Motor Transport 9 March 2020

Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging

9.3.20

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No U-turn on IR35 rules

By Carol Millett

Hopes for an 11th hour U-turn on IR35 have been dashed this week after an HMRC review confirmed the proposed tax changes – NEWS INSIDE 16/01/2020 13:00that which could see driver agency rates 0875_MTA advert 60x38mm.indd 1 leap by 20% – will go ahead from Trouble at ESL April.

Eddie Stobart Logistics loses The IR35 review, dubbed ‘Review £199m in six months p3 of Changes to the Off-payroll Working Rules’, was launched in Family firm winds up January this year on the back of a Eric Vick Transport closes pre-election promise from former after 70 years on the road p4 Chancellor Sajid Javid that he would “make sure that the proposed Free roadshow changes are right to take forward”.

Get the lowdown on Sheffield The review has confirmed that City Council’s CAZ plans p6 the tax changes, which aim to prevent tax avoidance through the of limited company arrangeOPERATORS INSIDE use ments, should go ahead.

Under the changes, large and CM Downton.................................................. p4 medium-sized haulage companies Cullimore Group ...........................................p16 with net turnover of more than £10m or 50 or more staff will not Eric Vick Transport ........................................ p4 be able to take on drivers that work FLX Logistics ................................................ p6 as limited companies.

Instead the driver will need to Palletways ................................................... p6 be employed as a PAYE worker – either by the haulage company or S Walker Transport........................................ p6 the driver agency or through an XPO Logistics ...............................................p24 umbrella company.

The changes are predicted to add another 20% to the cost of hiring agency drivers and exacerbate the driver shortage.

However, the review has recommended some “soft landing” concessions, including exempting companies in the first year from paying penalties for any genuine errors relating to off-payroll.

The RHA is warning large and medium-sized companies to prepare for the new legislation by determining the status of the drivers and the driver agencies they use.

Kieran Smith, CEO of Driver Require, said some major hauliers,

HEAVY INVESTMENT: Volvo has introduced a new generation of heavy trucks, which it says have a strong focus on the driver environment, safety and productivity.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the all-new FM, FMX (pictured) and facelifted FH and FH16, Volvo Trucks president Roger Alm said: “We are really proud of this big forward-looking investment. We aim to be our customers’ best business partner by making them even more competitive and help them attract the best drivers in an increasingly tough market.” The biggest changes are to the FM and FMX, which feature a new shared cab. Externally they are instantly identified by their V-shaped LED headlamps, larger grille with new mesh pattern and distinctive single-line side contour. Production will start in September, and trucks will appear on UK roads at the end of the year.

like XPO, are already refusing to use drivers not on the agency’s PAYE system or drivers operating under an accredited umbrella company to ensure their drivers are IR35 compliant.

He is calling on all major hauliers to follow XPO’s example to prevent the rise of unethical umbrella companies that would undercut ethical rivals through tax avoidance schemes and potentially leave hauliers liable to pay the unpaid PAYE taxes and financial penalties.

However there are concerns XPO’s stance could see the demise of smaller agencies.

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The new Actros.

MirrorCam. In place of regular exterior mirrors, the new Actros is equipped with the revolutionary, aerodynamically ingenious MirrorCam. The system doesn’t just provide an optimal all-round view, it also offers high levels of safety when manoeuvring, turning and changing lanes. www.mercedes-benz-trucks.com For more information scan the QR code.

News

motortransport.co.uk

Migrant gangs step up attacks on British truckers The RHA has repeated its plea to the French authorities to do more to protect truck drivers from violent migrant gangs looking to enter the UK illegally.

The call comes after an HGV driver was allegedly threatened with guns and knives at a French service station on 20 February.

The driver reported being confronted by a migrant gang while parked off the A26 in Guignicourt, near Reims – 150 miles from Calais.

Hauliers reported two more attacks outside the Channel port the following day. A mob of 100 migrants on the N216 threw rocks at the windows and mirrors of moving UK-bound trucks.

Around 30-40 migrants are reported to have blocked the road into the port’s secure zone.

Earlier last month, a gang of around 20 migrants used knives, iron bars and bricks as they attacked a truck outside Calais.

The driver’s windscreen was smashed during the attack.

“We once again say that French authorities must do more to protect truck drivers as migrants up the ante in their attempts to break into UK-bound lorries,” an RHA spokesperson said.

RHA MD Rod McKenzie has advised truckers to stop as far away from the ports as possible to try and keep themselves safe.

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Eddie Stobart Logistics’ troubles continue with £199m loss in six months

ESL’s profits slip further

By Chris Tindall

Interim results for Eddie Stobart Logistics (ESL) show that the troubled firm made a loss before tax of £199.8m in the six months ending 31 May 2019.

The consolidated results were delayed following an announcement by the company in August 2019 that work was being undertaken to clarify the effect of accounting-related items.

The results show that although ESL increased revenues by 26% to £421.3m compared with the six months ending 31 May 2018, profits slipped deeper into the red from 2018’s £15.1m pre-tax loss. The company said the increase in revenue represented a 6.4% growth in the underlying business

and a strong first-half contribution

by The Pallet Network.

Restoration in the trading of the company’s shares began last month.In December 2019, ESL was saved from administration after its shareholders voted to accept a £75m takeover bid by private equity firm DBAY Advisors backed by new executive chairman

William Stobart. However, the Unite union, which represents hundreds of members at ESL, said it was still seeking reassurances about the company’s future.

Adrian Jones, Unite national officer, said: “The company has still not offered a meeting to provide reassurances to the workforce about its future.

“Our members are becoming increasingly unsettled and unsure about their future due to the failure of such a meeting to be held, where Stobart’s plans can be properly discussed.

“Following the publication of the latest half-yearly results, which highlight significant losses at the company, those concerns have naturally increased.”

FORS hits back after audits slammed FORS – the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme – has contacted the Traffic Commissioner (TC) for the west of England, Kevin Rooney, to “seek clarification on comments that its audits had on occasion fallen short of a diligent, high-standard process”.

“Remarks published in recent press reports suggest that a FORS member audit had been hastily

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Fleet Management

carried out and not conducted on site,” a statement said.

“FORS has requested further information to enable an investigation. Although the TC has acknowledged receipt of a request for clarification from FORS, a full response is yet to emerge.”

The statement comes in response to Rooney’s claims that FORS is “not fit for purpose”.

Responding, FORS director, John Hix, said: “We would welcome the TC’s attendance at a FORS audit so he may see first-hand how the audit system operates and to appreciate the time and effort put into the pursuit of best practice.”

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner was working on a full response to the FORS’ statement as MT went to press.

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MotorTransport 3

News

motortransport.co.uk

Family winds up haulage firm rather than selling off assets to pay debts

Eric Vick to shut down Gloucestershire haulier Eric Vick Transport is to close in April after almost 70 years of business.

The family-owned firm blamed a sluggish economy, new legislation and a weak UK manufacturing industry for the decision.

It is understood that it would prefer to close the business rather than risk selling off assets to pay debts.

However, it remains confident that staff will find alternative employment, because of the worsening driver shortage.

Eric Vick Transport was started in 1950 by Eric Vick, who began with livestock transportation before undertaking general UK haulage.

He then expanded into inter­ national haulage, including many years delivering to North Africa and the Middle East.

More recently the company has

Shutterstock

By Tim Wallace

switched its focus back to the UK as well as accepting some European work.

Commenting on the closure, Eric’s son, Rob Vick, said: “It is with great sadness that the Vick family announce that, after almost 70 years of business, Eric Vick Transport will cease trading at the end of April.

“While pleased to have kept the business going for five years after the death of its founder and driving force, the family are unable to see

a profitable future that would provide secure employment.

“As with so many haulage businesses, a less-than-thriving economy, increasing legislation and the continued decline of UK manufacturing mean the business is not viable in the longer term.

“The family would like to extend their thanks to all the drivers and staff, past and present, customers and excellent people in the industry that have enabled the business to survive and prosper.”

Commercial Vehicle Show to host Future Transport Theatre Next month’s Commercial Vehicle Show will feature a Future Transport Theatre in association with Motor Transport magazine.

The event, to be held at the Birmingham NEC from Tuesday 28 to Wednesday 29 April, will see leading figures from the road transport and logistics sector examine many of the industry’s biggest issues.

The programme will include a focus on what the new Direct Vision Standard and smart tachographs mean for operators and discuss pay-as-you-go routeing and scheduling.

Other highlights include sessions on future tyre technology, electrification and decarbonisation and how to secure a more diverse workforce.

CM Downton seals deal with Smurfit Kappa CM Downton has signed “a multimillionpound” contract with Smurfit Kappa, to cover transporting packaging products from two manufacturing sites in the south-west.

The EV Cargo-owned company said the three-year deal would help boost efficiency, reduce empty mileage and streamline transport operations.

4 MotorTransport

It said load fill would be maximised by its investment in 30 bespoke tall trailers for the contract. It also intends to trial the use of semitrailers.

Zac Brown, CM Downton MD, said: “The addition of this major new contract with Smurfit Kappa has marked our intentions for the year.”

9.3.20

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News

motortransport.co.uk

Sheffield CAZ Haulage firm ceases trading in the spotlight

S Walker Transport enters administration with the loss of 39 jobs

By Chris Tindall

Redditch-based S Walker Transport has closed down after almost three decades in business, with the loss of 39 jobs.

Administrators from Leonard Curtis were appointed to the firm on 25 February “following a cessation of trade” and are now involved in winding down the company.

A statement from Leonard Curtis said: “The focus is now to

ensure that the company’s employees receive their claim entitlements from the redundancy payments service as soon as possible and that any value held in the company’s current contracts and other assets are preserved for the benefit of creditors.”

Family-run S Walker Transport was founded in 1991 and went limited 10 years later. It held an international O-licence authoris-

COOL RUNNINGS: Temperature-controlled operator FreshLinc has added 30 new SDC Freespan curtainsided trailers to its general haulage division FLX Logistics. Based in Carrington, Manchester, FLX operates more than 400 trucks and 1,000 trailers from six sites across the UK. The new EN12642XL curtainsiders are a bespoke design with BPW Eco-Plus axles, Haldex Generation 3 braking system, SDC’s easy-access coupling box and a full width rear compression buffer for added protection when reversing into loading bays.

Load restraint is provided with deck lashing rings and high security mesh curtains.

6 MotorTransport

ing 35 HGVs and 39 trailers out of two depots in the Worcestershire town.

In 2015, it joined Palletways. A spokesman for the pallet network said: “To maintain continuation of our service and ensure minimal disruption to the network, Palletways has made alternative arrangements for all future collections and deliveries in that area.”

The company did not respond.

To find out the latest from Sheffield City Council about its Clean Air Zone (CAZ) plans, make sure you attend MT’s free half-day roadshow later this month.

Senior councillors and programme co-ordinators will be on hand to advise freight operators about CAZ regulations and discuss support measures for affected local businesses.

There will also be inspiring examples of operators trialing the latest clean fleet technology and a comprehensive overview of alternative fuel product development by vehicle expert Martin Flach.

In addition, a wide range of Euro-6 diesel and alternative fuelled HGVs and vans will be on display.

It is completely free to attend the Sheffield Clean Air Roadshow which takes place on the morning of 17 March at Magna in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, but places are filling up quickly, so register now to secure your place.

9.3.20

News

motortransport.co.uk

Ask the DVSA a tricky question anonymously

DVSA to launch HGV drivers’ hours campaign for drivers and operators

By Steve Hobson

The DVSA is to launch a campaign to remind HGV drivers and operators of the regulations around driving time and rests, and to encourage them to stick to the rules.

DVSA enforcement policy manager Mark Horton said: “HGV drivers do a vital job in often difficult circumstances. We know it’s not always easy to comply with the rules on breaks and rests, but they are there for a reason – to help keep our roads safer for everyone.

“That’s why it’s so important to plan journeys and keep proper records, and why our examiners check that drivers are sticking to the rules. While the main rules are not complicated, some details are less well understood and can lead to common mistakes. The first step in sticking to the rules is to make sure you know and understand them.”

As part of its campaign, the

DVSA is offering operators and drivers the opportunity to pose all the questions they are afraid to ask and get them answered officially but anonymously.

How often should driver and vehicle tacho data be downloaded?

Do operators need to be concerned if an agency driver is using different cards to work for multiple companies? Is a 15-minute break in the first six hours driving sufficient rest and drivers do not then need to take a 30-minute break?

These and many other questions can be put to the DVSA for a definitive answer without giving your name or company.

If you have a tricky question on drivers’ hours email it to steve. hobson@roadtransport.com and we will pass it along to the DVSA in confidence.

Questions and answers will be published to help every operator understand the agency’s approach to enforcing the rules.

TUESDAY, MARCH 9th, 1920

Motor Transport was launched in 1905 as Motor Traction.

We look back at a story published 100 years ago this week.

The Strike Shadow At the time of going to press the country is threatened with yet another big strike, this time among the road transport workers, but although early press reports made the situation appear very alarming, we have good reason for hoping that, unless the very unexpected occurs, neither side is likely to take responsibility of forcing an immediate issue.

On January 27th last, a claim was put forward by the National Transport Workers’ Federation for a wage advance of 10s. a week for adults and 5s. a week for juniors, with an offer for joint discussion at an early date. The meeting of the Joint Industrial Council last Tuesday was the first occasion for this discussion, which, however, unfortunately resulted in deadlock.

Without fear of mischief-making it would in our opinion be little short of insanity for either side to take extreme action – a platitude perhaps, but in moments of dispute, commonsense and an appreciation of the obvious are removed before the disputants take off their coats.

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Focus

motortransport.co.uk

Are the rule-setters serving transport as effectively as they could be, asks James Backhouse

Who regulates the regulators?

Regulators of any function – be it regulating the road transport industry, medicines, the protection of animals or even water – must regulate for the protection of the vulnerable and with consideration for environmental or social impacts, as well as any other objectives. They must also, however, regulate with consideration for the Regulators’ Code as set out by parliament.

The Traffic Commissioners (TCs), pictured, and the DVSA are bound by legislation to ensure that they regulate their industries in accordance with that Code.

The framework set out in the Regulators’ Code is based upon six principles. These principles insist that regulators should: carry out their activities in a way that supports those they regulate to comply and grow; provide simple and straightforward ways to engage with those they regulate and hear their views; base their

regulatory activities on risk; share information about compliance and risk; ensure clear information, guidance and advice is available to help those they regulate meet their responsibilities and comply; and ensure that their approach to their regulatory activities is transparent.

In order to implement these principles, there are a number of obligations set out in the Code. Of

particular interest are those which require: that regulators ensure that their officers have the necessary knowledge and skills to support those they regulate, including having an understanding of those they regulate that enables them to choose proportionate and effective approaches; and that regulators should ensure that their officers understand the statutory principles of good regulation and

the Code and how the regulator delivers its activities in accordance.

The Code places obligations upon the regulators to have mechanisms in place to engage those they regulate to offer views and contribute to the development of their policies and standards.

Before changing policies, practices or service standards, regulators should consider the impact on business and engage with business representatives.

Many changes of policy adopted by the DVSA and TCs are introduced with little industry awareness of the implications and expectations that those new policies create. Though there are publications such as ‘Moving on’ and some consultation with trade associations, it is apparent, from many of the reported hearings and sanctions faced by the transport industry, that the expectation of the regulators is not reaching the majority of the grass roots ➜ 13

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Focus

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of the industry for a considerable time after introduction. In practice this communication to the grass roots should precede their introduction.

Regulators should review the effectiveness of their chosen regulatory activities in delivering the desired outcomes and make necessary adjustments. In practice, wider consultation with the grass roots is limited and the methods adopted for such communication really should be reviewed and addressed.

Given that most operators are rapidly moving on to the e-licensing system for vehicle O-licences, it is suggested that feedback on new policy ideas and proposals could be worked through this interface rather than relying on ‘.gov’ website consultation notices and trade associations, valuable though these are.

Weaknesses

Most importantly, the Code requires that regulators provide advice and guidance that is focused on assisting those they regulate to understand and meet their responsibilities. This is one of the more obvious weaknesses of the current regulators. The only TC guidance to which the industry can turn is

satisfactory” or even “unsatisfactory,” despite little or no difference in the circumstances. Furthermore, it is not clear that these documents are themselves the subject of industry consultation.

Awareness?

the ‘Statutory directions and guidance’ published by the senior TC. This material, though very useful from a legal perspective, is more focused by law on the TCs and their staff. It is technical and legalistic – which is appropriate for its statutory function, but could hardly be described as clear, straightforward guidance. Instead, the TCs and the DVSA would be better served by circulating material more akin to the excellently produced and updated ‘Guide to maintaining roadworthiness’. This document can be relied upon by operators as clear and direct advice as to how to remain compliant as regards maintenance.

Currently, there is no practical advice in respect of the expected

arrangements for drivers’ hours rules and record-keeping obligations, prevention of overloading of vehicles and speeding, etc.

Lastly, the Code dictates that regulators should have mechanisms in place to ensure that their officers act in accordance with their published service standards, including their enforcement policy.

Despite this, very often vehicle examiners and DVSA officers will differ in their opinions and ultimately prove to be inconsistent in how they grade operators using documents such as the PG13F&G maintenance inspection report, the traffic examiner operator report or remote enforcement. What one officer may consider “satisfactory” another might consider “mostly

The regulator is obliged, pursuant to the Code, to ensure that their officers understand the principles and the Code. In practice, it is very rare to find a DVSA traffic examiner or vehicle examiner who has an awareness of the Code, let alone understands the principles it requires them to work to.

The Code is a clear, short list of accessible and easily comprehensible principles and obligations imposed on regulators. However, though many of the approaches adopted by the DVSA and the TCs are in line with the requirements of the Code, in practice the Code has no teeth. Often, its very important principles, designed to promote the industry and achieve a proportionate level of regulatory control, are simply invisible on the ground. n James Backhouse is a partner at transport law specialist Backhouse Jones

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Viewpoint

motortransport.co.uk

Could we avert a national crisis by encouraging retirees to return?

I

t would only take a hot wind to blow some of the billions of locusts currently plaguing Africa and the Middle East to the UK to add to the floods and coronavirus to complete a truly biblical set of disasters.

Add to these the threat to migrant labour from the government’s proposed pointsSteve Hobson based immigration system, the roll out of Editor IR35 and the threat of a return of the fuel Motor duty escalator in this week’s Budget and it Transport makes wonder what we’ve done to deserve this.

Coronavirus could, if the worst happens, lay low a fifth of the working population and just because drivers spend a lot of time alone in their cabs the transport sector will not be immune, if you pardon the pun.

With a chronic driver shortage and an exodus of European workers this would be catastrophic for the industry and the country at large and could lead to the sort of shortages and panic buying last seen in the fuel protests 20 years ago.

Yes the economy would have gone into recession at this point as the population is told to stay at home but people still need to eat, cows need to be milked, fuel needs delivering and online orders will need

fulfilling. OK the last one may not be that important – unless you’re a teenager – but road transport is fundamental to just about every aspect of modern life and will need to keep working if a crisis isn’t to become a disaster.

Two unrelated measures being suggested are to recruit recently retired doctors and nurses back into the health service and to relax drivers’ hours rules to allow the drivers we do have to work longer.

Driving a truck for nine hours a day, six days a week is hard enough and bearing in mind the average driver is now in his or her mid-50s I’m not sure asking them to put in even more hours behind the wheel is safe or desirable.

Why not copy the NHS and try to encourage more ex-drivers to return to the industry?

It would be far better to relax the rules on the dreaded Driver CPC and allow drivers who hung up their high vis rather than subject themselves to 35 hours of often pointless classroom ‘training’ to help out in a crisis.

Who knows? They may find the missed the job so much they will stay on!

AI will improve efficiency and safety A Derek Bryan VP EMEA, Verizon Connect

rtificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will open up new possibilities for fleet managers that seemed unimaginable only a short few years ago. With more computing power, businesses will be able to capture more data from across every aspect of their operations.

Embracing AI at scale will accelerate the rollout of next-generation predictive and preventative technology across businesses of all sizes. This will give them near real-time updates into the past and future performance of all their mobile assets.

Thanks to recent advances in technology, assets ranging from cranes to trailers are now capable of reporting more information to managers than ever before.

Data on road conditions, weather updates and mechanical faults can be used to predict risks before they affect customers or other workers.

An explosion in the growth of data, accompanied by a rapid expansion in telematics, will help unleash the potential of the connected workforce.

We’ll see new solutions that combine vehicle location data and technician status insights to help operations managers make

14 MotorTransport

faster and more informed decisions. In addition, they will do it using a single application, without having to switch between separate telematics and management systems. As a result, fleet-reliant businesses will stay consistently connected, helping to mitigate the risk of disruption.

We will also see mobile workers harness the power of voice recognition technology to improve their safety. Despite the growing popularity of consumer digital assistants in recent years, there has been a slower rate of adoption from enterprises.

Improved voice recognition technology will, however, allow hands-free input of data, activation of tasks and streamlined communication with managers.

Most importantly, the increasing use of voice recognition means managers can be safe in the knowledge that drivers can keep in constant contact without having to take their eyes off the road.

The newspaper for transport operators

To contact us: Tel: 020 8912 +4 digits or email: name.surname@roadtransport.com Editor Steve Hobson 2161 Head of content Tim Wallace 2158 Events and projects editor Hayley Pink 2165 Group production editor Clare Goldie 2174 Deputy production editor Jo Betts 2173 Key account manager Andrew Smith 07771 885874 Display telesales Barnaby Goodman-Smith 2128 Event sales Tim George 0755 7677758 Classified and recruitment advertising rtmclassified@roadtransport.com Head of sales Jo Pembroke 07590 561925 Sales director Emma Tyrer 07900 691137 Divisional director Vic Bunby 2121 Head of marketing Verity Callum 07823 440821 MT Awards Katy Matthews 2152 Managing director Andy Salter 2171 Editorial office Road Transport Media, First Floor, Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey SM1 1JB 020 8912 2170 Free copies MT is available free to specified licensed operators under the publisher’s terms of control. For details, email mtsccqueries@roadtransport.com, or call 01772 426705 Subscriptions 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 © 2020 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 9.3.20

Profile: Cullimore Group

motortransport.co.uk

Back to the future Cullimore Group MD Moreton Cullimore shares the same name as his grandfather, the company’s founder.

And he’s channelling that entrepreneurial spirit as the business continues to evolve. Steve Hobson reports

F

ormed in Whitminster in 1927 as Moreton C Cullimore, the Cullimore Group’s two-tone green trucks have been a familiar sight on Gloucester’s roads for over 90 years.

MD Moreton Cullimore – who shares the same first name as his late grandfather and founder of the business – has gradually taken over the running of the family firm from his father and chairman Roger Cullimore as the latter’s health begins to deteriorate.

A man of many parts, Moreton Cullimore has a BA (Hons) in business and management from Sheffield Hallam University and a masters in sports development from the University of Gloucestershire.

He has played and coached rugby union and takes a thoughtful approach to the future of a family business that started out in agricultural transport but is now better known for its sand and gravel extraction and delivery operations.

Although Cullimore is still a young man with no children as yet, he is already thinking about how to leave a lasting environmental legacy as well as a thriving business for future generations.

“I’m very conscious that I’m the third generation,” he says. “I grew up with everyone saying ‘it always goes wrong in the third generation’. I want to give my dad confidence that we’re still battling, we’re still trying to push. I think his biggest worry as I came into the businesses was that it wasn’t how he wanted to hand it over.

“He wanted to present me this pre-packed business where I would never have to do too much. He’s always worried that what he has left is actually far more difficult now than it ever was in his time.

“There are certain things I want to achieve. I grew up with everyone outside the family telling me how easy my life would be and how I would never have to work.

So I’ve still got to prove a lot of people wrong.”

Economic uncertainty following the Brexit referendum in 2016 has given anyone trying to make business decisions a real headache.

“We’ve got quarries, we’ve got concrete and we’ve got general haulage and workshop services,” says Cullimore.

“For us it’s not quite like the recession – then we definitely saw 30% less of everything. But it can be volatile, with

16 MotorTransport

people like housebuilders saying ‘we’re not going into phase two because phase one is only 60% sold and we’d normally expect it to be 98% sold by now’.

Cullimore started out working at the family firm during his summer holidays from university.

“My first degree was in business because I didn’t know what else to do, so it was the obvious and most flexible choice,” he says. “When I did my MA, I got quite involved in sport. I was always able to play rugby as I’m quite a sizable lump and I enjoyed sports. I did some work for Sport England and UK Sports, a high-level governmentfunded agency, working mainly in elite sport.

“I was in and out of here as well. It was an easy summer job and I’ve done everything from shovel concrete to drive a truck. But I found it really difficult to work with dad. We both wanted to get the same end result, but we had different ways of doing it.

“I found that really frustrating and a compliment to my dad is that he was always able to flip between being a businessman and a dad. If we had a debate, he’d be able to flip straight into his role as dad, whereas there would still be steam coming out of my ears.”

Sports focus

As a result Cullimore initially focused on sports, especially rugby coaching, but he realised it was never going to be a full-time career.

“It was always six, seven, eight months work, then I was left with several months of, ‘what am I going to do now?’ he says. “I was also travelling, living out of the boot of my car, which was great fun in your early 20s but not so much as I got older.

“It also meant I couldn’t commit to my first love, which was playing rugby, because I was always somewhere else. So I had to come up with a plan with dad of how I was going to come into the business. Because I had the name, people in the business looked to me to make those decisions and take that responsibility, but I couldn’t really do that because dad was here.

“That was frustrating but, in a positive light, at the time I was still quite young. I was thinking, ‘I’m 24 or 25 and I’m a man’ but looking back at it now I’m glad that it paused me.

“At the same time I wanted to push things to the next stage, the modern stage, and there were all sorts of things that needed doing within the business. This place [the head office at Netherhills opened in 2012] didn’t exist.

We had offices everywhere and internal mail. We had no website. We were very old school, which was what a lot of people loved and why they did business with us ➜ 18 – we had that trustworthy family name.”

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All the shares in the business are held within the Cullimore family and the long-term ownership structure is already on the radar.

“I turned 40 recently and it’s one of those questions that you start asking yourself,” Cullimore (pictured above) reflects. “In terms of the quarrying, our industry is changing. Society and environmental concerns are changing and in 10 years’ time we’re going to be in a very different place than we are now.

“We’re still very old school in the fact that everything that you see is bought and paid for. We own it, we don’t lease it and we don’t borrow. If we have to buy a few extra trucks we might use finance from the bank, but it’s paid off in two years and then it’s ours.

“In terms of the land bank we own for quarrying, we have about 10 years of minerals available to us. In the last three or four years I’ve been trying to find more minerals for the business, which is difficult without moving out of this region and I’m not sure that for a company this size that’s what we want to do.”

Reusing former quarries when extraction has finished is possible but the need to generate revenue and meet environmental concerns is another difficult balancing act. Options include allowing the quarry to fill with water to create a wildlife habitat or filling the pit with inert waste such as building rubble and returning the land to arable farming. One former quarry is being converted into a wakeboarding centre, with overhead cables to pull water-skiers around a man-made lake.

“We’re using the former quarries for different things, whether it be ecological sites or nature reserves, but also this cable ski centre,” says Cullimore. “It’ll be the first purpose-built cable ski wake-boarding facility.

“Normally when people have a lake they plonk a cable ski on it. We’ve designed the lake, how it’s formed, how many corners it has, how straight it is, all those things, particularly for this sport. We’re going to hopefully bring some other leisure facilities on site for that too.

“The next year or two will be the time for me to make up my mind up on that sort of thing. Unless we find another significant mineral reserve, then the shape of that part of our business will change and that will inevitably have an effect on whether we still have any concrete vehicles or not.”

One potential replacement revenue stream is to further develop the Moreton C Cullimore haulage business.

“We’ve got a new transport team here, and we’re trying to push and re-engage on general haulage,” says Cullimore. “The next five years will be key for us in terms of deciding what our future is about.”

The transport fleet splits its work between carrying products for other parts of the group and external customers. “We have general haulage where we’re moving product for other people,” says Cullimore.

18 MotorTransport

“We’re moving flour, we’re moving furniture for all those well-known furniture companies and we’re doing all sorts of general haulage. We moved all the catering equipment to the Ryder Cup last summer and we service the racecourses in the horse racing season.

With the pallet networks always looking for strong regional hauliers, is Cullimore tempted to join one?

“Again, it’s a question we are asking ourselves now with the new team who have had experience with that,” he says.

“We have always had enough work and there was a little bit of fear of getting involved in that in terms of ‘can we make that work for us’ because we’re not a company that says ‘yes, we can do something’ and then lets someone down. We have to be masters of our own destiny.

We can expand in other areas without having to rely on a pallet network and we’re creating some interesting relationships, but never say never.

Apart from expanding its range of services, Cullimore could extend its territory beyond Gloucestershire and Worcestershire to pick up more work with the national housebuilders.

“Our territory is already quite reasonable because we have sites between Tewkesbury and Swindon,” he says.

“We’re quite close to west Oxfordshire and we do a bit towards Hampshire. Our zone is anywhere from Bristol to Oxford to Redditch.

“In that triangle we serve the big national builders – that’s the bulk of our work but the margins are very thin.

The local builders give a little bit more margin maybe because of the sort of quantities they’re taking and we’re still cheaper than their other options.”

Cover story

Cullimore has made efforts to recruit and train young drivers but has had difficulties with insurers.

“It was difficult to get young drivers covered,” he says.

“We were faced with this crazy situation where I could employ a 27-year-old who had passed his HGV test two months ago, but I couldn’t employ a 23-year-old who had held his licence two years.

“We’ve got a lot of fathers, sons, husbands and wives working for us. We do have that family feel inside and out. We had a young 18-year-old lad working for us in the bagging plant but his dad was a truck driver. He said ‘when I’m 21, I’m going to get my HGV licence. I want to drive a truck like my dad’. He got his HGV licence but I couldn’t get him on the insurance. They said ‘he can drive a truck, but it’s got to be one of your little ones’. I said ‘that makes sense, give him some experience’ but then they said ‘he’s got to have a chaperone’.

“That was OK, as most of our new drivers will go out with an experienced driver for a couple of days anyway, but they said, ‘no, he’ll need to be chaperoned for at least six months’.

“We haven’t suffered with recruiting drivers too badly because of the image of our vehicles and the reputation we have. They know if there’s a problem with the vehicle, it gets serviced on-site by our staff, we’ve always been green on our operator’s licence and we never operate illegally or ask anyone to run overloaded. Dare I say, people aspire to drive here. Drivers working here for 30 or 40 years knew my father and some of them even knew my grandfather, so it’s not been too much of a problem.”

That is not to say Cullimore has been able to let driver pay fall behind – the company has increased wages by 3% or 4% every year. “It’s always been above inflation,” says Cullimore. “That’s something that this company is trying to deliver anyway. And there are other things that a company like us offer in terms of being supportive of family life.

“I don’t, for one minute, ever argue against the fact that a good driver is worth more than they get paid and should be paid more. The problem is that the margins just aren’t there to support that.” n 9.3.20

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Tipper safety

Tipping point

There are many regulations covering tipper safety. But are they the best route to well-designed and well-operated vehicles? Louise Cole reports

S

ince London identified a problem with tippers and cyclists sharing the roads, the industry has seen a plethora of regulation in the capital. The Safer Lorry Scheme was designed to bring tippers into line with under-run and mirror regulations; FORS, then CLOCS dominated TfL procurement; and now we have the Direct Vision Standard (DVS).

For a city that repeated the “one standard” rhetoric of CLOCS and FORS, London is extremely good at producing one new piece of regulation after another.

Effective mechanism

DVS AS IT STANDS So far, Tfl it has issued 10,993 Direct Vision Standard permits, breaking down as follows: n 0 star n 1 star n 2 star n 3 star n 4 star n 5 star

986 7,805 679 955 23 545

20 MotorTransport

The inescapable conclusion from this endless stream of regulation is that no one, in reality, wants a single, allencompassing standard. While every group, council, standards body or fleet claims to want to achieve zero road deaths and to eliminate the “rogue and most dangerous” trucks, hardly anyone actually wants legislation that is designed specifically for this purpose and would apply to everyone, nationally, without fear or favour. This is despite the fact that legislation is the most effective mechanism for raising industrial standards and lowering deaths.

CLOCS was initially identified as a specific way of addressing the safety issues around tippers, but has since become almost synonymous with FORS. The two standards are aligned to “make compliance easy”. However this conflates the issues of tippers with those of all goods vehicles, and further conflates the road safety issues faced in London – mainly lots of cyclists and motorised traffic sharing crowded and often badly designed road space – with those across the whole country.

At the same time, the standards do not monitor basic legal compliance with O-licence undertakings.

FTA head of urban policy Natalie Chapman says this is dangerous for operators and for the public. “FORS is not an audit against your O-licence, yet many operators

believe they have been health-checked for legal compliance. Even the Traffic Commissioners are becoming concerned about this,” she says, citing TC Kevin Rooney’s recent comments in MT. CLOCS director Derek Rees says that the power of the CLOCS standard is its ability to close the circle between the procurement hierarchy in construction – regulators, clients, contractors and fleets – ensuring that each layer makes best practice possible for the others in the chain.

He cites its latest pilot initiative, CLOCS Vox, which has gathered 600 driver surveys about site conditions and treatment.

He says without CLOCS fleet operators would not have the opportunity to embrace best practice, because they would not be supported to do so by procurers.

The CLOCS and FORS franchises are both being renegotiated with TfL. Chapman says she is confident that TfL will change important terms in how these standards operate.

“TfL accepts it has not done a good job of granting or managing these contracts. FORS may be a ‘voluntary’ standard but that can be: ‘Do you want the business or not?’ We believe it effectively acts as a monopoly.”

Rees believes that ‘Vision zero’ – an international drive to eliminate killed or serious injury (KSI) incidents involving road traffic – will be achieved only if his members are crusaders. “We can halve the 500 KSI and halve it again if we work together,” he says. “We need to weaponise those champions.” FORS has asked members to recruit councils and contractors in cities where they have personal connections.

He is also focused on town planners: “We’ve been running training sessions in construction logistics planning and encouraging councils to grant planning permission to sites that will comply with their plan.”

Nonetheless, interest outside London is subdued, with no new councils or regulators coming on board since 2017.

FORS membership has grown to more than 5,000 but Rees says the steepest growth is in members choosing higher accreditation levels. While 80% of the 112,000 vehicles it covers are based “outside the M25”, many work in the capital.

Do they work?

It is difficult to establish whether FORS (established in 2008) or CLOCS (formed in late 2013) have actually improved London’s road safety. The standards, as well as cycling lobbies and TfL, have raised awareness of vulnerable road users (VRUs), but they are part of a range of road safety initiatives, including stricter enforcement.

CLOCS started out as Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety but has since morphed into the far vaguer Construction Logistics and Community Safety. It is aligned with FORS Silver, and Silver and Gold members report reduced collision rates. FORS says its Gold members have on average cut collisions by 32%, but it’s hard to demonstrate that the standard lowers fatality levels. Of the 259 trucks involved in fatal collisions in the UK in 2017, five of them belonged to the 1,136 FORS Silver or Gold fleets.

Risking a crude breakdown, there were 75,000 active O-licences in 2017. Assuming the 1,136 Fors members accounted for one each, they would represent 1.5% of licence holders and 1.9% of fatal collision vehicles. There is no suggestion these vehicles were at fault. However, 9.3.20

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the data does not prove the standard is effective at improving road safety. Equally, more VRUs died in London in collisions with HGVs in 2017 than in 2016 (24 versus 15) and although deaths overall dropped subsequently, it is impossible to draw firm conclusions from the figures.

FORS says its “professional training delivers positive results”, citing the same reduction rate (32%). However, any properly reinforced, quality training, or properly used telematics or camera systems, should reduce collision rates.

London calling

The most recent initiative aimed at tippers but which will affect every HGV of more than 12 tonnes is the Direct Vision Standard. From 26 October 2020, in scope vehicles will have to meet a one-star direct vision rating, or have blindspot elimination systems (a Safe System) in order to qualify for a Safe Permit to work in the capital.

There are many difficulties with this as it stands – mainly that the demand for direct vision is premature in terms of current vehicle design. The FTA argued for a technological solution in addition to the low-profile, big-windowed models because many vehicles already have indirect vision systems. While cameras cost around £1,000 per HGV, they also provide flexibility for those vehicles that are not easily replaced (or will not be replaced in the short term).

John Comer, product manager at Volvo Trucks UK and Ireland, says that cameras can be a more effective solution than windows. “Supporting systems [give] the additional view and recording capabilities. When you check to the left and then to the right as you pull away, the whole situation on the left may have changed due to a bike coming up the inside that could be picked up quickly on a screen.”

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DAF trucks marketing manager Phil Moon says that while moves to improve road safety are to be applauded, the original DVS concept of requiring high levels of direct vision from HGV cabs was “inappropriate”.

“So we were pleased with the recognition by TfL that there are other ways such as cameras to make trucks safe,” he says. “DVS has improved awareness of the issue and prompted people to question whether they need the tallest vehicles in an urban environment. Some customers have moved from N3G to N3-type vehicles as a result.”

But will this make Londoners safer? For a truck to score one star, the driver must be able to see the head and shoulders of a 4ft 11in person through the windows within 4.5m of the cab to the nearside, 2m in front and 0.6m on the off-side. The maximum width for a standard HGV is 2.55m and a standard carriageway is 3.65m. This means that under the initial DVS a vehicle in which a driver can see a pedestrian or cyclist from more than a lane away won’t need any additional kit to qualify for a Safe Permit.

TfL’s initial forecasts suggested 29% of the 220,000 vehicles of more than 12 tonnes operating in London would be zero-rated, hence needing cameras, sensors, alarms, under-run bars and Class V and VI mirrors.

However, many of these are probably construction vehicles, which are already CLOCS-compliant.

John Comer: cameras can be more effective than windows

Rating calculations

Operators must ask their manufacturer for a rating based on the original spec of the truck. Scania’s pre-sales technical manager, Phil Rootham, says: “The rating is based on a calculation of the chassis height, the position of the cab above the chassis and a simulation and [visibility] calculation of each cab design.” ➜ 22 MotorTransport 21

Tipper safety

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However, the direct vision calculations can easily be rendered meaningless, says a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson.

“What the driver can actually see can be affected by his height, or whether his seat has been lowered,” he says. “It’s also affected by the load and tyre profile.”

The future challenge for industry is that TfL will not decide on its next wave of “progressive technology” for the standard until 2022, which will give little time for operators to plan their fleet enhancements or renewals for 2024.

Chapman agrees that fleets need time to experiment.

“There are many hard-to-reach audiences in this sector,” she says, having just met with a scaffolding contractors’ association. “Most of these people hadn’t heard of DVS. It’s important that companies start to explore options now, because our worst-case scenario is cheap, badly fitted kit which distracts the driver.”

Moon agrees that, whatever the future holds for DVS, it is important that TfL holds true to its pledge to ensure that measures are “practical, affordable and retrofittable” rather than forcing hard-pressed operators to go out and buy new vehicles at short notice. While the LF can achieve two stars, the CF and XF will need a Safe System, an option DAF is now offering to fit at the factory.

Not just construction

Comer suggests tipper safety is a bigger and more established issue than any single scheme. “I think safety is vital to all in the construction trade and has been for a long time, with the advent of MQPC before the arrival of CLOCS. The other important factor is that the London [DVS] safe scheme is not limited to construction trucks.”

The MPQC driver skills card (formerly known as EPIC) is an industry-wide initiative backed by the Mineral Products Association and is a requirement for all drivers employed within the aggregates sector.

Ultimately tipper design will be decided in Europe.

The European Commission has been working on vehicle elements designed to cut collision rates for a decade, and in 2019 the European Parliament voted to adopt a range of vehicle enhancements, including direct vision, automated braking and lane discipline technologies.

This will come into effect for new vehicles types in November 2025 and for all models sold from 2028.

The UK is, of course, no longer obliged to follow European regulation. However, it will undoubtedly shape the vehicles available to UK operators.

“Truck manufacturing is global,” says Comer, “and we have UN regulations and EC directives to define standards. This is a much better solution than scattered city regulations.” n For all the latest developments in tipper safety, visit Tip-ex/Tank-ex at the Harrogate Convention Centre from 28 to 30 May 22 MotorTransport

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Alternative fuels

Tom Cunningham

Green gas A batch of nine gas-powered tractors should cut CO2 emissions by 20% on XPO’s operation for Saint-Gobain PAM UK, and the 3PL expects even greater gains via electric or hydrogen vehicles, writes Steve Hobson

X

PO Logistics has put its largest single batch of gas-powered trucks in the UK on the road for its dedicated national distribution contract with Saint-Gobain PAM. Based at its Lows Lane site near Ilkeston, in Derbyshire, the nine Volvo LNG vehicles will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20%.

Saint-Gobain PAM UK is the premier supplier of ductile iron and cast iron products to the UK’s key utilities, telecoms, highways, civil engineering, construction and housing companies, and is a subsidiary of the 350-year-old French multinational, Compagnie de SaintGobain, which in 1678 produced the glass for the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.

XPO GOES FOR GAS AROUND EUROPE XPO has also been making progress on reducing carbon emissions elsewhere in Europe.

“We have a long-standing commitment to continuously improve the environmental performance of our fleet through operational excellence [fuel monitoring], vehicle optimisation [aerodynamic features, maintenance, driver training], innovation [mega trucks in Spain, multimodal routes, alternative fuels], and partnerships with truck manufacturers,” states an XPO spokesperson. “We have invested in a mix of technologies to improve our environmental performance, mainly depending on distance and existing infrastructures. We are investing in LNG/CNG for long-haul distance and are also piloting projects for electric vehicles in some European markets, mainly for short distance in city centres as part of our last-mile service in some markets.”

In terms of natural gas, XPO has recently expanded its fleet in several markets in Europe. In France, it has more than 170 alternative fuel vehicles (LNG and CNG), including six CNG tractors for the Seine river solution. In the UK, it runs 20 LNG tractors with a further order of 45 pending, on top of the nine Volvo trucks running on LNG on the Saint-Gobain PAM contract. In Spain, it has four rigid trucks and two vans running on CNG/LNG. In Portugal, it has a further two tractors running on CNG/LNG. 24 MotorTransport

XPO Logistics is a top 10 global logistics provider and today sits at number three in the Motor Transport Top 100 logistics operators, with an annual turnover of £1.5bn.

The Lows Lane site is about 450 acres, with 5.5 acres used for the core operational area that handles storage and distribution of ductile iron pipe, supplying the water and sewer industry both for UK and international markets.

The site also distributes ductile iron access covers (more commonly known as manhole covers) and gratings, mainly used by councils, as well as other specialised fittings and valves used in the water network. Larger iron pipes and fittings, which can be up to 2,000mm in diameter, come in from factories in France, Spain and as far afield as South America and the Far East. Smaller soil and drain products are manufactured in Telford, while the access covers and grates are made in Melton Mowbray, and both are transported to the Lows Lane DC by XPO. There is also an additional small manufacturing facility at Lows Lane to make up bespoke fabricated pipework.

Aylesford outbase

XPO also operates an outbase at Aylesford, in Kent, to move product destined for London and the south-east.

Ivan Bere, logistics manager at Saint-Gobain PAM, says: “We hold small amounts of stock there and trunk product between the three sites as well as delivering to customers. We try to backhaul product after completing deliveries whenever possible to minimise empty running.”

As part of its dedicated national distribution contract, XPO has leased nine LNG-powered FH460 6x2 tractor units with rear air suspension and pusher axles, all including a Volvo Silver Contract. The trucks are leased for five years and maintenance is done at Volvo main dealer Hartshorne at Atherstone, only 15 miles away.

Technicians have been fully trained to provide a good service with these new trucks.

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A HIGH-PRESSURE STRATEGY Volvo is the only OEM to use high-pressure diesel injection (HPDI) rather than spark plugs for its gas engines. According to Volvo, HPDI means gas consumption is 15% to 25% lower than a more conventional spark-ignition gas engine and enables it to offer 420hp (310kW) or 460hp engines with maximum torque of 2,100Nm or 2,300Nm, that drive just like a diesel.

Gas is sold in kg rather than litres and 0.72kg of LNG delivers roughly the same energy as 1 litre of diesel.

According to Gasrec, the average cost of gas in 2018 (including duty) was around £0.72 per kg.

This equates to about £0.52 per litre of diesel on an equivalent-energy basis. Over the same period, diesel was between £0.98 and £1.01 per litre.

In 2018, the government fixed duty on alternative fuels (including gas) at 50% of diesel duty until 2032, which will feed into substantial savings for XPO and its customers.

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Alternative fuels

THE DRIVER’S VIEW

XPO has 13 drivers dedicated to the Saint-Gobain PAM contract, as filling LNG tanks requires special training and the use of hand and eye protection.

All of them are now fully on board with the switch to gas after specific training

by XPO’s own driver trainer, who has been on a dedicated Volvo LNG course.

All now have their visors and gloves and know they have to wear long sleeves covering their arms when refilling.

All these drivers were engaged approximately three or four months before the vehicles arrived and were taken to Volvo to collect their trucks, including Robin Wilkes (pictured), who was busy polishing his new FH tractor unit when we visited Lows Lane. He has been driving for 32 years, 16 of those with XPO, and this is his first non-diesel truck.

“We were all a bit apprehensive at first but now I really like it,” he says. “There is no loss of power with the Volvo, even running at 40 tonnes. It just pulls it like there is nothing there.”

Because the Volvo HPDI uses diesel and AdBlue as well as LNG, Wilkes usually has to move the truck at least once as the LNG pump is normally separate from the diesel island. But he says: “It is rare that I have to fill up with diesel and AdBlue. It is probably only once a fortnight as the diesel lasts a long while.

“The gas tank gives me enough range if we plan my route around the filling stations. I have never worried about running out because I never let the tank get that low. I like to keep it topped up every day as you never know when you will have to divert unexpectedly.”

With his training Wilkes has no worries about filling up with a liquid at -140C. “Now I know how to do it, it’s a doddle,” he says. “The process is fairly simple and we have the protective masks and the gloves.”

26 MotorTransport

CO2 emissions

XPO explains that the nine gas trucks replaced diesel vehicles on spot hire. The main drive for adopting alternative fuel was the two companies’ commitment to reduce their CO2 emissions.

These are the first Volvos using LNG at Lows Lane but XPO has already worked with similar technology elsewhere (see page 24).

To give XPO national coverage and allow it to use every station in the country to fill up, the trucks are running on LNG at this time, rather than bio-LNG. XPO is using four major gas suppliers in the UK market – BOC, Calor, Air Liquide and Gasrec – to allow it to cover the vast majority of the routes for the SaintGobain PAM contract – although additional filling stations around the M25 and the top of Scotland would be welcome. The nearest gas station to Lows Lane is the Calor Gas Castle Donington site just six miles away – one reason not to have a filling station on XPO’s site. Then there is Gasrec’s station at DIRFT, which is XPO’s main filling station. Switching to bio-LNG will happen when XPO can use a single gas supplier with the proper certification across the country.

Dan Myers, XPO MD, transport – UK and Ireland, says: “Saint-Gobain PAM and XPO both recognise the importance of protecting our environment. By working together, we assessed the options to replace diesel with LNG. At this point in time, LNG was the only viable option while delivering on our service promise. After a thorough review, the decision to select LNG was made, providing CO2 savings of at least 20% over diesel.”

Six-month evaluation

When it came to choosing which gas truck to go for, XPO fleet engineers along with Saint-Gobain PAM carried out a thorough six-month evaluation of the available gas vehicles, and the Volvo HPDI proved to be the best fit.

“We did look at the alternatives and we felt the Volvo was the best one for us,” says Bere. “We went for 460hp because, when we are looking for backhaul, we don’t know what we will be picking up. So the larger-capacity truck builds in contingency and flexibility.

“When we did the original planning exercise we based it on a range of 315 miles on a tank of LNG and we are doing far better than that, which has been a pleasant surprise.”

These trucks have indeed proved able to do 350 miles on a single tank, depending on traffic – so leaving the depot at 4am helps. The trucks feature Volvo’s Fuel Package including I-See terrain-mapping software with predictive cruise control and eco-roll.

“It’s an evolution,” says Bere. “This was a big step for us, to go to LNG from diesel. We are an early adopter so the infrastructure is still developing. We will take the 20% CO2 reduction for now, but the goal is to go to biogas.

“People won’t buy gas trucks until the infrastructure is there – somebody has to take the first step.”

In the long term, Saint-Gobain PAM and XPO are looking for even lower-emission vehicles such as electric and hydrogen, but they are convinced that right now LNG is the best option for their long-haul operation.

“We need to see where things go,” says Bere. “We don’t know what we have to do to make electric viable for long-haul, but there will have to be the infrastructure on the motorways and that is probably longer [away] than the [end of] lease of these trucks anyway.

“If you are looking at final-mile parcels companies, I’m sure electric will fit in with what they do. But we deliver heavy products to building sites. We have to wait for the right technology to be there. When it is we will jump on it as we have with this. As soon as LNG became viable, we were fully committed to it.

“Our view is that LNG is viable for the next five years.

Then we can see what the next step might be, whether it’s hydrogen fuel cell or battery electric.” n 9.3.20

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@motor_transport |

Motor Transport

26/02/2020 09:33

From 26th October 2020, ALL goods vehicles over 12 tonnes will require a permit to enter London.

Direct Vision Standard Are you ready?

0 How Brigade can help Brigade Electronics can advise transport operators on the requirements of the Direct Vision Standard and how to achieve a permit to enter London if your vehicle falls short of the minimum star rating. If you are unsure what your vehicle’s Direct Vision Standard star rating is, we offer a free service to obtain that information for you.

Brigade Electronics has a range of products to comply with the Direct Vision Standard requirements.

For comprehensive information about the reqirements of the Direct Vision Standard and how we can help you comply; visit our website or give us a call.

brigade-electronics.com

01322 420300