Motor Transport 26 September 2022

BIGGER BEAST: Tevva revealed its 19-tonne hydrogen-electric truck at the IAA show in Hanover last week. The Essex-based manufacturer said its 19-tonner “represents a significant milestone and highlights the scalability of its revolutionary dual energy system, combining lithium-ion batteries and a hydrogen fuel cell range extender”. The truck is expected to have a range of up to 500km depending on how many hydrogen cylinders are specified and can refill in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Kinaxia Logistics is to trial Tevva's 7.5-tonne batteryelectric truck (pictured) at its AKW site in Trafford Park, Manchester.

Bribery probe rocks DX Group

by Carol Millett

DX Group failed to take sufficient disciplinary action against employees who had offered a bribe for confidential competitor information and “curtailed” a probe into the bribery allegations, according to the findings of an internal investigation.

The probe, launched by DX Group in November last year, found evidence that confidential competitor information was obtained “over a period of time” and that an isolated offer of payment of “de minimis financial amount” for the information had been made by employees. The rival competitor was not identified.

The report revealed that executives had placed “insufficient importance” into the initial investigation and that some information was not passed on as it should have been.

It also found the group had not taken appropriate action to discipline those involved in the bribery. It said: “These issues and

management failures were identified as barriers to achieving an appropriate outcome for the Group and in a timely manner.”

The investigation concluded that there may have been a breach of the Bribery Act 2010 by the employees concerned and that DX Group needed to take action to improve compliance procedures and to mitigate the risk of potential futureDisciplinaryincidents.action is being taken with certain staff and the DX board has vowed to improve management protocols, internal processes, and training in specific areas “to ensure best practice in accounts being published last week. Revenue for the 53 weeks ended 3 July 2021 rose by 16% to £382.1m (2020: £329.3m); adjusted pre-tax profit also showed a significant improvement, rising to £12m (2020: £0.2 million). The statutory profit before taxation was £10.6m compared to a loss of £1.3m in 2020.

Report reveals bosses failed to properly deal with potential illegality that sparked recent turmoil

Traton to sell off Scania and MAN presence in Russia over Ukraine war

Traton divisions Scania and MAN Truck & Bus are to sell their Russian assets.

The move comes after both MAN and Scania pulled out of Russia in March this year, in line with other Western companies, as part of sanctions imposed on Russia in protest at its invasion of Ukraine.

Traton said MAN will sell its local sales companies to “local sales partners” in Russia, who have not been identified.

Scania, which stopped deliveries of both trucks and parts into Russia and halted production in St Petersburg in March, announced it has made a 5bn Swedish krone (£413m) provision to sell its sales

Giant Barnsley facility could be sorting 1.9m parcels a day by 2026

and service operations, and financial services in Russia.

The Swedish manufacturer said that the move will have a negative impact on its Q3 2022 results. The company has total assets of around SEK11bn (£0.9bn) relating to Russia. In 2021, the country accounted for around 6% of its net sales.

Evri set for growth as £60m parcel hub opens

By Tim Wallace

Parcel delivery firm Evri has opened its £60m, 341,000sq ft parcel sortation hub in Barnsley.

The facility is said to be the biggest of its kind in Europe and will sort 1.1 million parcels a day for onward delivery to Evri’s nationwide network of depots.

After a soft launch, the company expects the site, which is strategically placed next to the M1 motorway, to be sorting 5.5m parcels a week by the Black Friday peak, using around 1,400 staff on any one shift.

The construction allows for a third tier of automation to be added as volumes grow. Evri is aiming to sort 1.9m parcels a day at the site by 2026.

Funded by US private equity investor Advent, which took a 75% stake in Evri in August 2020, the move has created 140 new jobs in the local area including around 300 Class 1 HGV drivers.

Evri head of hub Gareth

Shawcroft told MT that the driver shortage was easing and recruitment had gone as planned.

“IR35 was difficult but things seem to have recovered,” he said. “The work we give to drivers is the better work. There are no deliveries into retail stores. It’s a lot of longdistance trunking – dropping and swapping trailers and returning to base. So we find it easier to recruit than others do. We also have a higher percentage of female couriers – over 40% of ours are women.”Evrihas also relaunched its

driver academy, which has moved from its original base in Bradford to Normanton near Castleford. The company has pledged to take on up to 20 apprentices looking to develop careers in the logistics industry.Around 50% of Evri’s fleet runs on CNG, which it estimates is 80% more carbon efficient than diesel. The company is also using HVO trucks but admits it is struggling to locate sufficient quantities. It will trial electric HGVs next year as well as hydrogen fuel cell options.

NTEX grabs Sureway Express for Euro ambitions

Freight forwarder NTEX has acquired Bristol-based Sureway Express Transport to expand its presence in the South West of England.

The deal bolsters NTEX’s fleet with the addition of 27 HGVs, 20 trailers and 32,300sq ft of warehousing, as well as 46 staff. Incorporated in 2002, Sureway offers warehousing and distribution and is a Palletforce member. Its Avonmouth warehouse handles, stores and redistributes goods across the UK and it also offers container unloading facilities.

NTEX chief executive Thomas Ström said: “Sureway is a reputable company with experienced and competent employees who are particularly good at

distribution in both Great Britain and Europe.

“Sureway, like NTEX, values a close relationship with the customer to understand their needs and reach the best logistical solutions.”

Headquartered in Immingham, with offices in Bristol, Glasgow and London, NTEX said it would take further steps towards becoming ‘a complete European logistics company’.

However, NTEX UK Dan Ericsson insisted: “We see great growth potential in the UK market. The fact that we now have more employees in these areas means that we can offer both existing and new custom ers even better solutions in the future.”

Board heads up capital team at Asset Alliance

Commercial vehicle specialist Asset Alliance Group has recruited finance specialist Matthew Board to head up a new team offering funding support for capital investments.Thecompany said its general asset finance division will provide competitive and flexible finance packages for investment outside of vehicles to customers of all sizes.

Board comes to his new role after spending the last six years in business development at Amicus Asset Finance, following previous business and relationship management roles at Metro Bank and Lombard. He is based at Asset Alliance Group’s offices in Ringwood, Hampshire, and will report to Michael Bycroft, MD of the asset funding division.

Board said: “There is a huge opportunity for us to help businesses – from SMEs to large corporates – and we can support every kind of capital investment. We have already achieved real success around tailored funding solutions for plant and specialised equipment. Now we can go further.”

ALL TOGETHER NOW: (from left) Thomas Ström, CEO and founder of NTEX, Rob Lloyd, MD Sureway, Dan Ericsson, CEO NTEX UK Group

Aquarius issues update on tachograph glitch

By Chris Tindall

Digital tachograph analysis and software firms are still scratching their heads about how to resolve a serious glitch that has been identi fied when remote downloading from some second-generation units.

After Aquarius sounded alarm bells at the start of the month about the problem, which occurs when an expired company card is left in the hosting rack of a remote down load service provider, other firms have told MT they are also aware of the Theissue.glitch, which appears to render a tachograph permanently unusable for remote downloading, has even prompted the DVSA to look into how widespread the prob lem has

However,become.noone we contacted could be sure how many operators or HGVs are affected.

Guy Reynolds, Aquarius IT director, said: “It is very early days

Hauliers invited to Clean Air Roadshow

Commercial vehicle operators affected by Scotland’s Low Emission Zones (LEZ) should head to a free half-day roadshow next month, brought to you by Motor Transport and Transport News

You’ll be able to hear directly from senior government officials and Transport Scotland about the LEZ rollout and enforcement plans.

There will also be key speakers from the RHA, Energy Saving Trust and Volvo Trucks.

A wide range of Euro-6 and alter natively fuelled trucks and vans will be available for you to check out on the day, with representatives from DAF Trucks, Dawson Sweepers, Iveco, Maxus, MercedesBenz Trucks, Renault Trucks UK, Scania Scotland and event partner Volvo Trucks UK on hand to chat.

Refreshments and a free lunch will be provided to delegates.

The roadshow is free to attend and takes place at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh on 18 October. See the MT website for full details.

for operators to know if it will affect them, because it appears to only affect certain GEN2 tachographs dating from June 2019 onwards; it is therefore difficult, at this stage, to identify how widespread the problem could be.”

For now, Aquarius has advised operators to remove the old company card on the penultimate day of the month and replace it with a new company card, which will start working from the first of the following month.

P W Gates bolsters fleet with DAF XGs

P W GatesHertfordshire-basedDistribution is strengthening its fleet with the addition of three new generation DAF XG 530 tractor units as part of the company’s expansion plans. The logistics firm, based at Welwyn Garden City, acquired eight other DAF units earlier in the year.

The new additions, supplied by Harris DAF Lea Valley’s truck sales division, will help manage the growing order book of the family-run business and increase the fleet size to more than 50 vehicles and approximately 90 trailers. The company has experienced an 88% growth in revenue in the past five years.

The 3PL will use the new tractors to move curtainsiders of ambient foods to supermarkets as well as construction materials into the DIY and builders’ merchants market. It operates 255,000sq ft of warehousing and transhipment space from two sites in Hertfordshire and one in Bedfordshire, handling more than 4,000 pallets daily.

Growing pallet volumes prompt investment at IFL

Palletways member International Forwarding Limited (IFL) said pal let volumes have increased “sig nificantly” over the past 18 months.

According to the Coleshill-based firm, the spike is largely driven by an increasing number of deliver ies to residential addresses, as people continue to work remotely following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rob Pike, MD, said: “Brexit has brought about many challenges

to our business, so we’ve invested in our headcount to better manage the new customs entries and systems.“However, our investment extends to other parts of the busi ness. With the introduction of Clean Air Zones across the coun try, we’ve ploughed thousands of pounds into new, upgraded vehi cles, which will help reduce our carbon footprint.”

Can we trust the new transport minister?

I believe most hauliers who regularly travel to Scotland’s capital will welcome the appointment of Anne Marie Trevelyan as our transport minister. I quote from her A1 dualling statement: “There is no one more keen than me to see the project come into effect and you have my word I will not rest until the A1 dualling scheme gets fully underway.”

I hope we can trust this lady. I recall a conversation in 2010 with Guy Opperman, our

new MP, about dualling the A69 Newcastle to Carlisle road. This serves as a vital east to west link. I told him it was, and still is, a very dangerous road with many fatalities. It is still to be done.

Why does the North have to put up with this? This is surely what levelling up is all about, rather than spending billions trying to save 30 minutes getting to London.

James Director,AdamsJRAdams Transport, Tyne & Wear

Send your letters to the editor at steve.hobson@roadtransport .com

VOX POP Will the industry benefit from the government shake-up?

Mike Par, MD, PML

The government makes decisions regardless of the feedback that is given. All too often this results in disastrous consequences. The actions taken by the previous transport secretary were misjudged and contrary to any guidance or insight provided by those working in the sector. We cannot afford to have a repeat of the debacle that ensued as a result of the driver shortage and unacceptable changes in the cabotage rules.

Moreton Cullimore, MD, Cullimore Group

The new transport secretary has supported roads and transport previously in her career; I remain hopeful that she will do so again. I hope this department will become more receptive and open to dialogue with hauliers as we continue the recovery and tackle the problems of an uncertain economy. The real test will be in the post-Christmas period.

Bob Terris, chairman, Meachers

I am currently in discussions with our MP regarding lack of performance in government-controlledvarious

departments due to staff either working from home or simply not working at all; this also applies to local councils. Government statistics say that the number of people in work is the highest for many years but how many of them are doing a proper day’s work?

There has also been a dramatic increase in the construction of warehousing since the pandemic. If the online market declines, we could end up with a surplus of space in 12 to 18 months. This may have a positive effect on the spiralling rents that are currently being demanded, but businesses that have recently committed to the higher rents could be left with a problem.

Kevin Buchanan, CEO, Pall-Ex Group

Personnel changes won’t make much difference, it will be more to do with what the government does to avoid recession.

Businesses and consumers need to be assured about the increased costs of fuel so they start to spend. As order books get smaller, consignment sizes become smaller, meaning that pallet networks are often the best distribution solution. However, the last two-and-a-half years have seen all the normal trends go out the window, so who knows what might come next? Brexit has also exacerbated a shortage of people with key skills and this again has to be tackled.

Simon Hobbs, CEO, Kinaxia Group

From a perspective,warehousingmybiggest concern when looking to expand our existing 2.8 million sq ft is can we attract enough people to help us operate? I continue to see huge warehouse campuses in development, but where are the people to make all these work? The government still needs to work with the industry to agree a plan to resolve the shortage of labour, which exists within the warehousing environment as well as the HGV sector. It is a growing problem.Thegovernment must also offer our logistics industry greater financial support to continue the work we are already doing to reduce our environmental footprint.

Charlie Shiels, CEO, Arrrow XL

Our representative bodies understand the challenges and opportunities and will present these in government. Ideally, they will reduce the legislative burden for our industry (although not the safety-related laws) and allow us to navigate the current challenges of fuel and energy costs; the availability of drivers and their licensing; and general inflation on the cost of running a business.

DPD UK’s three wins at the MT Awards on September 7 puts the company – including its predecessor Parceline – on an amazing total of 39 wins racked up since Parceline took the first of its eight trophies with Best Marketing Campaign in 1991.

DPD began life in the UK in 1970 as Courier Express, changing its name to Parceline in 1984 when it was acquired by Mayne Nickless of Australia. French postal operator La Poste bought the company in 2000 and in 2008, Parceline became known as DPD.

Its nearest rival remains TNT which notched up 33 wins, the last being Safety in Operation in 2016, before the company was acquired by FedEx in a process that began the same year but was not completed until 2020. FedEx has never won an MT Award.

The next most successful is DAF, which has notched up 20 Fleet Truck of the Year wins start ing in 1987 with the Leyland DAF 8.12 Roadrunner and still contin ues with the New Generation XF picking up where the previous model left off by taking the trophy in 2022 for the fourth year in a row.

DPD UK has dominated the

Winning ways of DPD are underpinned by investment

DPD roll of honour: 1991 Marketing Campaign

1997 Customer Care 1998 Marketing Campaign; Training

1999 Marketing Campaign

2000 Best Use of IT 2001 Marketing Campaign

2003 Training

2010 Best Use of Technology; Fleet Van Operator; Innovation

2011 Customer Care 2012 Fleet Van Operator

2014 Best Use of Technology; Customer Care

2015 Best Use of Technology; Home Delivery Operator; Business Excellence; Customer Care; Technical Excellence

Customer Care category, taking the title in seven of the past 11 years, a track record that can largely be attributed to the introduction of its Predict software in 2009.

Dwain McDonald took over as CEO of DPD UK in 2008 and set a goal of becoming “the UK’s most customer-centric parcel carrier”, a goal Predict helped it achieve by allowing DPD to create the revolutionary one-hour delivery window.In2011

DPD’s turnover was

£330m and its van fleet stood at 2,500. By the time McDonald departed in 2021, turnover –boosted by a Covid-19-induced online shopping boom – had risen to £1.93bn and the van fleet stood at In7,000.the last two years DPD has replaced 2,500 of those vehicles with electric vans from Maxus, Nissan and Ford, helping it secure the Clean Fleet Van Operator of the Year title twice in the three years since its inception.

2016 Business Excellence; Customer Care; Training

2017 Innovation, Customer Care; Home Delivery Operator

2018 Home Delivery Operator

2019 Customer Care; Home Delivery Operator

2020 Customer Care; Home Delivery Operator, Urban Delivery Operator; Clean Fleet Van Operator; Best Use of Technology

2021 Customer Care; Apprenticeship

2022 Customer Care, Clean Fleet Van Operator; Urban Operator

UNITED FRONT: The DPD team collect their Customer Care prize this year, an award the operator has made its own in recent times

DAF XD takes top truck crown

The DAF XD has been crowned International Truck of the Year (IToY) 2023. DAF Trucks president Harald Seidel was presented with the award during the IAA Transportation press day in Hanover, Germany.

With a winning score of 134 votes, the Dutch truck manufacturer’s distribution series fought off challenges from Scania’s new Super long-haul driveline range and Mercedes-Benz’s heavyduty Actros, equipped with the third-generation OM 471 engine.

With the same DNA as the new generation heavy-duty XF, XG, and XG+ models, DAF’s CF replacement has taken advantage of the EU’s new masses and dimensions regulations. The result is dramatically improved direct visibility, cab space, aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, active and passive safety, and driver comfort.

The jury, which consists of 24 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists representing 24 trucking magazines across Europe, spent two days testing the XD in theTheyNetherlands.likeditsdriving position, and the all-round enhanced

visibility provided by a large, curved windscreen, side windows with low beltlines, and the optional kerb-view window.

Praise was also given to the performance of the Paccar MX-11 engine and ZF TraXon gearbox, and they approved of the optional

Digital Vision System, which replaces the traditional rear-view mirrors and the corner-view mirror.Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul was awarded the Truck Innovation Award, fighting off competition from the ZF eTrailer, the full-electric Volta Trucks Zero range, and Faun Enginius fuel-cell-powered vehicles for municipal missions.

The trophy was presented to Karin Rådström, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, at the IAA.

The Truck Innovation Award acknowledges the enormous technological changes and energy transition within the automotive sector, and is awarded by the IToY jury. On this occasion they praised the advanced characteristics of the eActros LongHaul, which employs fast-charging long-service life lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP).

FUSO extends options with Next Generation eCanter

eActros LongHaul looks to future

Mercedes Benz revealed the concept prototype of its 40-tonne battery-electric eActros LongHaul truck at IAA Transportation 2022.

The eActros LongHaul has a range of around 500 km on a single battery charge. It is capable of megawatt charging and offers 1.2 million km on the road over a period of 10 years. Series production is planned for 2024.

The truck has three battery packs, providing a total capacity of over 600 kWh. Two motors generate a continuous output of 400 kW (536 hp) and a peak output of over 600 kW (805 hp).

The OEM said that the eActros LongHaul can be charged from 20% to 80% in “well under” 30 minutes at a charging station with an output of about one megawatt.

In addition to the tractor unit, rigid variants will be available at market launch.

The eActros LongHaul will be the first all-electric seriesproduction vehicle from MercedesBenz Trucks to be manufactured from start to finish on the existing assembly line at the Wörth truck plant. First prototypes are currently undergoing testing, with plans to trial the eActros LongHaul on public roads this year. Next year, near-production prototypes will go to customers for use testing.

Other Mercedes Benz innovations unveiled at the show include the medium-dutyMercedes-BenztractorMercedes-Benzbattery-electriceActros300inaversionandthetheelectriceAtegoforthesegment.

FUSO showcased its Next Generation eCanter at IAA Transportation 2022 with a wider choice of wheelbases and weights.

While the current electric truck was previously only available as a 7.49-tonner with a wheelbase of 3,400 millimetres, the OEM is now offering customers a choice of six wheelbases between 2,500 and 4,750 millimetres and a permis sible gross vehicle weight of 4.25 to 8.55 tonnes, with a load capacity on the chassis of up to 5.0 tonnes.

The Next Generation eCanter comes powered either by a 110 kW (150 hp) electric motor in variants with gross weights of 4.25 and 6.0 tonnes, or a 129 kW (180 hp) electric motor in variants with gross weights of 7.49 and 8.55 tonnes. This optimised driveline delivers 430 Nm of torque; the maximum speed is 89 km/h.

Depending on the wheelbase, three different battery packs are available dubbed S, M and L. The batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology.

These are characterised above all by a long service life and more usable energy.

The battery pack in the S variant has a nominal capacity of 41 kWh and enables a range of up to 70 km. In the M variant, the nominal capacity is 83 kWh and the range is up to 140 km.

The L variant, as the most powerful package, offers a nomi nal capacity of 124 kWh and a range of up to 200 km which the OEM said is significantly more than the distance usually covered each day in light distribution traffic.

Showing the way to zero emission road freight

In my last article for this publica tion, I wrote about the political, technological and economic tur moil around us. Well, I think it’s fair to say that has not abated since June.Although there’s been a hiatus in policy in some areas because of the political changes and (lately) the sad death of our longest-serv ing monarch, there has, neverthe less, been progress in terms of the decarbonisation of road freight.

We’ve seen details emerge of the much anticipated Zero emis sion road freight (ZERF) demon stration programme that will enable UK-registered organisa tions to apply for a share of £140m to demonstrate battery and/or hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

Organisations have until 12 October to apply to the funding process, which is being managed by Innovate UK. Zemo has been closely involved in establishing the framework for the process, which will focus on the largest HGVs. It is an important part of the govern ment’s efforts to support industry to meet its stated commitment of ending sales of all new, non-zero emission HGVs by 2040.

The aim of the three strands of the competition is to kick-start the deployment of long-haul zero emission HGVs, with a multi-year demonstration of 40-tonne to 44-tonne battery electric trucks and/or hydrogen fuel cell trucks, including the development of the business models needed to scaleup their deployment along with a network of dedicated infrastruc ture.

Demonstration projects

Up to five demonstration projects are expected to be funded with bidding consortia likely to include multiple vehicle and infrastructure suppliers able to demonstrate pro posals covering a range of duty cycles with multiple freight oper ators. The vehicles and infrastruc ture funded will need to be dem onstrated for five years.

Even if you’re not able to partic ipate in the ZERF programme, there is a range of opportunities for operators to make progress in terms of fleet decarbonisation. While HGVs are one of the harderto-electrify sectors of UK road transport, there are a number of market-ready electric vehicles in

smaller vehicle sectors and for cityfocused or shorter-range delivery cycles.Royal Mail is showing what is possible having recently placed an order for 2,000 Peugeot e-Expert and e-Partner vans. This means the company will have more than 5,000 electric vehicles in use by springCrucially,2023.there is an expanding range of electric trucks available, including some heavier vehicles where longer range capability is not an imperative. The govern ment’s plug-in truck grant will pay for 20% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £25,000 for a limited range of small and, even, large trucks (such as the Electra e-Compact and e-Star 27-350 and Renault Trucks D-Range).

While this grant does not cover the full additional purchase cost, it is a signal of intent from govern ment.Zemo is considering where additional incentives might be placed to help make total owner ship costs for plug-in trucks more attractive. Expect more announce ments on R&D funding – and some additional innovative

approaches – as this vital sector joins in the race to zero (tailpipe) emission solutions for all road vehicles.

High-blend renewables

In the short to medium term, don’t forget the opportunities to use high-blend renewable fuels, such as biomethane, biodiesel and HVO. Zemo has delivered a range of reports in this sector and is engaging with industry and gov ernment to agree what more can be done to stimulate uptake of high-blend and low-carbon fuels for current Companiesfleets.such as McDonalds and Alfred Hymas have been showing the way in operating biodiesel blends (B20 to B100): Hovis and Ceva Logistics on hydro treated vegetable oil (HVO); and a range of operators (John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Tesco among others) on biomethane.

So even if you’re not ready for a full electric or hydrogen truck, there’s some great opportunities to decarbonise today, tomorrow and in 2030.

■ Andy Eastlake is chief executive of the Zemo Partnership

Apply for funding now to kick-start the use of alternative fuels in HGV fleets, writes Andy Eastlake

Grid puzzle not easy to solve

The newspaper for transport operators

Steve Hobson

TranspoMotorEditorrt

While another £140m in government funding for zero-emissions freight trials is welcome, there are far bigger strategic decisions that need to be made that go way beyond proving that a battery or hydrogen electric truck will work.

While question marks still hang over the viability of a 44-tonne battery electric truck, there are already 32-tonne battery electric and 19-tonne hydrogen fuel cell trucks running on the continent, and Tevva has just unveiled its fuel cell 19-tonner alongside its 7.5-tonne battery electric.

So we know these vehicles work – the big barriers that will hold back moves from trials to commercial take up are cost and the lack of refuelling infrastructure. While lower fuelling and maintenance costs should counterbalance the higher purchase costs of electric trucks, innovative leasing

models will have to be found to make them affordable for most operators.

Whether the UK goes electric or hydrogen is largely out of the hands of the transport industry. National Grid argues that whether batteries need charging or green hydrogen needs making, large quantities of renewable electricity will be required at key points on the road network. But most refuelling or recharging will be done at depots and the locations of most DCs were chosen to be close to towns or motorway junctions, not National Grid substations.Sodepots will need to relocate or the money will have to be found to reinforce the grid. Both options will take time and lots of money, and with the national debt spiralling it is unlikely the government will stump up the billions rather than millions of pounds that will be involved.

We need more hydrogen, not hot air

The UK has the potential to deliver a more cost-effective and efficient net zero transition through hydrogen in transport but we need a clear roadmap to help realise that ambition.

GreavesCelia andFounderCEO, AssociationandHydrogenUKFuelCell

Hydrogen offers a range of opportunities to deliver efficient use of decarbonised fuels in a variety of applications that could make the transition to net zero more affordable and deliverable. And this truth is something that has helped shape our lobby of parliament last month.

At the event – Seizing the UK’s hydrogen opportunity – the UK HFCA pushed the government on a series of priorities, one of which is a strategy for hydrogen transport, something that will help us realise the full potential for hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles. Given that transport is the largest single contributor to UK domestic greenhouse gas emissions and was responsible for 27% of emissions in 2019, this is crucial. But the DfT has been unsuccessful in making a strategy a reality.

In the government’s long-awaited first hydrogen strategy, published last August, it failed to include hydrogen-fuelled lightduty vehicles, for example. And, while the strategy said hydrogen is likely to be “fundamental to achieving net zero in transport”, it referred to hydrogen as only “potentially complementing electrification across modes of transport such as buses, trains, and HGVs”.

We have seen some positive momentum, including the zero-emission road freight

hydrogen fuel cell truck demonstration and the announcement of a multi-modal hydrogen transport hub. However, support is patchy with no overarching vision or cohesive approach to the refuelling infrastructure.Weknowacomprehensive strategy

– one that covers the full role for hydrogen in transport and sets out a clear roadmap with appropriate policy levers to guarantee scale up and growth – will be key to ensuring the decarbonisation of various modes across light and heavy transport is achieved. We need to push the government to consider how it can do more to embrace a range of opportunities to deliver efficient use of decarbonised fuels, notably hydrogen, in a variety of applications to complement electrification rather than as anOurafterthought.response to the ‘Low carbon fuel strategy: call for ideas’ examined the potential for hydrogen transport, outlined the benefits hydrogen brings to the sector and provided recommendations for the UK to reach its goals. We are calling on the government to look closely at its approach to hydrogen for transport in the hope decision-makers develop a clear and robust strategy to allow us to stand at the forefront of clean mobility for the future.

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Getrecognisedyourself

One in 10 UK-registered HGVs has achieved Earned Recognition (ER) status according to the DVSA, which it says makes the scheme to promote safety and compliance “a huge success”.

The figures were released as members confirmed they had seen a significant reduction in roadside stops and tentative evidence emerged suggesting more noncompliant hauliers are now appearing before the traffic commissioners.However,convincing many smaller operators that ER accreditation would be beneficial to their business contin ues to present a challenge and has prompted the enforce ment agency to investigate other ways of encouraging them on board.

The issue was raised last year when Weightmans solicitor Charlotte Hunt said the costs associated with being part of ER meant there was little incentive for hauliers running small fleets to join. She suggested

a tiered version of ER could address this and make it easier for organisations of all sizes to achieve accreditation.JemmaJames, MD of tachograph analysis specialists TruTac, says: “There are two issues for smaller operators.

“One is the money and time involved; two is how the data is based on a percentage of duties and naturally, smaller operators do fewer duties.

“We feel that the ER costs, if they use a systems provider who doesn’t charge any extra to present and supply ER data – such as ourselves – can be marginal if they are already compliant.

“It is really on the cost of the audit involved and the time, so by shopping around they may be able to cover the cost through one contract win due to ER accreditation and by having fewer vehicles stopped.”

James adds: “On the second point and a tiered duties approach, it could cause more complications both for the DVSA and systems providers due to the more complex

The DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme covers almost 400 O-licences and more than 25,000 HGVs, but is the bar still set too high for some transport companies, asks Chris Tindall

algorithms, but on the other hand it could remove a barrier to smaller fleets joining the scheme.

“From our experience, Philip Breen [ER national account manager] and the DVSA ER team have a wellrounded approach to supporting smaller operators and they understand that the figures for smaller operators can be skewed as they do less duties, so it is probably better to leave it as it is for the short term.”

Jim Slade, project director at ER accredited software provider Fargo Systems, says its product doesn’t require its existing customers to update or invest in costly thirdparty fleet maintenance solutions in order to become ER accredited.

Size matters

However, he acknowledges that firms with fewer trucks can be at a distinct disadvantage. “Fleet size makes a difference,” he says. “If one truck out of 100 misses a service, the DVSA measures this as 99%. Comparably, if one out of 10 vehicles misses a service, the DVSA records it as 90%, which makes a big difference.”

Slade adds: “Undoubtedly, first impressions of the current scheme can be perceived as a very high bar for smaller fleets – but that doesn’t mean the scheme isn’t viable across the sector.

“With 31% of UK fleets under 10 vehicles, a tiered version could be considered, but the scheme’s positive safety intention and effective and proactive transport management are aspects that must be maintained for ER to deliver on its aims.”

And what of those aims – is the DVSA able to largely ignore ER-compliant operators and their trucks shuttling up and down the country and focus its resources on the cowboy firms; the seriously and serially non-compliant?

Tentative evidence

Perhaps it is still too early to say. Outgoing West Midlands traffic commissioner Nick Denton recently pointed to “tentative evidence” suggesting more referrals of bad operators to the TCs. “I have been conscious of an uptick in references from the DVSA over the past few months, but it is hard to identify the precise reason for that,” he says. “It could be that the end of Covid is releasing more examiners onto the roadside, or it could be Earned Recognition, or it could be a bit of both.”

Hunt says the majority of her reactive work is with operators accused of being non-compliant and therefore they tend not to be ER accredited. “That could be because the scheme is working and allowing the DVSA to focus efforts on the non-compliant operators, but also because the Earned Recognition operators are simply more compli ant as you would logically expect,” she says.

As far as the DVSA is concerned, ER has been a master stroke. “It has been a huge success, attracting operators

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Roadside enforcement is entering a new age of technological development and it hasn’t escaped hauliers’ notice that ER offers protection from the equipment currently being deployed by the DVSA.

In August, the agency said it was trialling “game changing” tachograph sensing technology that can identify if an HGV driver is flouting tacho laws without stopping the vehicle.

Iain Mitchell says the announcement was “one of the best things that could have happened” as far as his drivers were concerned: “We are protecting them from all of that,” he explains.

Solicitor Charlotte Hunt of law firm Weightmans says she is seeing more remote desktop assessments being conducted as the enforcement agency strengthens its traditional maintenance investigation visits at a haulier’s premises. “The increase in monitoring of operators with technology will no doubt increase over time,” she says. “The police are trialling cameras to detect driving offences such as not wearing a seatbelt, ANPR is being used to identify vehicles that should not be operated, and the DVSA recently announced a trial of smart tachograph remote equipment to identify potential drivers’ hours offences without having to get into the cab itself.”

that are prepared to keep to the highest possible standards of safety and compliance,” says its head of regulatory services and transformation, Caroline Hicks.

“With a growing membership, the scheme now covers over 10% of the national heavy vehicle fleet.

“The success of the scheme has enabled DVSA to concentrate resources on dealing with non-compliant operators, helping to protect everyone from unsafe vehi cles and drivers.”

The agency says there are 122 operators with 392 O-licences within ER. The majority operate goods vehi cle, with 25,289 HGVs and 15,871 public service vehicles in the scheme.

Exploring options

It also says numbers have continued to increase, although the pandemic has slowed growth, and that 52.2% of members operate 100 or fewer vehicles “and a number have only one”.

The DVSA says it is committed to expanding the scheme and is “exploring all options to maintain acces sibility for operators of all sizes and enable key road safety outcomes in line with DVSA’s overall enforce ment strategy”. ■

MORE PROS THAN CONS IN JOINING UP TO ER

For those operators working towards being Earned Recognition accredited, or who are already members, there are few if any disadvantages to having the status.

Gas supplier Air Products has been a member since November 2021 and it saw ER’s focus on safety as key to it joining. The firm won the Motor Transport 2022 Safety in Operation Award earlier this month.

“Air Products’ goal is to be the safest industrial gas company in the world,” says Andy Martin, UK and Ireland distribution head and compliance manager.

“ER status allows us to clearly demonstrate to our customers, employees, industry and the DVSA how seriously we take compliance and the safety standards of our vehicles and drivers.

“It also gives us direct access to the DVSA Earned Recognition team, which not only offers support, guidance and advice, but also allows us to have an input into industry standards.“Safetyis our number one priority and Earned Recognition KPIs are based around safety,” he continues.

“ER status allows us to demonstrate our ongoing safety commitment to our customers, at a practical level.

“It’s also a great way of instilling a sense of pride in our team of everything we have achieved.”

Martin says that as a direct result of its membership, the company has seen a marked reduction in roadside stops. “This has delivered real efficiencies in terms of reducing driver downtime, and ensuring our customers are receiving deliveries promptly,” he says. “We’ve also noticed that it’s made a difference to the way our team“They’refeels.

proud of our ER status and the way we always put the safety of our customers, employees and other road users first.”

Iain Mitchell, MD of Grangemouth-based John Mitchell Transport, says he was invited to a meeting by the DVSA to discuss ER, where the agency told him his company could easily reach the standard.“Imade the decision that this would be a fantastic time for the team to know they were compliant, not to just think they were compliant,” he says.

“All our systems were in place, some were paper systems, some were software systems.

“We use Fargo’s TOPs management system and we have a very good working relationship with them.”

He adds: “It was a significant investment in time. It’s not that we weren’t doing what was required before, but we weren’t doing it in

the required format.

“We had to work to the DVSA’s standards, which is good, but we had to provide all the information we already had in a different format.”Mitchell says it was “100% worth it” and that the benefit for him is knowing it is compliant, not just thinking it is. “It really does dig deep into the system. We are dealing with facts now. I was never dealing with fiction, I thought we were doing things right before and now I know we are.

“I am not naming names, but I have heard from a few hauliers who have said, ‘Maybe there’s too much detail to join’. That’s absolutely the wrong approach. Anyone who wants to bury their head and not get involved – more fool them.

“It was hard work to get, but once you’ve got it, it’s definitely information that you should be looking at anyway.”

AD Fuels is working through the membership process and, as a haulier of hazardous goods, it believes joining ER is the right thing to MDdo.

Jon Mayes says: “There’s nothing better than to be doing what the authorities want you to be doing, rather than FORS or CLOCS, which are wishy-washy accreditations.”

Mayes says he has worked in a range of transport operations throughout his working life, but that in high-consequence, dangerous loads transport, the DVSA pays particular attention.

“You are pulled over a hell of a lot more than standard operators,” he says. “ER is what the DfT and the TCs want and links very nicely with them not pulling us over.”

Let’s get charging

If the industry is to meet the government’s plan of net zero carbon emissions by 2035 it needs the infrastructure in place to power alternative-fuelled vehicles and it should to be building it right now, writes Steve Hobson

Whatever the post-2035 road transport landscape looks like, it is certain to involve the use of increasing amounts of electricity to power vehicles as the 120-year dominance of diesel begins to decline. Whether trucks are powered by batteries, cate naries or hydrogen – or a combination – they will need a lot of electricity, preferably from renewable sources such as wind and solar, to keep the wheels turning.

How much and where it will be needed are the $64m questions, but National Grid does not have time to get the final, precise answers to these questions as building electricity infrastructure takes time – between two and four years for a large new connection – as well as lots of money. So, if grid capacity is not to become a barrier to the government’s plans for net zero carbon emissions it needs to get shovels in the ground very soon.

Planning

Graeme Cooper is head of future markets at National Grid and has been leading the charge to get the govern ment to understand the importance of planning for the electrification of freight vehicles as well as cars and buses when it comes to building the new electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

“Do it right, do it once,” is Cooper’s consistent message.

“We started by looking at what the transport industry needs to do, how does it need to do it and by when, so we can be ready for that change,” he says. “We realised that there was a demonstrable market failure when it came to EV charging. The government gives big signals and then lets the market deliver, but adding a grid connec tion to a motorway service area (MSA) can be expensive.

Our infrastructure lasts 40 years but when it comes to car and truck charging, which is in its infancy, we have a business model that can only see five to 10 years out. So there is a disconnect between the business plan and the lifetime of the asset.”

Long-term demand

Since 2019 National Grid has been working closely with government and industry on developing charging infra structure to meet long-term demand for electric vehicles.

Its proposal for a fast-charging network was supported by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) in March 2020 and the government has since allocated £950m to a Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) as part of Project Rapid to deliver fast charging for cars and vans at 120 motorway and trunk road service areas (MSAs/TRSAs) in England by 2025.

A study by National Grid found that the natural syner gies between the high-voltage transmission system and the country’s strategic road network means some of these locations could be supplied by either existing National Grid infrastructure, the regional distribution network, or at a low enough price that the private MSA operator would pay at least some of the cost for commer cial

“Atreasons.somelocations the grid location is cheap enough for the market to deliver without government interven tion and the one thing the government is not going to support is the chargers as that market is already super liquid and innovative,” says Cooper.

“Project Rapid is intended to deliver future-proof grid capacity at MSAs and TRSAs, and that £950m should be enough for cars. Which is great but commercial fleets then said ‘what about us?’ and so National Grid reached out to the truck manufacturers to find out what is coming and when. Some said batteries, some hydrogen and others catenary. We said ‘we can provide electrons for whichever solution you choose but we can’t work it out until you tell us’.”

Existing infrastructure

As a result of these conversations the Grid’s study into decarbonising HGVs assumes that between 70% and 90% of electric HGVs charging or refuelling will be done overnight in depots or at destinations, with only 10% to 30% needing to be delivered en-route during the drivers’ 45-minute statutory break or overnight. The Grid’s anal ysis found that 53% to 78% of en-route truck charging and hydrogen refuelling at MSAs and TRSAs could be provided at no extra cost to the RCF by using existing transmission connections such as substations.

“We have always advocated that the fund should be for all road users not just cars,” says Cooper. “So we

looked at what the rapid charging fund would have to be to cover cars, buses, coaches and trucks all at once. We concluded that if you delivered rapid charging for cars and then came back five years later to do it all again for buses, coaches and trucks you might have to find another £650m.“That is the size of the prize but it’s always difficult to go back to government once it has allocated a fund to say ‘can we have some more’. We calculated that delivering for buses, coaches and trucks at the same time as cars could be anywhere between 8% and 12% more expensive. The challenge for the energy sector is can we deliver all that’s needed without asking for more money by driving efficiencies and programming this as a roll out?”

Cooper has been talking to electric truck manufactur ers including Renault Trucks to understand the scale of the charging infrastructure required to handle the switch from diesel to battery- or hydrogen-powered electric vehicles, which has started and will gather pace with the ban on sales of non-zero emissions trucks starting in 2035.Renault is a leading proponent of battery electric vehi cles, and its Range T E-Tech to be launched in 2023 ➜ 22

WHAT ABOUT PUTTING HYDROGEN IN THE GAS NETWORK?

National Grid owns the high-pressure gas transmission system National Grid Gas but is selling a 60% stake to Australian investment group Macquarie and Canadian firm British Columbia Investment with an option to purchase the remaining 40% stake next year.

National Grid Gas is testing a hydrogen gas network in the north called FutureGrid. If this works it could lead to a full-scale conversion of the existing national gas transmission system to transport hydrogen which, if made with renewable electricity, could be a zero-emissions fuel for both buildings and road vehicles.“There is work going on in the gas transmission business to inject hydrogen into the gas network,” says Graeme Cooper, head of future markets at National Grid. “You can blend it up to about 20% hydrogen with little or no modifications to appliances. That makes the emissions from boilers a little cleaner and it is a good step in the right direction. Home heating is likely to be a mixture of electric and hydrogen and it is likely that geography will be an important factor.”

This is because parts of the UK – such as Teesside, Humberside, Aberdeen and South Wales that have traditionally been home to high energy-intensive industries like steel and chemicals – will probably need to make the switch to green hydrogen to decarbonise.

“If you have a strong demand and therefore a strong supply of hydrogen you are more likely to see hydrogen trucks and heating systems,” explains Cooper. “I am in the Thames Valley, which is full of data centres and computer businesses, so this is the least likely area to see any kind of hydrogen generation. That is why we have regional strategies – you cannot say that because something works in London it has to work in Glasgow. You can have high-level plans but they need to be interpreted locally.”

LISTEN UP: when it comes to planning electrification for fleet vehicles, National Grid head of future markets Graeme Cooper says ‘do it right, do it once’

will have two to six lithium-ion battery packs with a maximum installed capacity of 540kWh.

Renault Trucks head of electric mobility Andrew Scott says it will be able to charge at up to 43kW on AC and 250kW with a DC rapid charger.

“Operational range on a single charge will be up to 300km, with a one-hour DC charge extending that to 500km,” he says. “A full charge from zero to maximum usable capacity would take approximately 2.5 hours. Developments for higher-speed charging are ongoing, which will increase the speed of recharging for longer distances, making battery electric well-suited to most UK regional and longer-haul operations.

“Renault Trucks has worked with National Grid to help determine the requirements of the national supply network for long-haul freight movements, and hopes to be part of the government’s upcoming trial of vehicles and charging systems announced in May this year.”

Connection range

In a worst-case example, if say 50 trucks want to rapid charge simultaneously at an MSA at 250kW each that will require a 12.5MW connection just for the trucks, on top of the load for charging cars and all the other electri cal services on site. If an MSA has truck parks on both sides of the carriageway of a motorway that would require a 25MW connection just for the trucks – more than a typical small town uses today – and most MSAs have only a 1MW connection.

“We know broadly for cars the connection range will be between 5MW and 8MW. If you then futureproof for buses, trucks and coaches we could need anything between 15MW and 20MW,” says Cooper. “It isn’t an exact science and we engineer for best endeav ours. A proportion of trucks will want to fast charge in the driver’s 45-minute break and that will be a MW scale

“Thencharger.there will be a proportion who want to plug in and charge at maybe 150kW for six or seven hours over night. So it will a mixture of the two and that might be different depending on where you are in the country.

“We don’t know how many of those trucks will be hydrogen or battery electric or hybrids, but that doesn’t matter because you are likely to make hydrogen through electrolysis where you refuel and that needs a grid connec tion. We don’t need the industry to tell us if the truck will be battery or hydrogen – the grid connection stays about the same Nationalsize.”Grid has suggested to ministers that if they wait to see which way long-distance transport goes in terms of motive power it will be too late for the infra

structure to keep up – decisions need to be taken now “on a least regrets basis”.

No one knows now how far and fast battery technology will progress however – if it becomes possible for more than 90% of battery or hydrogen trucks to run depot to depot without the need for en-route recharging, that expensive 20MW MSA connection could become redun dant – a stranded asset. It could also be possible to down size the connection by making hydrogen or putting a buffer battery in between the electric trucks and the grid to store energy overnight when demand is low.

“No one has a crystal ball,” admits Cooper. “Will 10% of charging be en-route, or will it be 30%? From a diesel perspective we know what percentage of fuelling is done en-route versus what is done at a depot. But you are not replacing liquid fuel with an electron on a like-for-like basis. Operators may have a different operating model if they have a different fuel. But under most scenarios you will need evenly spaced electrical capacity along the road network. The risk of stranded assets is very small.”

The en-route charging plan is based on up to 90% of battery or hydrogen trucks refuelling at a depot or their destination. This percentage will probably be even higher for 18-tonne or 26-tonne distribution vehicles that rarely see a motorway – and have to be zero emissions by 2035, five years before heavier vehicles. This will also require extra grid capacity away from the road network as few DCs currently have anything like a 20MW connection.

“What is apparent is that depot charging will be the core of that business model,” says Cooper. “That leads to another challenge as a lot of depots are a piece of land with a shed that was a good deal at the time. One thing we have started to see in the logistics industry is people asking ‘should I be thinking about moving my depot to where the grid is?’”

Property opportunity

“We are getting a lot of enquiries from bus and truck operators asking ‘how far is my depot from the grid?’ and a lot are realising this is not a grid problem but a property opportunity. In their medium- to long-term property strategy should they relocate their DC next to a substation under a powerline?

“That land is generally low value because people don’t want to live next to a transformer – but buses and trucks don’t care. This will require the logistics industry to think about its business model, the location of depots and how they run their trucks. It is complex but at least people are now asking the questions. Often when there is a challenge people raise their game to look for other busi ness opportunities.” ■

Marshall updates Andover workshop

Marshall Truck & Van has extended the workshop at its Walworth Industrial Estate deal ership in Andover, adding two bays.The Mercedes-Benz and FUSO dealer in north-west Hampshire now has six bays at the site. One of the new bays is equipped with rollers and equipment needed for tachograph installations, calibra tions and repairs.

Marshall Truck & Van will bring these jobs in house, enabling it to carry out late-night work rather than relying on the normal work ing hours of the independent workshop previously used.

The nine-month project has seen the addition of a waiting area for drivers, facelifted sales offices and a new meeting room.

Technicians, who previously took their breaks in a portable unit,

Demand prompts CNG Fuels to expand refuelling network bays, waiting area and canteen

now have their own canteen and washroom.Marshall Truck & Van head of business Wayne Edwards said: “The substantial investment we’ve made at Andover is benefiting customers and colleagues alike, and reflects our determination to be the number-one provider of truck and light commercial vehicle sales, maintenance and repair, and parts services on the south coast.”

CNG Fuels is opening its 10th low-carbon HGV refuelling station as demand for the fuel increases. The station, in Castleford, can fuel up to 500 trucks a day, which will, according to CNG Fuels, remove 67,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions when fully used.

The company’s network of refuelling stations now has the capacity for 5,000 HGVs a day across the UK, saving an estimated 584,000 tonnes of CO2 a year compared with diesel.

Located in the Normanton Industrial Estate, CNG Fuels’ newest station will give multiple existing CNG Fuels customers, including major household brands and local operators, access to low-carbon biomethane.

CNG Fuels CEO Philip Fjeld said: “Fleet operators worldwide are urgently seeking ways to cut emissions from their fleets. In the UK, operators can do so today by adopting biomethane.“Ourfast-growing network of refuelling infrastructure has made biomethane more accessible than ever before, and fleets – ranging from local hauliers through to major household brands – are dramatically cutting emissions every“Ourday.newest station in Castleford is building on our existing network, enabling low-carbon deliveries all the way from Inverness to Cornwall.”

C&H Roberts Haulage has taken delivery of two pre-owned Scania R500 6x2 tag-axle tractor units from Smith Bros Services.

The trucks are the seventh and eighth used vehicles purchased from Smith Bros by the North Wales-based aggregate and asphalt specialist in recent years, taking its all-Scania fleet to 17 vehicles.C&H Roberts Haulage MD Chris Roberts said: “We like to provide our hard-working drivers with the best kit and these new trucks are just that.”

One of the newly acquired vehi cles is replacing an older truck, while the other will be given to long-serving driver Gavin Catherall to be used on a new contract.

“Gavin has been with us for a long time and is one of many drivers we have put through the C + E test. He’s been integral in getting this new contract up and running with our 8-wheelers and when our customer asked if we could put an artic on the road for them, he was the only man for the job,” Roberts said.

Two Scania R500s for C&H smallerBridgestoneRobertseyesfleets

Bridgestone has launched a premium tyre and vehicle main tenance option for small- and medium-sized fleets, which it claimed would maximise their efficiency.TheFleetcare Go Plan integrates premium Bridgestone tyres, vehicle maintenance and an intelligent interface powered by Webfleet

Bridgestonetelematics.saidits new product builds on Fleetcare, which is aimed at larger fleets, but was a standardised, ready-to-go solution.

“We made a great step forward with the recent launch of Fleetcare and are excited to make this tyre and fleet management solution and its benefits accessible to even more fleets with Fleetcare Go Plan,” said Jan Maarten de Vries, chief executive of Bridgestone Mobility Solutions.

“By providing actionable and data-driven insights that enable our customers and partners to improve their fleet and mobility performance, we become part of the change we want to see.”

Guest Truck and Van powers up with solar panels

Guest Truck and Van has invested in a solar power generation system at its head office in West Bromwich. It plans to roll out the system across all of its 13 service locations.MDRobert Spittle said: “Every commercial organisation, regard less of size or sector, is looking at how it can reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

“The investment in solar panels at West Bromwich is our first step towards looking at how this concept works for us on a daily basis. We are experimenting with this for a few months and will reassess at the end of the trial

period, perhaps looking at battery investment once we have a greater understanding of the power produced and the consumption we“Weneed.believe that on a sunny day, the panels will provide for all of our electrical needs for the site, and on a dull day, there will be enough power output to recharge our electric vehicles.

“We are continuing to find crea tive new solutions for our custom ers exploring and using alternative fuels to ensure their fleets are as environmentally friendly as possi ble, while still being effective for their purpose and requirements.”

Home secretary opens testing facility for Motus Truck & Van

Motus Truck & Van has installed a new authorised testing facility (ATF) at its Witham site, which was opened by former home secretary Priti Patel (pictured, below).TheMP for Witham visited the Motus facility at Gershwin Park to perform the opening ceremony and was given a tour of the building by MD Lee Seward and general manager ScottSpeakingFogharty.after her visit Patel said: “It was very interesting to see how this new high-tech system for testing these huge vehicles works. Getting them back on the road as quickly as possible is a vital service as every hour they are out of service is lost revenue for the company that owns them.

“The road haulage industry is a massively important link in our country’s supply chains, which couldn’t be more important at the present time.”

Production doubled at Schmitz Cargobull

Trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull is doubling production at its UK manufacturing plant to address demand.

The company said the higher production levels will mean trailer orders placed before the end of August will be in operation before the end of this Manchester-basedyear. Schmitz Cargobull will increase production capacity for standard versions of its popular S.BO Pace and S.CS Fixed Roof curtainsider models.

Schmitz Cargobull UK and Ireland operations MD Paul Avery said: “Operators are facing more demand from their customers, but at the same time having to deal with a shortage of vehicles.

“By working with our colleagues across Europe – and due to the strength of the Schmitz Cargobull group – we have secured a strong supply of parts. We are therefore able to increase our build capacity in the UK and provide delivery before the end of December, which

we know is what customers need.

“Schmitz Cargobull has always led the way with the best products, services and packages.

“Our Manchester factory means we can also now provide one of the shortest lead times on the market for operators in the UK and Ireland, based on our capacity increase.”TheManchester factory first began production in September 2021 and is now home to the entire UK team.

Orders placed in late summer will be in operation by the end of the year

Renaissance men

Others have tried – and failed. But the new owners of Fruehauf are confident that their winning mentality will turn the tipper trailer maker’s fortunes around. MT travels to Grantham to find out how they plan to do it

By Will Shiers

What makes MV Commercial think it can make a success of tipper trailer manu facturer Fruehauf when previous own ers have failed? This is the first ques tion I put to MV Commercial CEO Tom O’Rourke and MD Steven Cairns when I meet them at Fruehauf’s 68‑acre Grantham site. It’s a fair question too; after all, this is my third visit to Fruehauf in the past 20 years, and the third management team I have met.

“Because we are different to those people who have failed in the past,” says a confident O’Rourke, who moved to Grantham after purchasing the company in a multi million pound deal last year. “We have got a pedigree and a track record, and know we will be able to bring the business back to the iconic position it was once in.”

These sentiments are echoed by Cairns, who adds: “We [MV Commercial] like to be winners, and have a keen desire to always deliver, and give 100%.”

O’Rourke tells us that even before MV’s offer had been accepted (it beat 32 other interested parties), he was well

aware that the business would require some fundamen tal changes. “To be different to those people who have failed in the past, we knew we needed to go in with a fresh and different strategy, one that would ultimately bring success and drive that winning mentality that has helped us to progress the MV business,” he says. He explains that a raft of changes have been implemented, many of which have already generated positive results, and helped to create a cultural and behavioural shift among the workforce.

Standards for success

A key change has been investment, something Fruehauf hasn’t seen a lot of in recent years. This includes a new shot blasting facility, a laser plasma machine and mod ern LED lighting for the factory. A new warehouse with racking is going in too, which will improve the flow of materials to the production line.

“The business needed modernising, and that’s exactly what we are doing, bringing it up to today’s standards,” explains O’Rourke. “In year one alone we are looking at a £10m plus investment.” He confirms this will be followed by more investment in phase two, which will see robots introduced to the assembly lines.

Another area of investment has been in stocks of materials and parts. Whereas the previous owner worked on a hand to mouth basis, MV Commercial says it is looking at the bigger picture. It is producing 12 trailers a week, triple the volume of the previous regime.

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST: Tom O’Rourke believes showing staff they are valued and delivering great service to customers are essential

Cairns says this level of production requires two or three months’ worth of materials to be stored on site.

From the outset, O’Rourke was aware that boosting employee morale would be crucial to the company’s success. While improved working conditions have helped in this area, he thinks it is senior management’s attitude that has had the biggest positive effect. “We want them to feel loved and appreciated,” he says. “We want them to know that we are in this together. There’s no detach ment between the workforce and management. We are part of the same jigsaw, just doing a different job. When people see that you are on a human level with them it can add a lot of value.”

“All credit to Tom,” adds Cairns. “He has spent a lot of time on the shop floor and has been at the heart of this cultural shift. At MV we [senior management] are very close to the staff, and that’s what we are replicating here.”Another big tick regarding improving morale has been a change to the wage structure, which has financially benefited most employees.

Reputation for quality

Continuing on the subject of why MV Commercial knows it is going to make a success of Fruehauf, Cairns says it is vital to offer a high level of service. “Many of MV Commercial’s customers have been with us for the past 20 years, and that’s what we intend to instil and replicate in Fruehauf. From the moment they place an order, through to the delivery of a quality product and beyond, they will have an excellent experience.

“You have to get it right from A to Z. That’s how you get repeat business, and that’s how you drive a reputation as a top-end provider.”

It’s all very well Fruehauf upping its game, but is there a fear that all this investment has come too late, and successive underinvestment has tarnished the company’s reputation? While both men acknowledge that there has been an element of reputational damage, which has been driven by poor service, they are confident that this can be – and already is being – turned around.

“I think the brand has survived remarkably well, and – despite the troubles it has had – Fruehauf still has an excellent reputation,” Cairns says. “It is testa ment to the product that it has withstood some diffi cult periods, and still has such a loyal customer base. If we can do what we absolutely intend to do, there is no reason it can’t get back that iconic status. The people who operate these products see it as the best. They love it, and that has helped it withstand all the difficul ties it has had.”

“Customer feedback has been excellent and our order book is very strong,” adds O’Rourke. “People quickly forget the things that happened in the past when they see that they are getting a quality product, and on time.”

On the subject of product quality, MV Commercial admits that it has had a few discussions with customers who have had warranty issues with trailers built by the previous regime. “People have been coming back and placing orders, and we have been supporting them with historical issues,” Cairns says. “For customers who remain loyal to us, we will be loyal to them. That’s the bottom

Whileline.”there is no doubting its commitment to Fruehauf, we have not yet established why it was purchased in the first place. What does a tipper trailer manufacturer bring to MV Commercial’s business?

The answer, I’m told, is two-fold. O’Rourke says that first and foremost it moves the company into trailers, an area it has, up to now, only dabbled in. In addition to selling them, MV is building up a significant trailer hire fleet – and, seven months after buying the business, had 50 of them on its books. Second, it gives MV a direct manufacturing arm. While it already builds some kit in-house, it relies heavily on subcontractors, but this potentially changes that.

It has started building a handful of rigid bodies at Grantham, and plans are afoot to increase this. We are talking about plant bodies, cheese wedges and builders’ merchants trucks. “Given the sheer scope and scale of the site, the potential is almost endless. It’s a massive place, and we are only occupying a third of it,” Cairns tells

Butus.one thing it is not looking to do is build Fruehauf rigid tippers, preferring instead to remain loyal to Thompsons. “We are happy with Thompsons,” confirms Cairns. “We know and like the product, and appreciate its good residual values.”

New goals?

Now that MV Commercial has moved into trailers, and clearly has a lot of potential to expand production at Fruehauf’s site, we wonder whether it has fulfilled its expansion goals, or whether there are any more acquisi tions on the cards.

“Never say never,” says Cairns, who confirms that as other opportunities present themselves MV would consider them. “The market is very strong at the moment organically. And if the right opportunity presents itself commercially, then we would look at it and weigh it up based on its individual merits, just like we did with this opportunity.”

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