100% electric 18-tonne D Wide ZE skip-loaders.
19-tonne middleweight provides a range of over 250km, with further options promised soon
LF Electric lights the way ahead at medium weights The new LF Electric was the focus of DAF’s display, equipped with a day cab and PACCAR curtain-sided body fitted on the production line at Leyland, DAF’s design and manufacturing base for the UK. The 19-tonne GVW designation for the 4x2 rigid chassis is derived from the standard 18-tonne GVW designation for the LF 4x2, with an additional 1,000kg dispensation given by the government to help offset the additional weight of the battery pack. Wheelbase options for the new model are either 5,300mm or 5,800mm. In both cases the model is fitted with a 282kWh battery pack,
18.10.21
giving an effective capacity of 254kWh. “Effectively, on that particular vehicle, we’re working on a consumption rate of roughly 1kWh per kilometre,” said David Price, municipal and electric vehicle sales manager at DAF Trucks UK. “So we’ve got a theoretical range of 254km (158 miles). “Obviously, if you’re not running at 19 tonnes and you’ve got some good drivers, you could quite easily achieve that or maybe get a little bit more.” Price assured MT there would be a phased introduction of other gross weights and wheelbase options for the LF Electric over the next three years. MotorTransport 19
Viewpoint
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Too much costly scheming T he news that the SafeContractor voluntary accreditation scheme has again reared its ugly head is disappointing, but not surprising. It has hit the news this time because it wrongly claimed the RHA is endorsing the scheme, Steve Hobson which would cost the average bulk haulier Editor £1,000 a year to join for little obvious gain. Motor ‘Voluntary’ accreditation schemes only Transport work if clients insist that their transport contractors join as a condition of doing work for them – but this is where they can become pernicious and bordering on a restraint of trade. While we can debate the merits of TfL’s ULEZ and DVS, at least TfL is a statutory body within its legal rights to set standards for all vehicles entering its territory. And there are sector-specific schemes – such as that operated by the chemicals industry – that are justified on safety grounds. But in the UK we have a very effective
compliance scheme called an O-licence administered by independent traffic commissioners. Unless we are seriously saying that this tried-and-tested system is failing, what is the justification for the raft of other voluntary accreditation schemes that cost hauliers dear for a questionable improvement in safety? The DVSA has its OCRS and now Earned Recognition and it too at least has the credibility of being an independent statutory body that is not looking to make a profit from the schemes. In the good old days, having an O-licence and a reasonably clean record with the TCs – plus maybe membership of the RHA or FTA as it was then – was enough for most clients to qualify a haulier. No one is advocating a return to that cosy club, but the industry must resist the spread of costly schemes that clients insist they join for the wrong reasons.
Ways and means to get to net zero T Angus Elphinstone Founder and CEO, AnyVan
he road to net zero is a complicated one for transport companies. The need to reduce emissions and go electric is competing against not only a boom in business via the rise of e-commerce but also a shortage of drivers in the sector. But first, what does net zero mean for those in transport? Net zero means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out. When we approach this from a logistics point of view in the transport industry, it seems counterintuitive, however; how can transport, which emits non-renewable fuel as part of its main function, take back as much as it makes? One solution would be for transport companies to get involved in causes that help the environment. Programmes such as ‘every purchase you make, we plant a tree’ are a perfect example. AnyVan has partnered with World’s Land Trust’s Carbon Balancing project, which aims to protect and recover 20,000 hectares of tropical forest in Vietnam. This helps us offset CO2 emissions and, so far, we have offset 6,500 tonnes. While offsetting is a good strategy, it is not perfect. We have reached the point where environmental concerns are heightened and trying to counteract all the damage we are doing with a few good
20 MotorTransport
deeds while still harming the environment is a bit contradictory. Transport firms need to look at ways of reducing their carbon footprint in the long term instead. This requires some thought about how to reduce driving time and get the most out of every trip. A good example would be to assign jobs to drivers based on what has been booked and see if they are able to pick up other goods along their journey or near other pick-up spots before they set off. By doing this at least 48 hours ahead, the delivery will not only be faster but more economically and environmentally friendly. Often, delivery drivers make a long trip to drop off goods and then just drive back to park up. By using revolutionary technology like we do at AnyVan they can plan journeys to make sure all the space in a vehicle is used and the trip to drop-off points goes along the map in the most eco-friendly way; it will also calculate jobs for the route home. We do our utmost to fill vans on the return journey by offering a cheaper price, so the vehicle returns full. This creates less carbon, which, in the long run, is much more beneficial for the environment.
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To contact us: Tel: 020 8912 +4 digits or email: name.surname@roadtransport.com Editor Steve Hobson 2161 Head of content Tim Wallace2158 Events and projects editor Hayley Pink 2165 Group production manager Isabel Burton Layout & copy editor Nick Shepherd Senior display sales executive Barnaby Goodman-Smith 2128 Event sales Tim George 0755 7677758 Classified and recruitment advertising rtmclassified@roadtransport.com Sales director Emma Rowland 07900 691137 Divisional director Vic Bunby 2121 MT Awards Katy Matthews 2152 Managing director Andy Salter 2171 Editorial office Road Transport Media, First Floor, Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey SM1 1JB 020 8912 2170 Free copies MT is available free to specified licensed operators under the publisher’s terms of control. For details, email mtsccqueries@roadtransport.com, or call 01772 426705 Subscriptions Email:customercare@dvvsubs.com Quadrant Subscription Services, Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3DH Rates UK £146/year. Europe£176/year. RoW £176/year. Cheques made payable to Motor Transport. Apply online at mtssubs.com Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper Published by DVV Media International Ltd ©2021 DVV Media International Ltd ISSN 0027-206 X
Got something to say?
If you would like to contribute to MT’s Viewpoint, email steve.hobson@roadtransport.com 18.10.21
Driver shortage
W
hile government sources and the RHA have been engaged in public fisticuffs over who is to blame for the recent fuel supply problem, ministers have announced a bundle of measures designed to bring new HGV drivers to market. But while this may be a huge leap for the government, it is a ridiculously small step for the industry. While the DfT begs one million retired drivers to rejoin the fray, the Department for Education (DfE) plans to fund 4,000 new drivers through their HGV licences, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has dusted off its Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP). There are, as ever, important caveats. The DfE HGV Skills Bootcamp is a one-off pilot; it is not currently planned as a rolling programme of investment. The DfE is accepting tenders from training companies now, and hopes to have the 16-week training course start in early December. Candidate recruitment will be down to the training providers, and availability of the subsequent drivers will depend on where those providers are based. The DfE’s previous scheme, the Green Logistics Skills Bootcamp, trained 180 people in the West Midlands and London. A DfE spokesperson says it has already had significant interest from the public. It remains to be seen how many training companies come forward, as 2020 saw the sector thinned considerably. The DfE has £10m to fund 3,000 places, which equates to £3,333 per head. Funding from the Adult Education Budget is available for up to 1,000 Level 2 driver qualifications accessed through local providers, with the amount of funding dependent upon things like age and income. The funding can also cover the cost of the test and driver medical. Skills Bootcamps are only available to people without a Level 3 qualification, and the employee, not the employer, applies for the place. However, the guidance says employers should both endorse the schemes and support staff through them – presumably by paying 16 weeks’ wages while they train. The Skill Bootcamps are part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee (LSG), but to put its HGV offering in perspective, the LSG offers 400 free courses including 23 in transportation and maintenance and four in warehousing and distribution – but none which qualify HGV drivers.
Gains and losses
The upshot of all of this is that the potential 5,000 EU drivers granted three-month visas will leave at Christmas and in February the industry may have up to 4,000 new recruits to replace them. There are no statistics to show the completion or pass rates from Skills Bootcamps, and Ofsted’s inspection into their effectiveness won’t be complete until September 2022. The DWP is also getting in on the act with Job Centre Plus (JCP) primed to identify potential HGV candidates and “promote jobs in the sector”. ”We’re also supporting workers into these roles through our Sector-Based Work Academy Programme, expanded apprenticeship and traineeship offers, as well as promoting on-the-job training opportunities like driver’s mate roles,” says a spokesperson. The DWP remit is, of course, to find positions for the unemployed. Its main offering to industry is a six-week SWAP during which candidates can train and take their HGV test, alongside gaining work experience with a local employer. The DWP would like to encourage hauliers to sign up with their local JCP to participate. Anecdotally, many hauliers don’t feel the best candidates come via JCP and would prefer those that are both already qualified and already in work. However, such judgements may be a luxury the industry can no longer afford. 22 MotorTransport
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Show me the money The government has offered to train 4% of the 90,000 driver shortfall, but simultaneously insists only better pay will solve the crisis. Louise Cole reports
MISSING A TRICK: The UK haulage sector continues to expect drivers to self-fund licence acquisition before they apply for a job
What isn’t being done
All of this adds up to far less than the total of what the government isn’t doing – such as freeing up levy money to allow employers to use it for licence acquisition directly instead of wrapping it in an apprenticeship. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Road Freight and Logistics highlighted the need for the Apprenticeship Levy to be overhauled in its June 2021 report. One of the key issues is that the Levy is tied to apprenticeship funding and apprenticeship funding is governed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) rules, which list ‘licence to practise’ training or testing as an ineligible cost, including “training solely and specifically required for a licence to practise [or] any fees to third parties associated with a licence to practise. This includes registration, examination and certification costs. This applies even where a licence to practise is specified in the apprenticeship standard and assessment plan”. The levy money is ring-fenced for apprenticeship training, but not necessarily by the sector paying it, so when money is drawn down, it isn’t recorded against a specific industry sector. This suggests there are two ways to change the levy usage to the industry’s advantage: to decouple the logistics levy from apprenticeship funding in the 2016 Finance Bill (which is highly unlikely); or to make an exception in the ESFA rules. And whether this happens probably depends on how many other sectors would demand the same right to fund ‘licence to practise’ qualifications. ➜ 24 18.10.21
Hovis Carbon Reduction Strategy Yields Results As public concern around air pollution caused by particulates and NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) emissions from diesel engines continues to grow, Hovis® – the iconic 135-year-old, well-loved British bakery brand – announces its continued commitment to reduce carbon emissions and drive sustainability across the whole business. Over the last few years, Hovis has been implementing more sustainable practices across its business but in particular, it has been recognised for its logistics operation when it won the Low Carbon Award by Motor Transport, following a successful six-year sustainability campaign. The award was won for its efforts to operate a road fleet that has minimal emissions impact on the environment and working towards continually improving road safety and driver performance.
MTR_181021_D051AA7.indd 1
The Hovis Emissions Reduction Road Map which has been in progress since 2015 has seen numerous initiatives such as:
driving styles. This combined with a culture for review and improvement provides a company-wide ambition to achieve the same target.
• 100,000 gallons of fuel saved through reducing road miles during 2020-21 through more efficient route mapping with no impact on volumes.
Adam Bassant, General Manager of Logistics, Hovis, commented: “We are really proud to see Hovis being recognised for its effort to reduce carbon emissions. At Hovis, we are committed to doing our bit for the environment. Our continuous efforts to innovate and create solutions across our operations have demonstrated and proven our drive to be more sustainable and reducing our road carbon footprint. We recognise that this is just the start of our journey to tackle climate change, but we are prepared to stay on track with our Hovis Emissions Reduction Road Map.”
• Introduced 50 x 7.2t Iveco’s to newly implemented convenience delivery fleet, substantially reduced fuel usage by a further 35,000 gallons • Substantial CO2 reduction of 40,311 metric tonnes by the end of 2021 due to the use of HVO fuel in replacement for conventional diesel across the fleet. Along with investment in new vehicles, Hovis continues to invest in its employees through providing training for its 700 drivers as well as use of the latest vehicle telemetry to monitor performance and
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their future are less likely to stay in the long term. However, it isn’t just John Lewis that has put out a call to staff who want their training costs met. PML has offered to fund the training of “the right candidates”. Many smaller hauliers have already been doing this. Moody Logistics has used Kickstart funding to pay the wages of one new recruit and has picked up the training costs for two new recruits this year. However, MD Caroline Moody points out that the bureaucracy involved with licence acquisition costs companies dearly, saying it takes weeks to get a provisional licence and then to book tests. This is also holding up HT Gardner Distribution, another company which is growing its own drivers. “I have trained many drivers and we currently have four trainees,” says MD Kevin Gardner. He asks for three years’ service, with the £3,500 he invests in training repayable on a sliding scale if the driver leaves within that period. However, he says that the delays in testing, medicals and other bureaucracy delay drivers becoming qualified and therefore profitable. Leicester-based Translink Express Logistics has extended the opportunity of licence acquisition to its wider staff and also opened the chance for funded progression to new recruits. “This is helping us to attract 7.5- tonne and Class 2 drivers who want us to fund HGV Class 1 training for them,” says Translink director Chris Hobbs. The company got a strong response from its warehouse workers with 8% applying within 24 hours, and it now has eight staff members either in training or awaiting training. The scheme will be suspended until all these candidates have qualified and then it will re-open. The company estimates £2,500 for training costs and asks for two years of subsequent employment or pro-rata repayment.
UK HGV DRIVERS Total Female 2016-17 306,000 4,600 2017-18 297,800 4,000 2018-19 287,600 4,000 2019-20 294,500 2,500 2020-21 275,000 4,200 (Source: Annual Population Survey – occupation by sex) This table shows the decline in driver numbers over the past five years, including the steep drop of 19,500 following Brexit. That’s a decline of 11% over five years. Note also the failure to significantly increase the number of female drivers in the industry, which still hovers below 2%.
Onus on industry
Throughout the driver shortage debate, government has put the onus on industry to ‘train our own’, the prime minister remaining reluctant to step to the left of his supporters’ Brexit and free-market ideologies. He has cited the supply and demand mantra of ‘if you pay it, they will come’. But is pay alone enough? And what effect will spiralling driver wages have on haulage costs and rates? In August 2021, John Lewis Partnership announced it was adding £5,000 to the salary of its truck drivers, an equivalent of £2 an hour, plus a £1,000 signing-on bonus. Current jobs are being advertised at between £13 and £16.25 an hour, but total annual salaries extend upwards of £50,000, some including a 33% shift premium. Other retailers have followed suit and hauliers have told MT that they have increased pay by up to 35%. Logistics UK’s Logistics Report 2021 put average industry pay rises at 4.7% in 2020 and warned that transport rates would increase “dramatically” in 2021. Asda recently passed on a 5% rate increase to its suppliers, citing localised driver inflation of 12%, and Tesco asked for almost 18% from its suppliers, more than half of which was allocated to driver costs. It’s likely that rates overall will climb by much more than this. The increases are reflected in the consumer price index which rose to 3.2%, with food and non-alcoholic drinks rising by 1.1% between July and August. Poaching is rife, according to hauliers, as is the practice of drivers securing a job offer elsewhere in order to extract a pay rise from their existing employer. The driver crisis has been described as a perfect storm, but it could be closer to a perfect confluence of failures: failure of the government to prioritise and support the supply chain the way it has with other sectors; failure of the wider industry to grant visiting drivers respect and reasonable working conditions; and failure of the UK haulage market to make licence acquisition a standard part of its training and development culture. The standard industry defence is that margins are too low to accommodate additional training costs, and that staff leave too quickly. However, the bus industry has routinely offered a ‘training bond’ contract, while the haulage industry has traditionally expected candidates to self-fund their licence acquisition before they apply for a job. MT has talked to several regional hauliers who were reluctant to upskill existing staff to make room for newcomers, or to upskill new recruits from category C to C+E, usually citing the likelihood of them leaving before the company saw any value. The downside of this thinking, however, is that drivers who do not perceive a career path or feel their employer will not invest in 24 MotorTransport
Better conditions
SKILLING UP: The DfE hopes to have the 16-week HGV Skills Bootcamp training course start in early December, but it remains to be seen how many training companies come forward
Hauliers talk wistfully of the days they entered the industry when men were men and the working day stretched from dawn until dusk. However, the industry may have to significantly rethink its traditional working patterns. Not only do workers have plenty of opportunities for jobs which do not routinely ask for a 50-hour-plus week, nights away or weekend working, but men increasingly share family duties and responsibilities with their working wives. Translink has started offering four-day weeks, with the option of extending the shift length to preserve pay levels. Given that so much of drivers’ working conditions lie outside operators’ control – like RDC waiting times, congestion, and adequate on-road facilities – rethinking contract terms and shift patterns is one way they could make driving and their own employment proposition more attractive to new and existing drivers. ■
18.10.21
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Hydrogen fuel cells
Bright skies ahead with hydrogen M Hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks are coming down the road in top gear now. Will Shiers takes a closer look at MercedesBenz’s GenH2 long-haul prototype
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ercedes-Benz Trucks has pledged to be emission-free in Europe by 2039, and according to Karin Rådström, member of the Daimler Truck board of management responsible for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, diesel will account for less than half of the vehicles it sells by the end of this decade. “To make that happen, there is no one-size-fits-all, and no silver bullet,” she says. “In line with the different use cases of our customers, we will follow a dual electrification strategy.” By this, she loosely means that urban distribution and regional transport will adopt battery electric technology, while the solution for long-haul will be hydrogen fuel cell. Its battery-powered trucks will start series production later this year, but we will have to wait slightly longer for the hydrogen offering. Its GenH2 hydrogen fuel cell truck will begin customer trials in two years, with a view to full series production by 2027. In March Daimler Truck AG set up the ‘cellcentric’ fuel cell joint venture with the Volvo Group, with the aim of becoming one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fuel cell systems. Production is planned to commence in 2025. Additionally, in May it was announced that Daimler Trucks and Shell are partnering on a Europe-wide hydrogen filling infrastructure.
The GenH2 is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered zero tailpipe emission 4x2 long-haul tractor unit with a range of about 1,000km between fills. Where you would normally find a diesel engine, Mercedes has installed a twin fuel cell system, each with a maximum output of 150kW, powering a pair of motors – each delivering 230kW and 1,577Nm continuous or 330kW and 2,072Nm peak. In the centre of the vehicle is a high-voltage 72kWh battery. Roland Dold, head of advanced engineering for alternative drives and alternative fuels at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, explains that a huge amount of research has gone into deciding how big to make the fuel cells and battery, in order to minimise hydrogen consumption. “If you make the fuel cells smaller it is not a good idea, as consumption will go up significantly. And if you make the battery smaller it will have the same effect, increasing consumption and reducing the lifespan of the battery,” he says. “If you make the battery bigger you won’t see any significant improvement in consumption, and there will be challenges accommodating it. “If you make the fuel cell bigger, you also face packaging challenges, with no significant fuel consumption benefit. It has been a real challenge for our engineers, but we believe we have found a very good combination.” Along the chassis rails on either side of the truck are 18.10.21
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BEHIND THE WHEEL
FUEL CELL OR INTERNAL COMBUSTION? While Mercedes is going down the hydrogen fuel cell route, DAF recently announced that it will use hydrogen in internal combustion engines (ICEs). “If you use hydrogen in ICEs, you produce nitrogen, so are not emission-free,” explains Dold. “Yes, you could fit an aftertreatment system, like with diesel, but we believe if future trucks are going to get broad acceptance from the general public, they shouldn’t have combustion engines.” But he acknowledges that there may be exceptions to the rule, citing niche applications like mining.
We had a brief drive in a GenH2 truck at Mercedes’ test track in Worth, Germany. This prototype vehicle, which had been built three months earlier, featured a visual display showing the energy flows. As we started, we could see the energy flowing from the battery to the drivetrain. Then, as our speed increased, the fuel cells kicked in. Other than a small increase in sound, there’s no clue that the switch has been made. Press the middle pedal and you can see the regenerative braking replenishing the battery. There is also a five-stage ‘engine brake’, for want of a better description. It is basically the electric motor operating in reverse. With the accelerator pushed firmly to the floor, the fuel cell and battery work in parallel, delivering peak power of 580kW. This is the equivalent of 790hp, and its delivery is instantaneous. Doing our best Elon Musk impression, we clocked the 40-tonne outfit achieving 0-85km/h in just 30 seconds. Dold later explained that there would probably be power limitations imposed on customer vehicles – if only to save on tyre wear. Hill-starts proved no challenge for GenH2, with us stopping and starting half way up an 18% gradient. You can roll backwards and bring your descent to a controlled stop by gently pressing the accelerator pedal. The truck has a 2-speed transmission, and it selected first gear for this climb. In the MirrorCam screen we noticed what appeared to be steam rising from behind the cab. As Dold explained, however, this is just coolant (water vapour) exiting the fuel cell at temperatures ranging from 40C to 60C. The colder the external temperature, the more water vapour is emitted. Dold says that in situations where the truck is idling for long periods, instead of dissipating into the air, the water might land on the road. For this reason Mercedes has developed a reservoir to collect it. During the hill-starts the cooling fans located behind the cab kicked in, creating quite a racket. We were later assured that these wouldn’t be as obtrusive by the time the truck went into series production. “We need some fine-tuning on what fan to operate at what time,” said Dold.
stainless steel vacuum tanks, each containing 40kg of liquid hydrogen. “The main advantages of liquid hydrogen [as opposed to compressed] is that it’s light, has a high energy storage density, and does not need 1 tonne of expensive carbon fibre,” explains Dold. Behind the cab is a 600mm ‘building block’ housing auxiliary equipment and cooling fans. This extends the length of the truck from a standard 16.5m to 17.1m, making it over-length. But Mercedes is currently in talks with regulators and is confident of receiving a dispensation allowing it to be trialled on public roads soon. Mercedes is working on a predictive strategy to optimise energy distribution along a route. “We want to know beforehand if the planned route will have significant inclines, heavy traffic, slow speeds, etc, so we can plan the SOC [state of charge] of the battery beforehand,” explains Dold. “This will ensure that we have enough energy on board, and when we see a downhill section, the battery is sufficiently empty to allow maximum recharge.” He says this predictive technology, which will be adopted by all Mercedes hydrogen fuel cell trucks, will work over the entire journey, continually calculating up to 30km ahead. ■ 18.10.21
MotorTransport 27
MT Awards 2021 winner profile Home Delivery Operator of the Year
Special delivery
new g the stent. lways s, and rather hand-
Wren Kitchens solved its extra delivery challenges in the pandemic with a combination of planning, teamwork and superior customer service
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ren’s triumph in the Home Delivery category at this year’s MT Awards is particularly impressive when you consider who it was up against – like perennial favourite DPD, for example, which many still see as the industry benchmark. But while the Humberside-based kitchen company also had to fight off shortlisted entries from established delivery specialists like Hermes, Panther and Tesco, training manager Dave Cooper explains where Wren had the edge. “Our can-do approach, our structure, our processes and how we deliver make the whole customer experience enjoyable,” he says. “We get some excellent feedback. The customer experience has to be as good as the rest of the product. That’s what we aim for and what sets us apart.” Historically, Wren hasn’t really been given the respect it deserves as a transport company. To many, it’s just a kitchen retailer – end of story. But national fleet manager Lee Thompson-Halls says that perception is quickly changing. “We’ve worked so hard to try to promote the logistics part, which is separate to manufacturing,” he says. “Yes we’re all in the same building and earn the same money, but we want to be the best we can be as a logistics team. That’s why we’ve employed people like myself, an SHEQ
manager and a training manager. Rather than one person managing the warehouse, we’re all separate.” Thompson-Halls joined Wren as a van driver six years ago and has worked his way into management. It’s very much the Wren way and allows staff to gain valuable experience on their way to more senior roles. As we begin our tour of Wren HQ ‘The Nest’ in Bartonon-Humber, we’re joined by ex-squaddie Ken Hewer – technically a Class 1 driver, but now employed in the yard due to his long-term experience with the kit and processes. It is his job to keep drivers in check and to stay on top of returns. “I make sure they leave the truck clean and they report damages,” he says. “If they’ve brought a cabinet back, I want a piece of paper saying what truck it’s off, and the time and date, so the customer can get a refund on the item.” “Every firm needs a Ken,” Thompson-Halls laughs. “Customer refunds for unwanted, damaged or excess cabinets can take up to a month to process. But the fact that Ken organises the drivers to get that paperwork with the delivery number and order number is very important and means they get a refund in two days. We’ve refined our processes based on customer and driver feedback. We all work together to refine the ideas. We have kit bags, for example, with gloves, hand gel, face masks and extra PPE. We have alcohol and drugs tests and live feed cameras, so we can see what really happens out there. We have procedures for everything.”
Expansion
Thompson-Halls became transport manager three-anda-half years ago and admits the Nest yard was only half full back then. But now the site is “at the maximum” and a recently purchased plot of land 200m down the road will soon house a brand-new delivery hub. Wren has developed a ‘seven steps to delivery’ process, which starts with making contact with the customer. “It’s all about a nice smiling face and just saying ‘good morning, this is where we are and we’ll be with you in X amount of time’,” Cooper explains. “Straight away we make a contact. The driver then gets there with the porter, and they introduce themselves and explain what they’re going to do. The customer is kept in the loop all along as that’s what sets us apart. The trucks are clean, and the drivers are presentable and well mannered.” Primarily, Wren puts its success down to owning its own supply chain. It designs and manufactures all its 28 MotorTransport
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own kitchens in the UK and delivers them in its own fleet of trucks. With customers locked in at home during the pandemic, it had to cope with a surge in demand, but its agile delivery model meant it could realign its focus to the safety, well-being and satisfaction of customers and staff. “The increase in demand was a fantastic problem to have,” Cooper says. “It certainly brought challenges in term of driver recruitment – and then when you recruit that driver, are they of a Wren standard? So we needed to coax them along. Then there was the fallout of people having Covid who didn’t want to come to work.” He admits that the pandemic made deliveries much harder. The company had to protect its drivers as well as the customer, but some people were living with their previous kitchen already ripped out and couldn’t even boil a kettle, so it was paramount that deliveries were maintained. “The whole experience from the planning stage is about teamwork from many different departments,” Cooper continues. “But that final delivery stage is perhaps what’s pushed us above DPD and everybody else. We quickly put actions into place: PPE, materials, packaging and liaising… how we handle stuff, how we liaise with the customer through the pandemic is absolutely paramount and gives us the edge on everybody else.” In the wake of the pandemic, Wren’s strategic developments were slowed in favour of safety and compliance during customer deliveries. To fulfil them safely and in the ‘Wren way’, it employed, inducted and trained an unprecedented 135 new drivers. “The other difference between us and DPD is that we’re delivering up to 6 tonnes of kitchens,” Cooper continues. “That can be several hundred products, whereas DPD just does parcels. What makes it harder for us than DPD is the fact that we’ve got to have more engagement with the customer than just putting a parcel at the door. It’s a bigger logistical challenge. The longevity of the delivery makes us shine because we do it in a professional manner. That proved to make us untouchable in the judges’ eyes.” So where are delivery firms with a similar remit maybe getting it wrong? “Are their guys trained and educated in the first place?” Cooper asks. “We put a lot of time and effort into our induction. It’s a five-day process and two days for porters. We also concentrate on customer care, how to handle the goods, how they’re delivered in order so the fitter moves only a minimal amount. It’s constant improvement in every area of the customer experience.”
Quality control
Wren delivers its kitchens as assembled cabinets, maximising quality control and orders-in-full, while minimising installation time and customer disruption. Flatpack delivery is an option, reducing costs by around 8%. All deliveries are loaded in reverse build order, eliminating double-handling, minimising build time, and reducing risk of damage and inconvenience to customers. Delivery options are flexible on 18-tonne, 7.5-tonne or 3.5-tonne vehicles to suit each destination and determined by load size, customer access and parking. This is agreed following a satellite view or a site visit and verified 24 hours prior to delivery to process changes. 18.10.21
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT: Wren Kitchens’ national fleet manager Lee Thompson-Halls
Technology is also an integral part of the Wren home delivery operation. Lone-worker devices were introduced in 2020, for example, for all drivers delivering to unmanned outbase centres. The device is connected to a 24/7 call centre at the press of a button. In emergency situations the call is escalated to national emergency services for immediate guidance and attendance as necessary. The device also has ‘fall-down detection’ and a location tracker so the individual’s whereabouts can be instantly determined. Wren has also introduced Flexipod – a handheld tool used by drivers and warehouse personnel providing real-time updates and access to customer data, plus single lines of communication between delivery drivers, delivery team, customer services and customer. Meanwhile, advanced TomTom technologies optimise route planning in conjunction with the delivery team, which analyses ‘planned vs actual’ route data, live traffic, weather and RTAs. Drivers are updated ‘live’ with alternative routes to avoid incidents and delays. In-cab telematics, dash-cams, cab-cams and load area cameras also provide real-time/recordings of loading/ unloading, journey/traffic, driver styles and goods in transit. All customer discrepancies like missing goods, damaged goods, negative driving styles, and so on, are immediately reviewed with the driver. Training and mentoring is then initiated if necessary. Wren’s innovative triple trunking strategy, using road trains that carry three boxes, is also still a key part of its success. “One truck takes its three truckloads of work down to the depot, drops them off and then the tonneand-a-half Izuzus are there to do the actual final leg home delivery in the cities,” Thompson-Halls explains. “Potentially these will all end up being electric. It’ll be hydrogen for trunking, and electric for the final leg. It’s got to be that mixture. We’re ready for the next step; it’s just waiting for the next step to come along.” ■ MotorTransport 29
MT Awards 2021 winner profile Innovation Award
Litter pickin’ good Highway litter-busters Connect Plus Services used innovation to help tackle the problems associated with the collection of rubbish on the M25, and ended up picking up more waste – and our Innovation Award – for its efforts
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requirements Freda Rashdi says: “The simple fact is that if litter wasn’t dropped in the first place, it wouldn’t need to be picked up. “Litter is not only unsightly and a risk to wildlife and the environment, but it also puts our workers at risk collecting it. It diverts time and money that could be better spent on improving the network.” Clearly this is not just a problem of unsightly litter. The tonnes of rubbish discarded by motorists pose real risks to the travelling public, with litter known to block drains to create dangerous areas of surface water, create fires along verges, obscure drivers’ vision as it blows across lanes, and harm wildlife which can mistake it for food. Sharp items can cause tyres to puncture at high speeds, fracture windscreens and even pierce fuel tanks, while combustible material can attach to a vehicle and ignite. The teams tasked with removing this mountain of rubbish are also put at serious risk on a regular basis as they collect the litter from verges and reservations just inches away from streams of high-speed traffic. To limit the risk to the teams the litter-picking shifts tend to take place during short periods in off-peak hours. However, as manually collecting rubbish is a slow and arduous task the crews are constantly working against the clock. As Nicola Bell, National Highways’ south-east regional director, explains: “Due to the busy and essential nature of the M25, we have just a short working window to deliver our works before reopening to the travelling public. Collecting all the litter dropped within these timeframes can be challenging.” This constant need to clear the M25 of litter also means this time-consuming task keeps the crews from addressing other pressing highways maintenance issues. This workload cannot be underestimated. The company operates a workforce of around 600 people, based at seven locations around the network, carrying out routine
Photo: Shutterstock
eeping the nation’s highways litter-free is no mean feat. Every year, over 200,000 bags of rubbish have to be removed from motorways managed by National Highways, equating to more than 7,500 tonnes of litter a year. Connect Plus Services is all too familiar with this problem. The company operates and maintains the M25 on behalf of National Highways and Connect Plus – a consortium of Balfour Beatty, Edge Holdings and Egis Investment Partners. Since the beginning of its contract over 10 years ago, Connect Plus Services’ litter crews have collected more than 396,500 bags of rubbish on the network. Dave Neal, MD of Connect Plus Services, says keeping one of the busiest and most strategic road networks in the UK clear of litter is a constant challenge. “In 2018 we collected over 50,000 bags of litter, which requires extensive resource and expert planning to ensure the network remains clean and clear, with minimal impact on the travelling public,” he recalls. It’s a depressingly huge amount, considering that National Highways has been running an anti-littering campaign along its network for some years. Highways England’s head of customer and operational
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maintenance and whole-life management of thousands of M25 assets. It also manages the operation of the network 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including a severe weather season maintenance programme.
Finding a solution
In its search for a solution, Connect Plus Services joined forces with Balfour Beatty Plant and Fleet Services’ design team. The brief was clear – to improve the safety of the crews in cutting their time in a live highway environment by accelerating the rubbish collecting process. Putting the litter-picking crews’ safety at the heart of the project was a key consideration and so the design team made sure it involved the litter crews every step of the way. The result was the Litter Picker, which like most successful designs is a simple but effective concept. Built by Derby engineering firm Garrandale, the 18-tonne machine has a 5cu m volume and enables crews to rapidly collect litter from the roadside using a handheld vacuum pipe. The suction pipe is serviced by a bespoke machine, which is mounted on a truck bed and can handle litter of all shapes, sizes and weights. The waste is vacuumed into a compartment within the machine, while the dust stirred up during the process is contained using a specialised filter. The Litter Picker requires one operator to drive the machine while another walks alongside it, working a remote control system which guides the boom over the top of the waste to vacuum it up as the Litter Picker proceeds along the edge of the highway. The Litter Picker has already earned its spurs after being in operation for over a year. The machine is now used regularly on the M25 network, after the crews received in-depth training on how to use it safely. The results are impressive, with the machine increasing the speed at which litter can be collected by 33% compared with collecting it manually, reducing the number of hazardous hours workers spend in a live highway environment and freeing them up to work on other maintenance and essential works on the network. Andy Ormerod, MD of Balfour Beatty’s Plant and Fleet Services, praises the collaboration that went in to creating the Litter Picker. “With health and safety at the heart of everything we do, we are pleased to have been able to provide an innovative solution to our workforce which reduces risk and increases productivity,” he comments. “Our expert capabilities have allowed us to design and build a state-of-the-art piece of equipment, taking into consideration challenges currently being faced by those working on highways projects. Embedding innovation into our projects allows us to offer a solution-focused outcome for our clients.”
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A REMARKABLE OUTCOME Matthew Nash, plant and fleet manager at Connect Plus Services, says the introduction of the Litter Picker has been transformational. “Before we introduced this vacuum machine our colleagues would go out to the network with a litter stick and a black sack and manually click each item. So this machine really improves the efficiency of our works and creates a safer working environment for our workforce, reducing the time in which they are exposed to high volumes of traffic,” he says. “The Litter Picker proves that by working collaboratively within the existing Balfour Beatty skill sets, we can achieve remarkable outcomes not only for our operations, but ultimately for our customers.”
The machine is also a hit with client National Highways. Nicola Bell says: “Hundreds of thousands of people use the M25 each day, and litter is a real problem. This innovative vehicle will help roadworkers to clear litter much more quickly than picking it by hand and will also free up time for other maintenance and safety priorities – and also our work together with Connect Plus to encourage people not to drop litter in the first place.”
Getting the thumbs-up
The litter crews have also given the machine a resounding thumbs-up. “The response to the vehicle -mounted vacuum litter picker has been overwhelmingly positive. We find that it’s always advantageous to collaborate on innovations like this, so that we can ensure we meet the needs of the crews who will be using the machine – and that’s what we did in this instance, to great effect,” says Neal. He adds: “The Litter Picker has allowed us to clear litter from the network at a quicker rate, as we are able to cover longer stretches of road in a shorter timeframe. The vacuum attachment also removes the risk of crews coming into contact with hazardous or unpleasant substances, which can present a health and safety risk.” The team is also thrilled that all the hard work that went into developing the Litter Picker has been recognised in its Innovation Award, Neal reports. “It’s a tremendous honour to receive the Innovation Award, and to receive the recognition for all the hard work that went into taking the concept through design and then into production has been a great boost to the team,” he says. Currently, Connect Plus Services has just one Litter Picker in operation on the M25. Asked if there are more in the pipeline, Neal gives very little away, however. “We are looking at further development opportunities utilising similar technology,” he states. Watch this space. ■
MotorTransport 31
MT Awards 2021 winner profile Fleet Truck of the Year
Perennial bloomer The winner of the Fleet Truck of the Year award this year was once again the DAF XF, which has had a long and successful run at the top of the fleet tractor market
32 MotorTransport
T
his is the third year in a row that the familiar DAF XF has been named Fleet Truck of the Year by a panel of fleet operators, and while this long-running model has now been replaced by the New Generation DAF range, the UK market leader made a series of improvements over the years to keep it at the top of the sales tree. Our judges acknowledged that the cab hadn’t changed much over the years, but the XF remains a top choice for fleet operators. “It has been around and is a triedand-tested model – but there is a new model due next year,” said one. A range of fuel efficiency improvements introduced in 2017 including new engines, aftertreatment systems, transmissions and rear axles contributed to a 7% fuel efficiency improvement. Laurence Drake, MD of DAF Trucks, says the outgoing XF is a “good, solid and durable truck” that enjoys great backup from the dealer network. “The network of 136 dealer locations and our people are a strong part of the DAF offer that has made us market leader for 26 years,” he says. “It is also the model range, parts availability up at 98%, and DAFaid, where we are there within 55 minutes if there is a breakdown. When you add up all those things, as a fleet customer, it is both the truck and the package around it.” The two most popular 6x2 fleet tractor configurations are the market leading FTG 6x2 twin-steer and the FTP pusher-axle 6x2, the latter boosting payload by 500kg and freeing chassis space for bigger fuel tanks or ancillary equipment. Both come with the Space, Super Space or low-height Comfort cab options. The Super Space cab remains one of the largest on
the market, providing a high-capacity, no-nonsense working and living environment. The bunk remains the benchmark for driver comfort while the storage capacity has been emulated but never bettered by others. A deadlock bolt on the cab doors provides extra security for the driver at night. The range of standard features to improve driver safety and MPG include adaptive and predictive cruise control, forward collision warning, advanced emergency braking system, lane departure warning, and an electronic braking system with improved vehicle stability control to help prevent jack-knifing and overturning. DAF’s patented programmed cab displacement system helps protect the driver in a front-end collision by letting the cab move back up to 400mm without detaching, absorbing much of the energy of any impact. “The XF is certainly as safe a cab as any on the market,” says Drake. “And the New Generation DAF XF with the inclination on the front will be slightly safer for pedestrians.” For operators needing to enter London, DAF offers a factory-fitted safe system covered by the vehicle warranty to comply with the London HGV Safety Permit scheme. This option has been taken on over 1,700 XFs so far. DAF is playing any plans for an electric XF close to its chest, and the manufacturer is promoting the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a green alternative to fossil fuels for heavier trucks. Like all DAFs, the XF can run on 100% HVO without modification, giving a 90% well-to-wheel CO2 saving. “The focus for electric is the LF as that is more suited to back-to-base, urban operations,” says Drake. “HVO is a drop-in fuel, which makes it a great flexible alternative, and we see it as something that should be pushed across the industry in the short term while we decide what to do longer-term. “Unlike gas, the engine needs no modification and R&M and residual values stay the same. Availability is improving and in some places it is cheaper than diesel.” Aftersales service has been key to DAF’s success over the years, with DAFaid roadside assistance often cited as the best on the market. Dealers attended 65,000 breakdowns in 2020, of which 80% were fixed at the roadside with 90 minutes. All vehicles come with a two-year unlimited mileage warranty plus a third year driveline warranty, free DAFaid cover and a three-year DAF MultiSupport Preventative Maintenance package. A wide range of additional support packages is available and there are currently 19,000 UK vehicles under contract with DAF Trucks. These packages are flexible and DAF changed the contracts covering 2,800 trucks in response to the initial Covid lockdown while PACCAR Financial restructured over 5,000 finance contracts to give operators breathing space in the pandemic. Around a third of DAF trucks are now sold with some sort of PACCAR finance package and almost 900 XFs 18.10.21
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last year were purchased using captive finance. “Before the credit crunch the percentage was in the 20s, but then some of the banks left the market and manufacturer finance became more popular,” says Drake. “In recent times other players have come back to the market, but we have maintained our 30% share and are targeting 33% this year. Some of the flexibility shown by the manufacturers through Covid with payment holidays reinvigorated the view among operators that they get a benefit from dealing with a manufacturer’s finance arm.” Like others, DAF has suffered from the global shortage of the microchips needed for the ECUs that are essential to modern vehicles. Equally, demand has been suppressed due to the driver shortage as operators struggle to find drivers to put behind the wheel of new vehicles. “We have been talking to some customers and suggesting they extend the life of their existing vehicles and maybe in a year’s time prices will have changed,” says Drake. “The cost of fuel, rubber and steel are all under pressure and that means the cost of a truck today might be higher than in the future. All manufacturers now also have very long lead times.” All vehicles come with DAF Connect, an online fleet management system that includes three years of free connectivity to DAF’s web-based platform, though operators can opt out. This provides online vehicle health monitoring and can be extended to enable remote tachograph downloads. “It is an open platform, so operators can run other software from it,” says Drake. “We send the data to you and you can put it into Microlise or any other system.” DAF dealers also have limited access to this vehicle data to enable them to predict and head off potential breakdowns. “They can see certain things like oil pressure and temperature and other warning lights which can give an indication of something going wrong,” says Drake. “It is an iterative process, so some of those problems we can now intercept and bring the truck in because we know a failure could happen. “This is something we’re focusing on as it really does change the way a service dealer works. Now they work on a reactive rather than a proactive basis, so there is a shift we all need to make to change the process.” Vehicles covered by a five-year or seven-year DAF R&M contract will continue to benefit from DAF Connect for that period and operators can extend the arrangement after their R&M contract has expired. Driver training is a priority for DAF and every XF comes with a voucher for drivers to claim a free 90-minute vehicle handover session plus a 60-minute on-road familiarisation drive, delivered by one of DAF’s 30 certified driver trainers. DAF’s dealer network is the largest of all the OEMs, with 136 sales and service locations in the UK and Ireland. All use the online DAFcheck maintenance records system 18.10.21
that is freely available to every owner so they can access maintenance records and integrate them with operators’ Earned Recognition submissions. The average annual test pass rate for DAF dealers is almost 98% and there are 59 ATFs in the network. While DAF has now picked up 19 Fleet Truck of the Year awards over the past 35 years, Drake says the pleasure and pride in winning does not diminish. “We were really surprised to win three times in a row,” he says. “We are hopeful the New Generation DAF XF will continue to win, but maybe four times in a row will be too much. “The award reflects the effort we put into maintaining our customer relationships and the quality of service. It is important to have a solid truck, but equally important to have that network and that the way we do things is right. “I had an email from Mr Piggott [chairman of DAF’s parent Paccar] congratulating us on the win so it is celebrated globally at PACCAR. We like winning these awards and we are very proud.” ■
THE KING IS DEAD – LONG LIVE THE KING While the current Euro-6 XF will remain on sale in the UK into next year and will be supported for at least 10 years, production of right-handdrive New Generation DAF trucks launched in June 2021 has started at the Leyland factory in Lancashire and customers are taking delivery of the new model. The New Generation DAF XF, XG and XG+ are completely new models that replace the existing XF range, which has been central to DAF Trucks’ market-leading position in the UK for the past 26 years. But Drake has no concerns about losing this market-leading tractor from his line-up. “I think the new truck will be more popular,” he says. “The current XF cab has been through several iterations to keep it up to date. It has had incremental changes, which is why it has always had great acceptance. “The New Generation DAF has a lot of new technology so it is more than just an incremental change, but I think people are ready for that now. So the timing is right to move to a new XF. The new dimensions have given it an extra edge in terms of space inside the cab and fuel efficiency. “I think most fleet operators will see the new XF as the fleet truck, with the XG being more around driver retention. Most drivers will like the new XF, although some operators may choose the XG for certain parts of their operation.” With a claimed 10% improvement in fuel efficiency, the new line-up will go a long way to meeting DAF’s obligation to make a 15% cut in CO2 emissions on 1990 levels by 2025. “We are also looking to make sure we spec vehicles correctly,” says Drake. “This is something we often get criticised for, but in a way we don’t want to sell too many 530s! It will be interesting to see what happens over time to those larger engines as they become more challenging for manufacturers to sell.” MotorTransport 33
MT Awards 2021 winner profile Clean Fleet Van of the Year
Take it to the Max MAXUS believes its class-leading e Deliver 9 electric van is streets ahead of the competition. And the Motor Transport Awards judges seemed to agree
I CHARGING AHEAD: MAXUS sales manager Bill Laidlaw reckons the e Deliver 9 is around 18 months ahead of competing models
t seems fitting that as MT sits down with MAXUS at September’s Freight in the City exhibition, we can hear alternative fuel expert Tim Campbell over the PA system urging seminar delegates to switch from diesel to electric. The MAXUS e Deliver 9 won our 2021 Clean Fleet Van of the Year award and the company insists that its electric vehicles are 18 months ahead of the competition. As such, sales manager Bill Laidlaw is more than happy to hear Campbell telling operators to quickly partner up with clean van suppliers if they haven’t already. “I like a lot of what he’s advising – that people have to understand that it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Laidlaw says. “You’ve got to do it slowly and you’ve got to understand how you can make the change. It will save you money, it will save you fuel, it will save on your servicing costs. The overall total cost of operating the vehicle will be cheaper than a diesel. And that’s before you talk about congestion charges.” Last year was a significant one for MAXUS involving a full rebrand from its LDV moniker. All vehicles are manufactured by SAIC, the largest automotive company in China, and MAXUS is represented by the Harris Group in seven territories: the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Malta and Cyprus. There are over 55 dealers in all territories. So how is UK business going right now? And why is MAXUS outpacing the rest of the field? “Mercedes and the like haven’t got the size of battery,” Laidlaw says. “There are lots of companies a little bit behind, but we’re flying at the moment. The other manufacturers have got a long way to go to catch up with us. “It’s not just the size of battery though – they’ve just not moved as quickly as we have. The Chinese have been
MAXUS E DELIVER 9: OVERVIEW ■ High-power, low-energy motor ■ Rated/peak power: 70/150kW ■ DC mode: 45 minutes for 80% charge ■ AC mode: 5 hours ■ Loading compartment width: 2062mm ■ Dimensions (mm): 5546 × 2062 × 2525
(MH); 5940×2062×2525 (LH) ■ Cargo volume: 11cu m (long wheelbase); 9.7cu m (medium wheelbase) ■ Rated at 3,500kg and optional 4,050kg with payloads of up to 1,700kg, 51.5kWh with a 203ps/350Nm electric motor ■ Touchscreen-enabled infotainment system (optional in conventional models and standard in luxury models) featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 34 MotorTransport
ahead of the game with electric vehicles for a long time; it’s the biggest market in the world. That’s where the technology comes from so it’s only natural that they have the batteries, charging systems, management systems and the electric motors. “Some manufacturers build a bit in Turkey, Poland, the US, and then knit it all together. They’ll get to the top of their game again – these are massive global companies – but they’ve taken their eye off the ball a little bit. They didn’t think it would move as quickly as it has.”
Best in class
The award winning e Deliver 9 offers a range of up to 219 miles on a single charge and is rated at 3,500kg, or an optional 4,050kg, with a payload of up to 1,700kg. “It’s a new van with the biggest battery and payload in the class,” Laidlaw says. “The technology on board is class-leading as well. And we can convert it to suit customers’ needs. You can have it as a fridge van, a cherry picker, a pharmaceutical van or with a tail-lift. And you have a chassis-cab for home delivery, or you can even put a horsebox on the back. We’ve got a solution for everything.” The switch to electric isn’t without challenges, of course. For one thing, at £55,000 the van isn’t cheap. And there are still concerns among fleet operators over charging points and length of charge. However, Laidlaw sweeps smoothly into his sales patter to quickly counter these fears. “Everybody focuses on the cost of the vehicle not the cost to run it,” he says, adding that although the e Deliver 9 is more expensive to buy than a Transit, there’s a £240 a month cost-saving on fuel, £250 on road tax and at least 60% on servicing costs. But his overriding message is that switching to electric is all about pinpointing what you can get out of the vehicle and how it can best cater for your needs. MAXUS dealers ask potential customers what they do, where they go and where the weak points are – building up a picture of how the van can help the specific demands of their business. “If I’m a plumber and I live in Stoke, I plug my van in every night, charge it up, get up in the morning and go to work,” Laidlaw explains. “Three charges will give me 450 miles and it costs me £18-£20. Whereas if on a Monday morning I go and fill it up with diesel it costs me £90. “But If I’m a baker and make it in Stoke and then deliver to Birmingham and Stoke then I have to think about the job differently. So you have to work with the customers. “There’s a solution for me to come out of diesel into electric as long as I look at where I drive. If I drive to Newcastle once a week that’s no problem: I put a 18.10.21
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permanent solution in – a charge point. You have to build that into your business, and build that structure going forward.”
Help and advice
MAXUS has now set up a business advice service for those looking to invest in EVs. Available at local dealers, it provides business owners and fleet managers with a realistic evaluation of where they are on their journey to greener motoring and what they need to do next. Some may be ready to make the switch; while others may need to put policies and infrastructure in place before making the move – and MAXUS provides a step-by-step guide to ensure that move is as seamless as possible. Major MAXUS customers include DPD and Tesco and the company is apparently in trials with all the major supermarkets. It is also in advanced talks with fellow MT Awards winner Wren Kitchens. “Wren has had the body of the first vehicle designed and it likes it,” Laidlaw says. “So it has bought one diesel vehicle and told us to go away and design an electric one. They’re quite enthusiastic. We can go up to 4 tonnes, which gives you a better payload than any diesel vehicle.” But the hard part, it seems, is persuading the big operators to come up with a coherent zero-carbon strategy that MAXUS can work with. “It would be a good thing to find out what people’s real targets are,” Laidlaw says. “I spoke to the Ministry of Defence at the CV Show. Their white van fleet numbers 14,000 and they want zero emissions by 2028. It takes them a year just to write the tender – it takes them forever. It’s a massive challenge. But it’s also a massive challenge to make sure the chargers are there, and how the van is charged. There’s also smart-charging to think about, where you don’t need to plug it in overnight.” MAXUS also produces electric trucks along with hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen composite options, but it isn’t yet ready to come to Europe with them. 18.10.21
Electrification of HGVs in the European market will be “the hardest job”, Laidlaw says, and is still 10 years away. “That’s when you get hydrogen in your combustion and alternative fuels and hybrids. But your full-electric tractor units, 7.5 tonne, will be in play in the next couple of years because of the cost of going into the inner cities. These vehicles have got a 200-mile range. And batteries will get lighter so your payload will go up and your range will go up.” MAXUS is watching the evolving electric market closely as it develops its future strategy. But consumer buying habits will also play a part in its plans. “The goal now is to develop smaller, lighter batteries, faster charging and new products to suit the market,” Laidlaw says. “But it’s how we move on from Covid, isn’t it? We shop from home now and more people are working from home. Are we just going to get a bigger and bigger van market, or are we going to go back to the high street and the supermarket? I think it’ll stay like it is. People have got used to it.” ■
MotorTransport 35
Delivering outstanding performance from the 1st to last millimeter of wear
