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Freight exchange company Freightex is opening its fourth UK office, near Manchester Airport, due to increasing volumes.
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TDG and Turners (Soham) have been shortlisted by fuel manufacturer Greenergy to fulfill a contract to distribute petrol to retailer Sainsbury's. "We are in the final stages of negotiations with TDG and Turners. We always employ hauliers to distribute for us from our depots, and we normally negotiate our supply arrangements based on geographical locations," reveals a Greenergy spokeswoman.
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Truck registrations will continue plummeting until at least the second quarter of 2010, with a firm recovery unlikely before 2011, according to a report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In addition, registrations may not approach former volumes until 2014.
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Under the five-year agreement, the logistics firm will: Manage the retailer's home-delivery network for furniture and large products; Direct the distribution of general merchandise for the store in the South of England; Run M&S's shop fittings and store equipment national transport operation, in an extension of an existing deal. Wincanton chief executive Graeme McFaull says: "We are delighted with this very significant expansion of our business with M&S, which creates a major new strategic partnership for Wincanton and confirms and strengthens our market-leading position in the retail sector.
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Container specialist and general haulier Wincanton has expanded its container business by opening a new, off-quay container storage and hub facility at Greenham Common, West Berkshire. The 3PL provider is using the site, a former cruise-missile base and centre of anti-nuclear protest, to provide shipping lines, freight forwarders, retailers and importers with an inland hub located at the junction of the A34 and M4.
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Volvo Trucks has launched the next generation of its electronic stability program (ESP), which is now available on both 6x2 and 4x2 tractors and can also operate with one or more trailers.
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As part of the agreement, Antwerp-based CEVA Ground Europe will manage the collection of parts from suppliers at more than 40 sites around Europe. Last month, thousands of Honda workers returned to the production line at the Wiltshire factory, four months after it closed in response to the declining car market.
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An increasing use of four-day working weeks due to the recession is changing delivery patterns and putting greater pressure on operators to cope with higher volumes mid-week and low volumes on Fridays. The pallet networks are particularly noticing the shift in customer demand. Adam Leonard, managing director of TPN, says: "There is definitely a mid-week rush, and talking to others in the sector it seems to be widespread. Generally, if companies move to a four-day week, then Friday would be the preferred day off. Dealing with these delivery peaks and troughs demands greater flexibility from network members."
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Lloyds Transport has renewed part of its existing 35-truck mixed fleet with the purchase of 10 new Renault Premium 450.25 tractor units. Colin Whorton, director, says: "We trialled demonstrator vehicles from a number of different manufacturers and were impressed by the Renault Premium's latest technology and gearbox, as well as the good fuel returns."
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It says something about the current level of confidence in the economy that when Channel Four put together the latest series of its show Undercover Boss, it could only find two companies willing to go through two weeks of filming. Thankfully the channel did manage to find someone with more than a passing interest in road transport to participate in the latest fad in business TV.
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Wincanton says it will "emerge stronger" from the recession, having "reacted quickly" to reduce its costs. The operator was commenting today as it revealed a 1.2% drop in underlying pre-tax profit for the 12 months to March 2009, down from £41.8m to £41.3m. Underlying operating profit for the period rose 13.5% to £59.5m from £52.4m last year.
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All of the British MEPs who sat on the EU's Transport and Tourism Committee (TTC) and who stood for re-election have held on to their seats in the European Parliament. Conservative MEPs Philip Bradbourn and Timothy Kirkhope, Labour MEP Brian Simpson and UK Independence Party (UKIP) MEP Mike Nattrass have all held on to their EU seats.
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The UK officially has the highest diesel prices in the EU, according to figures just released by the government. The latest national statistics on energy trends and prices produced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that the average price of diesel in the UK in April 2009, including tax, was the highest in the EU at 101.9p per litre.
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The global positioning system (GPS) that helps many hauliers pinpoint the whereabouts of their vehicles could begin to break down at the beginning of next year, says the US Government.
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Budget supermarket Lidl is planning to open a new distribution centre near Ower, Hampshire, which could result in 500 lorry movements a day. Plans for the new warehouse, near J2 of the M27, which are under public consultation, describe a new facility employing 200 people, including a transport manager and three transport supervisors.
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Mayor London Mayor Boris Johnson has opened the door to expanding the perimeters of London's controversial low emission zones (LEZ). In the Mayor's transport strategy, Johnson says that, if required to meet emissions targets, he would consider "using further emissions control schemes to include charges or restrictions on movements for vehicles that do not meet minimum emission standards."
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TNT has been named along with business giants such as McDonald's as one of the UK's best employers for pay, training and promotion potential. The delivery company has been named alongside 46 other companies in Britain's Top Employers 2009. The book has been complied by the Corporate Research Foundation.
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Commercial vehicle (CV) registrations continued to plummet in April, with a fall of 44.8% compared to the same period last year, while the year-to-date dropped by 27.7%, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
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Commercial vehicle production dropped by a colossal 63% in the first quarter of 2009, according to the latest SMMT figures. Production numbers for the UK market fell by 75.6%, while export numbers fell by 46.4%.
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One of the men behind last year's fuel protests has told Roadtransport.com that there is a chance of further action this year following the Chancellor's announcement of a 2p/litre duty rise in September.
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