Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
22.3.21
PML MD warns of inevitable job losses as higher costs prevent growth
London firms facing ‘mission impossible’ By Tim Wallace and Carol Millett
E N T R I E S C LO S E 9 A P R I L 20 2 1
NEWS INSIDE ‘Protective award’
Canute staff compensation
p3
Driver assault
Police appeal after M1 attack p4
Recruitment strategies
Logistics firms in jobs drive p6
OPERATORS INSIDE Biffa ............................................................. p4 Boughey Distribution ..................................... p8 Canute Group ................................................ p3 Carlton Forest ............................................... p3 Denby Transport ............................................ p6 DHL .............................................................p10 Europa .......................................................... p6 Hazcomp....................................................... p6 Meachers Global Logistics ........................p3, p6 Menzies Distribution.....................................p10 S Walker Transport........................................ p3 TPN .............................................................. p4 Wincanton .................................................... p6 XPO Logistics ................................................ p6 Yodel............................................................. p6
The MD of a logistics firm based near Heathrow has hit out at London mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to widen the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), insisting it is crippling his business. Mike Parr, MD of family-owned Perishable Movements (PML), based in Feltham, said the European hauliers the firm works with are refusing to come to Heathrow because of “unacceptably high charges”, making his expansion plans “untenable”. The LEZ extension has been in force since 1 March; charges for non-compliant vehicles range from £100 to £300 per day. “We don’t run our fleet of vehicles to collect freight in Europe,” Parr told MT. “It’s also worth noting that the airlines have long-standing contracts with key companies that are difficult to override.” In an open letter to Khan, Parr said that although his trucks were Euro-6 compliant, the decision meant it was now “mission impossible” for PML and would lead to some staff losing their jobs. “The business will have to spend
thousands of pounds in re-training new staff,” he added. “And those that are able to move to a new location will ironically be adding to fuel emissions by generating more traffic. “As a company which is involved in the transfer of perishable – mainly essential food – cargo both into and out of the UK, this move is crippling our business.” Jacqueline O’Donovan, MD of O’Donovan Waste Disposal, added that the extended LEZ, the introduction of the Direct Vision Standard (DVS), and plans to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), were together a “total car crash”, forcing hauliers out of London. She warned hauliers were turning their back on the capital
and that the shortage would only get worse once the London ULEZ is extended on 25 October to create a single larger zone bounded by the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). O’Donovan said: “Companies we would normally hire are no longer available to us because they don’t want to come into the Low Emission Zone or because they have no clue as to how to get a DVS permit. The processes are far too complicated; the DVS website is absolutely atrocious and navigating it is horrendous.” A spokesperson for the mayor of London told MT: “Sadiq is proud to be a pro-business mayor and research from the CBI has shown that cleaner air could boost the UK economy by £1.6bn per year.”
MAJOR INVESTMENT: Maritime Transport has placed an order for 275 new Volvo FH with I-Save tractor units, becoming one of the largest operators of the models in the UK. The move follows a recent order by the Felixstowebased company for 50 current-generation FH with I-Save units, which Maritime said had now become its most fuel-efficient 44-tonners. Paul Heyhoe, Maritime Transport fleet director, said: “We have had 40 on the road for a few weeks now, and they are performing really well, going further on a full tank than any other 6x2 tractors on the fleet. The final 10 will enter service this month, and then all eyes will be on the new models arriving later this year.” Volvo Trucks’ product development team has updated the software on the new FHs, which it said provided additional fuel savings. A more aerodynamic design and improved map-based I-See technology also help boost performance.
Viewpoint: Zero emissions p11 Marketplace p14 Insurance: Cargo risks p26 Laurence Drake interview p28 MT Awards winners p32-35
