Motor Transport 8 July 2019

Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging

8.7.19

QUALITY. COMFORT. PERFORMANCE. Thousands of unfit HGV drivers could be on the UK road network CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS

MTAWARDS .CO.UK

NEWS INSIDE

By Carol Millett

Enterprising deal

Enterprise Rent-A-Car expands its CV rental fleet

p3

Clean break

13% of trucks in London forced to pay ULEZ fee

p4

Next generation

Joint MDs promise new dynamics at Farrall’s Group p6

OPERATORS INSIDE ArrowXL ....................................................... p4 Beamish Transport .......................................p10 Farrall’s Group .............................................. p6 Gregory Distribution .....................................p10 Lockwood Haulage ......................................p10 Pentalver Transport ...................................... p3 Simarco Worldwide ...................................... p3 WH Bowker .................................................p14

All MT Awards images: Sira Studio

Doctors on Wheels D4 tests refused The DVLA has warned HGV drivers and operators that it will no longer accept medical reports from Doctors on Wheels, raising concerns that thousands of unfit drivers could be on the road.

The warning follows police raids on the firm’s offices in Swindon, Leicester and Huddersfield last month as part of a Trading Standards investigation. The action was triggered by claims that D4 tests were not being completed properly by Doctors on Wheels, with unhealthy drivers subsequently being passed as fit to drive.

A D4 report is required for category C drivers and comprises a medical and sight test.

Doctors on Wheels operates a mobile service across the country providing D4 medicals for HGV drivers, undertaken in the back of its fleet of vans.

According to Companies House the directors of Doctors on Wheels are Beth and Jayne Eburne. The company’s registered address in Leicester is shared by J Coates (HGV Services), an HGV driver training company owned by Andrew and Steven Eburne.

An employee at Doctors on Wheels declined to discuss why the business was raided but told MT that while the company is not carrying out medicals at the moment it is “ hoping to resume D4 tests once everything is resolved”.

Asked how many medicals the company carries out annually, the employee estimated it at “thousands”. Despite this, the DVLA said it will only be declining D4 medicals conducted by Doctor on Wheels submitted after 20 June.

It has written to all of the affected drivers.

BIG NIGHT: More than 1,400 guests at the 2019 Motor Transport Awards last week saw host Omid Djalili present the 21 iconic bronze trophies to winners including DPD UK, Collett & Sons, Whirpool, O’Donovan Waste and Culina Group.

Congratulations to them and all the finalists – see page 25 for full coverage of this glittering, star-studded event.

However, the DVLA has yet to respond to requests for comment on what action it will take regarding those drivers who submitted D4 medicals from Doctors on Wheels before that date.

James Backhouse, director of law firm Backhouse Jones, said the agency needed to issue guidance to operators.

“Only the DVLA knows the scale of this problem and how many of these medicals are fraudulent. The DVLA needs to clarify what action operators need to take,” he said.

Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones, medical director of D4Drivers, which provides medicals for HGV drivers, said it is “hugely important” that D4 medicals are carried out by bonefide companies using qualified doctors, since these companies can process thousands of HGV drivers a year.

FIND OUT MORE. mantruckvanandbus.co.uk

Focus: business barometer p10 Viewpoint: p12 Profile: WH Bowker p14 Hall of Fame: p22 MT Awards winners: p25-66

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A NEW WAY: IVECO launched the first of a new range of long-haul heavy trucks in Madrid last week. The S-Way, which replaces the flagship Stralis, is the first vehicle to be launched in the truck maker’s Way heavy range. The S-Way has an entirely new cab, available in two widths.

Aerodynamics are better, resulting in a claimed 4% fuel economy improvement over its predecessor.

Also new is a multi-piece bumper, which reduces repair costs in the event of an accident. The truck uses the Stralis’s existing driveline, with 9-, 11- and 13-litre engines (330hp to 570hp) and 9- and 13-litre gas engines (270hp to 460hp).

Businesses are rethinking their mobility needs, boosting rental fleets

Enterprise adds SHB to fold

By Chris Druce

Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK has completed its acquisition of SHB Hire, creating a commercial vehicle rental giant.

Romsey-based SHB Hire has a fleet of more than 18,500 commercial vehicles over 16 locations nationwide and offers light commercial vehicles, HGVs, 4x4s, tippers and specialist lorries. The two businesses will be integrated as part of Enterprise’s commercial vehicle division, Enterprise FlexE-Rent, and will comprise more than 45,000 vehicles.

Enterprise Holdings MD for the UK and Ireland Khaled Shabo said: “We are excited to complete this acquisition and welcome SHB Hire into the Enterprise family. This is a significant moment as Enterprise and SHB Hire unite with a shared vision to create the best commercial vehicle rental business in the UK.

“Our aim is to deliver the best choice, value and service to our increasing number of commercial vehicle customers.

“The speed of regulatory changes for commercial vehicle

operators, coupled with the desire of many organisations not to commit large amounts of capital to their fleets, are shaping how businesses are rethinking their mobility needs.”

NEWS IN BRIEF ■ Simarco Worldwide has taken a 10-year lease on a 108,000sq ft depot in Stoke, which will open in October.

The site will be the group’s DC for the north, Manchester and the Midlands, and the operator expects to invest approximately £10m at the site over the term of the lease. Its European operation will also be based there.

Simarco Worldwide chief executive Simon Reed said it was a natural response to a rise in volumes.

■ Pentalver Transport owner Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) is being acquired by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in deal valued at $8.4bn (£6.6bn).

G&W owns or leases 120 freight railroads and has approximately 8,000 employees in North America, Australia and Europe. In the UK it owns Freightliner and Pentalver Transport. The latter was rebranded following the deal to feature the G&W logo.

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Apprenticeships offer a golden opportunity, says Skills for Logistics MD David Coombes

Shutterstock

New standards hold the key to skills gap

Substantial amount of trucks did not meet Euro-6 standards

13% of HGVs forced to pay ULEZ charge

By Carol Millett

During the first month of its operation, 13% of all trucks entering London had to pay the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge, according to research conducted by TfL. London’s ULEZ was launched in April and operates within the same footprint as the London Congestion Charge. However, unlike the congestion charge, the ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Trucks entering the zone must meet Euro-6 emissions standards or face a charge.

According to TfL, an average of 89,380 vehicles entered London’s ULEZ each day in the first month of its operation and, according to MT’s calculations, approximately 3,850 of those vehicles were trucks. Of those trucks, TfL confirmed 13% did not meet the requirement, amounting to an average of about 500 a day.

In comparison, of the 85,534 vehicles – excluding trucks – that entered the zone each day, 30%, or 25,695, did not the requirements.

This means that in total, trucks made up just 1.9% of vehicles that did not meet the emissions requirements in its first month of operation.

All of the vehicles found to be in contravention of the scheme were issued with a warning notice on their first offence, rather than receiving a fine.

The charge for non-compliant trucks, buses and coaches entering the ULEZ is £100 a day with non-compliant cars, motorcycles and vans paying £12.50 a day.

The research was conducted between 8 April and 5 May and factored in disruptive events and unusual traffic patterns, such as the Extinction Rebellion protests, roadworks, Easter and bank holidays, to arrive at its average figures.

NEWS IN BRIEF ■ The Transport Committee has called on the DfT to commit to a five-year funding model to tackle potholes across the local road network in England. Describing the current estimated £9bn backlog as a “plague of potholes”, the select committee said councils’ current “make-do-andmend” approach offered poor value for money. Select committee chairwoman Lilian Greenwood MP said: “Now is the time for the department to propose a front-loaded, long-term funding 4 MotorTransport

settlement to the Treasury as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.”

■ Delivery firm ArrowXL has won a contract with logistics giant DG International to provide warehousing and home delivery services. The win provides a boost to ArrowXL, which saw profit plunge 70% last year to £862,000. The Wigan-based firm will provide warehouse for two of DG’s retail clients that specialise in indoor and outdoor furniture.

As an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) that specialises in the logistics and supply chain industry, we’ve been delighted to see the developing training opportunities that recently approved apprenticeship standards offer the sector. These standards spread across both the lower and higher levels of training, ensuring the wide and varying skills gap the sector is facing is in fact being addressed.

It’s no longer just about training drivers (although this is obviously imperative to the logistics sector), it’s becoming more about higher level logistics management training.

With the sector being much more data-driven and informed, it allows for planning and forecasting expertise, data management and procurement specialists, particularly as we see just-in-time, internet-driven, same-day delivery requirements become expected, rather than just an ideal.

These training opportunities, provided through apprenticeships such as the supply chain practitioner – level 3 and the supply chain leadership professional degree – level 6, ultimately deliver the knowledge and skills expected in the fast-paced logistics world.

As a member of the transport and logistics route panel and part of an EPAO, I’ve been able to see the meaningful effect these apprenticeships are having on the sector. The shift from administrative duties to strategic supply chain management is clear and upskilling logistics people is key (along with artificial intelligence – but that’s a different topic entirely). The partners and industry experts we at Skills for Logistics work with have echoed this same viewpoint.

As an ambassador of the supply chain and logistics sector it would be great to get some feedback on these training opportunities. The panel values the voices of the industry and those who have upskilled or are thinking about upskilling their teams through apprenticeships.

■ To find out more about apprenticeships and how they could benefit your organisation, call us on 0117 927 8800.

Information about logistics-specific apprenticeships standards can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website: institutefor apprenticeships.org.

8.7.19

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Joint MDs promise a new dynamic for family firm with growth in turnover and regional depots

Farrall’s new generation arrives

By Carol Millett

The third generation of family firm Farrall’s Group has taken over the reins of the business.

Siblings Kat and Matthew Farrall have become joint MDs of the Chester-based haulage and warehousing firm with the aim of expanding the company’s customer base and boosting annual turnover from £9.4m to more than £10m within a year.

The company, launched by the siblings’ grandparents Eddie and Joan Farrall in 1956, is a founder member of Palletforce.

Matthew Farrall, who joined the business in 2008 as IT and marketing manager, returns to it after a five year gap in which he achieved a BA with first class honours in logistics and supply chain management.He also gained operational experience working at Clipper Logistics, Palletforce, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and Gwynedd Shipping.

His sister Kat joined the firm’s

administrative team eight years ago, becoming financial director in 2014 and working closely with former MD Jim Perry, who left in April of this year.

Perry took over from Kat and Matthew’s father Mike Farrall, who became chairman, in 2015. During his five year stint, Perry updated the company’s warehousing systems, restructured the management teams and modernised the 60-strong fleet, which, Kat Farrall said, has laid firm foundations for the company’s future growth.

Matthew added: “Jim came in as the second generation of the family stepped back from the business. He introduced a lot of change that was necessary to take the family business to the next level and make it more corporate.”

Following Perry’s departure the Farrall siblings believe they can bring a new dynamic to the firm.

“Kat and I have a strong set of complementary skills. Kat brings solid financial skills and I am keen

to use my commercial and marketing experience to grow our sales and increase our customer base.

And I want to market the company, to shout about ourselves and become better known in the industry – something we have never really done before,” said Matthew.

The Farralls have the backing of a loyal team, he continued. “We have a great mix of experience, including our group transport manager Ian Capper-Moore, who

has been with us for 35 years, and our commercial manager Paul Mather, who joined 19 years ago.

“One of our major targets is to take our turnover past the £10m mark by this time next year. We want to do that in a sustainable and profitable way,” he added.

Their plans include growing the warehousing business, bolstering the subcontracting division and opening new regional depots over the next two to five years.

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8.7.19

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04/07/2019 08:43:39

Focus: Business barometer

UK plc plods along, hardly healthy but not critical, as b

Change, latest month vs. previous month (%)

MONTHLY GDP

The lull befor

0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 -0.1

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan '19

Feb

Mar

Apr

-0.2 -0.3 -0.4 -0.5

CURRENCY RATES 1.35 1.30

euro

dollar

£1 buys

1.25 1.20 1.15 1.10 1.05 1.00 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

GDP

This week marks the first anniversary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishing the UK’s monthly GDP data. Hitherto, quarterly figures were believed to be sufficient, but in the run-up to Brexit it was decided that releasing monthly GDP data would give economists a faster and more sensitive insight into the economy during this critical period.

It does not make good reading.

The first estimate for April shows GDP falling by 0.4% compared with March’s figure, which itself was 0.1% down on February’s. The ONS warned against reading too much into a single month’s figures because they are easily skewed by individual factors. For example, April saw a big drop in UK vehicle production, following the first quarter’s surge to beat the expected 29 March Brexit date.

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A PACCAR COMPANY DRIVEN BY QUALITY

A similar pattern was seen in manufacturing, so April’s GDP downturn is not surprising. May’s figure is published on Wednesday and is keenly anticipated: another negative month will only add fuel to the Brexit flames.

Authoritative sources continue to anticipate at least some growth in the UK’s economy this year, albeit small. In March, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that GDP would rise 1.2% in 2019, down from 1.4% last year.

The Bank of England is more upbeat in its latest (May) Inflation Report, opining that GDP will expand by 1.5% this year.

Exchange rates

The failure to get any Brexit clarity by the 29 March deadline is hitting the pound hard. Its value against the euro has slipped inexorably since then, dropping to a monthly

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ore the storm average of just €1.123 in June. And unless we get some positive Brexit news soon that pleases the financial markets, there is a chance that the pound could hit an all-time low against the euro: it averaged just €1.086 in January 2009, in the depths of the economic meltdown.

To put the predicament into perspective, last month’s average value is 6% below the pound’s 10-year average (2009 to 2018) of €1.197.

Sterling’s performance against the dollar is even bleaker, with the pound’s monthly average value dropping to $1.27 in June. That’s 16% down on its 10-year average of $1.50, thus adding a sizeable incremental cost to every litre of fuel bought in the UK.

Inflation

Inflation rarely hits the headlines these days and it is a case of no news is good news. The latest con-

sumer price index (CPI) inflation figure, May’s, came in at 2%, bang on the government’s target. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, tasked with steering inflation via control of the bank rate, deserves some credit.

Looking ahead, the bank expects CPI inflation to edge down to 1.6%

by Q4 this year. Key drivers for this are an expected reduction in gas and electricity prices: the bank points out that wholesale energy prices have already fallen. The price of oil – even in sterling – is also expected to fall in the bank’s projections.

Beyond that, CPI inflation is likely to rise next year, but only to 2% by Q4. The bank bases this forecast on the expectation that average weekly earnings are likely to rise 3% this year and 3.5% next year, inevitably feeding through to inflation.

INFLATION (CPI) 3.0 2.5

Annual rate (%)

s both GDP and sterling suffer continued weakness

2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Sep

Road traffic

Oct

Nov

Dec '18 Jan '19

Traffic has been increasing steadily in the UK since 2013 but the latest DfT statistics reveal that growth virtually stalled last year.

Traffic, measured in billion vehicle miles, rose by just 0.3% in 2018.

In comparison, growth in the previous four years ranged from 1.3% to 2.6%. The DfT sees clear correlation between traffic levels and economic factors, chiefly changes in GDP in the case of truck and van traffic. Fuel prices and the amount of disposable income are key determinants for car traffic.

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

The slowdown in traffic growth in 2018 was across all vehicle types.

Truck traffic was up 0.3% to 17.1 billion vehicle miles, while car traffic edged up just 0.2%, to 255 billion vehicle miles. The only real growth came from vans, up by 0.9% to 51 billion vehicle miles, but even that is lacklustre compared with the way van traffic has been booming in recent years, driven chiefly by online shopping. The sluggish state of the economy right now and the high price of fuel suggest that traffic is unlikely to increase much in 2019 either.

News

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Administrator points to political uncertainty as the key factor in UK car transporter’s demise

Brexit fallout breaks Beamish

By Chris Tindall

Turnover at County Durham car transporter Beamish Transport plummeted by 20% in 2018 “arguably because of Brexit uncertainty”, according to its administrator.

In a report to creditors explaining how the established and profitable business was forced to close in March this year, KSA Group said the car sector had been beset by lower volumes and fierce competition, due to oversupply and lower demand for movements.

However, the referendum vote in favour of leaving the European Union in 2016 and the protracted negotiations since had turned Beamish Transport into a loss-making business

hit by falling margins, it added. “As a result, the company had… come under significant financial pressure and had fallen behind with its obligations to creditors,” explained the report.

Talks to sell its shares to a potential purchaser stalled in January and administration was then viewed by the directors as the best way to protect its assets.

At the time, Beamish Transport’s operations manager told MT that the move had led to 76 redundancies, which included drivers and office staff (MT 25 March).

The report said: “Following administration, the administrators, through their agents, agreed a sale of the residual assets to D Pickering, a

company connected to Beamish Transport by means of a common director and shareholder, namely Darrin Pickering.”

The sale of some of the vehicles, the firm’s goodwill, brand name, fixtures, fittings and plant was agreed at £38,318.

The report stressed that it was not a prepackaged sale and that it represented the optimum return for those owed money, of which £905,000 is estimated to be oustanding to trade and expense creditors.

It added: “It is anticipated that the company will have sufficient property to allow a distribution to be made to the unsecured creditors.”

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TEA TIME: Lockwood Haulage has won a five-year storage contract with 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG). Lockwood Haulage will store goods for the Foxes Biscuits, Matthew Walker and Gunstones Bakery businesses at its 110,000sq ft Denby warehouse. The haulier, which is a Palletforce member, has provided warehouse and transport services for the Matthew Walker business for more than eight years. Keith Allsop, key account manager at Lockwood Haulage, said: “It is fantastic news that 2SFG has chosen Lockwood as its storage provider.” Simon Irons, 2SFG supply chain development director, said: “We have been impressed with Lockwood’s competitive, reliable and high-quality service.”

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Gregory Distribution (Holdings) arrested a profit decline last year despite being “significantly impacted” by the Beast from the East. The Palletline and Palletways member increased turnover by 8.8% to £174m in the year ending 29 September, with pre-tax profit up 3.4% to £5.7m.

Gregory said it had “seen significant improvements in certain areas of the business”, winning new customers and exiting contracts that were not viable. But it added: “The exceptional weather in March 2018 significantly impacted the business.” The firm said it expected total revenue to rise further in 2019.

8.7.19

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Viewpoint

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You’ve got to be in it to win it T Steve Hobson Editor Motor Transport

his time last year the men’s England football team raised the spirits of the nation by finally breaking a 12-year jinx and winning a penalty shoot-out against Colombia at the World Cup in Moscow, and although they didn’t go on to make the final their run to the semi-final gave the country a lift.

Last week it was the women’s turn as they ran the USA close in an exciting semi-final in Lyon – while initially disappointing there is no doubt that with hindsight their performances have done wonders for women’s football.

Winning trophies is, of course, what both the World Cup and the MT Awards are all about. But as England’s record in the World Cup since 1966 often proves it is the taking part that matters more than winning.

Hope springs eternal every time England’s men or women take to the field and as long as the team puts in a shift, coming third or fourth is still a great achievement.

That is why every one of the 62 companies large and small shortlisted for this year’s awards deserve enormous congratulations. We say it every year but it is a as true as ever – the judging process is incredibly tough and making the shortlist is recognition of excellence.

Sitting on the judging panels, it is clear that in many cases picking the winners can be very difficult, with margins as fine as a VAR offside decision.

So well done to all our winners and finalists, and I would encourage every operator to get involved and enter next year. You have to be in it to win it.

Try innovating like Silicon Valley A Peter Scraton Operations director, ArrowXL

s the world’s leading technology centre, Silicon Valley is brimming with innovation – not just from a hardware or software point of view, but in terms of how it solves problems. One example of this is “design sprints”, a five-day process developed by former Google executive Jake Knapp, which sees team members come together to answer critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas.

At ArrowXL we use this model to improve our operations, most recently regarding reverse logistics. Late last year, a 15-strong team of colleagues from product development, hub operations, client management, the claims division and IT, identified 50 pain-points across our returns processes. They were prioritised (by way of ‘dot voting’) into seven areas before the team unpicked any problems and created solutions. This included: deploying a resource flex model that allows the operations team to resource more efficiently according to volumes; redesigning the company’s cancellation process so colleagues didn’t have to spend three hours a day sorting labels by client and piece every day; optimising manifest creation; the formation of a new returns dashboard in the company’s reporting tool; and

12 MotorTransport

enhanced communication channels to reduce backlog in the warehouse.

I’m proud to report that this design sprint and the subsequent solutions have led to significant benefits. While the volume of returns in the two-person market has increased 40% over recent years, the sprint avoided additional costs and improved cost per unit to approximately £333,000. As part of this, efficiency across two of our sites have improved by 30%, with a third site improving by 19%. We have also witnessed a 43% reduction in claims from a major client due to reduced errors when sending returns back. Finally, our key KPI items per warehouse hour has improved at all three sites (Droitwich, 2.4% to 3.2%; Enfield, 3.6% to 4.2%; Wigan, 4.7% to 6.2%).

It can often be difficult for large organisations to introduce new methods of working, but by being more flexible and receptive to innovative techniques – and most importantly, by giving teams from different departments the opportunity to contribute on an even footing – you can reap the rewards.

The newspaper for transport operators

To contact us: Tel: 020 8912 +4 digits or email: name.surname@roadtransport.com Editor Steve Hobson 2161 Editor-in-chief Christopher Walton 2163 Head of content Chris Druce 2158 Deputy head of content Hayley Pink 2165 Group production editor Clare Goldie 2174 Deputy production editor Jo Saunders 2173 Key account manager Andrew Smith 07771 885874 Display telesales Barnaby Goodman-Smith 2128 Event sales Richard Bennett 07889 823060 Tim George 0755 7677758 Classified and recruitment advertising rtmclassified@roadtransport.com Head of sales Emma Tyrer 07900 691137 Divisional director Vic Bunby 2121 Head of marketing Jane Casling 2133 Head of events/MT Awards Stephen Pobjoy 2135 Managing director Andy Salter 2171 Editorial office Road Transport Media, Sixth 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 Tel 0330 333 9544 Quadrant Subscription Services, Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3DH Rates UK £135/year. Europe £163/year.

RoW £163/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 © 2019 DVV Media International Ltd ISSN 0027-206 X

Got something to say?

If you would like to contribute to MT’s Viewpoint, email steve.hobson@roadtransport.com 8.7.19

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04/07/2019 08:52:21

Profile: WH Bowker

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One hundred not out WH Bowker celebrates its centenary this year. Steve Hobson discovers the secret to its success

W

hile many third generation family hauliers are struggling with succession plans and selling up, Bowker Group has no such problem. Director Bill Bowker is the third generation – and the third Bill – to head the firm since it was founded in Blackburn as WH Bowker in 1919 by his grandfather William.

“The firm started with my grandfather and he was followed by my father and uncle, Bill and Ken, so I’m the third William,” Bowker says. “We now have the fourth generation, with my son William working in our business. Ken’s son Neil is commercial director, and his brother Paul is CEO of our motor dealership group. Neil’s daughter Chloe also works in the motor dealerships.”

Bowker’s logistics business is split into two parts.

Bowker handles UK distribution and warehousing from seven sites while Bowker International runs the European warehousing and transport operation from its sites in Preston and Hull.

However, the majority of the group’s £190m annual turnover is now generated by its highly successful car and motorcycle dealerships for brands including BMW, Mini, Harley-Davidson and – as of May 2019 – Porsche.

“We are the first non-Porsche family member to be awarded a Porsche franchise in over 20 years,” says Bowker. “That’s a testament to the quality of service and reputation of our motor trade business.”

Leading from the front

Recounting the origins of the business, Bowker says: “My grandfather was one of the early enlistees in the First World War in August 1914 because he wanted to learn to drive and to see Paris – everyone thought the war would be over by Christmas.

“When he had learned to drive he was sent over to France and he drove ambulances and delivered munitions throughout the war. At the start, most things were moved by horse, but during the war lorries became more 14 MotorTransport

versatile and reliable. Towards the end of the war, most things moved by lorry and in November 1918 the British government brought thousands of lorries back to the UK. They refurbished them and offered them to ex-servicemen – our grandfather used his £75 war gratuity to buy the first vehicle. That’s how the business started.”

New opportunity

FIGHTING CHANCE: William Bowker started out with a First World War Leyland. These pictures from the company archives, shows the origins of the business in 1919 running between Blackburn’s cotton mills and the docks, and later, in 1926, moving fruit from Liverpool to Covent Garden during the General Strike

At that time most freight was moved by rail or by canal, and William Bowker had to go to court to obtain his operating licence. “But the advantage of the fledgling road transport industry was that you could go down to the local railway stations, Blackburn or Preston, look at the tariff, and if you could beat it basically you could move the goods,” says Bowker. “Really the industry hasn’t changed a great deal since then.

“The railways were a common carrier, and they had to take anything that could fit on the trains. The first statement in the RHA terms and conditions is we are not a common carrier and we can choose what we wish to carry.”

When WH Bowker started, there were 147 cotton mills in Blackburn. Most of the company’s work was carrying cotton and finished garments between the mills and the docks as far afield as Liverpool.

“The first big milestone came with the general strike in 1926 when the railways stopped,” says Bowker. “My grandfather was approached by the Liverpool Fruit Importers Association, as all the fruit on the docks in Liverpool was going rotten. We set up the first overnight trunks out of the North West down to Covent Garden in London. ➜ 16

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04/07/2019 08:53:58

Profile: WH Bowker “We were very fortunate at the time because it was also the Kent apple season, so we had the fruit to come out of Covent Garden back to the northern markets. In all of life, you need to have a bit of luck.”

William sent his oldest brother, Thomas, down to London in 1926 to manage the office which had been established at 13 James Street, Covent Garden and arrange the overnight northbound trunks. This was long before motorways of course, and it used to take the Leyland eight-wheelers all night to make the 240-mile trip.

“In the late 1920s and 1930s, we were the pioneer of the doing five trips a fortnight with the vehicles up and down to London,” says Bowker. “The vehicles had no power steering and the roads were very poor with no street lights. I think every journey was probably quite an adventure.”

All change

After the Second World War ended in 1945, a general election brought a Labour government and WH Bowker was nationalised along with the rest of the haulage industry in 1949.

“When we were nationalised, we had a fleet of 85 vehicles, which was then probably the largest in the country,” says Bowker. “On appeal in 1954 we got £156,000 for our fleet which was the second-largest payout. To put that in context, a semi-detached house around the Preston area was probably about £500.

“Then in 1954, with the change to a Conservative government, they took the decision to put a third of the nationalised industry back up for private ownership. My grandfather really wanted to start a business again for his two sons, my father and uncle.

“During nationalisation we continued as an entity because we had warehousing based in Blackburn. By the end of 1954, we had about 15 vehicles and by the end of 1955 that had gone up to 31 vehicles. They were old vehicles with an average age of 12 years. A number of the vehicles were bought and never run because we wanted the operating licences and we could then start the process of buying new vehicles.”

New beginnings

In August 1955 the rebirth of WH Bowker was threatened when William Bowker died suddenly. With Ken only 11, it fell to the eldest son Bill to pick up the reins.

“My father was only 19 and in his first year at Dublin University, but he had to come back to take care of the business,” says Bowker. “People gave him little chance.

Death duties then were 87%, so it was a struggle.

“He was studying economics and politics and was heavily involved in local politics. That was something he was always very interested in.

motortransport.co.uk

“My grandfather's two brothers were still working the business. On the day my father walked in, one resigned and the other was 66. Also, as the business started again, it was very difficult to get additional operating licences.

So he set out to buy other transport businesses in the area to increase our licences, and he reopened the offices in London and Liverpool.

“During the war, we were working for the Ministry of Transport and we stopped carrying the fruit, but then we started again after the end of nationalisation.”

European adventures

Bowker was born in 1960 and says he was “around our business since about the age of three”.

“My father was working seven days a week, so I’d come down on my bike on Saturday and Sundays,” he recalls.

“I do remember drivers being in big overcoats because the Atkinsons around in the early 1960s had no heating.

They used to bind the bottom of their trousers because there were big holes in the floor where the pedals were.

There were no beds in the cabs so they put a board across the seats.

“All the fruit was in boxes that were loaded by hand and then roped and sheeted.”

By that time Lancashire’s cotton mills were largely closed and WH Bowker’s next major milestone came in December 1961 when the firm sent its first lorry to continental Europe.

“This was before the advent of the roll-on, roll-off ferry,” says Bowker. “The vehicle took a carpet tufting machine from a company called Cobble in Blackburn to Holland. It drove down to Folkestone where they lifted the whole trailer off the quayside onto the ship.

“For a Blackburn-based driver, those were really pioneering times. We take all that for granted now, but we certainly didn’t then.”

In the 1960s, machinery made in Yorkshire and Lancashire would have been carried over the North Sea unaccompanied in crates on freight vessels. This meant handling the consignment several times and it could take a couple of weeks. Loading it onto a trailer and sending the whole vehicle with a driver reduced the handling and cut the delivery time to days.

ON THE MOVE: F88s, pictured right with their low loaders, lead WH Bowker’s first foray into Europe

TAKE AWAY: Above, a Leyland Octopus and 6 Lynx lost when the business was nationalised in 1949. Right, operations restarted in 1954

16 MotorTransport

“So with our European business growing, we opened our depot in Hull in 1973 which has been relocated three times to where we are today, which is a 5-acre site just opposite King George Dock,” says Bowker. “We opened our office in Zeebrugge in 1976 and we are still the largest shipper on that ferry service.”

In 1978 WH Bowker secured its first dedicated distribution contract where it provided vehicles and drivers exclusively for one customer, a US-based manufacturer.

“This was Keyes Huntsman, a joint venture between Huntsman Container Corporation and The Keyes Fibre Company. Huntsman Corporation then went on to acquire a large proportion of ICI,” says Bowker. “We’ve had that contract for 24 years.” ➜ 18 8.7.19

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04/07/2019 08:57:18

Profile: WH Bowker

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The 1980s saw the start of the diversification into motor dealerships, which have since grown to represent the majority of group turnover.

“As a family, we were concerned that we had all our eggs in one basket,” says Bowker. “And we were still concerned that the Labour Party might renationalise the transport industry.

“That was part of our rationale for having the operation in Belgium and why we were looking to diversify. We acquired a BMW dealership in Accrington in 1984. Really, like all things, it was a bit of luck. My uncle went to buy a car and we ended up buying the dealership.”

Stars aligned

By 1989, WH Bowker had outgrown its site in Blackburn and relocated to its present head office and DC in Bamber Bridge, three miles from Preston. “It was seven acres originally, and now we are operating a 15-acre site here,” says Bowker. “It's a testament to our culture and our philosophy about how important people are within our business that, of all our office staff, drivers, mechanics and warehouse staff, only one mechanic didn't move with us.”

After almost 40 years in the chemicals sector, WH Bowker was running out of space in its Comah-accredited warehouses and was looking to expand. It was a happy coincidence that the owner of Potter Logistics Derrick Potter was looking to sell.

“We’d been trying to find the right cultural fit because that was key to us, to make sure it fitted with what we wanted to do,” says Bowker.

“We looked at a number of opportunities and discarded them. Then along came Potter Logistics, the 2015 Motor Transport Haulier of the Year, and we completed the purchase of its distribution and warehousing operations in November 2016. Derrick had the business for over 50 years but his daughters wanted to focus on their property portfolio. We are fortunate that we have the fourth generation working in our business. Succession planning is a major challenge for our industry. Lots of operators very sadly don’t have the next generation who are interested in their business and really have no exit strategy.”

Super-sized

As a result of the Potter acquisition, WH Bowker now has 160 tractors and rigid trucks, 300 trailers and more than 1 million sq ft of warehousing at its seven UK DCs. The international business is still worth £15m a year and carries a mixture of foodstuffs, chemicals and paperbased products abroad, bringing the same type of products back into the UK. In the UK, while WH Bowker runs a handful of tankers on a dedicated contract, its core business is packed chemicals. Its other mainstays are foodstuffs and paper products – three of its warehouses are BRC accredited – and it also handles temperaturecontrolled pharmaceuticals at two MHRA-accredited facilities.

The Potter acquisition included House of James, a Palletline member based in York, and WH Bowker has since transferred its Bamber Bridge operation from Pall-Ex to Palletline.

“The challenge for the pallet networks is all to do with the strength of their membership,” says Bowker. “A number of the networks are filling their gaps with people who have a Transit van and a couple of 7.5 tonners and are calling themselves a pallet network operator. Then they get swamped with freight and can’t cope. Pallet networks are only as good as their weakest links.

“That’s why we still run a large number of our own vehicles on multi-drop deliveries throughout the UK from our sites. We have control and we’re not a slave to the pallet networks.”

Since the arrival of Euro-6, WH Bowker has started taking vehicles on full repair and maintenance contracts though it still runs workshops at three of its sites.

18 MotorTransport

“We took the decision to have all our Euro-6s maintained by the local Volvo dealerships, rather than by ourselves,” says Bowker. “We maintain our older network vehicles. Traditionally, we’ve been keeping them for five years and disposing of them. But the last two batches we bought, we’ve taken for three years because technology is moving at such a pace, and we don’t want to be left with vehicles that lose their residual value. We’ve always invested in the transport business and buy the latest equipment.”

Despite its pioneering track record, one technology that is currently closed off to the business is Volvo’s latest gas-powered tractor unit. “We have discussed that,” says Bowker. “Our concern is will they be allowed to go on some manufacturing sites.”

The other new technology that Bowker also remains interested in is battery powered electric trucks.

“However, the current cost and the weight of batteries means no one is going to buy, not at the moment,” he says. “They’ll have to subsidise them significantly. In reality would you buy an electric truck now when the technology is moving at such a pace that in two years’ time it’ll be superseded by another solution? We work for a number of the major global chemical companies and they’re all investing in batteries. When they get the battery with reduced weight that can store the power and be fast charging, it will win the race.” ■ ➜ 20

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04/07/2019 08:59:25

Profile: WH Bowker

motortransport.co.uk

A LONG ROAD TRAVELLED WITH VOLVO To celebrate its centenary WH Bowker has designed a special livery that is being applied to 23 new trucks, (right) illustrating the vehicles it has run over the past 100 years.

Since the early 1970s, WH Bowker has been closely associated with Volvo trucks.

“We bought our first Volvo in October 1972, an F88 which we used for our flyer service running from Liverpool to London and back twice a day,” says Bowker. “Primarily our decision to change to Volvo came when one of our Seddon Atkinsons broke down in Italy.

“We sent it into the dealer at Bergamo - they took one look at the parts and they were all Imperial.

They didn’t have Imperial parts so we had to fly them out. Our European business was growing and we needed to find a pan-European vehicle. We were also very interested in the crash-proof cab. At that time we were still running fibreglass vehicles on wooden frames.

“We were exclusively Volvo from 1978, apart from one MAN, and we recently brought some Mercedes into Selby. Everything else is Volvo.”

The Volvo F88 was a revelation to many UK operators in terms of its reliability and driver comfort, and as an early entrant into the international market Bowker was an enthusiastic buyer.

“It was a phenomenal vehicle,” he says. “In those days we were running them into the Middle East.

Again, we were among the first pioneering in the Middle East where we were traversing 40 or 50 miles of sand with oil cans marking the road.

“We bought new trailers and sold them in Saudi Arabia. We found an Italian operator who needed to relocate his trailers back to the UK. He paid us to bring them back to the UK empty so we reloaded them in Yugoslavia and Italy. For a while we had a fantastic time but then everybody else jumped on the bandwagon. So you move on.”

Soon after the company started buying Volvo it secured a long-running contract for the shipment of Philips’ electronic components made in the UK to European production plants. Together with the Swedish OEM, Bowker’s fleet engineer, the late Geoff Whittle, developed the 32-pallet highvolume, low-height Eurotrotter truck and trailer combination (below).

20 MotorTransport

WH Bowker was the first haulier in Europe to run the F10 ‘Eurotrotter’ drawbar rig (below). This was a short cab mounted on 6×2 rigid coupled to a twin-axle drawbar trailer. The driver slept in a roof-mounted pod that was fitted at the factory.

The introduction of 100cu m capacity Van Hool ‘mega-trailers’ to the fleet in the early 1990s meant that a low-height chassis was required. The first such Volvo chassis was exhibited at the RAI Show in 1990.

“We were the first hire and reward operator of those in Europe,” says Bowker. “They were all designed specifically around Philips’ packaging.”

While some of WH Bowker’s many Volvo firsts – such as pioneering the use of 6x2 pusher axle tractor units in the UK – are well known, less widely reported is that the operator persuaded Volvo to make the grille on its new FH less aggressive.

“When Volvo brought in Euro-6 in 2014, we changed the front of the cab,” says Bowker. “Volvo bought the first demonstrator they had in the UK to show us, and it came with a black grille and a big black panel.

“I said to them ‘if I am in my Ford Fiesta with my family, and this thing comes powering up behind us, it looks really threatening and very aggressive’. I said the vehicle needs softening. So we moved the Volvo badge down and we put a panel across the front underneath the windscreen. Now something like a quarter of all Volvo’s orders are built to our specification. I regret not patenting that.”

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Hall of Fame

Step forward the i Thomas van Mourik, chief executive, Culina

Culina chief executive Thomas van Mourik founded the business in 1994 on the back of volumes from Müller Dairy’s. In its first year it had a turnover of £7.5m, last year it achieved a turnover of almost £500m – built in no small part through an exhaustive acquisition strategy, adding diversity and specialisms to its core business. As a result, it is one of the top players in the ambient and chilled logistics markets in the UK. What does van Mourik put his success down to? Last year MT caught up with him at the company’s Markham Vale, Derbyshire DC, formerly owned by one of those recent acquisition targets – Great Bear Distribution – where he discussed his approach to business.

“I was invited to a conference [last year] where I had to speak about the key success factors of Culina Group,” he recalls. “So I got my marketing guys to buy a bottle of mayonnaise and take the label off, and put on it Culina Sauce. It was on the stand and everyone was looking at me thinking what the hell is he going to talk about. I said that I had a big learning curve with Cert Octavian [which Culina acquired in 2012] where I didn’t do it so well. That was because we did not pour the Culina Sauce all over those businesses.

“We kept the successful ones as they were: the management, the systems, the way of working. The only thing we did was give those companies support as and when required and when it suits them, HR, IT, finance. You name it. We change the logo and give it a bit more of a corporate feel. But that is as far as our involvement goes.

“It is well understood now that if you buy a business like Great Bear, people identify themselves with that. If you walk in there and start to call it Culina, you will annoy a lot of people who have poured their heart and soul into that business. Our business is all about people,” van Mourik insists.

It would also be fair to say that, Great Bear and Cert Octavian aside, Culina makes acquisitions of businesses

In true Motor Transport tradition, we induct three more of the industry’s greatest achievers to the MT Hall of Fame, brought to you in association with Brigade that are not household names. How does van Mourik identify acquisition targets? “Thirty years’ knowledge.

That’s it,” he says. “We know exactly where we want to play, which is Ireland, the UK, and across every temperature regime. The rest is all about how I can develop skill and find he right businesses that fit our group strategy.

“God knows what the future will bring; maybe we do something chilled or something frozen. Who knows?

But I know all the players and I keep a very close eye on everybody’s performance. We never used a consultant to do any of our acquisitions. We do it with a very close team and nine times out of 10 you would not know we are doing it until we announce it. We keep a very close lid on it. If you don’t do that it will have a breaking effect or your next move and your next move,” he explains.

“Plates are always spinning and some come off. They can be going for years and all of a sudden you land it. It can go very quick or very slow. The fact we have had a few come off in recent years is because we are working very hard, and we will continue to do so.”

The Downton brothers

ALUMNI Ray Ashworth David Batty Robbie Burns Peter Carroll Glyn Davies Paul Day Dick Denby Theo de Pencier Des Evans OBE Ray Grocott Chris Hanson-Abbott Ken Irlam Nikki King OBE Harold Montgomery Stewart Oades John Parry Derrick Potter Anne Preston MBE John Ratcliff CBE William Stobart John Williams Michael Williams 22 MotorTransport

CM Downton became part of UK logistics group EV Cargo in November 2018, ending 60 years of family ownership. The Gloucestershire-based 3PL was run for the past 30 years by brothers Andy (MD, centre), Richard (finance, left) and John (operations) Downton, who together made Downton one of the UK’s most successful logistics businesses.

Duncan Eyre, who succeeded Andy as MD, says: “The Downton business has a deep history in the UK distribution sector and is successful because of the way it has been managed and the ethos that runs throughout the company. There’s vast experience and a great deal of loyalty and respect across the workforce and customers.

“I’m here to build on that unrivalled heritage to ensure we are best-prepared to take full advantage of growth opportunities and continue to deliver the best possible service to customers. Over time, and with the help of the Downton brothers in their non-executive roles, we will use complementary experience and the latest technology and reporting to strengthen the company’s offering further and continue that success.”

CM Downton was formed in 1955 when farmer Conrad Michael Downton invested in a tipper and began moving small loads around the county to supplement the modest income from the farm. He got involved in major projects in the south-west – such as building the M5 and the construction of the approach roads to the Severn Bridge – and by the end of the 1960s, Downton had built up a fleet of tipper vehicles.

In the early 1970s, Downton bought its first articulated lorry and soon had more than a dozen HGV vehicles.

Downton diversified beyond construction and began its long association with the drinks sector, working for Bass Brewers and the Flowers Brewery.

8.7.19

motortransport.co.uk

industry’s finest

In 1985, Conrad Downton died at the age of 52 and his three sons and daughter Kate took over the business.

Under their stewardship, Downton continued to expand and diversify focusing on the drinks and publishing industries, where it has established itself as one of the leading players.

In 2012, Downton was named Motor Transport Haulier of the Year, an accolade that was, in part, a reflection of its incredibly strong business performance. In an industry characterised by brutally low margins, where hauliers are often confronted with the unpalatable choice of buying unprofitable business or protecting profit at the expense of turnover, Downton achieved the remarkable feat of boosting turnover and operating profit. Downton’s 7% return on sales while maintaining strong revenue growth was described as “spectacular” by one judge on the selection panel.

Andy Downton put the firm’s success down simply to “traditional family values and customer care” and the close involvement in running the business by the Downton family.

“A lot of people do not believe in family businesses, which saddens me immensely,” Downton says. “We have surrounded ourselves with clever people but they all have to understand the way we think. If one of us isn’t happy with a deal we will walk away, but when we do come together we are a solid force and we go for it.”

Although Downton has expanded dramatically over the past 60 years, the core principle of the business remains constant – Downton will always deliver, no matter what.

Since 2011 he has been operating chairman of Delin Capital Asset Management (DCAM), a leading real estate company specialising in European logistics. McFaull stepped up to the top job at the UK’s largest listed logistics business Wincanton after two years as MD of its UK and Ireland business and was instrumental in securing the firm’s position as a major force in European logistics.

A chartered management accountant, he joined Wincanton in 1994 as finance director of the retail division, after spells in finance with Geest, Cargill and Pepsico.

Paying tribute to McFaull’s time as chairman of Transaid, for which he has also undertaken several gruelling fund-raising cycle rides, the charity’s CEO Caroline Barber says: “This was a time of growth at Transaid and saw the expansion of road safety and access to health programmes in Nigeria, Zambia and Madagascar, helping the organisation to get to where it is today.”

On his appointment as chairman of the board at Suttons Group following the death of the former long-standing chairman Michael Sutton, group CEO John Sutton said: “The group’s board is unanimously agreed that Graeme is an ideal candidate to chair Suttons at this exciting stage in the company’s history. Graeme’s leadership abilities, coupled with his significant board experience and knowledge of our dynamic industry, will be invaluable to the ambitious, competitive, global group that Suttons has become.

“Graeme has significant experience in the management and chairmanship of logistics and supply chain businesses. He understands the competitiveness of our industry and also has a strong empathy with our culture and commitment to serving our customers.”

Michael Cundy, MD, Tankers, at Suttons, added: “Graeme brings outstanding leadership qualities and vast experience to our business. He provides robust challenges but always in the most supportive way and he has contributed significantly to the strategic development of our business over the past few years.” ■

Graeme McFaull, chairman, Suttons Group

Graeme McFaull has been chairman of Suttons Group since 2016 but is probably best known for his five-year stint as CEO of Wincanton from 2005 to 2010 and for his role as chairman of Transaid for seven years between 2009 and 2016. Ever ready to serve the logistics and transport industry, he was also elected president of CILT in 2009.

8.7.19

MotorTransport 23

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR AWARD WINNERS Find our full gallery of the incredible night at MTAWARDS.CO.UK

Motor Transport Awards 2020 1 July 2020 | Grosvenor House Hotel, London @motortransport

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Motor Transport

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SAVE THE DATE! Next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awards will be held 1 July 2020

04/07/2019 09:04:17

Strictly great fun Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman joined comedian Omid Djalili to present the 2019 MT Awards in front of a packed house at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 3 July. The event raised more than ÂŁ36,000 for Transaid

Safety in Operation Award Greenergy Flexigrid This award celebrates companies who have either demonstrated an exceptional commitment to all-round operational safety or implemented a specific successful initiative designed to improve safety in a particular area of their operation. The judges were looking for clear and positive results

Winner profile sponsored by

VisionTrack commercial director Richard Lane (far right) presents the trophy to Greenergy Flexigrid CEO Adam Franklin (third left) with host Omid Djalili (far left) Naming fuel distributor Greenergy winner in this category, our judges said it had demonstrated a top-down approach to safety, with a wide range of initiatives across the business yielding impressive results.

Established in 2012, the company provides UK-wide fuel haulage to Greenergy and thirdparty customers with 133 fuel tankers. When in-sourcing its haulage operations, Greenergy Flexigrid broke the industry mould, setting up a partnership with drivers who own 25% of the business through an employee benefit trust.

The company has also adopted a highly collaborative approach to safety, involving continuous direct interaction between management and workforce. This has resulted in greater visibility and control, allowing them to improve safety and service together.

It has also led to lasting change to operational and safety norms. Details of every incident, however small, are emailed to the management team, for instance, with safety performance data reviewed every week.

Over the last three years Greenergy Flexigrid has delivered improved safety performance

while recruiting over 150 new drivers and growing hours worked a year from 606,000 to 776,000. Over this period, its reportable accident rate (RIDDOR) fell from 1.5 to 0.6 per 100,000 hours worked, with lost time injuries overall also dropping by 75%.

The company says hazard observations are a critical measure of its safety culture, peaking at a total of 3,600 for 2018. These provide invaluable insight into where to make improvements before they become major risks.

The judges were particularly struck by the ownership model, which gives drivers a share of the company, as well as by the CEO issuing his mobile number to all staff.

“The ethos and culture of transparency and collaboration towards health and safety is clearly portrayed in this submission,” remarked one judge. “The top-down support was encouraging with clear and positive results from the initiatives.”

Another said Greenergy Flexigrid had a “thoughtful, transparent and consistent approach to safety” with impressive results that were “demonstrated by the statistics.”

“It’s fantastic to win. It’s lovely to get the recognition, it really is. The best thing is what I can say to the team who has delivered this; I’m so proud for them” Adam Franklin, CEO, Greenergy Flexigrid

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Innovation Award Brigade Electronics This award celebrates transport operators and product or service suppliers who have shown outstanding innovation in developing a product, service or operation. The judges were looking for solid evidence of creative thinking being applied to solve a particular problem

Winner profile sponsored by

Brigade marketing manager Emily Hardy (centre) and marketing executive Zoe Page (second left) collect the trophy from David Howe, commercial sales general manager at sponsor Goodyear Dunlop Tyres with MT editor Steve Hobson (far right) Brigade’s winning submission in this category for its Quiet Vehicle Sounder (QVS) was described by our judges as “a good, clear presentation, with fact-based research and a no-nonsense approach”.

It is the near-silent approach of electric vehicles (EVs), which can endanger pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, that prompted Brigade – pioneer of the reversing alarm – to begin the nine-year process of developing the QVS. With around 11 million EVs set to take to UK roads by 2030, and legislation coming into force this September requiring new hybrid and EVs to fit warning sounders, Brigade set out to find a solution to this rapidly growing safety issue.

Research carried out for Guide Dogs for the Blind found that the risk of a pedestrian being hit is 40% higher with EVs than with petrol or diesel vehicles.

The sounder can be fitted to an electric, hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle, and emits a continuous sound when the vehicle pulls away until it reaches speeds above 20mph, at which point the tyre and wind

sounds are enough to act as a warning.

The QVS – which sounds like a low hum – is in fact more complicated than it appears.

Blended tones and frequencies are used to ensure the sound is distinctive without being irritating and that it can be heard clearly in close proximity while being less noticeable at greater distances.

The sound is directional, allowing pedestrians to judge where a vehicle is, as well as varying in pitch and tone as the vehicle speeds up or slows down.

The QVS can be fitted to new vehicles or retrofitted to existing quiet vehicles for a few hundred pounds.

Our judging panel praised the simplicity of the solution to a relatively new problem.

“A small business has taken on a global challenge and produced something that will save numerous lives. They should be congratulated,” said one of our judges.

Another commented: “Having been in London electric cabs in which the drivers have reported more ‘near misses’ I can definitely see the need.”

“It’s amazing, we’re really proud of the whole team.

It’s such a great achievement” Emily Hardy, marketing manager, Brigade Electronics 28 MotorTransport MTR_080719_028-INNOVATION.indd 28

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04/07/2019 14:50:35

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Fleet Truck of the Year DAF XF To determine the best truck of the year, our judges considered productivity (including reliability and vehicle uptime), fuel efficiency, driver acceptance, manufacturer/dealer support and total cost of ownership, as well as customer service, warranty, finance options and aftersales support

Winner profile sponsored by

Collecting the trophy for DAF Trucks, MD Robin Easton (second left) with James Welchman, marketing manager EMEA at sponsor Texaco Lubricants DAF has won the coveted Motor Transport Fleet Truck of the Year award more than any other manufacturer and although the XF is no spring chicken, a major overhaul a couple of years ago has helped it do so again.

Imagine a truck with equally high levels of driver and operator appeal. According to our panel, that’s exactly what DAF’s XF offers. “I can’t think of another truck that scores so highly from a driver acceptance point of view, yet ticks all of my boxes too,” claimed one fleet operator. “They’re comfortable and spacious, and the drivers love them,” added another. “In fact, so do I, because together with Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, DAF is head and shoulders above all of the others on purchase price.”

We frequently hear that the XF represents great value for money, and there’s no denying that the roomy cab is incredibly well specced and comfortable.

But our Fleet Truck of the Year needs to be more than just that – it needs to be a reliable workhorse too. “We clock up high mileages and rarely encounter any issues,” declared one judge, while another praised roadside

assistance service DAFAid. Widely considered an industry leader, DAFAid dealt with 100,000 call-outs last year, including to other marques and trailers. Operators waited an average of 46 minutes from call registered to arrival, and 80% of repairs were carried out at the roadside.

DAF’s dealer network was described as “brilliant” too. The manufacturer has 136 locations, including 58 ATFs and 13 sites offering PetReg/ADR service and maintenance.

“We find that the latest ones are great on fuel,” was another comment, presumably relating to the numerous improvements in fuel economy introduced in 2017 with the introduction of the new generation trucks.

In fact, DAF claims that a host of fuel saving enhancements made the latest XF 7% more efficient than its predecessor.

“The gearbox is better now too,” stated another judge. And we can’t argue with that one, either. The latest ZF TraXon isn’t only quicker, but it’s more precise too, and represents a vast leap in quality over the AS-Tronic it replaces.

“It is not as much about the truck as the dealers that support us, our customers and those products.

They really are an integral part of our success” Robin Easton, MD, DAF Trucks UK 30 MotorTransport MTR_080719_030-FLEET TRUCK.indd 30

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04/07/2019 15:12:04

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26/04/2019 09:36 04/07/2019 09:13:23

Urban Delivery Operator of the Year

O’Donovan Waste Disposal This award celebrates the innovative solutions the logistics industry is developing to keep our towns and cities safe, clean and quiet. The judges wanted to see ingenuity in navigating the logistics of crowded cities while complying with a growing body of environmental regulations

Winner profile sponsored by

Andrew Morley, group sales director (second right) at sponsor Prohire, with O’Donovan Waste Disposal CEO Michael O’Donovan (centre) and Richard Clarke, commercial director Family firm O’Donovan Waste Disposal employs 165 staff, and runs a fleet of 95 HGVs across six depots in London with a clear focus on safety and efficiency in its urban operation.

The company has held its FORS Gold standard for eight years and worked closely with the CLOCS team to help shape ideas for improved, safer urban truck designs, itself being an early adopter of direct vision, low-entry cabs on its fleet. It also places a significant emphasis on training and ensures its drivers take part in courses such as LoCITY Driving and security/counterterrorism best practice.

In addition, company employees frequently take part in community events, such as Exchanging Places with the Met Police, to help people understand the view from a cab. The vehicle operator also takes its lorries into local schools to educate children on the dangers of being in close proximity to HGVs. O’Donovan ensures it new fleet vehicles follow ULEZ guidelines and has already made the switch to 100% electric on its van fleet, with charging points now installed on its sites.

Recognising that as a waste haulier, one of

the biggest noise impacts is the metal on metal sound the skip-chains make, O’Donovan’s environment and transport teams have also come up with new padded covers to mitigate the sound of vehicle movements. Before and after tests at varying distances have shown a decibel reduction of over 23% once the covers are fitted. In addition, where possible, retimed deliveries are offered and O'Donovan offers a flexible out-of-hours service to accommodate clients.

MD Jacqueline O’Donovan sits on the TfL Quiet Deliveries working group, where she ensures innovations shared from other industries are adopted or applied to the company’s fleet.

The judges praised O’Donovan Waste Disposal for being a family firm willing to devote considerable time and financial resources to mitigating its impact on the urban environment in terms of safety, noise and pollution. “This makes them our inaugural winner of the Urban Operator category and a role model, not just for London but for hauliers across the country,” they said.

“It’s brilliant. It’s all down to what we’ve all put in.

A real team effort. I’m really proud of everyone” Michael O’Donovan, CEO, O’Donovan Waste Disposal

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Low Carbon Award Guernsey Post This award celebrates operators who have made significant progress in reducing their carbon emissions, whether by improving the efficiency of their operation or via the use of alternative fuels and drivetrains (such as natural gas, LPG, full electric, hybrids, etc)

Winner profile sponsored by

Guernsey Post chief executive Boley Smillie (third left) collects the award from Ed Cowell, CEO of sponsor Fraikin Guernsey Post is a logistics and delivery company based in the Channel Islands. Its business employs more than 240 people with annual revenue exceeding £30m. Each year, in conjunction with its global partners, it exports over 23 million items worldwide and delivers 17 million items to more than 30,000 addresses.

Guernsey Post provides a delivery service for some of the top UK mail and courier brands including Royal Mail, Parcelforce, FedEx, Yodel and Hermes.

In 2016, Guernsey Post experienced a shift in its business model, with a volume increase of 10% across its parcels division attributed to online shopping and new trading relationships and an 11% decline in traditional letter deliveries as consumers embraced digital substitutes. As such, it realised that its separate parcels and letter delivery networks were no longer fit for purpose. The situation was compounded by the fact that 30% of routes were delivered on bikes, which didn’t fit with the trend for the volumetric capacity increase of its growing parcels arm.

In 2016 it set up Project Green Fleet, resulting in a significant rationalisation of its

network, which has reduced overall mileage by 15%. It now runs a fleet of 82 vehicles, predominantly Nissan E-NV200s, and by summer this year these will all be powered entirely by electricity. In conjunction with its partner Guernsey Electricity, the company also created the largest solar array in the Channel Islands at its HQ, which generates around 200,000kWh of electricity each year and exceeds what’s needed to power the fleet.

The overall result for Guernsey Post is that emissions from operating the delivery fleet will fall by 98%. Due to lower running costs, meanwhile, a return on the investment will be achieved in just over four years. Indeed, on a like-for-like basis, the company’s servicing and maintenance costs have fallen by 35%, while running cost per mile, comparing diesel and electric, has also fallen from 28.5p to just 2p.

The judges said Guernsey Post’s entry demonstrated a “superbly executed project that took staff and customers with it on its journey”. They felt it was an excellent example of a transformative project to achieve business and environmental goals and hailed it as “an extremely bold and innovative solution to reduce emissions”.

“It’s amazing to win. The project that enabled us to win this started about three years ago and only finished last week, so it’s a great milestone” Boley Smillie, chief executive, Guernsey Post 34 MotorTransport MTR_080719_034-LOW CARBON.indd 34

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Training Award ArrowXL This award celebrates businesses that have demonstrated clear improvements in the performance of their company or operation as a result of training their staff in the last 12 to 18 months

Winner profile sponsored by

Michael Conroy, CEO of sponsor Palletforce presenting the trophy to Arrow XL director of people services Zoe Sinclair The winning submission from ArrowXL gained approval from our judges for showing a clear needs analysis and an innovative approach to training in the aftermath of a devastating fire at its Worcester HQ in 2017 that destroyed many of its training records.

ArrowXL’s head of resource and development Zoe Sinclair took responsibility for training in January 2018 and since then, the firm’s training programme has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.

The centrepiece of its programme is a new £50,000 Development Academy, which it opened in May 2018. This has allowed ArrowXL to centralise its training programme and deliver over 1,200 training sessions in courses such as Driver CPC, materials handling equipment, health and safety and management training.

The academy houses a purpose-built apartment where specialist delivery crews can practice skills such as installing and plumbing white goods and assembling furniture.

It also contains an HGV body and a tail-lift for front-line staff to practice skills such as loading and unloading and product restraint.

The centre is staffed by seven full-time employees of which four are hands-on operational trainers and a fifth focuses on the equally important ‘soft’ skills drivers need when dealing with consumers in their homes.

The results have been far-reaching, the company reports, with significant improvements in service levels, employee engagement and staff retention levels.

The company also credits the training centre with helping it improve its delivery service and achieve a best-in-class TrustPilot score of 9.3. This, in turn, resulted in it winning new business in 2018, boosting volumes by 11%.

Judges praised ArrowXL’s ability to significantly improve its training programme after such a traumatic event and were impressed by the practical training provided at the academy.

One described it as a really strong entry that demonstrated innovative thinking to make the most of training time by giving staff hands-on experience in a safe environment.

Another said ArrowXL’s approach had established “a number of best practices which could aid the wider sector”.

“It’s such a great end to a really hard 12 months of everything we’ve put into training the team” Zoe Sinclair, director of people services, ArrowXL 38 MotorTransport MTR_080719_038-TRAINING.indd 38

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Fleet Van Operator of the Year City Plumbing Supplies The Fleet Van Operator of the Year award recognises organisations that are achieving outstanding standards of performance in professionalism, productivity, customer service, health and safety, staff training, and well-structured apprenticeship schemes that really suit their business needs

Winner profile sponsored by

Presenting the trophy is Carlos Rodrigues, MD of sponsor Renault Trucks (far right), with Richard Horton, head of fleet at City Plumbing Supplies (holding trophy) Our judges praised City Plumbing Supplies in this category for its “robust, professional and clear processes” and “excellent use of IT and telematics, not least in improving control of a scattered network”.

Over the last three years, City Plumbing Supplies has taken its newly divisionalised company comprising 370 UK and Ireland operating centres to a position of what it terms “industry leading transport management and excellence.”

City operates 679 vehicles across its operating centres, and managing those all remotely was a huge challenge for a small team, especially given that colleagues at each branch are more focused on sales than transport. It overcame this through the ACCESS operational excellence programme.

Led by a small, dedicated and committed fleet team, the initiative was instrumental in delivering a transformation programme that has allowed City Plumbing Supplies to move further ahead of the competition and deliver record sales figures.

ACCESS was introduced by newly appointed

head of fleet, Richard Horton, to give customers access to the best delivery service in the industry. It comprises six key areas: ■ Availability – the right kit to do the job; ■ Compliance – keeping operations legal; ■ Commerciality – ensuring effective cost control and visibility; ■ Efficiency – making the most of resources; ■ Safety – operating vehicles safely at all times; ■ Service – giving great customer service.

Judges were impressed by the steady reduction in tachograph and other compliance infringements, down 75% over three years.

“A very good submission that for a smaller company exemplified the professional approach they have adopted and the successful results they have achieved,” said one judge.

“This was a highly positive and welcome submission by a company which has striven to be better at what it does and continue to push customer service and all-round operator professionalism in the process,” said another. “It’s a strong story and demonstrates the business’s commitment to making improvements in operational performance.”

“We want to offer the best customer service, and it’s our branches that help make the difference” Richard Horton, head of fleet, City Plumbing Supplies 40 MotorTransport MTR_080719_040-FLEETVAN OPERATOR.indd 40

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04/07/2019 15:21:54

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Home Delivery Operator of the Year DPD

This award celebrates those that have set themselves apart as the home delivery operator of choice. Judges were looking for a strong business showing excellence in terms of first-time delivery rates and customer service, including an ability to provide more flexible delivery options

Winner profile sponsored by

MD of sponsor The Cartwright Group Mark Cartwright (second right) presents the trophy to DPD UK CEO Dwain McDonald (holding trophy) and chief operations officer Justin Pegg Since 2013, DPD has captured 38% of all new home delivery revenue in the market, becoming what it terms the “carrier of choice” for online retailers.

It has grown by 136% since 2012, with nine consecutive years of profit growth, which it attributes to “giving e-commerce retailers innovations that home shoppers love”.

The company’s 13,000-strong team delivers 250 million parcels a year for 8,000 customers, including brands like ASOS, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Gousto, EE and Nike.

DPD says its financial stability in a competitive market is keeping it on track with its ambition to become a £2.3bn company with 28,000 people and 98 depots (up from the current 65) by 2025.

In 2018, the company topped the MoneySavingExpert courier poll for the sixth year running and its achievements last year also included co-creating new services with consumers, opening the UK’s first all-electric depot, winning a 12th consecutive RoSPA Gold Award and implementing innovative network solutions to handle the pre-Christmas peak.

DPD’s entry focused on five key areas: new thinking and processes that have improved

service across high-volume peaks; the DPD app, which gives end recipients “more delivery options than anyone else” and other new services co-created with consumers; the launch of the UK’s first zero-emission parcel depot in Westminster; the company’s health and safety achievements; and an “inspirational new book for our people”, written by CEO Dwain McDonald, which reminds employees of the firm’s customer-centric culture.

The entry also highlighted the creation of a 140-strong team from across the business to “put the shine back on our service”, following peak 2017 which DPD admits was not its finest hour. This had hugely positive results and attracted a number of strong customer testimonials from key clients, highlighting DPD’s helpful and flexible attitude during peak 2018 and the competency and support provided by its customer care team.

The judges said DPD fulfilled every aspect of the criteria and were impressed it was not afraid to critique itself over a previously challenging period. “It is at the top of its game,” one said. Another added that electric microhubs were world-leading and that DPD was “definitely one to watch”.

“We offer the best service in the UK. It means a huge amount to be recognised as the best operator, and it’s testament to the hard work of everyone” Justin Pegg, chief operations officer, DPD UK 42 MotorTransport

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Team of the Year Collett & Sons This award celebrates a group of people who can demonstrate that they have worked closely together to deliver a major project or have consistently over-achieved in their field of operation

Winner profile sponsored by

David Collett, MD (holding trophy) and Eric Crosby, projects director (second left) of Collet & Sons collect the trophy from Ian Mitchell, MD UK & Ireland, of sponsor Hiab In a very strong category that was hard to call for our judges, heavy haulage specialist Collett & Sons came out on top with an impressive entry describing a unique project to deliver three 169-tonne electrical transformers for the National Grid in just four weeks.

The Collett team had only six months to plan and execute the three moves, which involved shifting the transformers a total of 270km from ports to substations. Two moves took place from Ellesmere Port, one 107km to Stokeon-Trent and the other 145km to Willenhall, while the third was a short 20km haul from Portsmouth to Lovedean.

As well as transporting the transformers, the Collett team had to arrange a 1,200-tonne mobile crane to load and unload the transformers at either end of the moves.

Planning involved liaising with several local authorities and police forces to minimise disruption and ensure safe passage for the 66m-long, 5.4m-wide combinations, pushed and pulled by three MAN 4-axle heavy haulage tractor units. Work started early in 2018 and included test drives of the planned routes,

swept path analysis, topographical and structural surveys and media liaison.

Preparing the moves saw council engineers modify sections of the route to remove obstructions such as street furniture, the ramping of splitter islands and the pruning of foliage to create the 5.2m high and 6m wide ‘tunnel’ needed to allow the combination safe passage. Parking restrictions and temporary road closures were also put in place.

The judges said the project was extremely challenging, especially as these high profile moves had attracted a lot of publicity and left the team under great pressure to deliver.

“Even for a company that specialises in the transportation of heavy loads this was a great team effort,” was a typical comment.

One judge who had recently gained his C+E licence said he “could only imagine the effort and teamwork required to execute a project of this nature”. Another was especially impressed with the completeness of the service provided

by Collett, while a third noted that the team had only had one shot to get it right, adding that they had “smashed it out of the park”.

“Thrilled to be recognised for operating in the niche part of the market. It’s thanks to the diligence of the team. We are small but vastly experienced” David Collett, MD, Collett & Sons 44 MotorTransport

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COLLETT & SONS

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Haulier of the Year Culina Group This most coveted award celebrates the most outstanding road haulage or 3PL company of the year. Judges were looking for a tremendous all-round commitment to legal compliance, business success, high operational standards, staff development, safety, health, environment and quality

Winner profile sponsored by

Collecting the trophy is Culina Group CEO Thomas van Mourik (second left) with Culina Group company secretary Nigel Jury and Robert Grozdanovski, MD of sponsor Volvo Trucks (second right) Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Culina has grown to become one of the UK’s leading FMCG logistics specialists.

One of our judges commended the firm for an “outstanding” 2018, both in terms of growth through further acquisition and continued improvements in profitability.

Led by CEO Thomas van Mourik, Culina’s stats are impressive: turnover has risen to £650m a year, it employs 6,700 people across 62 sites with 8 million sq ft of warehousing, and the fleet stands at 1,200 trucks (which are replaced every two years) and 2,000 trailers.

Introducing the entry, van Mourik wrote: “The way our diverse business units collaborate enables Culina Group to provide a unique logistics solution. We are one team working towards a common goal.”

Culina’s strategy is to focus on food and drink logistics in a shared user environment, using critical mass and high volumes to drive efficiency.

Its highlights in 2018 included starting a joint venture with baked goods logistics leader Warrens; acquiring fresh produce logistics

specialist Robson’s; and completing Great Bear’s 1 million sq ft DC in Markham Vale.

Culina has introduced RISE, a training programme for staff to earn recognised qualifications, and DNA, a scheme to get new drivers through their HGV licence and give them an opportunity to become a full-time Culina driver. The company consistently has more drivers in the top 1,000 of the Microlise measured population of 180,000 HGV drivers than any other operator.

Customers told market researchers Analytiqa “they find solutions to problems without being asked”, “the dedication of Culina’s staff is second to none”, “nothing is too much trouble” and “their in-depth knowledge and problem-solving skills have been extremely valuable”.

Our judges noted that Culina was an early adopter of Earned Recognition and had very well managed business processes. They also commended the firm for pioneering use of new technology and innovation, and said it had managed the integration of a number of acquisitions well.

“It’s amazing, really lovely. It’s been fun, it hasn’t felt like hard work. We’ve got [the award] by delivering our best every day for 25 years” Thomas van Mourik, CEO, Culina Group 46 MotorTransport MTR_080719_046-HAULIER.indd 46

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04/07/2019 15:25:16

POWERING LOGISTICS At Volvo Trucks we believe that behind every great Haulier is a great truck.

Volvo make great trucks, but it’s more than just the trucks that make Volvo so special – it’s also our people.

Our passionate people go the extra mile to keep your vehicle on the road, þ¡Á e S / 9 Á e S ƉƋŚƎņ / eÚ eÉ M¡Á Ú_ Ú Á9 É¡ Ú_ Ú þ9 Á9 ¹Á¡æ/ Ú¡ ɹ¡ É¡Á Ú_9 ¡Ú¡Á ÙÁ ɹ¡ÁÚ ^ æ e9Á ¡M Ú_9 ĉ9 Á ƉƇƈƐ þ Á/ʼn zæÉÚ e 9 Ú_9 þe 9Á ¡M Ú_eÉ #¡ü9Ú9/ þ Á/ņ þ9 _ ü9 Á9 ¹ ÉÉe¡ Ú¡ É99 ¡æÁ customers succeed, really putting the power into the logistics industry.

Congratulations to Haulier of the Year 2019, Culina Group.

volvotrucks.co.uk

Volvo Trucks. Driving Progress

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03/07/2019 16:33:22 25/04/2019 16:58

Operational Excellence Award Wren Kitchens In this category, the judges were looking for an outstanding operations department that knows how to juggle the need for the business to make a profit with the demands of its customers for high service levels, as well as the absolute requirement to run legally at all times

Winner profile sponsored by

Colin Ferguson, CEO of sponsor The Algorithm People, presents the trophy to Lee Holmes, head of transport operations (centre), Richard Walker, marketing director (far left), and the team at Wren Kitchens Just as the kitchen is the heart of any home, so compliance and operational excellence are at the heart of any well run, sustainable and profitable transport business.

Wren Kitchens is a young business founded just a decade ago, and therefore has had the advantage – but also the challenge – of establishing systems and processes to encourage safe and efficient transport.

The own-account operator describes its approach to this as evolutionary. It continually seeks opportunities to streamline its business, while providing greater employee satisfaction and motivation, improving the customer experience and maintaining the highest levels of compliance.

That’s no mean feat, given that its distinctive green trucks and vans delivered more than 70,000 kitchens last year and the company has been hitting a self-set target of 20% annual turnover growth in the past few years.

Our judges described the business as dynamic and fast growing. “Customer service is at the heart of the operation and Wren understands that in order to deliver it has to

invest in its systems and people at every level,” said one.

Drivers, said our panel, were clearly integral to the operation with five day inductions, performance reviews and a training academy.

The policy of three-monthly licence checks and six-monthly eye tests for those behind the wheel was “industry leading”, it also noted.

The use of Delivery Access Images via Flexipod – the company epod tool carried by drivers – was also picked out as smart, with a Wren surveyor visiting a delivery point and uploading images of it before the crew heads out to make a delivery.

And there’s always room to impress with attention to presentation, too. “I suspect they are the only company out there of this type cleaning their vehicles every day,” said one of our judges.

“We have come a long way in nine years and I am so proud and grateful to every member of the Wren team which continues to work tirelessly,” said Rafal Klimek, the firm’s manufacturing and logistics director – a sentiment our judges agreed with.

“We’re over the moon to be nominated for four awards and to pick up one is just brilliant!”

Richard Walker, marketing director, Wren Kitchens 48 MotorTransport

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REG ISTE NOW R 6/11/2019 | Alexandra Palace, London Promoting sustainable urban deliveries Freight in the City: celebrating five years of urban logistics best practice Freight in the City Expo is back in London on 6 November bringing you an exciting agenda focused on the key trends in the realm of urban deliveries.

Policy-makers, vehicle experts and leading freight operators will share their insight with delegates and generate lively debate to help solve the challenges and share best practice on city logistics.

Topics will range from zero-emission zones through to autonomous last-mile deliveries and smarter ways to transport goods, from the smallest parcels to the largest aggregates.

A brand-new seminar theatre will this year take delegates right to the heart of the exhibition zone, where there will be ample opportunity to check out the latest clean and safe vehicle technology.

There will also be some exciting new urban delivery vehicles making their UK debut at the event, so you can be first in the industry to chat with the manufacturers and explore their potential.

We do hope to see you there, so make sure to register today for your free place!

6 November 2019 | Alexandra Palace, London Register for your free place today freightinthecity.com Event Partner

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04/07/2019 09:30:43

Livery of the Year Travis Perkins This award celebrates trucks and trailers being used as mobile billboards by operators to present a strong, positive image of the company and the transport industry to the public. Judges were looking for a modern, stylish livery that gets its message across clearly and effectively

Winner profile sponsored by

Marco Laraia, marketing manager (second right) for Europe at sponsor Prometeon Pirelli Truck, presents the trophy to Karl Wilshaw, head of fleet (holding trophy) and the team at Travis Perkins Our judges loved Travis Perkins’ ‘Living Livery’ campaign.

The builders’ merchant aims to raise the profile of the charities it supports through its liveries, describing them as “a bridge between our charities and a target audience through the passing of knowledge and awareness between the driver and those who are visually drawn to the artwork”.

To this end the company has decked out a number of trucks with livery representing Mind, Prostate Cancer UK and the Alzheimer’s Society, while at the same time educating its drivers to be ambassadors for the charities.

The company’s objective is to raise awareness of three key areas – the rate of suicide among men, the prevalence of prostate cancer and issues surrounding dementia.

As well as getting the message out to the general public, Travis Perkins’ Living Livery campaign also targets key demographics, such as workers on the hundreds of construction sites it delivers to each day, aiming to raise awareness and discussion about the high rate of suicide among construction workers and the

prevalence of prostate cancer.

The need is emphasised by some worrying statistics quoted in the entry: between 2011 and 2015, 1,419 people working in construction took their own lives; every 45 minutes a man dies of prostate cancer; and there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK – a number set to rise to 1 million by 2025.

The charities represented are pleased with the Living Livery campaign, with a spokesperson for Mind saying: “Awarenessraising is a key priority for our strategic partnership as we work together to support the one in four people that will experience a mental health problem in any given year.” The Alzheimer’s Society adds: “By having our logo on your delivery trucks you are allowing our message to reach customers, suppliers and the general public across the country.”

The judging panel liked the way the campaign reached out to the community and used drivers as ambassadors. One judge commented: “A very positive message with target audiences linked to issues associated with the industry.”

“They are ambassadors [the drivers], out there talking to people, connecting them with the charities through the liveries” Karl Wilshaw, head of fleet, Travis Perkins 50 MotorTransport MTR_080719_050-LIVERY.indd 50

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04/07/2019 15:26:45

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04/07/2019 09:33:03

Fleet Van of the Year Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Close Brothers Guidelines

Close Brothers Guidelines

For Fleet Van of the Year, our judges based their selection on productivity (including reliability and vehicle uptime), fuel efficiency, driver acceptance, manufacturer/dealer support and total cost of ownership, as well as customer service, warranty, finance options and aftersales support Section 2.0 The logoClose Brothers Guidelines

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Winner profile sponsored by

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7.5mm

Andy Eccles, head of fleet (holding trophy) for Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, accepts the award from Richard Gosling, sales director of sponsor Close Brothers Vehicle Hire 45mm

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If there’s a sense of déjà vu as the MercedesBenz Sprinter takes the award for Fleet Van of the Year at the Motor Transport Awards, it’s because this is exceptionally familiar territory for the large German van. The Sprinter has now claimed the award for the tenth time, and continues to grow in popularity with our judging panel. Despite missing out in the past two years to the Fiat Ducato (2017) and Peugeot Partner (2018), the Sprinter has remained a perennial nominee and has always come close to claiming the title even when it has not actually done so. From the enormous breadth of the range to the unwavering development and support from the manufacturer, the Sprinter and its back-up define what an operator needs from a van.

The Sprinter appeals to just about everyone.

Our judges spoke highly of it for its leading technology, its consistently strong residual values, its high reliability and its excellent maintenance costs. One judge summed it up neatly by saying: “It’s the combination of the van and the network,” and few would disagree.

While the panel acknowledges the strength

of the competition the Sprinter now faces, the Mercedes-Benz wins time and time again for its driver acceptance, back-up and innovation.

Not only are mechanical innovations constantly being introduced, including the latest 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, but the Sprinter is also a pioneer in safety and TCO. Newly introduced during the last update are Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist.

In addition, features like voice commands ensure drivers are not distracted from the road but can interact seamlessly with the vehicle.

Unchanged is the Sprinter’s faultless productivity. Choices have always been plentiful, but with the addition of front-wheeldrive Mercedes has really levelled the playing field between it and the competition. Sprinter vans can transport up to 17cu m and a total payload of 3,175kg because the maximum GVW extends as far as 5.5 tonnes, while payload for a more conventional front-wheel-drive 3.5-tonne van exceeds 1,200kg thanks to a 50kg saving compared to the equivalent rear-wheeldrive model.

“Order restored! We’ve missed it for a few years and with a new vehicle on the market last year we needed to get back where we belong” Andy Eccles, head of fleet, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK 52 MotorTransport

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04/07/2019 09:34:20

Technical Excellence Award Cartwright Group This award celebrates those who manage the specification, acquisition, repair and maintenance and disposal of operator fleets, or vehicle manufacturers that have come up with innovative technical solutions to meet particular operator needs

Winner profile sponsored by

Brett Emerson, UK sales director (third left) of sponsor Hankook Tyre UK, presents the trophy to Cartwright Group MD Mark Cartwright (holding trophy), group chairman Peter Cartwright (centre) and group director Lisa Cartwright The tunnel leading to Dublin docks, which has a height limit of 4.65m, has caused many a headache for UK operators wanting to run double-deck trailers into the Republic of Ireland.

So it was no overstatement when Cartwright’s low-height refrigerated doubledeck trailer was hailed as a ‘game-changer’ by one of its major customers running into the Republic of Ireland. A typical double-deck capable of carrying 44 standard 1,830mm tall cages on both decks would be almost 4.9m high, after all.

Cartwright’s technical director Lionel Curtis came up with a solution that shaved 200mm off the height of the trailer without compromising on structural integrity or practicality, using super-slim panels for the roof, a strong but slim floor and insulated wheel pans on the underside of the floor.

With two levels of 1,830mm cages and a maximum external height of 4,650mm, there was only 990mm for ground clearance, floor, roof and internal decks – just 10mm more than the 980mm loading height of many double-

deckers. To meet this challenge, Cartwright developed vacuum insulated panels on the roof that were 70mm thinner than usual while still providing the required stiffness and insulation; as well as designing a thin floor made from aircraft-style laminated honeycomb material; and putting wheel pans under the floor that were well insulated to prevent heat from the brakes affecting refrigerated products.

Cartwright’s engineers made extensive use of finite element analysis computer modelling to test the structural integrity of the thinner materials and ensure the final design would be robust.

The trailer retains its lifting second deck and so allows the operator to replicate its UK operations in the Republic of Ireland. Not only can this trailer run into Dublin, but the reduced frontal area results in a 3% fuel-saving over conventional moving-deck double-decks.

Judges said this was a clever solution to the problem and noted that many of these innovations could be carried over into 4m high fridge trailers to get the benefits of reduced fuel consumption.

“We’re really proud to win this award. It is down to our devoted engineering team who have worked hard to deliver innovation for our industry” Mark Cartwright, MD, Cartwright Group 54 MotorTransport MTR_080719_054-TECH EXCELL.indd 54

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04/07/2019 14:29:38

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Customer Care Award DPD UK For this award, judges were looking for excellent customer care at all levels and evidence of firms going above and beyond to delight their customers and then use that to grow their business

Winner profile sponsored by

Syan Hancock, general manager of care (fourth left) at sponsor Isuzu Truck UK, presents the trophy to Dwain McDonald, CEO (far left), Sinead Croke, director of customer experience (fifth right), and the team at DPD UK DPD has now won this award in five of the last six years and the parcels delivery market leader continues to impress our judges with its relentless focus on its retail customers – and perhaps more importantly, on their customers, the consumers.

A series of innovations has made DPD the UK’s stand-out parcels carrier and last year it delivered 250 million items for 8,000 customers. But the peak in 2017 led to it slipping below its own high standards, with first time delivery rates down to 96.5% compared with its KPI of 99% and its Net Promoter score slipping from 66 to 63.

CEO Dwain McDonald immediately made it his mission to put the shine back on DPD’s performance, launching a series of initiatives across the business. These included producing a 142-page book spelling out to employees what was expected from them to deliver DPD’s ‘high octane’ culture, sending the senior management back to the shop floor to understand customer pain-points first hand, and working more closely with customers to better plan for peak 2018.

DPD also introduced 57 daily peak dashboard bulletins to update customers on its performance and sent a total of 1.8 million emails to 31,400 customers. While its Precise and Predict software keeps DPD ahead of the game, it came up with the Design Space forum that the 4m people who have downloaded the DPD app can use to share and vote on new ideas for further improvements to its services.

Two of the 1,500 ideas submitted have already been implemented.

As a result, peak 2018 saw service levels exceed the KPI, with 99.8% of the 38 million parcels delivered on time, keeping all its major retail customers happy and with DPD into 2019.

Judges were impressed by an entry that was well up to DPD’s usual high standards and showed that, even after six years of solid growth, the company still regards customer service as a top priority.

One judge commented that DPD recognised there was no room for complacency in its highly competitive market and had excelled in engaging both with businesses and consumers to understand their different needs.

“We’re always so excited to be recognised, so we’re over the moon to win customer care again” Sinead Croke, director of customer experience, DPD UK 56 MotorTransport

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04/07/2019 09:37:15 03/06/2019 15:20

Best Use of Technology UPS This award celebrates a project that has used the latest technology, whether within vehicles, components, infrastructure or an IT system, to enhance a service. The judges were looking for evidence of a clear benefit to customers or a substantial improvement in operational efficiency

Winner profile sponsored by

Greg Ward, commercial sales director (second right) of sponsor Bridgestone, hands over the trophy to UPS international director of automotive engineering Luke Wake (holding trophy) and automotive director Matt Nicholson (far left) To overcome the challenge of charging an entire fleet of electric vehicles within existing grid capacity restraints, UPS partnered with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership on the Smart Electric Urban Logistics (SEUL) project, an initiative to develop radical new charging and battery storage technology for urban electric fleets.

The resulting ‘smart grid’, a worldfirst operating system installed in UPS’s Camden depot in north London, is capable of simultaneously recharging an entire electric fleet using artificial intelligence that responds to network grid capacity, thus electrifying UPS’s central London fleet without the need to upgrade the energy grid.

It has had a measurable impact on UPS’s ability to transport goods while limiting vehicle emissions, enabling the operator to increase the number of electric vehicles on site from the previous maximum of 65 to 170.

UPS said the SEUL project marked a major turning point in the cost-effective deployment of electric vehicles worldwide. It has shown that while the initial investment required for fleet electrification may be high, the total cost of electric vehicle ownership is significantly

reduced for businesses, once the direct and indirect costs and savings over the lifetime of the vehicle have been factored in.

The savings are the result of reduced fuel costs, as well as reduced maintenance and spares costs, as electric vehicles have fewer and less complex parts than their diesel counterparts.

UPS suggests the R&D throughout the SEUL project has helped to break down industrywide barriers to fleet electrification, making electric fleets more affordable and enabling more operators to explore the option.

Future rollout of smart grid technology is key to supporting widescale take-up of electric vehicles, it believes, as well as helping the UK achieve its emissions reduction targets.

“UPS is committed and determined to continue working towards this goal, often in creative partnerships, to make innovative solutions to electrification the industry standard and usher in a new, emissions-free era for commercial operators,” its entry stated.

Judges liked the fact that UPS had not only developed a “world-leading” solution but also wanted to share its knowledge with the industry.

“As well as being the right thing to do for our business, it was for the benefit of the industry also” Luke Wake, international director of automotive engineering, UPS 58 MotorTransport MTR_080719_058-BESTUSEOF TECH.indd 58

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04/07/2019 15:41:31

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03/07/2019 16:35:22

Business Excellence Award Whirlpool UK Appliances In this category, judges were looking for a winner that could demonstrate commitment and excellence in financial performance, a long-term growth strategy, care for the environment, excellent corporate social responsibility, high service levels and outstanding staff development

Winner profile sponsored by

Tim Gibson, sales director (second right) of sponsor Hireco presents the trophy to Lorraine Byrne, HR manager (fourth right), Karen Slack, senior project manager (holding trophy) and the team at Whirlpool UK Appliances Whirlpool UK is the only major domestic appliance manufacturer to manage a homedelivery service direct to consumers.Its logistics division, Hotpoint Home Solutions (HHS), is one of the largest movers of white goods in the UK as a consequence, delivering one million products to consumers’ homes and small trade annually. Despite this, its fleet statistics and training activities are impressive.

The process at HHS is ‘end to end’ and encompasses everything from when the customer first places their order right through to unpacking, installation, removal of their old machine and packaging for recycling.

Through HHS, Whirlpool provides a sevenday-a-week service. Following expansion of its offer in 2017, it has extended the cut-off time for next-day delivery from midday to 6pm.

The operator’s principle strategy during 2018 was ‘business excellence = people excellence’, along with a focus on corporate social responsibility, which formed the core of its award-winning entry.

This included the WOE (Whirlpool Operating Excellence) programme, which was introduced

to bring about a mindset change at the business, harmonising processes, reducing and removing waste, and ensuring it continued to deliver in a competitive marketplace for white goods.

Consecutive awards from the Top Employers Institute have followed.

HHS has its own accredited in-house training team, too, and as well as a week-long induction course for new starters there are regular refreshers.

Whirlpool has a purpose-built training academy featuring classrooms as well as a live training home, which lets staff gain invaluable first-hand experience for their day-to-day jobs back in the real world.

“Would I like to deal with them? Absolutely.

From the customer’s point of view this is an excellent business,” commented one of our judges.

Another described the business as a “class act”, pointing out that had got delivered all this against the backdrop of a number of legacy issues at the units that make up the business and successfully grown with its customers.

“Winning Business Excellence recognises that we have the right people, systems and processes” Karen Slack, senior project manager, Whirlpool UK

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04/07/2019 09:38:33

Apprenticeship of the Year Nagel Langdons This award, which celebrates excellence in apprenticeship schemes, goes to a company that has demonstrated both commitment and success in attracting and retaining high-quality recruits who have continued to make a positive contribution to their business as well as the wider industry

Winner profile sponsored by

Simon Doughty, business unit director (second right) of sponsor CBRE hands over the trophy to Nagel Langdons head of HR and training Michael Errington (holding trophy) After reading Nagel Langdons’ winning entry our judges were bowled over. “An excellent scheme and incredible success rates,” said one. “The Nagel Langdons academy is legendary and deserves recognition,” said another.

Part of the Nagel Group, the largest food logistics network in Europe, Nagel Langdons specialises in temperature-controlled distribution. Under the government’s Trailblazer apprenticeship programme, it recruits trainee drivers, warehouse operatives, workshop technicians and office staff, with apprenticeships lasting 12 to 36 months.

The legendary National Apprenticeship Academy, run in partnership with N-Gaged Training, has seen 188 apprentices successfully graduate over the past five years, with all finding employment.

The company, which is committed to recruiting over 40 apprentices each year, says it is “immensely proud” of its academy and the diverse backgrounds and age range of its apprentice intake. MD Arran Osman said: “As a significant employer with operations across the country, we have always harboured an underlying sense of genuine duty to offer a progressive vocational pathway and professional

development. Apprenticeships provide a successful platform in which to provide a structured entry point into the business.”

The company invested £200,000 in its apprentice programme in 2018, and all 27 LGV driver apprentices joining that year have graduated, 90% achieving a distinction grade.

High-quality mentoring is central to the programme, with all line managers undergoing a 12-month mentoring course to ensure apprentices are fully supported. This has also contributed to a high retention rate among apprentices employed by the company.

Regular meetings with N-Gaged Training to discuss the programme ensure training continues to remain relevant to the sector.

The judges praised both the company’s commitment to its apprentices and the number of apprentices achieving a distinction grade.

They also noted the “solid” diversity of the apprentice intake, reflecting the areas in which Nagel Langdons operates.

One highlighted the “serious commitment” of the company management to the scheme, adding: “The sense of commitment in the MD’s testimonial demonstrates ownership at the top of the organisation of what must be a significant overhead for the business.”

“To win an award that is the future of our industry, there are no adjectives to describe how happy I am” Michael Errington, head of HR and training, Nagel Langdons 62 MotorTransport

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Partnership Award Team Leo Group/HH This award celebrates genuine partnerships in the industry, whether between operators and their customers, different operators working together, or operators working with suppliers or consultants

Winner profile sponsored by

Murray Ellis, director (second right) of sponsor the Commercial Vehicle Show, hands over the trophies to James Hutchison, business unit director (second left) at The Haulage (Holdings) Organisation and Ben Sowersby, MD of Leo Group member Bell Truck and Van In October 2013, waste and recycling firm Leo Group and The Haulage (Holdings) Organisation begin a partnership in the demanding animal by-products sector to address the key areas of route to factory, fallen stock returns (livestock carcasses), production, fulfilment and warehousing.

It came after Leo Group gave Haulage Holdings a contract to take over ownership and control of its transport division.

It became apparent that the processes for collections and deliveries to Leo Group production plants, customers and suppliers, would need to be improved with a robust approach maintaining current service levels.

The partners opened a new DC in Halifax in 2014 and development of a bespoke transport management system began. A fundamental change to the control of drivers’ hours to ensure consistency was also undertaken.

Leo Group follows Good Manufacturing Practice, so quality assurance processes had to be aligned within the partnership agreement.

To this end, the teams attended regular project meetings with communication bulletins issued.

Super-users and trainers were identified, while customer sites and abattoirs were visited.

Leo Group, which also produces poultry and tallow oils, saw an opportunity to grow this side of its business too and the partners now service sectors as diverse as power stations, cosmetics and the pet food industry.

The partnership has, since 2015, also developed new trailer designs to tackle the issues of leaks, spills and odour.

Haulage Holdings now collects from farms throughout the UK and has more than 7,000 on its customer database.

“The comprehensive nature of this project marked this out as a strong contender,” said one of our judging panel.

Another said the partnership had taken an innovative approach through the structure of the Haulage Holdings business and “ensured high levels of customer satisfaction and enabled new revenue opportunities” in what is a notoriously challenging sector.“ “A great collaboration and impressive growth,” summarised another, underlining why this is our Partnership Award winner for 2019.

“Five years ago we came together as a team and have come a fabulously long way since” James Hutchison, business unit director, The Haulage (Holdings) Organisation 64 MotorTransport

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Service to Industry Award Carole Walker This award, decided by a panel of previous winners and Motor Transport’s editor, goes to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the road transport industry

Winner profile sponsored by

Guy Reynolds, commercial director (second right) of sponsor Aquarius, presents the trophy to Carole Walker, former CEO of Hermes Europe After much debate, the Service to Industry Award was a unanimous choice – Carole Walker, until recently CEO of Hermes Europe, who was described by one judge as “the most outstanding CEO I have ever met”.

After 31 years with Hermes parent Otto Group, Walker took early retirement this summer to spend more time on her smallholding and travel the world. “Everyone who knows me is aware of just how much Hermes means to me, and that the decision I took was by no means an easy one,” she said.

Walker started out as a graduate with mail order company Grattan, becoming operations director of Hermes UK (formerly Parcelnet) in 2001. Three years later she was made MD and in 2009 took the top job of CEO. In 2017 her success in the UK led to her being promoted to CEO of Hermes Europe.

Walker developed Hermes into one of the UK’s leading home delivery specialists.

She was a fierce advocate of the sometimes controversial model of using self-employed ‘lifestyle’ couriers for final-mile deliveries, who, she told MT in 2010, were “the best thing

about Hermes” and “set us apart from the other home delivery companies”.

The flexible working allowed by Hermes enables people with childcare and other commitments to fit the delivery work around their busy lives; 60% of its couriers are women.

The Otto Group’s results for 2017 showed Hermes UK once again recording rising annual volumes – up 16.5% – after double-digit growth for the previous six years, with nextday-delivery operations up 22%, ParcelShop deliveries up 25% and international parcel operations up 15%.

“I am deeply proud of what the teams I have worked in have achieved,” said Walker.

Her replacement as UK CEO, Martijn de Lange, said: “I’d describe Carole as strategic, utterly fair and very organised. Carole can potentially come across as tough and demanding at work, but only because she wants the best. On a personal level, Carole is fantastic fun to hang out with – she lives by the ethos of ‘work hard, play hard’ and has been a great friend and mentor. I’ll be forever grateful for her support.”

“I never expected it. I’m never normally lost for words… I have worked with some amazing people in an incredible business” Carole Walker, former CEO, Hermes Europe 66 MotorTransport

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03/07/2019 16:40:38

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