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Hauliers must ‘step up’ and improve conditions, says Vere Transport minister Baroness Vere has slammed the haulage industry for failing to invest in its drivers and called on operators to “step up” their efforts to improve conditions in the industry. Giving evidence to the Transport Select Committee, Baroness Vere said: “If you were to ask me if there is just one thing the sector can do, it is to invest in their people. Do not expect drivers to pay for their
training – £3,000 is a lot of money. “There are a lot of employer practices that need to be improved and it is a long-term issue,” she added. “We will work with the sector to do that – but they have got to step up. “I do not think the shortage will be resolved until 2023.” Transport Committee chairman Huw Merrimen MP told the committee that
during a fact-finding mission into lorry parking facilities with other MPs, they had stopped off to view a lay-by often used as an overnight parking area, where he had stepped into human excrement. He added that he later talked with HGV drivers who said they were forced to park up in lay-bys because their employers had refused to pay the cost of parking at a proper HGV parking facility.
Haulier defiant in row over potential lawbreaking and document access
Obstacles force auditor to quit DX Group probe By Carol Millett
Grant Thornton has quit as DX Group’s auditor after raising concerns about being provided with “inaccurate information” and “insufficient access” to documents relating to a corporate governance inquiry being carried out at the company. However DX remained defiant, stating the auditor’s concerns do not “accurately reflect the current situation”. The auditor’s departure comes just days after the resignation of DX non-executive directors Ian Gray and Paul Goodson. This is the latest twist in a saga that began in November last year when it emerged that an ongoing internal investigation at DX was preventing Grant Thornton from
NWF optimistic despite slump Food, fuel and feed distributor NWF Group has said it remains upbeat, despite reporting a £4.4m interim pre-tax loss. Chief executive Richard Whiting praised the group for delivering a “very strong first-half performance”, in the face of “volatile” market demand and “significant” inflationary pressures. Announcing its half-year results for the period to 30 November 2021, the group unveiled a revenue rise of 30.1% to £402.6m, (H1 2020: £309.4m) but pre-tax profit plum4 MotorTransport
signing off on the company’s 2021 accounts. The delay resulted in DX’s shares on AIM being suspended in January this year. DX said the auditor’s resignation relates to concerns about “actual or potential breaches of the law and/or regulations” by DX meted 320% from a profit of £2m in the same period in 2020. NWF attributed this to exceptional costs of £8.4m, including impairment costs, acquisitionrelated costs and cyber-related costs following a breach on 2 November 2020. However, the group’s fuel division delivered a profit of £3.6m (H1 2020: £1.9m), which it attributed to a “strong performance ahead of expectations” and the short-term benefit of increased demand during the autumn fuel shortage. NWF is now planning to expand its fuel depot network and broaden its customer base and is actively exploring “several” acquisition opportunities.
or DX employees and the performance of the investigation and the corporate governance inquiry. It also cited concerns about the “action” taken by DX in response to the evidence generated by the investigation and inquiry and the “provision of inaccurate information”, which Grant Thornton believes “did not give a full picture of the scale and seriousness of the facts”. The auditor also raised worries over “insufficient access” to relevant information and documents on matters being investigated by the company. Responding, DX said the inquiry concerns a “disciplinary matter” and has nothing to do with its financial performance or position.
Hauliers need a say in road pricing Hauliers must be involved in plans for a new road pricing system to plug a £35bn black hole in finances as the country increasingly moves towards an electric vehicle revolution, according to Logistics UK. An influential group of MPs said the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 will result in plunging Treasury revenues, as fuel duty and vehicle excise duty are not currently levied on EVs. They said a road pricing system, based on miles travelled and vehicle type, was likely to be the only viable solution. And the Transport Select Committee (TSC) warned that unless the government embraced new technology and rolled out a national pricing scheme soon, the UK faced an under-resourced and congested future. The TSC said any tax overhaul must replace the current system, be revenue neutral, and also target drivers of electric vehicles.
Maritime goes big for Volvo’s I-Save Maritime Transport has begun taking delivery of 355 Volvo FH tractor units with I-Save, making it the UK’s largest operator of the truck maker’s turbo compound engine trucks. The giant order followed a fuel trial at the end of 2019 as well as the performance of its existing Volvo fleet, which the company said had proven to be among its most fuel-efficient HGVs. Maritime currently runs 1,150 trucks and when all of the FHs arrive during 2022 it will take Volvo’s share in the fleet close to 50%.
The majority of the new units are 460hp models with Globetrotter cabs, although 25 feature a 500hp engine plus the larger Globetrotter XL cab for specific drivers in the Maritime fleet.
21.2.22
