In this role, Terrie will be responsible for promoting the company’s contract hire and fleet management services into new and non-traditional market sectors for Euroway. Although Terrie will be working out of the company’s Bedfordshire head office, she will have a national remit for developing new business opportunities for the full range of value-added services offered by Euroway.

Prior to joining Euroway, Terrie spent 2.5 years at high profile operator Culina Logistics, in the role of group compliance manager, heading up the company’s compliance, fleet and driver training departments, working with over 900 assets. Prior to that, Terrie spent nine years in a variety of roles at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), latterly as a Section Head for 3PLs, Parcel Carriers and Hauliers.

On joining Euroway in January, Terrie said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of a forward thinking and innovative company like Euroway where, by offering tailor made solutions and a flexible approach to suit our customer needs, we can provide real value for money as well as a fully bespoke solution.”

Terrie added, ” In these tough economic times, we look to provide excellent service, focus on spend reduction for our customers and ensuring a compliant, well managed fleet. Working as a team, this means we ensure that we deliver and exceed our customers expectations and this focus on service allows me to offer our clients a range of options to compliment their fleet needs.”

Terrie Clifton can be contacted on 07500 601148 or by e-mail on Terrie.Clifton@eurowaygroup.com

The products were originally developed for the US military in the early 90’s and have been used extensively in the US trucking and courier industries for many years, as well as law enforcement and government agencies including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coastguard, U.S. Customs Service and the FBI.

The additive reduces friction between all moving parts in an engine, gearbox or axle and consequently improves performance and mpg. Lower operating temperatures have also been observed and there is strong evidence to suggest that CO2 emissions are also reduced.

The head of European distribution, Mr Bill Friend of EFPT Products said when the products were launched: “I understand the scepticism within the haulage industry for this type of product making these types of claims, as I know many products in the past have promised miracles and not delivered. All I can say is that all the evidence I have seen from the USA and the 23% improvement in the mpg of my own car, have given me the belief that these products actually do work.”

And recently added: “It’s good to see that companies are putting aside years of scepticism and taking a serious look at products which can offer long term financial benefits”.

DSX Extra has proven over time to extend parts and engine life, improve fuel economy and system efficiency, as well as lower CO2 emissions, resulting in a reduction of carbon footprint.

Having been told many times from companies and individuals within the haulage industry that they’ve “heard it all before”, Bill Friend has a final word for all those sceptics : “I know you’ve all heard it all before about wonder products to improve mpg and reduce your running costs, but with the levels of interest being shown in our products, if they are the ones which work, can you afford to be left behind”

And when asked about his search for testimonial companies to trial the product he replied: “We’ve received strong levels of interest since our launch and due to this our testimonial prices will not be available for much longer. Any operator with a glimmer of interest would be wise to take advantage of them now, before somebody proves the product for them and reaps the long term financial benefit of these great prices”.

EFPT Products is still for the moment looking for forward thinking haulage operators to undertake trials of the product at greatly reduced costs, in return for testimonials to help with marketing when the trial is complete, but this offer will not last for much longer.

If you’re interested in finding out more and possibly undertaking a trial, click on the link below and visit the company web site now !

For more information click on the following link:

Louise, 28, joins Continental with strong sales and marketing experience from her previous role as sales and marketing manager for Ardmore Language Schools.

Louise said; “I am delighted to join Continental in this exciting role. My initial activities will be focussed on getting to know the network partners and gaining a broader understanding of how the Conti360° network can be developed moving forward.”

Having studied business management at the University of Bath, Louise will be responsible for implementing the overall strategic direction for the Conti360° network.

This will include implementing growth plans to develop new business opportunities with both existing and new customers as well as managing the performance of the network to maintain highest service levels to end users.

Tracey Hyem, Commercial Marketing Manager said; “I am delighted to have Louise on board the commercial team. Her enthusiasm and experience will really add value and help develop and improve the Conti360° network going forward.”

Louise, who lives in Windsor, enjoys travelling having recently visited Turkey and Vietnam. She is also a keen runner, competing in several half marathons per year.

For more information and to contact the Continental Commercial team, visit www.continental-tyres.co.uk/truck

The aim of restructuring the business into three coherent sales and marketing regions – Americas (North and South America), EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific) – is to create an organisation which can meet its customers’ needs more effectively and better exploit the commercial potential of the Group’s different truck brands.

At the start of the year, Claes Nilsson became President Volvo Trucks EMEA Sales & Global Brand, with operational sales and marketing responsibility for the EMEA region. The position also involves responsibility for managing the global product strategy and developing the Volvo Trucks brand.

“I think that our new structure offers us significant opportunities. The strategy for Volvo Trucks has been in place for some time and is very much still valid. We will continue to develop Volvo Trucks’ unique qualities and supply trucks which meet our customers’ high standards and expectations,” says Claes Nilsson.

The organisational changes came into effect at the start of the year. The new management team will continue to take a highly customer focused approach and will also be investing in expanding the service and aftermarket network.

“We already have more than 2,300 dealers and workshops all over the world and this figure will grow. Our relationship with our customers plays a central role and our business goes much further than just selling trucks. This is only the beginning of what we do. For us it is all about offering our customers effective transport solutions with guaranteed quality, safety and the greatest possible care for the environment,” he adds.

The RET sets ferry fares to the equivalent cost for vehicles travelling the same distance by road and in 2008 a pilot scheme was introduced for the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree. But from April lorries will not be included in the scheme, which will continue for cars, coaches and small commercial vehicles under 3.5 tonnes.

Christopher MacRae, FTA’s Head of Policy in Scotland, said: “Ending RET for lorries is bad news for operators and the island communities themselves. It will increase transport costs further and, if these costs are passed on, it will see the cost of living rise too. RET was introduced to boost the local tourist trade and island economies, and it has been widely acknowledged that in this respect it has been very successful, but let’s not underestimate the vital role that freight has played in the success of island life. In the current economic climate, threatening inflation to Scotland’s tourist industry is a grave misjudgement.”

RET will be replaced by an enhanced discount scheme offering up to 25 per cent discount on ferry fares (up from the pre-RET maximum level of 15 per cent). It is also intended that the new larger commercial vehicle discount scheme be made more inclusive than its predecessor to avoid bias against small to medium volume users. It is intended to implement the scheme by the end of March to coincide with the ending of RET. Further, it is understood there may be transitional arrangements.

MacRae concluded: “It is understood that the new lorry discount scheme will not apply to occasional users, and even with a 25 per cent discount, costs to larger commercial vehicles will increase by over 100 per cent.

“Budgetary pressure is cited by Scottish Government as the reason for the financial cutback of RET for lorries, and we understand that the proposed new lorry discount scheme will not be extended to other routes. Yet RET will be extended for cars, small commercial vehicles and coaches to inter island services across the Sounds of Barra and Harris and there will be further RET pilots but again lorries are not included. It is also planned to extend RET to other West Coast and Clyde islands, but again not for lorries. FTA has written to the Minister for Housing and Transport expressing our dismay and concern at these decisions.”

Members whose operations or supply chains are affected by these changes are asked to contact Christopher MacRae cmacrae@fta.co.uk 07818 450353

Lucky Red is part of the Yearsley Group, since it was acquired as part of the takeover of Ice Pak Seafood Specialists earlier this year. Lucky Red chose Isuzu because of the combination of the product’s strong reputation for reliability and impressive payload carrying capacity.

The two new Isuzu N75.190 refrigerated 7.5 tonners, both fitted with Solomon 4.26m refrigerated bodies, are now operating on multi-drop regional work, delivering frozen food predominantly to Chinese restaurants in the north of England, each covering an estimated 80,000 miles per annum.

As Mark Haslam, head of logistics at Yearsley Group says, “We’ve been operating vehicles at 7.5 tonnes, but we now need the improved payload that is achievable by switching to Isuzu. Before committing to the brand however, we did speak to other operators of Isuzus and were even given access to telematics information. From that we could see accurate fuel consumption figures and reliability performance, which certainly helped us to make our final decision”.

Supplied by local Manchester dealer The Hulme Group, both of the Isuzu 7.5t rigids feature the company’s popular Easyshift semi-automated transmission system whilst the Solomon reefer bodies have Carrier Transicold Xarios 600 direct drive refrigeration systems, together with triple opening rear doors, and a single pallet width side door to the nearside.

Based in Middleton, North Manchester, Lucky Red specialises in the temperature-controlled delivery of premium foodstuffs. The products are sourced from throughout the world, and then stored and delivered from the Middleton warehouse, with fish being a particular speciality.

“Temperature controlled food distribution is a very significant market sector for Isuzu Truck UK. The proven performance of our 7.5 tonners, in terms of reliability and payload, has become recognised as industry leading. Our customer CARE philosophy has generated unprecedented levels of customer loyalty and as a consequence many companies such as Lucky Red are switching to Isuzu. At the end of the day, commercial vehicle operators have to trust the products they buy and the organisation they’re dealing with. I think it’s fair to say that, certainly amongst the food distribution fraternity, word is getting around that we’re living up to their expectations,” said Keith Child, marketing director at Isuzu Truck UK.

Full details of the current Isuzu Truck range can be viewed and downloaded from the company’s website on www.isuzutruck.co.uk

Proposals to impose a road user charge for vehicles over 12 tonnes have been broadly welcomed by FTA, which has long argued that foreign lorries should pay their way on the UK’s road network, as long as it doesn’t bring with it an extra cost or administrative burden to UK business.

Commenting on a government consultation on lorry road user charging published this morning, Simon Chapman, FTA’s Chief Economist, said:

“Foreign lorries don’t contribute a penny to Treasury coffers, leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill for the external costs they cause. To compound the situation, foreign trucks fill up with diesel bought outside the UK, where fuel duty is far lower, so not only do they avoid contributing to the UK economy at the pumps, they also put domestic companies at a massive commercial disadvantage. Clearly, ensuring that foreign lorries pay to use our roads is the right thing to do, after all many UK hauliers spend thousands every year on using roads in Europe via different road user charging schemes.

“The proposal recognises that for this system to work it needs to be both revenue neutral and not administratively burdensome for UK hauliers. The proposal to ask for payment from UK hauliers at Vehicle Excise Duty renewal time is sensible. But as ever the Devil is in the detail and FTA will be making sure that the final proposal works for, and not against, the industry.”

The high-rate of duty of UK-purchased diesel compared to diesel purchased elsewhere in Europe has provided foreign carriers with a cost-advantage over UK-based hauliers. Meanwhile the gradual liberalisation of domestic haulage markets in Member States has allowed hauliers to compete fiercely for business on price, and undercut domestic rates charged by UK hauliers – pushing rates to uneconomic levels in certain parts of the UK, particularly around East Coast ports.

Chapman concluded:”A lorry road user charge will go some way to assuage industry fears over threats from Europe that restrictions governing the number of freight movements allowed in a foreign country could be removed.

“This ticks the right boxes in terms of fairness, firmness and forward thinking on future competitive challenges that the UK haulage industry may face.”

“This scheme is good news for UK transport operators and should be welcomed also by motorists, many of whom have complained that foreign hauliers pay nothing for using our roads,” said RHA Head of Communications, Kate Gibbs.

“The RHA has been working with government officials to get the best scheme possible under EU rules and we believe this is what the new proposals represent. We are urging ministers to press forward with this project as a priority, both in terms of Parliamentary time and commercial dealings, so that the original deadline of spring 2014 start-up can be met.”

Most EU states charge lorries for using their roads, which means that British vehicles have to pay to drive in Europe, while foreign lorries can drive for free in the UK.

Minister Penning said: “We want to ensure that UK hauliers get a fairer deal and help maintain the competitiveness of our logistics industry.

“Each year there are around 1.5 million trips to the UK by foreign registered lorries – but none of them pays to use our roads, leaving UK businesses and taxpayers to foot the bill.

“The proposals I have set out today will ensure that all hauliers who use our roads are contributing to their cost, regardless of where they are from.

“I want UK hauliers to get involved and respond to this consultation to make sure that the final scheme works for them – helping level the playing field with foreign hauliers, boosting their market share and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK.”

The proposed scheme will levy a time-based charge of around up to £10 a day for lorries of 12 tonnes or over using any road in the UK. The precise level of charges will depend on exchange rate and inflation at the time of implementation – likely to be 2015, subject to the legislative programme.

By law, the scheme cannot discriminate between UK-registered vehicles and vehicles from elsewhere in the EU so this charge will apply to all lorries but, for the vast majority of UK hauliers, this will not mean an increase in costs because the Government proposes to compensate them for the charge.

The most likely compensation measure will be a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty for UK-registered vehicles.

For 94% of UK-registered HGVs over 12 tonnes, hauliers would not pay any more than now. Four per cent would pay no more than £50 a year more and a further 2% would pay slightly over £50, but the maximum extra cost would be £79. Even these small increases could be avoided by most vehicles if they were replated to carry a slightly reduced weight.

Under the plans, UK hauliers would pay an annual (or six month) charge for each HGV at the same time and in the same transaction as they pay its Vehicle Excise Duty. Foreign hauliers could pay daily, weekly, monthly or annual charges.

The consultation will run until 18 April 2012 and can be found here: www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-03

GreenRoad is designed to dramatically reduce crash incidents and cut fuel consumption by enhancing driver performance while behind the wheel.   A typical GreenRoad customer sees up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions as well as a 50% reduction on collision costs.

Van Excellence is an industry-led initiative to raise standards and improve the image of the UK’s growing van sector and includes a tough accreditation system and a strict code of practice, and is backed by many household names.  The launch of Van Excellence in 2010 has been widely welcomed in the industry, and many businesses have joined the scheme.  Van Excellence is a standard set by van operators for use by van operators, sharing and formalising working practices already used by leading companies in the sector.

Mark Cartwright, FTA’s Van Project Manager, said: “We are delighted to have GreenRoad on board as partners of Van Excellence.  As leaders in driver performance and safety management they bring a huge amount of value to the scheme in terms of experience and expertise, and their support is invaluable.”

GreenRoad will be providing a regular column for  the FTA’s magazine Freight covering relevant issues.  Aidan Rowsome, general manager of GreenRoad, said: “We chose to partner with FTA because its Van Excellence scheme plays an important role in helping fleets become safer and more fuel-efficient.  We hope that through this partnership we will help van fleet managers understand that it is possible to change driving behaviour and achieve considerable savings in accident costs, fuel, insurance and wear-and-tear.”

Commenting on the award, Managing Director Jim Kirkwood said: “We are particularly pleased to receive this accolade as this award is unique in the fleet industry and voted for exclusively by the readers of Business Car magazine and Business Car online, with no outside influence being brought to bear. It’s gratifying to hear that so many senior people in the fleet industry took the trouble to vote and therefore express their satisfaction with our contribution to business driver welfare and fleet running cost reduction.”

Further details about AA DriveTech’s wide range of driver risk management and training products for the drivers of cars, vans, trucks, coaches and 4x4s can be obtained by visiting www.AAdrivetech.com

“This comes as very good news for both the Road Haulage Association and for the industry at large”, said RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning.

“Both Nick Denton and Kevin Rooney are well known to the RHA and I am confident that these appointments will bring a new dimension to what has always been an excellent working relationship between Association staff and the traffic area offices throughout the UK.”

Responding to operator needs and increasingly stringent European safety regulations, Krone designed the Multi-Lock rave-securing system to provide maximum load securing options (over 3,000 using a complete system) faster loading, increased flexibility for different load types and most importantly, safe handling.

According to Richard Grimes, International Business Development Manager for Maru, safety is paramount but speed and efficiency are pre requisites when providing the level of professional service for which Maru is renowned.

“Krone Trailers offer the simplest and easiest stripping and re boarding of any of the manufacturers” Comments Richard, “and this assists us greatly when turning vehicles round for loading and unloading to meet our deadlines at the hub. The Multi Lock Side Rave securing facility forms a key part of the process.”

Maru supply international transport services to most towns and cities in Eastern and Western European countries and with the mileage involved, reliability is as important as back up service.

“Krone’s European service network is crucial to our operation” Continues Richard Grimes. “In the unlikely event we have any need, we can contact Krone. Their after sales service is incredibly helpful and critically, in what are time-sensitive markets, gives us fast and efficient response times.”

All Krone trailers are accredited with European body structure codification, EN 12462 XL. This guarantees a tough and robust standard of build which not only provides for additional security and safety but also ensures a long working trailer life

“We have always found”, concludes Richard, “that all Krone Trailers have excellent build quality. Our investment with Krone means that during their lifespan for Maru their tractor/trailer combinations travelling over a million miles are robust enough to remain in service for many years.”

Following industry pressure, the scope for the new ‘O-licensing’ regime was passed in January 2010, but since then the leading trade body has been frustrated by a lack of progress.

Tom Wilson, FTA’s Head of Policy for Northern Ireland, met with Mr Attwood at Stormont. He said: “In all our meetings with Mr Attwood – and, indeed, with previous Assembly ministers – we have put the need for an O-licensing regime for all truck operators right at the top of our agenda. We believe that through this we can significantly improve the safety standards of HGVs on Northern Ireland’s roads

“The economic argument for O-licensing is also strong. If commercial vehicle owners were legally bound to make regular, preventative maintenance checks and drivers were properly trained to detect vehicle faults then this would reduce congestion resulting from vehicle breakdowns, improve air quality and reduce those indirect costs associated with unreliable deliveries and vehicle downtime.

Licensing of transport operators has had a positive impact on road safety in Great Britain, where it has existed for over forty years requiring commercial vehicle operators to hold an ‘O-licence’ to carry goods connected with any trade or business on a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, whether for ‘own account trade’ or ‘hire and reward’. However, this new legislation will mean that every goods vehicle operator in Northern Ireland, including ‘own account’, will now be legally required to hold an O-licence

Wilson concluded: “The Minister absolutely gets the importance of O-licensing to Northern Ireland, and we are encouraged by the confidence he has that it will be introduced by the April deadline.”

Shopfta stocks a wide range of winter products such as salt bins, snow shovels and winter care kits. New this year are shoe grips to prevent slipping, and Autosocks for Trucks, which can be fitted to tyres for driving on ice and snow, and can even be fitted on a hill, after you’ve got stuck.

The new Shopfta website has a cleaner, more modern look and feel and is easier to navigate, allowing customers to find what they need in one or two clicks. There is also a redesigned product page to improve the customer experience and help aid the decision making process, and an improved search function.

There are customer reviews and Frequently Asked Questions, and clearer ways for customers to become more involved with Shopfta through posting a product review, or sharing it with their Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

There is also the added benefit of an online chat facility which provides instant access to a member of the Shopfta team.

This represents a significant step forward for Shopfta which has been online since 2007. The redesign is a result of FTA’s on-going investment in the digital future which provides a convenient platform for its customers to browse and purchase essential supplies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To celebrate, Shopfta is offering 15 per cent off its top three best-selling products – tachograph charts, tachograph rolls and tachograph envelopes – for online orders only over £50 (inc VAT). Simply quote coupon code WEBOFFER2012 (one use only per customer).

The Shopfta website can be found at www.shop.fta.co.uk, or alternatively call 08717 11 11 11.

This update aims to:

· Include requirements for models which have come onto the market since publication of the previous edition in September 2010.

· Correct information on a small number of existing models to reduce the risk of erroneous test failures.

This consultation closes on 16 January.

To date, more than 100,000 drivers of heavy trucks have participated in Scania Driver Competitions, making it the world’s largest truck driver competition and training event.

This year over 45.000 young drivers from 27 countries on five continents are expected to compete to become the world’s best truck driver.

National rounds and the final competition will include theoretical tests on road safety regulations, and practical tests on vehicle inspection, fuel-efficient driving and safe manoeuvring. The winner will be offered a brand new truck from Scania.

The AutoExpo event offers an excellent opportunity to exhibit our industry-leading DAF product to Indian commercial vehicle customers,” said Dan Sobic, PACCAR executive vice president.

The DAF CF being displayed is equipped with a PACCAR PX-6 180-horsepower engine and an Asia MotorWorks (AMW) tipper body. The versatile CF is designed for tractor and vocational configurations. DAF is the leading on-highway tractor manufacturer in Europe. DAF trucks are sold and serviced by a network of over 1,000 independent dealer locations worldwide.

“DAF vehicles are successful due to their excellent reliability, efficiency and high standard of driver comfort,” commented Don Schulte, managing director PACCAR in India. “The AutoExpo 2012 offers PACCAR the opportunity to meet with potential customers, dealers and suppliers.”

The IRU Road Transport Indices, which allow the comparison of GDP growth, road freight transport volumes and new vehicle registrations in 58 countries, forecast that the OECD and EU countries will be confronted with a considerable slow down of economic growth and transport activities after a year of feeble economic growth.

IRU Head of Sustainable Development, Jens Hügel highlighted that “when comparing the 2010 and 2011 figures, BRIC countries** have outperformed OECD countries in terms of growth in tonnes transported and will continue doing so in 2012. In fact, transport operators from BRIC countries transported 7.7% more goods in 2011, whereas transport operators in the OECD and EU transported only 1.7% and 1.6% respectively more transport volume.”

The 2012 forecast for OECD and EU countries shows that growth in transport volume will slow down to 0.9% and 0.8% respectively, before finally stagnating in the 3rd and 4th quarters. New vehicle registrations for the first 2 quarters of 2012 will increase for the OECD and EU by 0.9% and 0.7%, before equally coming to a hold in the second half of the year.

Mr Hügel added, “After a modest recovery in OECD countries in 2011, uncertainties will increase and the current financial turmoil will again impact the real economy. There are many parallels to the 2008 economic crisis situation as well as early signs that the OECD and EU are heading for a double dip recession. However, this new recession is not unavoidable. There are political options to prevent it and it is imperative to learn from how BRIC countries coped with the last crisis.”

The fact that BRIC countries are outperforming OECD and EU countries results from their understanding that both systemic innovation and major investment in production tools, including in small and medium-sized enterprises that provide 85% of jobs, such as road transport companies, are instrumental in expediting real economic growth.

In order to avoid a new recession and restore sustainable economic growth in 2012, governments should recognise, as do BRIC countries, that road transport is a non-subsidised production tool, which interconnects all businesses in all regions, to all world markets with its high quality and unique door-to-door services, and should thus be promoted and further facilitated.

The Yearbook provides essential information designed to keep operators fully aware of all aspects of road transport legislation, presented in a clear and concise way, and also includes information on other relevant areas, such as health and safety.

The 2012 edition, written and compiled by FTA’s team of transport legislation experts, is updated with changes to road transport law, such as the new operator licensing rules, conspicuity markings for new vehicles and the introduction of the agency worker regulations.

One free Yearbook is delivered to every FTA member during January. Additional copies are available from Shopfta on 08717 11 11 11, or 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.shop.fta.co.uk Prices, which have once again been held back at 2010 levels, are £37 a copy for FTA members or £79 for non-members, with discounts for multiple orders. Please quote product code 4501.

FTA members are also kept up-to-date on legislation changes via regular email newsletters, the monthly magazine ‘Freight’ and the FTA website www.fta.co.uk Free legal and operational advice is also available to FTA members from the Member Advice Centre.

As a key player in the market, RHA Telecom Solutions is perfectly placed to bring to members significant telecoms expertise and experience, together with product and service choice at the most competitive rates possible.

RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning said: “We are pleased to welcome Transglobal UK Ltd to our experienced team of businesses partners. RHA Telecom Solutions will be able to provide RHA members with landline, mobile, broadband and phone systems products and services whilst offering significant telecoms expertise and experience, widest product and service choice along with the most competitive rates”.

RHA Telecom Solutions products include landline systems – as an appointed BT wholesale partner, they have direct access into BT’s systems and those of all other major international telecoms networks allowing a seamless migration of RHA Members’ landline rental and calls, and at significantly discounted rates off BT’s standard tariff.

As a large provider of Broadband RHA Telecom Solutions provides a ‘business grade’ Broadband service. This service differs from the residential type that many businesses have fallen into the trap of using. Residential Broadband generally will not offer the resilience and speed of a business grade connection, speed that is so ‘mission critical’ in business today. The company also provides dedicated leased lines for un-contended end to end connections.

RHA Telecom Solutions can provide a first line support for most legacy or state of the art phone systems, RHA Telecom Solutions has the capability, through its competitively priced service contracts to ensure that members’ phone system faults are rectified speedily and recommend any software or hardware upgrades. A site visit can also provide a report detailing any requirements for cabling or major phone system upgrade or replacement. And when it comes to mobile phone systems, as an appointed wholesale provider for Orange and Vodafone RHA Telecoms Solutions manages the whole provision and after sales support of the mobile.

Following the successful award of the initial three year contract to manage the outbound logistics operations of HM Foods and Fox’s confectionary, the agreement has now grown to incorporate additional transport activities for Halo Foods out of manufacturing plants in Newport and Tywyn, Wales.

The contract now sees Bibby Distribution operating from production facilities in Middlesex, Leicester, Newport and Tywyn into retail and food service outlets throughout the UK. Additional warehousing activities are also underway in Southall, Middlesex.

“What’s impressive about Bibby is its management attitude,” said Nick Abbott, Divisional Logistics Manager for the Halo Foods Group. “The team has a very open and honest approach; prior to awarding the initial contract earlier in the year, we were invited to see a continuous improvement project it had up and running for a customer at its site in Bicester.

“What a novelty from a supplier; the confidence to be transparent in how cost efficiencies are recognised and implemented by onsite staff right up to senior management. This strong partnership approach instantly allayed any trepidation we had in making the move to a new supplier, and the positive start to the relationship has consequently led to significant new business being awarded to Bibby in a very short space of time.”

The integration process of the initial contract was completed in just six weeks, with HM Foods quickly seeing its expectations exceeded in terms of agreed key performance indicators.

“The size and scale of activities we have handed to Bibby demand sophisticated and precise reporting which the team have taken in their stride and delivered from day one without incurring any interruptions in service,” added Abbott. “We have no doubt that our joint expertise will push the boundaries of our business and uncover significant operational efficiencies.”

Expected pallet movements this year alone are in excess of 180,000 and the management and planning of the logistics platform, including routing, scheduling and communications is being handled by an onsite Bibby Distribution team at HM Foods’ facility in Southall.

That is the stark warning from the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) – the trade body that represents nearly 700 leading third party logistics service companies in the UK.

Since April 2010 HMRC has had the authority to: ‘assess anyone for duty on goods illegally diverted from bonded movements who was “aware or should reasonably have been aware” of the diversion at any point in the supply chain.’

The wording of this new power springs directly from precedent in VAT fraud case law and has widespread implications because HMRC has promised to apply the lessons successfully learned in VAT to excise duty fraud anywhere in the supply chain.

In addition, HMRC can also issue severe ‘wrongdoing’ penalties against anyone in the supply chain who has supplied, sold or at any time ‘held’ excise goods on which duty has not been paid, whether the ‘wrongdoing’ was deliberate or non-deliberate.

In simple terms, this means that if an organisation has been involved at any stage in the supply of goods that have been illicitly diverted from a bonded supply chain, it could be liable for duty – even if that organisation is not directly responsible for the diversion but has ‘means of knowledge’. Based on legal precedent,, this could simply include knowledge of fraud in the market, in which the businesses participate.

“Warehouse keepers and third party owners of goods, hauliers and couriers handling the goods as well as wholesalers and retailers – in fact anyone handling the product in the chain – can now be held liable to the duty if it can be shown by HMRC that they knew or should have known that duty was not, or would not be, paid on the product.” Says Alan Powell of Alan Powell Associates, UKWA’s honorary advisor on excise duty matters.

Powell concedes, that as things stand, there may not be much that businesses can do to avoid falling foul of HMRC. “Beyond carrying out the usual due diligence when entering in to a contract, there is not much that a company can do to protect themselves,” he says. “Even then, if VAT precedent is followed, due diligence may be no protection if HMRC alleges knowing participation in a market tainted with fraud.”

HMRC’s anti-fraud powers come with the ability to impose harsh penalties on anyone found to have held or dealt in duty-unpaid excise goods outside of duty suspense (“bond”). If a person knowingly or even unknowingly handles such goods, there is now an absolute liability to a penalty of up to 100% of the duty as “potential lost revenue” on the goods.

This can be one element of a triple blow, as Alan Powell explains: “If you are holding goods suspected of being duty unpaid, HMRC can detain and seize the goods and refuse to restore them, meaning the overall cost of those goods becomes a loss, in addition to losing the physical stock. What is more, HMRC can also make an assessment for any and all stock put through a business that it believes to be duty unpaid.

“In essence, if you touch ‘suspect’ goods in the course of your business, you will be deemed to be ‘contaminated’ and liable to penalties and the full duty.”

“HMRC’s action plan and its enforcement is not theoretical. It is happening now and businesses who believed themselves to be simply ‘naïve’ are facing financial ruin. It could happen to anyone – suppliers, warehouse keepers, retailers, publicans, cash and carries, hauliers. HMRC want their money and are looking for every penny,” concludes Powell.

Because the new system has very serious implications for anyone who handles excise goods, UKWA is warning its members to take extra care when handling or in any way dealing in such products.

With 1,619 exhibitors it is the biggest of its type in Europe by far, with 190,000 square metres for indoor and 30,000 square metres for outdoor exhibits.

Some 730 of the exhibitors are German firms. Amongst the 889 foreign exhibitors, Turkey leads with 107, reflecting the strength of its growing automotive industry.

The UK is seventh in the 40-strong list of exhibitor nations. The 200 or so van, truck, trailer, bodybuilder and bus stands take up nearly 60 per cent of the exhibition space. If you plan to go to the show and need a hotel room, book soon before the rush.

The renewal will see Wincanton continue the petroleum distribution for Topaz Energy in the Republic of Ireland, further strengthening the long-established relationship that is now entering its 18th year.

Mark Peard, Operations Manager for Topaz noted: “We are very pleased to renew our relationship with Wincanton. They have continued to build and deliver a strong culture of health and safety and have demonstrated flexibility in their operational activities helping Topaz to deliver its message to its customers – “Topaz – that’s better.”

Neil McDonnell, Contracts Manager, Wincanton commented: “We are delighted to have secured a contract renewal with Topaz Energy, when the Irish petroleum market is experiencing such challenging conditions. In the continued partnership, we’re keen to demonstrate our dedication to obtaining best-in-class performance in key areas, such as health and safety, operational efficiency and continuous improvement.”

Representatives were drawn from the logistics buying teams of major blue-chip manufacturers, retailers and pharmaceutical companies, all heavily reliant on their global supply chains.

Chris Welsh, FTA’s General Manager Global & European Policy, said: “The regular seminars that FTA runs with Holman Fenwick Willan are proving to be of immense value to our members and, given the ever-growing global supply chains and the myriad legal issues this throws up, their themes really resonate.”

Welsh concluded: “When dealing with very dry and complicated legal issues it is important to engage with the audience on a lively and, wherever possible, entertaining manner – fortunately these seminars are proving their worth in making such matters accessible and engaging.”

The next event covers the key issues which arise when negotiating contractual arrangements with providers of logistics and transport services and is aimed at international supply chain and logistics operations, including:

* Shippers/logistics buyers

* Intermediaries and those engaged in operational logistics

* Supply chain managers

* In-house legal counsel in retail and manufacturing organisations which have outsourced their logistics operations

The next workshop will be held on 19 October at Holman Fenwick Willan’s central London offices. To attend, please contact Jim Magner at jmagner@fta.co.uk

Under the terms of the deal, Bibby Distribution has taken over contracts with packaging manufacturer, Board 24 and industrial packaging firm Greif UK. It is expected to use up to 200 vehicular assets to service the contracts, which have been sourced by Bibby at very short notice.

Bibby is a privately owned company and the directors are not revealing how much was paid for the MRS assets but stress that it was a cash deal. It forms part of a planned acquisition programme by Bibby Distribution, which has already seen the company acquire Taygroup in April 2010.

Since taking over the contracts late on Friday 6 August, Bibby Distribution has already received praise from Richard McBride, Managing Director of Board 24. In an email to staff he said: “I am very pleased with the smooth transition of the operation. I would like to convey my thanks to the team at Bibby for their ability to make this happen at such short notice.”

Iain Speak, Chief Executive Officer of Bibby Distribution, added: “We are able to move quickly on acquisitions as long as they are complementary to existing operations and we believe that they can create value.”

“The market has been flat due to the recession and there are not many buyers out there. Some company owners that would like to sell have been waiting to see if things improve, but it is now clear to everyone that the prices achieved two years ago won’t be back.

“We carried out these transactions because it made sense for us and we are very active in looking for fundamentally sound businesses that we can acquire in order to enhance and accelerate our growth strategy.”

Melissa Carslake, Managing Director (South) at right4staff, believes these figures mean that industry is starting to make a coming back as the economy slowly improves.

“For the past eighteen months the demand for drivers dropped to unprecedented lows but now we are experiencing a surge in demand. During the recession, businesses had to shrink their in-house fleet to cut costs but as the market has improved there is now a significant shortage of drivers. At right4staff we are having to work hard to meet the demands of our clients which is good news for LGV drivers as more and more jobs are becoming readily available.”

Right4staff’s increased demand is backed up by figures from Skills For Logistics. They found that in May 2009 there was a total of 4,695 LGV driver vacancies but a year later in May 2010 this had risen to 13,299 vacancies – an increase of 183 per cent.

A little publicised legal decision last month [Yetkin v Mahmood and Another] has emphasised the responsibility of councils to keep foliage clear, maintaining good sightlines and road safety.

Views of a pedestrian crossing were obscured by foliage, and the claimant sued the driver and the London Borough of Newham as the highway authority.

IAM Chief Examiner Peter Rodger said: “At this time of year the issue is at its height, with road signs all over the UK being obscured by foliage, and little or no indication of any maintenance work being done.

“While the IAM would expect a driver to take account of the obstruction to their view, and encourage all road users to look for clues other than traffic markings, the council is legally obliged to keep signs and crossings well visible, and this case should serve as a reminder to both drivers and to local authorities.”