Motor Transport 22 November 2021 by Motor Transport

Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging

22.11.21

NEWS INSIDE Part of the union

Unite claims victory in Wincanton pay row

Bold ambition

Scania Super powertrain is the ‘greenest’ yet

Joining the dots

Kinaxia Logistics adds links to internal pallet network p6

Who’s the daddy?

Don’t miss our rundown of the industry’s Top 100

p22

OPERATORS INSIDE Hastings Freight............................................ p3 Kinaxia Logistics........................................... p6 Owens Group................................................. p6 Suttons Group ............................................... p3 Wincanton.................................................... p3 Wren ...........................................................p30 Zedify ..........................................................p34

BULL MARKET: Schmitz Cargobull is to mark the opening of its trailer factory in Manchester with the launch of a new SKO lightweight dry freight box van developed for the UK and Irish markets. Aimed at parcels and express operators, the 13.6m trailer weighs 6.5 tonnes fitted with three axles – 600kg lighter than typical competitor products – and is available in three heights up to 3.2m. Boris Billich, director of sales, said the opening of the £2.3m Manchester production site and the two-year development of the new trailer were intended to help the company – Europe’s largest trailer builder – double its 11% share of the north-western European market, which includes the UK and Ireland. “Our ambition is to reach 25% market share across Europe,” said Billich. “I am optimistic that we will build 65,000 units this year.”

Industry backs government review of Driver CPC – and underlines need to make changes quickly

‘Now get training rules right’ By Carol Millett

The haulage industry has given a cautious thumbs-up to government plans to review the Driver CPC. The review follows concerted lobbying by industry leaders, who have warned government ministers that the bureaucratic nature of the qualification is acting as a barrier to both new and returning drivers and exacerbating the HGV driver shortage. Announcing the review, transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We’re listening to industry leaders, who have told us about the issues HGV drivers face with CPC arrangements. Now we’ve taken back control of our own laws and regulations, I’m delighted to say we’re launching a review into these training rules.” However, Kevin Buchanan, group chief executive officer at

Pall-Ex Group, said: “There is a lot of spin coming from this government and very little substance, so I do have reservations. “Driver CPC has driven mature drivers out of the industry whilst failing to raise driving standards or professionalise the industry.” He called for a graduated licence scheme to replace Driver CPC, with drivers rewarded accordingly for attaining each grade and assessed on levels of insurance claims, safety and fuel efficiency.

“We need to create gold-standard drivers and that would also benefit operators who would see their insurance premiums fall,” he added. David McCutcheon, MD of Bullet Express, said the review was long overdue. “Anything that speeds up the qualification of drivers and gets them on the front line would be a big help to operators,” he said. “The Driver CPC drove a lot of good drivers out of the industry

and there must be a lot of them out there thinking that they would come back if not for the CPC. “It is nothing more than a boxticking exercise and the officials who put it in place clearly did not understand the industry and have never checked its benefits. The government needs to reduce the length of the course and make it cheaper, perhaps through a grant.” Added ArrowXL chief executive Charlie Shiels: “It was clear from the start that many drivers are just not built for the CPC, which has far too much bureaucracy and paperwork and is far too cumbersome. We always knew it would be a bloody mess. “The devil will be in the detail and in the timing – we do not want them to take months to do the review. They say they have listened to the industry, so now they need to keep listening to the industry.”

Viewpoint: Self-employment p8 Trailer technology p12 DAF XF hydrogen p16 Road Transport Expo 2022 p18 MT Awards winners p28

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News

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‘Whopping’ increase of up to 30% for drivers on Argos contract, but further strike action in pipeline

Unite claims victory in Wincanton pay dispute

By Chris Tindall

HGV drivers working for Wincanton on the Argos contract in Essex will see their wages rise by between 20% and 30% after their union secured a “whopping” increase. The Basildon drivers had been preparing for industrial action before Wincanton entered into negotiations with Unite. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, described it as “a tremendous victory”. “This is an outstanding example of how, where workers are organ-

Suttons buys tank container business for joint venture Suttons Group has grown its international division after buying logistics provider VTG’s overseas tank containers business, in a joint venture with Mission Line in Brazil. Suttons said the acquisition would increase its capability to serve its customers, as well as extend its global reach to make it one of the world’s top 10 tank container operators. It said it would take full control of the ISO tank containers division over the coming months. In the interim period, Hamburgheadquartered VTG will continue to manage the containers, personnel and customer contracts. John Sutton, Suttons Group chief executive, said: “This acquisition will give us a strong presence in new markets to better serve our customers, as well as provide greater opportunities for all staff. “It will be integrated into our existing, robust management structure.” 22.11.21

ised and stick together, earnings are higher and pay awards are larger,” she added. Meanwhile, Wincanton has insisted the pay deal it offered staff

working on a B&Q contract at its Worksop distribution centre was fair and competitive, after they threatened strike action. More than 400 Wincanton workers at the depot, which distributes stock to stores nationally, will begin two-weekly cycles of seven days of strike action followed by a seven-day overtime ban from 28 November until 20 February due to an “insulting pay offer”. The union also alleged that the logistics firm had conducted “unjustified disciplinaries” against union reps and reduced facility

time to prevent the reps carrying out trade union duties. A Wincanton spokeswoman said: “We believe the offer we have put forward is fair and competitive. We will endeavour to work with Unite and our colleagues to find a resolution.” n Wincanton has won a five-year contract with fashion retailer Primark for the provision of transport services to all its UK stores. The partnership begins early next year and will see Wincanton make more than 50,000 deliveries to 191 stores each year.

Husband and wife snap up Hastings Freight Husband and wife team George and Claire Hewitt (pictured) have completed a management buyout of Hastings Freight (HFL). The couple said their investment in the Chesterfield-based firm will stabilise the business and provide a strong platform for its future development. The Hewitts acquired a 100% shareholding following the retirement of the existing owners. George has been with HFL for nearly 15 years, most recently as general manager, while Claire joined the operations team five years ago and became business development manager last year.

HFL began trading in 1983 and joined the newly formed Palletways network in 1998. The company has grown to employ 75 people and operate a fleet of 34 vehicles. It provides transport across the UK and overseas, and services Sheffield’s ‘S’ postcodes and some of Doncaster’s ‘DN’ postcodes exclusively for Palletways. “There’s no significant change to the running of the business,” George Hewitt said. “We’ll keep investing in our people and technology to provide even greater customer service. “We value our position within

our local community and the wider haulage industry and recognise our responsibility to ensure we grow the business mindfully.”

‘Triple whammy’ of events caused Fruehauf failure Fruehauf’s collapse has been attributed to a toxic mixture of Brexit, Covid-19 and a global shortage of materials. In a report into the trailer maker’s descent from ‘a leading manufacturer of tipping trailers holding a 90% market share’, administrator Quantuma Advisory said unverified draft accounts for the year ending 30 September 2020 showed a significant loss of £2.7m. “The company’s difficulties can be attributed to the change in trad-

ing terms with the EU following Brexit, coupled with the disruptive effects of Covid-19 to the supply distribution chain and a global shortage of materials, particularly electronics, which has resulted in a marked reduction in sales volume and gross margins,” it said. The report said two of its directors, David Thomson and Navneet Ahluwalia, raised concerns with the way the company had been run prior to their appointment to the board, the validity of outstanding debentures over Fruhauf’s

assets, and debts owed by group undertakings. Both directors asked the court to appoint administrators and Quantuma were called in on 5 August. Back in September, MV Commercial purchased the business in a deal worth £1.25m, which helped to secure the jobs of around 100 workers. The administrators added that unsecured creditors were not currently anticipated to receive a dividend. MotorTransport 3

News

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‘World’s most sustainable’ powertrain promises 8% fuel economy gain

Scania goes Super By Will Shiers

Scania has launched what it claims is “the world’s most sustainable powertrain with a combustion engine”, and is promising an improvement in fuel economy of at least 8%. In a nod to its heritage, the driveline, consisting of a new 6-cylinder 12.74-litre engine, gearbox and back axle, will be known as the Scania Super Powertrain. The DC13 engine, which contributes 5% of the fuel economy improvement, features a dual overhead camshaft and a Twin SCR AdBlue dosing system first seen on its latest V8. Power and torque ratings are 420hp (2,300Nm), 460hp (2,500Nm), 500hp (2,650Nm) and 560hp (2,800Nm). All versions can run on HVO, and the two middlerated ones can run on 100% renewable biodiesel. The engine is matched to a pair of Opticruise gearboxes, the recently launched G33CM and the

new G25CM. They contribute 1% to the overall fuel efficiency improvement. A further 1% comes with the new R756 single-reduction low-friction rear axle. This is the first common driveline for Traton – it will be available to MAN in 2024 – and its last diesel engine. Scania is also launching a new

chassis layout, which it is calling the Modular Architecture Chassis (MACH). With a new set of frame hole patterns, it is said to offer increased flexibility, thus increasing the number of chassis layouts available. The Scania Super is available to order now, with first UK deliveries expected in October 2022.

BEV parity predicted within a few years Price parity between diesel and battery electric trucks could occur within a few years, according to Christian Levin, president and CEO of Scania and CEO of Traton. Speaking at Scania’s net-zero event in Glasgow, Levin said: “Our best guess, based on fuel prices, fuel taxation, electricity availability, electricity cost and taxation, electricity consumption of future vehicles and battery cost, is a parity on long-haul vehicles by 2025 to 2030.” However, he said parity may come in as little as two years for urban distribution vehicles, subject to government policy. Levin warned that even when the TCO of running a BEV was lower than a diesel, operators might not change over, citing scepticism as the main problem. ■ See motortransport.co.uk for more on Scania’s net-zero conference

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Hot Topic report reveals positives of camera use – and potential for growth The introduction of the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) in London in March this year has had a clear impact on the use of vehicle cameras and video technology. The Hot Topic: Camera & Video report 2021 from Motor Transport and sister title Commercial Motor reveals that some 44% of respondents said this was why they had fitted cameras – up from 20% in the survey last year. And it is clear that operators are keen to see that technology keeps pace with future

DVS requirements. Our survey also shows that camera and video technology is highly rated by the operators using it – receiving an average rating of four out of five. However, there is still work to be done to convince the 20% of operators in the survey that say they have no plans to use camera technology. “Our camera and video technology research provides essential insight into operators’ strategies in this rapidly developing area,” said MT events

and projects editor Hayley Pink. “This is a market that offers lots of opportunities. Some operators that have fitted equipment solely to comply with the regulations are not taking advantages of all the benefits that the technology can offer. And one-in-five operators surveyed currently have no plans to use camera technology, so there is still plenty of room for growth in the market.” n To read the report go to commercialmotor.com/cmspecials

Logistics group adds remaining five subsidiaries to K-Link hub operation

Kinaxia expands its pallet network Kinaxia Logistics is expanding its internal pallet network in January to include its entire stable of hauliers, chief executive Simon Hobbs has exclusively told MT. However, the group insists the move does not signal wider plans to launch a national pallet network. Kinaxia Logistics expanded its K-Link hub operation to include direct trunking between member companies in May last year. The internal network is currently used by Lambert Brothers, David Hathaway, Maidens, Panic, AKW Manchester, Mark Thompson and Fresh Freight Group. Now the group is planning to extend the internal network to

HMRC warns on red diesel rebate Hauliers using red diesel for their fridge motors have been reminded that the rebate ends next year, resulting in additional costs for operators. HM Revenue & Customs said it was “vital” that the economic and practical impact of the loss of the tax break is considered by firms well in advance and that they have made arrangements for the changes ready from 1 April 2022. In the summer, refrigerated systems manufacturer Hulsteins 6 MotorTransport

include its remaining five subsidiaries, which are Foulger, Cammack, William Kirk, Bay Freight and AKW Birmingham. “This is an internal network and has not been set up to compete with the national networks,” Hobbs said. “K-Link is just a more efficient way of transferring products from one Kinaxia business to another. We will always need the national pallet networks as well. “I have spoken to the CEOs of both Palletforce and Palletline and reassured them that we are not opening up a national pallet network and they totally understand what we are doing and see the logic in that.” warned that fridge operators could be hit in the pocket by many thousands of pounds and recommended affected firms fit an engine drive power take-off to all new trucks and tractors specified for reefer work. HMRC has released guidance in a document entitled ‘Changes to rebated fuel entitlement’, which can be found on gov.uk.

Photo: Shutterstock

By Carol Millett

REASSURING: Kinaxia chief executive Simon Hobbs says the move is not a threat to national pallet networks

Drivers Direct in £3.15m buyout Driver recruitment firm Drivers Direct has undergone a management buyout (MBO) after receiving a £1.75m investment from a private equity firm. The MBO sees ownership of the Runcorn business transfer to the current management team led by new MD Daniel Jellicoe, with plans to continue its growth and expand to new UK locations. Formed in 2002, Drivers Direct specialises in the training and placement of drivers across all vehicle classes, including HGV, LCV and minibuses. It also provides management and support staff, operating from 21 locations, with a dedicated logistics centre in Tamworth. Frontier Development Capital stumped up the £1.75m to help facilitate the £3.15m MBO. Jellicoe’s recent appointment as MD comes as founder Gethin Roberts moves to chief executive for a 12-month transition period.

Owens Group opts for Volvo FH 460 Owens Group is replacing 90% of its Carrington, Greater Manchester fleet with Volvo FH 460 Globetrotter tractor units after being impressed by its fuel efficiency. The new vehicles will arrive from T homas Hardie Commercials in three tranches over the next nine months. Andy Williams, head of fleet and compliance at the familyowned haulier, said: “We never buy a truck until the product has proven itself within our operation and with our drivers. “Thomas Hardie Commercials

had full faith in the FH to deliver, and it didn’t disappoint – coming out top on fuel and getting a great reception from our drivers.” The new trucks are being vinyl wrapped in Owens Group’s livery. 22.11.21

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Shapps: Could do better L ast weekend’s expose in The Sunday Times of transport secretary Grant Shapps MP’s lobbying on behalf of the light aircraft community – of which he is a prominent member – prompted MT to hold a quick off-the-record straw poll on Steve Hobson Shapps’ performance in his two years in Editor charge at the DfT. Motor We didn’t need to ask Pall-Ex boss Kevin Transport Buchanan – in October he told MT that Shapps is “an idiot and not fit for public office”. While participants in our latest poll didn’t go quite that far, the transport secretary’s rating is not high. Giving him 5/10, one senior figure said: “He has done nothing well, all reactive and knee-jerk interventions. The removal of B to CE staged testing is quite honestly dangerous and not necessary.” Another, who also rated Shapps 5/10, commented: “In a department dominated by trains and planes, our sector is often

overlooked – and that’s still the case. He was slow to respond to the driver shortage, but a number of helpful actions have been taken. There is still more to do and he needs to listen more to helpful advice from stakeholders.” Others were more conciliatory, pointing out that his two years in office coincided with the Covid pandemic, which has been an unprecedented period of upheaval for the whole UK. “I would suggest it’s harsh to judge anybody on the last 18 months as it’s been very disruptive and challenging, so I’m not sure we as an industry should kick him,” was one comment. So despite a good start when Shapps succeeded the “hapless” Chris Grayling MP at the DfT, his stock has fallen lately. Trade associations often bemoan the short careers of transport ministers – perhaps in this case Shapps has lingered too long.

Self-employment solution to shortage T Richard Clutterbuck Tax advisor The Guild

he next few weeks will test whether Britain’s supply chains are robust enough to deliver festive goods on time. Many of the problems can be traced back to the damage caused by Britain’s exit from the EU and the Covid pandemic. But a crucial factor that has not been examined sufficiently is how changes to the tax law forced many drivers off the road after being wrongly re-classified as employees. In April 2021, the government brought in changes to the ‘off-payroll’ rules that determine whether an individual working through their own personal service company should be classified as a contractor or employee. The IR35 legislation previously allowed HGV drivers who used their own personal service companies to declare their own status. Since the new rules came in, it has fallen to end-client engagers to decide whether drivers should be classified as outside of IR35 or self-employed. Faced with this burden, many decided unilaterally to move all non-employed drivers into employee status, with many farming out the payment function to umbrella PAYE firms. For drivers, this was not always welcome and often resulted in a higher tax bill, taken at source. Freelance drivers, who had previously enjoyed flexibility and certain freedoms, found themselves with little incentive to remain behind the wheel.

8 MotorTransport

The drop in pay forced many drivers to seek jobs away from the haulage industry. Many of these were foreign drivers who have since returned home. There remains a stigma in some quarters about self-employment. There is a perception, perpetuated by unions, that it is exploitative and open to abuse, in order to evade tax. Of course, no-one should classify themselves as self-employed unless it is genuine. Nor should companies attempt to hire people as freelancers if they are not. In the haulage sector particularly, businesses that are courageous enough to continue to use self-employed contractors where appropriate are able to attract more talent. Drivers will want to sign back up and that can help to get more skilled and experienced truckers back on the road. It is important for businesses that use hauliers and drivers to understand that compliance is achievable and using freelancers is still an option. It is vital that industry and the government work hard to encourage self-employed drivers back onto the roads to help ease the supply chain crisis and solve the driver shortage.

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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

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If you would like to contribute to MT’s Viewpoint, email steve.hobson@roadtransport.com 22.11.21

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Trailers

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Trailers are getting smarter and more efficient thanks to a variety of new technology, as John Kendall reports

Pulling ahead on trailer technology N ew trailers, like new trucks, have become harder to come by as the materials shortages affecting general manufacturing industry have also had an impact on trailer manufacturers. Coming after the ups and downs of Covid-19, when trailer makers closed in lockdown and then re-opened, this led to many of them facing rising demand for products as home deliveries soared and some goods needed to be moved around in larger quantities than before. With or without Covid, net zero targets have also been bringing the transport sector under closer scrutiny than before. As truck manufacturers set about forging a pathway ahead on how to power trucks in the future, the trailer sector is undergoing a similar process. As MT reported recently, those involved in temperature-controlled transport are now contemplating alternative methods of powering reefer trailers, with the demise of rebated red diesel approaching in April and the longer-term need to find ways to power trailer systems other than a diesel fridge motor or donkey engine.

Power play

The e-axle could provide one solution – using electric motors fitted to a trailer axle to work like a bicycle dynamo and generate electricity as the trailer wheels turn. One of the useful things about electric motors, as any electric vehicle driver will be aware, is that these devices can either be driven or behave as a generator to produce electricity, switching between functions as necessary. That has not been lost on German trailer manufacturer Krone, which last month announced a collaboration with another German company, Trailer Dynamics of Aachen. According to the companies’ announcement, “the common goal is to develop an electrified trailer ready for series production that significantly reduces the diesel 12 MotorTransport

and CO2 emissions of diesel semi-trailers and increases the range of BEV semi-trailers”. Effectively, the two companies have taken the plug-in hybrid concept from passenger cars and applied it to a semi-trailer. This turns the trailer from a passive system pulled along by the tractor unit into an active part of the drivetrain, able to provide electric drive from a 640kW (860hp) system to the centre trailer axle. The idea is fairly simple – to reduce the amount of drive needed from the diesel engine to simultaneously reduce fuel consumption and emissions. To achieve this, the eTrailer, shown as a prototype eMega Liner curtainsider at the Krone Executive Logistics Summit at the end of September, has been equipped with a large 300kWh capacity battery pack, which is said to be capable of providing drive for over 500km. Just like a plug-in hybrid car, the battery pack is charged up before departure and can immediately contribute driving power on the road. When the trailer is running downhill or is on the overrun, the eTrailer can be used to provide regenerative braking to re-charge the battery pack and also contribute to speed control, just like an engine brake or retarder. It can obviously be recharged where power is available for overnight charging too. In the first test runs for the trailer, accompanied by observers from the SGS TÜV Saar agency, Krone claims fuel consumption and emissions were reduced by up to 20%. The trailer could also be used in combination with any tractor unit, so could act as a range extender for a battery electric, hydrogen fuel-cell or gas-powered truck. Unless there were an allowance for the additional weight of the batteries, e-axle and control electronics, the payload of the trailer would obviously be reduced and it would also represent a considerable investment compared with a standard curtainsider. No doubt operators’ accountants will be spending some time examin- ➜ 14 22.11.21

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Trailers

A KEY INNOVATION: TrailerLock’s FridgeLock trailer and container lock can now be used with a universal key

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ing the costs to assess the viability of operating such environmentally friendly solutions.

On the floor

Providing power to the trailer floor rather than the road is the focus of Paneltex Martrans’ insulated belt trailer, meanwhile. This was originally launched a year or two ago for the aggregate and asphalt industry, providing an alternative to an insulated tipping trailer or walking floor trailer. The company has recently produced an updated version of it, with new refinements including an option for a full load retraction. Martrans says this is particularly useful when the trailer is being used to discharge hot asphalt into pavers. The facility allows the driver to stop the discharge at any point and retract the remaining load back into the trailer, allowing the driver to close the rear doors, balance the remaining load and move off. Another application for this feature would be if a trailer was being loaded in a quarry and became overloaded, in which case the excess weight could be discharged to ensure the vehicle was safe and legal for the road.

Cover-up connection

Probably the last thing that a driver would do before leaving the quarry would be to deploy the trailer sheeting system. Automatic systems make life easy for the driver, and are traditionally operated by a wander lead or in-cab controls. Inevitably, however, these both restrict where the driver can stand to ensure sheeting is properly set. That’s why tarpaulin and sheeting supplier Dawbarn has devised a solution using a Bluetooth handset instead of a radio frequency connection, enabling the driver to stand anywhere within 100m of the vehicle and operate the sheeting system. Looking ahead, Dawbarn expects trucks will all ultimately be equipped with a tablet-like screen in the cab. “The Bluetooth connectivity that we have with our sheeting system could connect to the truck itself,” explains Dawbarn’s sales director Ben Harrington. “There would be icons on the screen in the cab and a picture of a sheet opening and closing, so they would be able to operate the sheet from there, rather than having to have separate handsets or switches or wiring installed into the vehicle, so it would simplify the installation of equipment. “It’s not only for our sheeting system,” adds Harrington. “The package we are using could be used to open a rear tailgate or turn lights on, or do any number of things that you currently require switches and wiring for. You could have this Bluetooth connectivity around 14 MotorTransport

the vehicle to operate all these systems.” The product carries an IP69K rating ensuring that the transponders around the vehicle are resistant to water and dust ingress. “We’re finding it much more reliable than radio control,” says Harrington. It also means installers do not have to worry about tapping into the vehicle’s wiring harness to install switches in the cab, something that is becoming increasing difficult. “Cabs are becoming more and more complex and difficult to work on. It saves a bit of time as well, but the main thing is that it takes the risk out of the installation,” says Harrington. “You can also download an app to your Android smartphone and operate the system from your phone or tablet.” Durham-based Hargreaves Transport is already a customer for the system, with drivers operating the sheeting system from the tablet used for processing delivery notes. Dawbarn uses the Icarus Blue Bluetooth system designed in the Netherlands for its Bluetoothactivated sheeting systems.

Key to success

DfT statistics for last year show that some 3.2 million trips were made by road freight vehicles from the UK to Europe – around 6% less than the previous year. Although the overall number of journeys fell, there was a notable increase in unaccompanied trailer movements which rose to over a million, with 42% bound for the Netherlands and 28% for Ireland. Unaccompanied trailers can be a target for both theft and stowaways, however. To deter both, TrailerLock has introduced a new universal key for FridgeLock, its reefer trailer and sea container door lock. This lets any driver gain access to the trailer using the common key. Operators can either conceal the key under the trailer, advising their forwarding counterpart that this is what they have done, or send a key in advance – or possibly both. FridgeLock is manufactured from solid steel and is resistant to bolt-croppers and crowbars, while being simple to operate. The lock can be extended and will fit most types of surface-mounted door furniture. It contains a barrel lock protected by a coated steel cap. A half turn of the key will open the lock, which can then be adjusted to the correct length and clamped over each of the vertical door rods. A secure lock for containers could help to reduce the possibility of stowaways entering sea containers. Civil penalties for “clandestine entrants” to the UK can amount to £4,000 per illegal entrant, with £2,000 awarded against both driver and operator. ■ 22.11.21

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DAF XF hydrogen

Foot on the gas DAF has revealed an early working prototype of a hydrogen-powered XF. But unlike some rivals, this one uses an internal combustion engine, reports Will Shiers

n order to tackle the stringent EU CO2 emissions standards that come into play in 2025 (15% reduction) and 2030 (30% reduction), DAF will introduce a variety of low- and no-tailpipe emissions technologies. “The most obvious solution is battery electric,” says executive director of product development Ron Borsboom, who explains that DAF’s New Generation trucks have been designed to accommodate a range of alternative fuel drivelines. “But I have some concerns with this. We can certainly build battery electric trucks, but if the [charging] infrastructure can’t keep up, customers will be hesitant. So we are also looking at other alternatives too.” These alternatives include full- and mild-hybrids, which Borsboom sees as a viable step on the path to zero emissions. He says this approach will produce zero emissions in towns and cities, while offering range and flexibility outside of urban areas. The overall effect is expected to be a 7% CO2 reduction. DAF is putting a lot of pressure on the European Commission to support hybrids. “Last but not least, we are looking at hydrogen, which could be a solution for longer routes,” he reveals. There are two clear approaches to producing a hydrogen-fuelled truck, either a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine (ICE), and parent company PACCAR is currently considering both options. In North America its Kenworth brand is exploring the use of fuel cells in a joint collaboration with Toyota. Meanwhile, in Europe DAF is going down the ICE route. Although it’s still very much in the development stages, DAF has produced a prototype New Generation XF with a hydrogen-powered ICE.

Hydrogen XF

The hydrogen-powered XF is the product of a collaboration between DAF and the Dutch government, and according to Borsboom, is a work-in-progress. “The idea was to build a working vehicle, and increase the knowledge base,” he explains. The truck is equipped with a heavily modified MX13 13-litre engine, with new pistons, different compression ratios, a revised combustion chamber, and spark plugs instead of diesel fuel injectors. This means it has more in common with a petrol engine than a diesel one. Although this first example uses a port injection system, Borsboom says this has seriously limited power (200hp) and torque levels (1,000Nm), and confirms that later derivatives will utilise direct injection instead. DAF is currently trialling such a system at its engine development centre, and has already achieved a 270hp rating. In the future this is expected to increase to 500hp. Switching from port injection to direct injection will also reduce the chances of back-firing. 16 MotorTransport

motortransport.co.uk

The truck is equipped with four carbon-reinforced hydrogen tanks, which together hold 90 litres of hydrogen (350 bar), giving this prototype a 75-mile range. Later versions will have more tanks, with an anticipated range closer to 375 miles. Borsboom says DAF currently prefers to use hydrogen in gas rather than liquid form, as it’s easier to store. Unlike a hydrogen fuel cell truck, which uses an electric motor and batteries, an ICE hydrogen truck produces a small amount of NOx. Borsboom says the level of NOx is 90% less than Euro-6 requirements, and for this reason the truck does not require an aftertreatment system. But he acknowledges that as power levels increase, so an aftertreatment is likely to be required. “But we don’t know what it will look like yet, or whether it will use urea,” he says. Theoretically, there is also a trace amount of CO2 produced, as a result of the lubricants in the engine. “But it is so minimal, it is near zero emissions,” he explains.

ICE versus fuel cells

While PACCAR is trialling both hydrogen ICE and fuel cell technology, Borsboom believes the former approach has some key advantages: Cost and weight – While the most expensive part of any hydrogen-powered truck is the storage system, Borsboom says ICE is “significantly cheaper” than fuel cells. The key reason for this is that ICE trucks don’t require expensive batteries, which of course contain rare-earth materials. He adds that you also need additional cooling, which doesn’t come cheap. Of course, both cooling and batteries also add weight to the vehicle. Cooling – “One thing that is very challenging for fuel cells, especially high-horsepower versions, is the amount of cooling you need,” explains Borsboom. “So you need all sorts of additional complex cooling equipment mounted to the back wall of the cab. This sucks up a lot of energy, and makes plenty of noise.” He explains that the New Generation DAFs have been designed for maximum cooling, but not even these have the ability to provide sufficient cooling for a fuel cell. Simplicity – Internal combustion engines can operate with impurities in hydrogen, whereas fuel cells cannot. Public perception – Although hydrogen-powered ICE’s are more polluting than fuel cells, albeit a very low level, Borsboom believes the public will perceive the opposite to be true. He is referring to the harmless water vapour generated by fuel cell trucks, comparing them to the steam emitted by cooling towers. “You and I know that’s just water vapour, but it doesn’t stop the news channels from showing them to depict pollution. It’s all about perception.” Self-sufficiency – Borsboom makes the point that by not using batteries and fuel cells, everything needed to manufacture and run a hydrogen ICE-powered truck can be sourced in Europe. n

IN THE TANK: The DAF XF is equipped with four tanks, which together hold 90 litres of hydrogen and give it a 75-mile range

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Road Transport Expo

motortransport.co.uk

Keeping the show on the road Next summer will see the launch of Road Transport Expo, a new UK trade show with a focus that is firmly on heavy commercial vehicles, being organised by the company behind Motor Transport. To find out more about the concept behind this exciting new event and what visitors will be actually able to experience there, MT caught up with Road Transport Media’s divisional director Vic Bunby (pictured above) 18 MotorTransport

MT: Let’s hear your best elevator pitch VB: Road Transport Expo, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park, is all about the truck and everything related to it. Heavy goods vehicles will be at the very heart of this brand new event, which will incorporate a number of existing trade shows. Using a hub-and-spoke model, attendees will be able to see the latest trucks, trailers and related equipment in the central hub, and then tailor their experience by visiting the specialist zones that best suit their interests. MT: Tell us more about the zones VB: There will be several zones, including the Tipper Zone in association with Tip-Ex, a Tanker Zone in association with Tank-Ex, an urban zone in association with Freight in the City, a Knowledge Zone, a Materials Handling Zone, a Trailer Zone, a Used Truck Zone, and a Ride and Drive. We’re adding zones all the time, and will be in a position to make some more exciting announcements in the very near future, so watch this space. MT: So no more Tip-Ex at Harrogate or Freight in the City at Alexandra Palace? ➜ 20 22.11.21

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VB: That’s correct. From 2022 both these well-established and popular events will be incorporated into Road Transport Expo. MT: What differentiates Road Transport Expo from other UK commercial vehicle shows? VB: Road Transport Expo is a truck show, and not a van show, a pick-up show, or a bus and coach show. As well as plenty of trucks to see, touch and drive, there will also be an extensive seminar programme. We promise to give visitors the ultimate show experience. MT: What exactly does “ultimate show experience” mean? VB: It means we’ll be looking after them. Having parked for free, they’ll be greeted by one of our team of showmakers, who will ensure that they find exactly what they’re looking for. There will be plenty of break-out areas, for people to relax or network in over a coffee, and an abundance of sensibly-priced, good-quality eating establishments. MT: How frequently will RTX take place? VB: It will run in 2022 and 2023 in order to get established, and then it will be biennial, alternating with the IAA Show in Hanover. MT: Who will be a typical attendee? VB: Road Transport Expo will be the perfect show for anyone working in the road transport industry, from drivers through to the MDs of the UK’s largest fleets. With static displays, live demonstrations, ride and drives, and an extensive seminar programme, there will be plenty to see, experience, drive and learn, satisfying a broad audience from drivers to the senior management of the UK’s largest haulage firms. And because it takes place at the weekend, those people who are not able to escape the office or driver’s seat during the week will also be able to attend. MT: When will you announce the seminar programme? VB: We’ll be releasing details of the subjects covered in the Knowledge Zone over the coming months, and you’ll get regular updates on these pages. We can guarantee 20 MotorTransport

motortransport.co.uk

you a broad mix of informative subjects, with some high-profile expert speakers. MT: What does it cost to attend? VB: Nothing! We won’t even be charging you for parking. MT: Why Stoneleigh Park? VB: It’s a fantastic venue, right in the heart of the country, with 1,000 acres of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. It’s got great communications, and over 1 million people live within a 30 minute drive. There’s car parking for 19,000 cars, and 500 hotel rooms within 10 miles. MT: When does Road Transport Expo take place, and how do I attend? VB: It takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2022, and those who want to attend can register for their free ticket at www.roadtransportexpo.co.uk ■

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Covid changes the face of transport Transport firms have stepped up to keep the country moving, but the pandemic has been kinder to some than others and it’s clear some of the changes will be permanent, writes Malory Davies

he transport industry has played a heroic role during the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping shops stocked with food and factories stocked with parts. But it is clear from this year’s Top 100 that some operators have thrived while others have struggled. In particular, the pandemic has accelerated the move from shopping in-store to online. Operators focusing on the home delivery market have seen some spectacular increases in sales. DPD, for example, was up almost 40%, while Hermes, Royal Mail and UPS all saw sales grow significantly more than the industry average of 4%. Not only that, companies such as Clipper which provide logistics services to many online retail operations have also seen strong growth. On the other hand, many operators in the Top 100 have reported that sales have been hit by Covid-19, though the overall picture is mixed, with some sectors suffering more than others.

KEY AVERAGES Turnover latest year £329,074,608 Turnover previous year £315,944,329 Pre-tax profit latest year £11,085,819 Pre-tax profit margin latest year 3.37% Pre-tax profit previous year £4,755,719 Pre-tax profit margin previous year 1.51% Number of employees latest year 3,839 Sales per employee latest year £85,719 Pre-tax profit per employee latest year £2,888 Number of employees previous year 3,719 Sales per employee previous year £84,945 Pre-tax profit per employee previous year £1,279 Operating profit latest year £14,118,393 Operating profit margin latest year 4.29% Capital employed latest year £155,666,962 Return on capital employed latest year 9.07%

And there is some evidence that smaller operators have felt the effects more than larger companies. One notable case is Transam Trucking, which specialises in transport for live music and entertainment. It has dropped out of the Top 100 this year with sales falling from £33m to £11m. Hopefully, this market will pick up next year. Despite the problems, profit margins have been stronger than last year – on average. Our survey last year showed pre-tax profit margins reaching a low of 1.5%, driven in part by some spectacular losses. This year the figure has returned to a more respectable 3.4%. This year, operating profit margins averaged 4.3%, almost 1% higher than average pre-tax profits. This difference is almost entirely down to interest payments. Average return on capital employed was 9% this year. With the industry going through such a difficult period, it is hardly surprising that there have been a number of high-profile mergers and takeovers, although for the most part these

will not be reflected in company accounts for another year or so. Perhaps the biggest deal has been the takeover of Eddie Stobart Logistics by Culina. This effectively doubles the size of Culina, giving it sales of some £1.7bn. This would move it up to fourth in terms of size. And this year, XPO hived of its contract logistics business, which has been renamed GXO. We show the two separately in the tables this year. Other deals include DPD’s recently announced takeover of CitySprint and Gregory’s takeover of Pollock (Scotrans). The worst of the pandemic appears to be over, but the coming year promises more challenges for transport and logistics operators, with the shortage of drivers and warehouse workers continuing to have an impact. This in turn is driving wage inflation, which could have a significant impact on profits next year if customers cannot be persuaded to pay higher rates. ■

YOUR FLEET. YOUR WAY. GOODYEAR TOTAL MOBILITY. 22 MotorTransport

22.11.21

motortransport.co.uk

LARGEST 100 COMPANIES (BY TURNOVER) Latest rank

Previous rank

Company or trading name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

1 2 4 5 3 6 7 10 9 8 12 11 13 14 16 3 17 15 20 18 18 21 22 29 23 26 24 28 32 27 31 33 34 30 38 36 37 40 41 42 61 39 44 43 48 45 52 47 54 49

Royal Mail (UK operations) 28/03/2021 DHL 31/12/2020 DPD 03/01/2021 Wincanton 31/03/2021 GXO Logistics 31/12/2020 UPS 31/12/2020 Menzies Distribution 26/12/2020 Eddie Stobart Logistics 30/11/2020 Hermes Parcelnet 29/02/2020 FedEx Corporation 31/05/2020 Culina Group 31/12/2020 Kuehne + Nagel 31/12/2020 Whistl UK 31/12/2020 Yodel 30/06/2020 Clipper Logistics plc 30/04/2020 XPO Logistics 31/12/2020 Turners (Soham) Holdings 31/12/2020 Gist 31/12/2020 DX Group 27/06/2020 Maritime Transport 27/12/2020 Ceva Logistics 31/12/2020 Gregory Distribution (Holdings) 03/10/2020 Yusen Logistics (UK) 28/03/2020 Tuffnells Parcels Express 31/12/2020 W H Malcolm 31/01/2020 Europa Worldwide Logistics 31/12/2019 DSV Road 31/12/2020 Kinaxia Ltd 31/12/2019 Movianto UK 31/12/2020 Menzies Dist. Solutions (formerly Bibby) 26/12/2020 Langdon Group 31/12/2020 Hoyer Petrolog UK 31/12/2019 BCA Automotive 29/03/2020 Gefco UK 31/12/2020 FreshLinc Group 30/01/2021 Pentalver 31/12/2019 McBurney Transport Group 31/12/2020 Howard Tenens 30/09/2020 Owens (Road Services) 30/06/2020 Suttons Tankers 30/04/2020 Currie International 30/06/2020 Cold Fell Group (ECM Vehicle Delivery) 31/12/2020 Woodside Logistics Group 31/03/2020 John G Russell 31/03/2020 Reed Boardall Group 31/03/2020 Redhead Freight 31/12/2019 KNP Logistics Group 31/05/2020 Maxi Haulage 30/09/2020 Jack Richards & Son 03/01/2021 Abbey Logistics Group 27/06/2020

GREENER. FURTHER. 22.11.21

Financial year end

Latest year turnover (£000s)

Latest year pre-tax profit (£000s)

Latest year employees

Previous year turnover (£000s)

Previous year pre-tax profit (£000s)

8,649,000 4,443,019 1,942,202 1,221,900 1,197,694 1,157,938 923,600 874,340 860,037 768,780 766,827 630,669 621,651 520,630 500,671 489,928 473,084 471,837 329,300 323,289 305,619 238,299 219,940 212,494 209,298 205,696 177,768 169,976 166,999 153,498 146,013 141,250 136,604 127,091 111,862 110,660 104,080 103,609 86,869 83,205 79,753 74,011 69,875 68,739 68,435 68,027 66,624 63,974 63,097 62,871

316,000 -23,285 295,593 48,400 46,604 117,960 6,600 -14,995 46,213 35,361 34,520 -70,020 295 -32,764 20,107 -1,144 60,804 32,952 -1,300 13,345 5,995 11,004 2,384 6,065 8,369 6,021 16,177 -1,826 3,158 304 7,651 4,131 589 9,510 2,445 -1,091 9,053 8,129 2,645 1,732 -2,382 -268 4,151 7,442 2,038 -817 -389 928 3,769 -1,260

158,194 46,297 8,205 19,145 18,551 8,524 2,681 6,410 3,559 10,170 8,080 9,206 2,214 4,603 7,600 3,819 4,272 5,364 3,795 2,611 3,702 2,340 1,368 2,456 2,068 925 656 1,793 975 1,404 1,533 1,255 1,173 571 471 1,713 816 765 944 738 456 805 536 668 789 377 589 332 721 608

7,720,000 4,812,228 1,389,107 1,201,200 1,087,456 1,069,300 1,006,300 857,526 749,457 888,725 636,767 775,940 634,893 508,757 460,171 539,797 449,370 462,035 322,500 328,736 357,053 238,894 215,946 164,450 206,147 175,907 197,522 114,907 155,355 166,921 160,863 132,879 130,090 161,916 108,671 114,387 103,902 96,080 89,701 72,218 48,056 100,184 67,337 68,077 62,804 66,086 58,605 63,370 37,401 62,679

83 107,048 158,346 43,800 44,808 93,434 10,000 -238,937 36,092 45,789 26,886 42,053 -4,672 -66,996 16,930 10,222 37,226 4,067 -1,700 9,437 9,954 8,011 823 -29,262 5,275 5,244 9,037 -756 -4,594 -2,079 7,985 1,409 1,140 4,442 1,568 2,892 4,955 10,770 1,854 3,924 509 2,098 3,578 5,357 970 -332 -1,204 74 463 -3,668

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LARGEST 100 COMPANIES (BY TURNOVER) Latest rank

Previous rank

Company or trading name

Financial year end

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

55 57 53 50 35 56 46 58 59 88 60 51 62 64 66 86 68 65 70 63 78 69 73 67 84 80 72 74 71 77 83 87 85 99 89 91 93 92 81 96 95 102 76 103 104 101 94 109 90 79

GBA Services Advanced Supply Chain Group Panther Warehousing Moran Logistics EV Downton WS Specialist Logistics R Swain & Sons Lenham Storage Group Solstor UK Kammac Boughey Distribution Pickfords Move Management Warrens Warehousing and Distribution Lloyd Fraser Holdings S J Bargh Lineage UK Transport Lomas Distribution Agro (formerly Grocontinental) Knowles Transport RT Keedwell (SR Keedwell Holdings) ET Holdings (Evans Transport/Seymour Transport) Countrywide Freight Group Fred Sherwood & Sons (Transport) Montgomery Transport WM Armstrong (Longtown) Buffaload Logistics Freightroute T J Transport Group Holdings McPherson Expect Distribution Meachers Global Logistics H Sivyer (Transport) Neill & Brown Global Logistics Group MDS Distribution Ltd McCulla Holdings Elddis Transport (Consett) Pollock (Scotrans) Master Removers Group The Bartrum Group Carlson Vehicle Transfer Fagan & Whalley Stan Robinson Group Brit European Hayton Coulthard Transport TP Niven Newell & Wright Transport Contractors BP Mitchell Haulage Contractors Acumen Logistics Group Circle Express JW Suckling Transport

31/12/2020 30/11/2020 31/12/2019 02/01/2021 31/12/2019 30/11/2019 02/01/2021 31/08/2020 30/09/2020 31/12/2020 31/05/2020 30/09/2020 31/12/2020 29/02/2020 30/04/2020 31/12/2020 29/07/2020 31/12/2020 31/12/2020 31/10/2020 31/03/2020 31/03/2020 31/03/2020 30/09/2020 31/03/2020 31/12/2019 31/12/2020 31/12/2020 30/07/2020 30/11/2020 31/05/2020 31/03/2020 30/04/2020 31/01/2021 31/12/2020 31/12/2020 31/08/2020 30/09/2020 31/12/2020 31/12/2019 30/04/2020 31/05/2021 31/12/2020 03/10/2020 31/03/2021 31/08/2020 30/06/2020 31/12/2019 31/03/2021 31/12/2020

Latest year turnover (£000s) 61,482 59,925 58,117 57,405 56,434 53,790 51,458 51,307 51,130 49,634 48,654 47,325 47,200 46,536 43,081 41,685 38,993 38,975 38,354 37,984 36,518 35,305 34,583 34,090 33,794 33,768 33,515 33,313 33,171 32,838 31,502 30,813 29,807 29,396 29,052 28,896 26,862 26,327 26,189 26,007 26,000 25,856 24,776 24,686 24,215 24,050 23,583 22,328 22,138 21,980

Latest year pre-tax profit (£000s) -76 3,098 4,871 1,315 -1,948 875 -1,458 1,581 1,454 7,063 -522 2,080 2,795 1,430 979 -1,267 610 4,029 2,506 269 882 249 762 752 287 1,347 1,643 426 2,368 3,006 2,220 314 2,269 207 3,957 502 419 1,728 2,306 -487 485 2,270 585 933 948 -2,226 5,134 85 -1,654 283

Latest year employees 287 1,371 474 393 1,163 272 494 619 88 308 621 331 403 497 502 377 284 372 293 404 354 344 41 265 310 219 386 214 367 292 159 77 149 272 258 328 251 411 238 191 321 337 219 219 245 259 118 192 234 214

Previous year turnover (£000s) 57,196 50,311 62,576 61,953 117,458 29,295 65,765 49,377 48,464 29,097 48,451 58,868 46,429 40,848 39,620 29,575 38,122 39,800 36,242 42,673 31,761 36,315 33,896 39,493 30,451 31,043 35,502 33,348 36,152 32,208 30,624 29,269 30,274 32,722 28,665 28,682 27,840 28,064 31,040 25,206 26,278 23,450 32,395 24,177 23,700 25,065 27,775 27,007 29,835 31,406

Previous year pre-tax profit (£000s) 641 1,684 381 1,158 2,168 454 172 1,430 734 1,559 310 1,520 2,160 594 1,308 -282 658 3,987 2,016 64 1,451 347 644 -431 270 1,036 571 -93 3,046 1,785 2,208 613 2,587 -1,029 2,261 441 256 1,892 1,548 427 521 748 1,977 36 598 778 5,108 -343 -1,972 1,224

TRUCKFORCE. DEDICATED SUPPORT 365 DAYS A YEAR. 24 MotorTransport

22.11.21

motortransport.co.uk

GROWTH IN TURNOVER Turnover growth rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Overall Company or rank trading name 3 11 9 1 5 15 6 14 8 4 13 2 7 10 12 28 24 26 38 29 32 17 33 35 18 19 23 25 37 22 20 36 30 31 16 27 21 34 56 49 41 52 40 47 45 51 59 58 43 46

Latest year turnover (£000s) DPD 1,942,202 Culina Group 766,827 Hermes Parcelnet 860,037 Royal Mail (UK operations) 8,649,000 GXO Logistics 1,197,694 Clipper Logistics plc 500,671 UPS 1,157,938 Yodel 520,630 Eddie Stobart Logistics 874,340 Wincanton 1,221,900 Whistl UK 621,651 DHL 4,443,019 Menzies Distribution 923,600 FedEx Corporation 768,780 Kuehne + Nagel 630,669 Kinaxia Ltd 169,976 Tuffnells Parcels Express 212,494 Europa Worldwide Logistics 205,696 Howard Tenens 103,609 Movianto UK 166,999 Hoyer Petrolog UK 141,250 Turners (Soham) Holdings 473,084 BCA Automotive 136,604 FreshLinc Group 111,862 Gist 471,837 DX Group 329,300 Yusen Logistics (UK) 219,940 W H Malcolm 209,298 McBurney Transport Group 104,080 Gregory Distribution (Holdings) 238,299 Maritime Transport 323,289 Pentalver 110,660 Menzies Dist. Solutions (formerly Bibby) 153,498 Langdon Group 146,013 XPO Logistics 489,928 DSV Road 177,768 Ceva Logistics 305,619 Gefco UK 127,091 WS Specialist Logistics 53,790 Jack Richards & Son 63,097 Currie International 79,753 Advanced Supply Chain Group 59,925 Suttons Tankers 83,205 KNP Logistics Group 66,624 Reed Boardall Group 68,435 GBA Services 61,482 Solstor UK 51,130 Lenham Storage Group 51,307 Woodside Logistics Group 69,875 Redhead Freight 68,027

Previous year turnover (£000s) 1,389,107 636,767 749,457 7,720,000 1,087,456 460,171 1,069,300 508,757 857,526 1,201,200 634,893 4,812,228 1,006,300 888,725 775,940 114,907 164,450 175,907 96,080 155,355 132,879 449,370 130,090 108,671 462,035 322,500 215,946 206,147 103,902 238,894 328,736 114,387 166,921 160,863 539,797 197,522 357,053 161,916 29,295 37,401 48,056 50,311 72,218 58,605 62,804 57,196 48,464 49,377 67,337 66,086

Growth in turnover (%) 39.82 20.43 14.75 12.03 10.14 8.80 8.29 2.33 1.96 1.72 -2.09 -7.67 -8.22 -13.50 -18.72 47.92 29.21 16.93 7.84 7.50 6.30 5.28 5.01 2.94 2.12 2.11 1.85 1.53 0.17 -0.25 -1.66 -3.26 -8.04 -9.23 -9.24 -10.00 -14.41 -21.51 83.62 68.71 65.96 19.11 15.21 13.68 8.97 7.49 5.50 3.91 3.77 2.94

Turnover Overall Company or growth rank trading name rank

Latest year turnover (£000s)

Previous year Growth in turnover turnover (£000s) (%)

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

68,739 63,974 62,871 86,869 58,117 57,405 51,458 74,011 56,434 49,634 41,685 36,518 46,536 33,794 33,768 43,081 38,354 30,813 31,502 38,993 34,583 32,838 47,200 48,654 33,313 29,807 38,975 35,305 33,515 33,171 29,396 37,984 34,090 47,325 25,856 26,007 24,215 24,686 29,052 28,896 26,000 26,862 24,050 26,327 23,583 26,189 22,328 24,776 22,138 21,980

68,077 63,370 62,679 89,701 62,576 61,953 65,765 100,184 117,458 29,097 29,575 31,761 40,848 30,451 31,043 39,620 36,242 29,269 30,624 38,122 33,896 32,208 46,429 48,451 33,348 30,274 39,800 36,315 35,502 36,152 32,722 42,673 39,493 58,868 23,450 25,206 23,700 24,177 28,665 28,682 26,278 27,840 25,065 28,064 27,775 31,040 27,007 32,395 29,835 31,406

44 48 50 39 53 54 57 42 55 60 66 71 64 75 76 65 69 82 81 67 73 80 63 61 78 83 68 72 77 79 84 70 74 62 92 90 95 94 85 86 91 87 96 88 97 89 98 93 99 100

John G Russell Maxi Haulage Abbey Logistics Group Owens (Road Services) Panther Warehousing Moran Logistics R Swain & Sons Cold Fell Group (ECM ) EV Downton Kammac Lineage UK Transport ET Holdings (Evans/Seymour) Lloyd Fraser Holdings WM Armstrong (Longtown) Buffaload Logistics S J Bargh Knowles Transport H Sivyer (Transport) Meachers Global Logistics Lomas Distribution Fred Sherwood & Sons (Transport) Expect Distribution Warrens Warehousing and Distribution Boughey Distribution T J Transport Group Holdings Neill & Brown Global Logistics Agro (formerly Grocontinental) Countrywide Freight Group Freightroute McPherson MDS Distribution Ltd RT Keedwell (SR Keedwell) Montgomery Transport Pickfords Move Management Stan Robinson Group Carlson Vehicle Transfer TP Niven Hayton Coulthard Transport McCulla Holdings Elddis Transport (Consett) Fagan & Whalley Pollock (Scotrans) Newell & Wright Transport Contractors Master Removers Group BP Mitchell Haulage Contractors The Bartrum Group Acumen Logistics Group Brit European Circle Express JW Suckling Transport

0.97 0.95 0.31 -3.16 -7.13 -7.34 -21.75 -26.12 -51.95 70.58 40.94 14.98 13.93 10.98 8.78 8.74 5.83 5.28 2.87 2.28 2.03 1.96 1.66 0.42 -0.11 -1.54 -2.07 -2.78 -5.59 -8.25 -10.16 -10.99 -13.68 -19.61 10.26 3.18 2.17 2.11 1.35 0.75 -1.06 -3.51 -4.05 -6.19 -15.09 -15.63 -17.33 -23.52 -25.80 -30.01

KMAX GEN-2. SUPERB MILEAGE ON ANY ROADS. 22.11.21

MotorTransport 25

GROWTH IN PROFIT Latest rank

Company or trading name

Latest year pre-tax profit (£000s)

Previous year pre-tax profit (£000s)

Growth in profit (%)

Latest rank

Company or trading name

Latest year pre-tax profit (£000s) 4,151

Previous year pre-tax profit (£000s) 3,578

Growth in profit (%) 16.02

1 2

Royal Mail (UK operations) Whistl UK

316,000 295

83 -4,672

380,622.89 106.31

Woodside Logistics Group

Eddie Stobart Logistics

-14,995

-238,937

93.72

Moran Logistics

1,315

1,158

13.53

Lenham Storage Group

1,581

1,430

DPD

295,593

158,346

86.68

10.55

Suttons Tankers

1,732

3,924

-55.86

Yodel

-32,764

-66,996

51.10

Menzies Distribution

6,600

10,000

34.00

GBA Services

-76

641

-111.93

Redhead Freight

-817

-332

Culina Group

34,520

26,886

-146.56

28.39

EV Downton

-1,948

2,168

-189.89

Hermes Parcelnet

46,213

36,092

28.04

Currie International

-2,382

509

-568.26

UPS

117,960

93,434

26.25

R Swain & Sons

-1,458

172

-948.21

Clipper Logistics plc

20,107

16,930

18.77

T J Transport Group Holdings 426

-93

558.58

Wincanton

48,400

43,800

10.50

Kammac

7,063

1,559

353.06

GXO Logistics

46,604

44,808

4.01

RT Keedwell (SR Keedwell)

269

322.50

FedEx Corporation

35,361

45,789

-22.77

Montgomery Transport

752

-431

274.24

DHL

-23,285

107,048

-121.75

Freightroute

1,643

571

187.72

Kuehne + Nagel

-70,020

42,053

-266.50

Lloyd Fraser Holdings

1,430

594

140.84

68.37

Gist

32,952

4,067

710.23

Expect Distribution

3,006

1,785

Hoyer Petrolog UK

4,131

1,409

193.23

Pickfords Move Management

2,080

1,520

36.80

Yusen Logistics (UK)

2,384

823

189.67

Buffaload Logistics

1,347

1,036

29.96

Movianto UK

3,158

-4,594

168.74

Warrens Warehousing and Distribution

2,795

2,160

29.39

Tuffnells Parcels Express

6,065

-29,262

120.73

Knowles Transport

2,506

2,016

24.29

Menzies Dist. Solutions (formerly Bibby) 304

-2,079

114.62

Fred Sherwood & Sons (Transport)

762

644

18.19

Gefco UK

9,510

4,442

114.09

WM Armstrong (Longtown)

287

270

6.46

McBurney Transport Group

9,053

4,955

82.70

Agro (formerly Grocontinental)

4,029

3,987

1.06

DSV Road

16,177

9,037

79.01

Meachers Global Logistics

2,220

2,208

0.54

Turners (Soham) Holdings

60,804

37,226

63.34

Lomas Distribution

610

658

-7.33

W H Malcolm

8,369

5,275

58.65

McPherson

2,368

3,046

-22.25

FreshLinc Group

2,445

1,568

55.89

S J Bargh

979

1,308

-25.19

249

Maritime Transport

13,345

9,437

41.41

Countrywide Freight Group

347

-28.23

Gregory Distribution (Holdings)

11,004

8,011

37.36

ET Holdings (Evans /Seymour Transport) 882

1,451

-39.23

DX Group

-1,300

-1,700

23.53

H Sivyer (Transport)

314

613

-48.77

Europa Worldwide Logistics

6,021

5,244

14.82

Boughey Distribution

-522

310

-268.39

Langdon Group

7,651

7,985

4.18

Lineage UK Transport

-1,267

-282

-349.64

Howard Tenens

8,129

10,770

-24.52

Hayton Coulthard Transport

933

2,491.67

Ceva Logistics

5,995

9,954

-39.77

Stan Robinson Group

2,270

748

203.35

BCA Automotive

589

1,140

-48.33

Acumen Logistics Group

-343

124.71

XPO Logistics

-1,144

10,222

-111.19

MDS Distribution Ltd

207

-1,029

120.10

Pentalver

-1,091

2,892

-137.72

McCulla Holdings

3,957

2,261

75.01

Kinaxia Ltd

-1,826

-756

-141.62

Pollock (Scotrans)

419

256

63.50

Panther Warehousing

4,871

381

1,178.64

TP Niven

948

598

58.56

Maxi Haulage

928

1,160.18

The Bartrum Group

2,306

1,548

48.96

Jack Richards & Son

3,769

463

714.40

Circle Express

-1,654

-1,972

16.13

Cold Fell Group (ECM)

-268

2,098

112.80

Elddis Transport (Consett)

502

441

13.93

Reed Boardall Group

2,038

970

110.12

BP Mitchell Haulage Contractors

5,134

5,108

0.52

Solstor UK

1,454

734

98.00

Fagan & Whalley

485

521

-6.98

WS Specialist Logistics

875

454

92.78

Master Removers Group

1,728

1,892

-8.65

Advanced Supply Chain Group 3,098

1,684

83.99

Neill & Brown Global Logistics 2,269

2,587

-12.27

KNP Logistics Group

-389

-1,204

67.72

Brit European

585

1,977

-70.42

Abbey Logistics Group

-1,260

-3,668

65.65

JW Suckling Transport

283

1,224

-76.89

Owens (Road Services)

2,645

1,854

42.65

Carlson Vehicle Transfer

-487

427

-213.93

John G Russell

7,442

5,357

38.92

100

Newell & Wright Transport

-2,226

778

-386.33

TREADMAX. THE COST EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO NEW. 26 MotorTransport

22.11.21

motortransport.co.uk

The MT Top 100 explained The rankings were finalised on 22 October 2021. The data was compiled from audited accounts filed at Companies House. The table lists the company in regard to its official registered name at Companies House, which is not always the same at the company’s trading name. As far as possible we have used turnover figures generated solely or primarily from UK road transport and warehousing activities, unless otherwise stated. Employee figures are predominantly those employed solely or primarily in the UK. Return on capital employed has been calculated as operating profit divided by the sum of total assets minus current liabilities, expressed as a percentage. Minus signs (-) have been changed in the profit growth table so they always mean worse. For example, Yodel made a smaller pre-tax loss in 2019 than 2018. The calculation gives a growth figure of -51.1% (because the loss is smaller). But because the column is called ‘Profit Growth’, intuitively that seems wrong. Consequently, we have changed the sign to 51.1% to reflect the fact that it is actually better. Advanced Supply Chain figures reflect the performance of Advanced Supply Chain Group excluding the results of its Advanced Forwarding international freight forwarding business. BCA Automotive comprises Walon, Paragon Automotive Logistics and Sensible Automotive, which are all subsidiaries of BCA Marketplace. Bibby Distribution became part of Menzies in December 2020 and was renamed Menzies Distribution Solutions. Accounts are shown separately in the Top 100 this year. Culina Group comprises Culina Logistics, Great Bear Distribution, Integrated Packing Services, Morgan McLernon, CML F&L (Telford) and Fowler Welch. Culina took over Eddie Stobart in July 2021. We have included it separately in the main listing. Robsons of Spalding was dissolved in January 2021. Culina took a 75% stake in Warrens Warehousing & Distribution in March 2018 – this is included separately. Currie International Holdings 2020 figures are for 18 months. Currie acquired PS Ridgway, Move It Express, Laser Transport. DHL comprises DHL Supply Chain, DHL Parcel UK, Tradeteam, DHL International UK, and Exel UK. The company is consolidating logistics contracts into DHL Supply Chain as they are renewed from Exel. Tradeteam has moved into DHL Supply Chain from H2 of 2021. Employees in DHL Supply Chain, Tradeteam and Exel are employed through DHL Services. DHL’s freight forwarding business is excluded from our figures. DPD comprises DPDgroup UK and DPDLocal, formerly Interlink Express. The pre-tax profit figure has been adjusted to reflect a £25m dividend paid by DPDLocal to DPDgroup. EV Downton is the new name for CM Downton. Accounts are for the half-year to 31 December 2019. FedEx comprises FedEx UK and FedEx UK Transport – the new name for TNT UK. Geodis UK has been removed from the Top

TPMS 22.11.21

100. Company restructuring in 2020 saw it exiting the distribution and express business, while the contract logistics business has been transferred to a new entity. Gregory Distribution acquired Pollock (Holding) and its subsidiaries Pollock (Scotrans) and Pollock Express. GXO Logistics was created when XPO spun off its contract logistics business in August 2021. We have split the figures for the two businesses. XPO now consists of XPO Transport Solutions UK and XPO Bulk UK. We have excluded XPO Global Forwarding and XPO Maintenance UK to reflect turnover and profit derived from domestic road freight. GXO acquired K+N’s Drinks Logistics business plus other contract logistics assets after the year-end, so these figures are still shown under K+N. Hargreaves Services has been taken out of the listing as the company no longer gives separate figures for transport operations. Jack Richards 2020 figures are for half-year 01/06/19 to 05/01/20. James Kemball 2020 figures are for 15 months to June 2020. Kinaxia’s main entry is for Kinaxia only. We have included a separate table (right) to show the figures for the companies that it has acquired to make up the group. This gives an indication of the size of the group once the results for the latest acquisitions are fully taken into account. KNP Logistics Group is the parent company of Knights of Old, Nelson Distribution, Steve Porter Transport, and Ireland Express. Kuehne+Nagel sold its drinks logistics business plus other contract logistics assets to XPO at the beginning of 2021, so the impact of the sale does not appear in this year’s Top 100. For 2020, turnover is derived from its contract logistics business (as reported by Kuehne + Nagel) and K+N Drinks Logistics. Turnover from its freight forwarding business is excluded to reflect the domestic road freight-related contributions to the business. However, as K+N does not split the two divisions into

legal entities, we were unable to break down pre-tax profit and employee numbers in the same way. Therefore profit and employee figures include the international freight forwarding business. Lenham Storage comprises Lenham Storage and Lenham Storage Southern. Lineage UK Transport 2019 figures are for a nine-month period only. MDS Distribution is the new name for Mansel Davies & Son. McBurney Holdings comprises McBurney Transport and Bondelivery Northern Ireland. Pentalver comprises Pentalver Transport and Pentalver Cannock. Rhys Davies & Sons has been removed from the Top 100 as the company went into administration in December 2020. Royal Mail‘s return on capital figures are for the whole group, not just UK operations. Tuffnells was sold by Connect Group to Tuffnells Holdings in April 2020. The latest figures are for the 16 months to 31 December 2020. WS Specialist Logistics’ latest figures are for 18 months to 30 November 2019. Yodel comprises Yodel Delivery Network and Arrow XL.

KINAXIA Year: 2019

Turnover (£) AJ Maiden and Son 11,558,117 William Kirk 8,040,561 Bay Freight 9,400,490 Foulger Transport 15,059,222 Lambert Brothers Haulage 14,931,300 Mark Thompson Transport 30,097,048 Panic Transport (Contracts) 16,277,336 NC Cammack & Son 7,985,354 AKW Global Logistics 20,269,365 AKW Global Warehousing 16,198,894 Fresh Freight 16,441,392 David Hathaway Transport 15,579,109 Total 181,838,188

Pre-tax profit (£) 103,049 80,217 101,640 -1,103,084 94,861 219,567 111,658 261,058 114,372 236,108 8,629 688,200 916,275

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. MotorTransport 27

MT Awards 2021 winner profile Best Use of Technology Award

All charged up A partnership between the RAC and engineering firm Original ADS sparked an innovative solution to an increasing problem with electric vehicle owners

riving an electric vehicle (EV) is one small way everyone can help save the planet, but few of us are aware of the environmental impact if one of these vehicles runs out of charge at the roadside. There is no jerry can solution for EVs, so if you are not close to a static charging station, a driver’s next port of call is contacting a roadside recovery operator, such as the RAC. The problem here is that before the development of Charge Pod, one of the few available options was to lift the EV onto a flatbed truck and drive it to a charging point, a solution that is not only extremely costly, but it also produces emissions that are 30 times higher than when a standard patrol vehicle is sent to assist. “The other option is batteries,” says Lauren Saxton, commercial director at Original ADS, the company the RAC approached to design and develop a roadside power boost for flat EVs. “The problem with them is that they are big and heavy and take up a lot of space. RAC vans are already packed with tools and equipment to do the majority of their

breakdown work, so to add in EV solutions things have to be removed from the van. But Charge Pod doesn’t compromise on space; the RAC can continue doing the majority of its portfolio work.” The RAC and Original ADS have worked together for many years, but the timing of this project, with one side needing a solution to a rapidly growing roadside problem and the other looking to diversify its product range, was perfect. Saxton says that to discuss all the challenges Original ADS faced when devising a solution would take weeks, but the main one was how to take the power created by an on-board generator – dirty power in layman’s terms – and convert it into power that safely charges an EV. Its designers and engineers were unfazed and the result is Charge Pod, a lightweight, compact mobile electrical boost system that offers a 100% duty cycle and enables the RAC to provide the same out-of-fuel service as it does to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.

Level of power

Optimum power for a roadside AC charge is 7.5kW and, following development of a 3.5kW charger in 2019 and then later a 5kW unit, Charge Pod will soon be able to supply an EV with the full 7.5kW. However, to provide this level of power, a 10kW generator is required and standard models on the market are too big and heavy for the roadside recoverer’s needs. One of the many features of the Charge Pod is that Original ADS created a permanent magnet 10kW generator that weighs just 9kg and is no bigger than a 5kW generator. Nothing else like this exists on the market. Initially, it seems surprising that the development of a product such as Charge Pod did not evolve along parallel lines with the development and rise in the number of EVs on the roads in recent years. Saxton says Original ADS is also surprised that it remains alone in the market with its charge offering. However, she also points to market trends in the take-up of EVs. “Elon Musk was very much alone in that market for a long time,” she says. “There were Teslas around, but not many. Over the past four years that has started to change; the need for a mobile function was low, but that dial started to click when vehicle manufacturers started talking about them. “Taking it up to the last three or four months with the fuel shortage, the government pushing for development of EVs, and all the makes and models of them now avail28 MotorTransport

22.11.21

Sponsored by

able, it’s now really needed. The problem with EVs is that as soon as you hit zero, a lot will just cut out. Some of the higher-end brands have a reserve, but the second problem is the static charge points. They don’t have to be manned and the technology is still so new and a lot are not working.”

Ongoing project

Charge Pod is an ongoing project as far as Original ADS is concerned. The engineering firm has global contacts in breakdown fleets and Saxton says county councils and utility firms have expressed an interest in it, given their recent push towards running EV fleets. She says it is an old-fashioned concept, but for the company, customer is king. “We hold that at the heart of what we do,” Saxton says. “Consequently, what can we add to things to ensure we deliver absolutely what they need? Charge Pod is a three-year project, but it will continually be developed.” For the RAC, it now has a potential solution for its 13 million members that reduces carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions of fleets, helps to reduce range anxiety among EV drivers, and sets it apart from the competition. Sarah Winward-Kotecha, RAC director of EVs, says: “Our exclusive deal with Original ADS gives us a real point of difference at the roadside and means we’re able to provide the best service possible to EV drivers, cementing our position as being number one in the EV breakdown market. Unlike other mobile charging solutions, which tend to use bulky and heavy portable batteries or generators, working with Original we’ve created a lightweight generator that’s powered by the engine of our breakdown vans.” The RAC is still using diesel recovery vans because there isn’t an electric van that can do the job. “No EV can do everything we need it to do in terms of carrying all the tools and equipment our patrols use and be able to tow broken-down cars. But we believe it’s better for the planet than always needing to use a flatbed truck – especially if the stricken vehicle needs to travel only a short distance to a working charging point or a home address,” says Winward-Kotecha. “We started with a 3.5kW charger, which we’ve uprated to 5kW, which means we can give a range of 10 miles in approximately 30 minutes. And very soon we should have a 7.5kWh unit that will be even better, giving a faster emergency charge. “We’re the only major UK breakdown company to 22.11.21

have this technology and, as we scale up over the next year, it will mean we’re in an excellent position to assist EV drivers who break down as a result of reaching a faulty charger, or running out of charge.”

Final say

Its creation bowled over the judges, with one saying: “An excellent, pragmatic solution that will clearly assist in the take-up of electric vehicles.” “Exceptional forward thinking,” said another. “A life saver for motorists as we all get used to electric systems in cars. With charge points new to us all, this is good to know in the event of being caught out.” A third pointed to the commercial benefits the RAC will enjoy in being able to offer such an innovative solution to motorists. “It’s a great development and will benefit the RAC in the reduction of recovery vehicles required to collect dead vehicles and will assist in boosting the membership by providing a true benefit.” ■

CHARGE OF THE LIGHTWEIGHT BRIGADE Charge Pod is seen as the best solution available to the problem of flat or severely depleted EV batteries. The RAC says it is lightweight, compact – its dimensions are 390mm x 252mm x 185mm – and has a 100% duty cycle, so it is always available and ready to use. So how does it work? The roadside assistance firm breaks down the parts of the charge system into four main components: the engine mount kit; the generator; the RPM controller; and the charge pod. Original ADS designed a specific kit to mount the Charge Pod generator on to the patrol vehicle engine. The generator is a permanent magnet 10kW generator, which the RAC says is the lightest, most compact 10kW generator ever designed. The RPM generator controller is designed to slightly increase the RAC’s patrol vehicle engine revs to spin the generator at the required speed to produce the level of power needed when the Charge Pod is activated. Finally, the Charge Pod is where all the essential communication happens between the pod system and the EV. The RAC says that without the Charge Pod it is not possible to give power to an EV as the communications between the pod and vehicle are vital to enable a safe charging process – and demand for this service is only going to increase. Sarah Winward-Kotecha says: “Although the overall number of our members driving EVs is low compared with those in internal combustion engine vehicles, these numbers are rising rapidly and we expect this to continue in the coming years, in line with wider market growth in EVs. “We estimate there are already more than 33,000 zero-emission battery EVs in the UK, around 125,000 of which have been registered in 2021. As the rate of growth is huge, it’s vital our roadside service is ready to cater for EV drivers should they need our help in any way.” MotorTransport 29

MT Awards 2021 winner profile Operational Excellence Award

Smooth operator Wren Kitchens has revised its operational systems and processes during the pandemic with award-winning results. But the Humberside-based kitchen giant isn’t stopping there…

hoever submitted Wren Kitchens’ entry for our Operational Excellence Award this year certainly had their work cut out. At 31 pages, the PDF document provides plenty of bedtime reading, but it’s that level of attention to detail that has helped make the manufacturer and retailer such a success story. “One of the most detailed entries I have ever read,” is how one of our judges described it, adding that “it covered everything and more that the panel could wish to see”. Wren won another four awards at this year’s event, including the Business Excellence trophy, but if our subsequent visit to the Humberside HQ is anything to go by, the operation has forged ahead with plenty of fresh ideas since then. The big ongoing challenge, of course, is how to run a fleet of 300 trucks in a pandemic. Safety, compliance and continuity took centre stage during 2020, but Wren also managed to assess, employ and train an unprecedented 123 new drivers in four months to manage a spike in orders. With efficiency a key focus, Wren prides itself on being evolutionary in its approach, relentlessly challenging established systems and processes. On the day of our visit, for example, fleet manager Lee Thompson-Halls reveals that its HGV drivers have been testing a new app making refuelling easy and removing the need for fuel cards. The trial is part of a collaboration also involving BP and Mercedes-Benz to test digital in-truck system bp In-Truck Pay.

Refuelling app

Mercedes supplies around 100 trucks to Wren and the app aims to speed up fuel purchasing and management, as well as make it more efficient and secure for truck drivers and fleet managers. Purchases, mileage and other data are automatically relayed back to base, while the system also eliminates the problems of managing lost or damaged cards and the risk of fraudulent use. Importantly, the new technology is also user friendly: “Surprisingly it’s the older guys that like it the most,” Thompson Hall says. The point brings us to the wider question of how Wren is approaching the transition from diesel to zero carbon alternatives. “We’re constantly talking to Mercedes, Scania, Renault and DAF to see what’s out there,” Thompson-Halls says. “But there’s nothing that really suits what we’re doing. 30 MotorTransport

We’ve driven the triple-trunking nearly to its maximum to save on fuel and vehicles on the road. But we need to look at the next step.” By ‘upcycling’ its 18-tonne triple-trunking units as they came to the end of their five-year, 550,000km life into yard shunters, Wren saved over £200,000 last year. With 18-tonne, 7.5-tonne and 3.5-tonne vehicles on the fleet, it offers a range of flexible delivery options – the choice of vehicle agreed following either a satellite view or a site visit. But attention is now turning to how its trucks will be powered in the future. “Currently in terms of battery we’ve trialled a couple of 7.5-tonners, but there’s nothing really hitting us with what’s going to fit perfectly with electric, so were looking at other options like hydrogen,” Thompson-Halls continues. “But it’s not just the vehicle. There’s an anxiety issue even with cars in terms of range and infrastructure. We’re trying it with company cars and waiting for the truck initiative really to see what’s going to come next.”

Future proofing

Ultimately, he agrees that many HGV operators are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to the future rather than jumping in with both feet and potentially making a wrong decision that proves costly. “Yes it’s frustrating that we’re ready and want it, but it’s not here yet,” he says. “We’re ready for it, but it’s not ready for us. But the future has got to be a mixture of fuel options. Every operator is different. Home delivery has different demands. Electric suits home delivery more, but again it’s about the infrastructure. We need charging points that are readily accessible for trucks, not just cars.” Another recent development is Wren’s plan to bring raw materials in off the rails to improve efficiencies. “We’re looking at doing our own board collection and also our own container water collection down at Southampton and Felixstowe,” Thompson-Halls explains. “Unfortunately, because of the driver shortage, a lot of companies can’t do it, so we’re looking at branching out and looking at other areas of the industry to cover ourselves so it’s not just home delivery. It’s quite a big operation.” The ongoing driver shortage is obviously uppermost in operators’ minds right now. Although it hasn’t been a major concern for Wren, Thompson-Halls admits he has had to use outside agencies to keep the operation running smoothly. He also reveals that the vehicle and trailer shortage has been an issue. Like many firms, Wren has been forced to plan as far ahead as possible to mitigate the impact. 22.11.21

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“One thing that I was quite proud of in our Bartonon-Humber depot is we didn’t have a spot hire agency driver for nearly three years,” he says. “Whereas when I first took over, probably half the staff were spot hire.” So why the reluctance to go down the agency route? “It’s more expensive, more unreliable, more damages, more complaints, more guys that don’t really commit to the job,” he responds with typical bluntness. “Whereas with direct employment they’re more effective and you invest time and money into them more effectively. And I think with the current driver shortage, other depots, not just Wren, have had to look to agencies and couriers. Today we have our first fully nationwide routes with no couriers on. That’s quite an achievement.” In times when drivers are increasingly calling the shots on wages, you might have expected poaching by rival firms to have been a problem of late. But Wren has apparently managed to deter people from being lured by big sign-on fees and bonuses. “Drivers are committed,” Thompson Halls insists. “They really enjoy going to work. They feel safe here. We pull together. The driver works for the manager rather than the company. “You’re always going to get the money chasers, as we call them, and they go wherever the next highest hourly rate is. We’ve had a couple of those that have tried to come back a couple of times. We’ll still interview them and see what’s different. Some have asked to come back two days later. They’ve gone into general haulage and been told that they’re off here, there and everywhere – and been told to come back at a specific time – so they’ve decided they’re back off to Wren.”

Key criteria

Wren’s operational success is underpinned by its focus on technology, transport efficiency and communication. But it also stresses the vital role of its people. The company employs 4,200 staff and is FORS accredited. It delivers a full employee development programme, rigorous sixstage pre-employment assessment, induction course, skills training, apprentice programme, job swap and career/development opportunities. On the technology side, ‘FrontEnd’ is Wren’s in-house, central ‘main-brain’ providing a single-point contact for everything customer related – from order, financials, design and manufacture to delivery, fitting and customer feedback. The hand-held FlexiPod device, which is fed by FrontEnd, is also a major benefit to drivers and warehouse 22.11.21

personnel, providing real-time customer information and single lines of communication between Wren’s teams and the end customer. Wren also consolidates historical ‘planned versus actual’ intelligence, live traffic, weather and RTA information with advanced TomTom technologies to define and calculate the most efficient delivery routes. In-cab telematics, Brigade dash-cams, and cab-cams also provide real-time and recorded vision of loading and unloading, traffic, driver styles and goods-in-transit which are monitored daily. Weaknesses are rectified through training and mentoring. Wren also opened a new 150,000sq ft quartz manufacturing facility last year, increasing capacity by 200% to 3,000 orders per week and reducing lead-times to six days from six weeks. Road miles/CO2 have been reduced by around 50%. To underline its focus on effective communication, customers are designated an account manager and given a choice of communications for end-to-end consistency and continuity. Delays to planned delivery windows are immediately logged on FlexiPod and advised to customers via a call or text. This automatically updates the HQ, who communicate with subsequent customer deliveries to agree a revised delivery window. ■

LEADING THE WAY: Wren Kitchens fleet manager Lee Thompson-Halls has helped to guide the company through the pandemic

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS ■ 99.95% delivery on-time in full ■ Annual turnover up £90.5m ■ Immediate Covid-safe processes/

working spaces and local community support ■ £1m savings and delivery lead times reduced by 60% ■ £52,572 saving: ‘Project Back-Haul’ ■ Ten+ customer touch-points from order to delivery ■ ‘MyAccount’ App (1,982,080 page-views in first year) provides single-point-contact and efficient order management for customers ■ £2.8m efficiency savings, 33% reduction in road miles by triple-trunking ■ ‘Maintenance Consolidation’ fleet management system

launched March 2020 ■ Additional 15% MPG (saving £190k), 15% less CO2 emissions, accident frequency reduced 50% with the introduction of new trucks with leading safety features ■ Low 2.67% EU and WTD Infringements ■ 98% MOT first-time-pass, Green GO3 OCRS status and high-scoring Driver Styles ■ 12% fall in transport accidents, 69% drop in average cost per vehicle ■ Best ever CSI scores: 93% 8-10/10 and top TrustPilot score (4.5/5) ■ Damaged goods less than 1% for third consecutive year ■ 92% drop in accidents and 56% drop in RIDDORS MotorTransport 31

MT Awards 2021 winner profile Partnership Award

Partners against cargo crime Maple Fleet Services has been fighting cargo crime with a passion for many years and in 2018 launched the CART Security Guide to alert the industry to the problem and share best practice guidance

ardly a week goes by without reports of yet another theft of valuable cargo from the back of a truck. Nowhere is safe. These thefts happen to lorries parked up at lay-bys, at motorway service stations, in seemingly secure depots and even in live traffic, with thieves risking their lives to jump from the bonnets of speeding cars onto the backs of lorries travelling at 50mph. Clearly these are determined criminals, who are often armed and linked to organised crime. Not only do they pose a serious threat to drivers’ safety, they are also costing the UK economy dear. According to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), the police unit which combats these crimes, 1,528 HGV cargo thefts were reported in the first half of this year, worth a staggering £26.4m. Paul Nunn, marketing manager at Maple Fleet Services, says: “Cargo crime is big business, generally undertaken by highly organised criminal gangs who are well equipped and knowledgeable. Rarely is it an act of opportunism. It’s attractive for career criminals, opportunities are plentiful, and commercial vehicles can carry loads worth millions of pounds.” Pointing to one heist in the UK last year which saw more than £5m in electrical items stolen, he adds that the risk is relatively low, with punishments comparatively lenient in relation to other more high-profile crimes. Nor is there room for complacency. Few loads are safe, with thieves targeting a wide range of goods, Nunn warns. “It may be easy to assume it is just high-value goods, but the data shows otherwise. Criminals are often attracted by lower-value ‘theft attractive’ goods that are more difficult to trace or identify such as food or drink and perfumes,” he explains.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID The MT Awards judges praised the impressive level of collaboration and teamwork between partnership members drawn from many different sectors. They also commended the members’ integrity, noting they had given freely of their time, experience and knowledge to deliver “practical suggestions for practical people” that benefit not only the industry, but also wider society. The partnership members were delighted with the award. “We were genuinely very surprised and obviously delighted,” Paul Nunn says modestly. “There was a lot of work that went into this project and it was a genuine partnership, with representatives from a really diverse range of companies, so it was really satisfying for the whole team to receive the award.” 32 MotorTransport

Worryingly, these crimes are on the rise, says Nunn. “This is an issue that hauliers and drivers should be very wary of. According to the data, cases of theft are continuing to increase at an alarming rate and more needs to be done to safeguard the goods being carried.” Despite the staggering cost to businesses and to the wider economy, not to mention the danger posed to drivers, police resources are thinly stretched when it comes to protecting these valuable loads. Nunn says: “Unfortunately, the fight against cargo crime is massively under resourced, with NaVCIS entirely funded by the industry.”

Security shortfall

At the same time there is often an alarmingly low level of security measures taken by the industry to protect road cargo once it leaves the depot. Nunn explains: “When goods are in the relative safety of a warehouse, they are protected by many layers of security – people, procedures, CCTV, perimeter fencing, access control and so on, but the moment the goods are loaded onto a vehicle and enter the road network, this shield of protection is instantly weakened. “Companies need to ask themselves, are the security measure for the vehicle, carrying thousands, sometimes millions of pounds worth of cargo sufficient? Is enough being done to protect vehicles and cargo? And are drivers themselves fully aware of the many risks they are exposed to? “Having been involved in this industry for many years, I am still staggered by the number of commercial vehicles on the road that are ‘protected’ by nothing more than a plastic seal.” Another problem is that cargo theft is something of a taboo subject in the industry, says Nunn. “There is a proportion of carriers not wanting to reveal too much – it’s not a good image to suffer theft of goods, after all. However, if we’re not talking about it and if it continues to be under-resourced in terms of policing, then this only serves to encourage the thieves.” By 2016, with cargo crime continuing to rise, it was clear to the RHA Security Forum, of which Maple Fleet Services is a member, that more needed to be done to raise industry awareness of the problem. The result was the creation of the Cargo and Road Transport (CART) Partnership Project, chaired by Maple Fleet Services technical director Alan Maple and with contributions from the RHA, Distribution Industry Partnership 22.11.21

Sponsored by

Scotland, DHL, Royal Sun Alliance Insurance Group, Motorway Buddy and NaVCIS. Between them, the group set about combining their considerable knowledge and experience and their passion to make a difference to create a free CART Security Guide to alert the industry to the problem and share best practice guidance. The first iteration of the guide, launched in April 2018, was aimed at transport operations managers and loss-prevention personnel, with the second, launched in 2020, aimed at drivers on the front line. The original guide is nothing if not comprehensive, containing 16 chapters with topics covering cargo theft and security solutions, hijacking, the Romanian MO, and more. Since the launch of the first guide, over 3,000 hard copies have been distributed to transport managers, loss prevention specialists and other industry stakeholders, with the electronic copy of the guide estimated to have been downloaded thousands of times. The drivers’ version of the original guide has seen more than 6,000 hard copies of the guide distributed directly to commercial vehicle drivers, with a digital version available for download, directly from the Cart Security Guide website or via the MortorwayBuddy drivers app, which the partnership estimates has been downloaded tens of thousands of times. In addition, the partnership has plans to translate the guide into other languages and is working with DfT to produce security and best practice guidance on cargo crime.

Training tool

Industry response to the guides has been enthusiastic, with a number of operations using it as a training tool, Nunn says. “It’s being used as a driver training resource by a number of fleet operators, by NaVCIS when conducting Freight Crime Awareness Training for police officers, and we’ve even had interest from CPC training providers who’ve adopted elements of the guides into their sessions,” he goes on. “After conducting one of their first sessions, the drivers were quite shocked to realise just how at risk they are on the road when carrying such a valuable commodity, which they previously just considered to be low risk.” However, the guide is just one weapon in the fight against cargo crime, Nunn explains. “There is no single fix to cargo crime; it is about developing a strategy and working more collectively to combat an issue that has an effect on all of us in the road transport industry. 22.11.21

“The statistics tell us that cargo and vehicle crime has increased significantly over the past few years, so it is more important than ever we are aware of the many different tactics employed by criminal gangs and what exactly we can do to mitigate that risk. I think the work we have done with the guides has certainly helped to increase that awareness.”

Secure parking

Asked what more can be done to combat the scourge of cargo theft, Nunn points to the lack of secure parking: “A phrase often thrown about is ‘Cargo at rest is cargo at risk’ and that is very true. It is important that we find more viable solutions when it comes to parking, but it is far from the only issue. For example, it is quite staggering the number of vehicles that don’t have even basic security fitted and the use of curtain-sided vehicles to transport high-value or high-risk loads. “Ultimately, there is no silver-bullet; like anything, we should be looking at our individual operation or role and asking if what we do is appropriate or sufficient and if there are ways we can improve. The CART guide is a good starting point for that,” he adds. Nunn would also like to see more government funding for the thin blue line that is NaVCIS. He warns: “There is a very real risk that if NaVCIS is not able to raise the funds required, then it may not be able to continue, let alone expand its operation. “Without this specialist unit looking to disrupt serious cargo crime, then the whole industry are left more vulnerable as a result,” he warns. ■

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR Project chairman Alan Maple, technical director of Maple for 30 years and son of founder Jim Maple, has been fighting cargo crime with a passion for many years. In fact his father wrote a similar security guide back in the 1990s and when the opportunity came to develop an updated version Alan Maple leapt at the chance. Nunn explains: “Alan had been keen for some time to resurrect this concept – something of a Maple legacy.” He adds: “Alan spent his entire career engulfed by this very subject. He is incredibly passionate about it and, together with the other partners, he wanted to share his experiences and put it to good use. “When you have dedicated so many years to a particular cause it becomes more than a job – he feels a responsibility to lead the fight and to put something back into the industry. So when this opportunity presented itself, Alan was always going to want to be a part of that.” MotorTransport 33

MT Awards 2021 winner profile Urban Delivery Operator of the Year

On your bike Transforming urban logistics to create healthier, more liveable cities of the future pays off for zeroemissions delivery firm Zedify

ero-emissions delivery firm Zedify excelled against stiff competition in a lively judging session earlier this year to be crowned MT Urban Operator of the Year. In doing so, it also became the first cargo bike operator to be recognised at the long-running awards, which demonstrates the transition the industry is on towards cleaner, more sustainable deliveries. “It was a real watershed moment for us,” says Zedify co-founder Sam Keam, “knowing we were up against the large carriers and that there is some fantastic work going on in the urban sector at the moment.” The business was launched in 2018 by the founders of two cargo bike firms: Cambridge-based Outspoken Delivery and Brighton-based Recharge Cargo, alongside tech company Skotkonung. Its mission: “To transform urban logistics and create healthier, more liveable cities of the future.”

The challenge

Zedify acknowledges that with e-commerce increasing by 46% in 2020 and urban congestion reportedly costing the UK economy up to £6.9bn annually, alongside the rollout of inner-city emissions to tackle the 64,000 early

34 MotorTransport

deaths attributed to dirty air in the UK each year, deliveries in cities are becoming ever-more challenging. And the last-mile leg of any journey can often be the least efficient and most costly for businesses. Shoppers’ needs are also evolving and they are increasingly demanding a greener delivery experience, notes Zedify, citing research showing that 75% of respondents favoured brands that are making their deliveries more sustainable. Zedify’s solution to the urban final-mile challenge is its micro-hub consolidation model that acts as a gateway for small items coming into and out of the central urban area. As its collection and deliveries are focused within the city centre (typically a 3-mile radius), it is able to use specialist vehicles optimised for the urban environment, which provides an agile, flexible service to customers. Vehicles regularly travel back and forth to city hubs, mixing collection and delivery rounds and reducing any redundant miles incurred by a traditional long-stem logistics model. An in-house technology platform drives operational efficiencies and allows Zedify access to real-time data for reporting on key metrics from customer emissions savings to gross margins analysis by individual micro-hub, client, round, rider or service profile. As well as being used directly by local businesses and residents, Zedify is also an integral part of the final-mile offering from major parcels carriers, including Fedex and Yodel, as it can provide an efficient, highly flexible service for the end customer. It is also gearing up for the requirements of the e-commerce sector, with an all-important link-up with Metapack in the works to enable seamless integration of IT from sale through to delivery and returns.

22.11.21

Sponsored by

The business now has hubs operating in nine major cities – London, Brighton, Cambridge, Southampton, Bristol, Winchester, Norwich, Glasgow and Edinburgh – with more in the pipeline for the next 12 months, including Manchester. Its ambition is to have a hub in every major city within the next five years. This growth will be achieved through a combination of franchisees joining the network, and working with local authorities to launch new sites where demand exists. There is a clear synergy for local authorities to work with Zedify in launching into their urban areas, as both organisations are working towards the same aim of cleaner, sustainable cities. Bristol City, for example, provided £100,000 in grant funding to launch an operation in the city, which aligns with its One City plan to have 95% of goods deliveries made on freight consolidation electric vehicles by 2030. While in London, Zedify is poised to launch a brandnew freight consolidation service to support Better Bankside, which will see it run a microfulfilment operation from its Green Logistics Centre, funded by the local Business Improvement District and TFL. The first initiative of its kind for Zedify, Keam describes it as a “partnership project that will provide a lot of benefits to high streets that are trying to reduce logistics traffic”.

Ethical operation

One of the standout core values of Zedify is its decision to pay its riders the real Living Wage, in stark contrast to controversial gig economy companies. The firm’s delivery riders enjoy the security of a fair wage, which helps with job satisfaction and retention in a competitive sector. In return, Zedify’s workforce is proven to deliver exceptional customer service and the business was recently rated 100% 4-5 stars in its customer survey. With a net promoter score Zedify can also boast an impressive overall rating of 86, compared with the parcel sector top score of 42 at the time of entering the MT Awards. And 88% of customers would score Zedify 9 or 10 on the question “would you recommend” the service to somebody else, with a further 10% scoring 7 or 8. “Poor working employment practices have dogged the sector for a long time,” says Keam. “And we wanted to ensure that the model we built could address as many of these issues as possible. It wasn’t just about being electric or reducing van congestion, air quality issues or climate change, it was also about trying to be as ethical as we could throughout the whole business practice. And it was trying to ensure we could do that in a compet22.11.21

itive way. There’s no use being a boutique high-costs provider if you’re only going to be able to capture a tiny market share. It has to be affordable and competitive to have a positive impact.”

Safety focus

Zedify also places great emphasis on the safety of its riders and has developed an in-house cargo bike training programme – in conjunction with co-founder Rob King’s Outspoken Training business in Cambridge. “We have access to some gold-standard training professionals who deliver courses around the specific issues that arise when using large cargo bikes: vehicle handling requirements; loading; parking safely; when it’s appropriate to use cycle infrastructure, and when it’s not, because they’re larger than a normal bike,” says Keam. The training has paid off for Zedify, as the business has had an extremely low accident rate across its entire network and neither has it received fines for violations of the Highway Code. n

THE FLEET Zedify’s fleet of 100-plus cargo bikes, trikes and quads emit at least 90% less CO2 per km compared with a diesel van and one cargo bike will save around 7kg of NOx annually. Approximately one-fifth of the fleet comprises small, two-wheeled electric-assist cargo bikes with a traditional ‘cargo box out front’ appearance. But the majority of vehicles are in the form of large e-cargo trikes and quads, with around 2cu m of capacity and a payload of up to 250kg. “They are like a really small van,” says Keam, “and that gives us several benefits in terms of the ability to consolidate different types of client freight on board and do collections at the same time. We therefore go out on fewer trips to reduce the overall amount of stem time so we can be more efficient and keep costs down.” Most of the hubs will also operate an electric van, predominantly Nissan ENV 200s, which will assist with any city outskirts locations, or unusually bulky items. The vans can also work as a mobile service to resupply cargo bikes on route and drive further efficiencies. “Cargo bikes are approximately 60% faster to deliver in a dense urban centre than traditional vehicles because they use cycle infrastructure, bus lanes and park directly outside the delivery address,” says Keam. “But once you get into the suburbs, where those constraints aren’t necessarily the same and traffic flows more freely, it’s less competitive. So we use our electric vans to access those areas in as low impact a way as possible and extend our overall service to cover a whole city.” Bikes and vans all come back to the city hubs overnight for charging, with maintenance also carried out in-house to ensure the service quality is maintained across the network. MotorTransport 35

Luke 07786 861793 Aaron 07557 475133 Eric 07748 988727 Email office@lawexports.com

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