Transport News Brief
Week 11, Monday 12 March 2007
Mixed messages from van and truck registration data
Last week’s van and truck registration data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders gives some mixed messages, with vans 0.3% up for the rolling year and trucks down 31%. Within those totals, medium vans were up 40%. “High volume heavy and medium van registrations rose on the back of shifting demand patterns,” said Christopher Macgowan, SMMT chief executive. “By contrast, the smaller volume light van and car-type sectors lost ground. As expected, truck registrations are down dramatically. This reflects the drop in orders last autumn, caused by the change to tougher, Euro 4 emission regulations. Overall, we expect both the van and truck markets for the year will be quite healthy and broadly in line with the five-year average. Strong domestic demand continues to drive commercial vehicle demand. Finally, many truck makers report large numbers of enquiries, reinforcing the ‘mixed messages’ from a turbulent few months.”
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Forget the doom and gloom
So said David Cameron MP as he opened the Modec truck production line, believed to be the first new vehicle production line in the West Midlands for some 70 years. “The West Midlands has been the engine room of the British economy and it is great to see the area taking a lead in the green revolution,” said Cameron. “I think we should forget the doom and gloom; climate change opens huge opportunities, we need to look at things in a completely different way and Modec is a good example of this thinking.” The firm showed its two tonne payload electric truck at the CV Show last spring and now has orders for over 100 and expects to build 500 this year.
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CVS takes 50 Euro 5 auto Dafs
Nottingham based Rental firm Commercial Vehicle Solutions is to take 50 Daf XF 105 Euro 5 Space Cab tractors, with the first deliveries due soon. “When we did the deal in the Autumn it was the biggest Euro 5 order on Daf’s books,” says Dave Baker, sales director. “We’ve gone for Euro 5 to keep ahead of the game and for automatics because that’s the way the market’s going.” Baker says he expects the auto boxes will cut running costs as well as being very popular with drivers. “We started about six years ago and we’re growing very well on the back of our policy embracing changes like emissions law and digital tachographs.” Separately Baker says the firm’s year-old digitach training arm is also “really doing very well too.”
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Unload double-stacked containers safely
Retford based Transdek UK says its new mobile lifting platform can be used to load and unload double-stacked containers. “This allows operators to greatly increase their external storage capacity at little cost,” says the firm. The 2.4m x 2m platform has a two tonne load capacity and maximum lift height of three metres and retractable wheels for manouverablity. “The platform has on-board controls to can raise or lower it, while frames at the side and a portcullis at the rear ensure safe working conditions. A full-width one-metre-long hydraulically powered bridge plate with extendable safety gates gives safe access to the upper container.” The platform also works with double-deck trailers.
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Inconsistent approach to city logistics
‘City policies on vehicle access, road pricing and emissions standards will have a big effect on future transport strategy and investment,’ says a report by Mark O'Bornick at logistics and supply chain analysts Analytiqa. “The consequences of poor decisions will be far-reaching. Fleet operators don’t want to find that future laws vary from city to city and penalise them, or worse, stop their vans and trucks meeting customer needs.” Analytiqa’s report, ‘Urban Transport Policy in Europe: Meeting City Demands for Green Logistics’ investigates urban transport policies and their effect on logistics, parcel and courier operators in 20 cities across Europe.
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Schmitz wants to be Toyota of trailer business
Andreas Schmitz, new boss Schmitz Cargobull’s UK business says he wants to increase production at the firm’s Harelaw factory in the UK as part of a company-wide plan to hike production capacity to 85,000 trailers a year to take 45% of the European trailer market. “We want to be the Toyota of the trailer business and twice the size of our nearest competitor in Europe,” said Schmitz at a recent press conference to preview the firm’s plans for the CV Show. At the event, the firm will show a new multi-temperature refrigerated trailer and its latest curtain-sider, complete with high-security curtains. Schmitz says the stand will also feature the increasingly popular Trailer Telematics, Cargobull Finance and Cargobull Parts operations
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Modec - 20% of this year’s production sold
New electric truck maker Modec has orders for over 100 of its zero emissions trucks from Tesco, PF Whitehead, Hildon Water, Speedyhire and Transport for London and others. These and other orders emerged when the firm’s production line opened last week. With a 100 mile range and 50 mph top speed the vehicle is available in fridge, box van, drop-side, flat bed or tipper bodywork. The firm also has a prototype minibus, but that is not commercial available yet. Modec will be at the CV Show again, on Stand 4371 this April and expects strong interest. “No road tax, no Operator’s Licence and no Congestion charge are powerful incentives, said Geoff Reyner, sales director. “And for companies that want to show their green transport commitments, there is no better way than running our trucks.”
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More MAN for VW
Volkswagen says it has hiked its stake in truck and bus maker MAN from around 20% to 29.9%, to help MAN and truck and bus makers Scania agree a friendly merger. VW has a big stake in Scania too.
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Eclipse bus sales top £1m
Tvac, the Lancashire based vehicle application centre says its new, Eclipse16 seat minibus has won orders worth £1m since its launch at the community transport show. “I am really pleased with the response,” says Gary Smith, managing director. “The Eclipse is the first of its type in that the body structure is made entirely from vacuum moulded polyester in the same way we make our market leading fire appliances. The new minibus is based on a Renault Master and Tvac says it will have an example on the Eberspächer stand, 4321 at the CV Show in late April at the NEC.
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Foster chooses Volvo
Foster Contracting chose a 6x4 Volvo FH-460 to support, control and power its Osprey 3000 ultra high pressure water jetting unit. The firm says the Osprey is the biggest of its kind in the world. The Essex-based road and runway maintenance specialist uses its new toy to help remove tyre-rubber deposits from runways and to re-texture road surfaces.
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Euro 4 Hinos at CV Show
Hino says it will have 25 trucks at the CV Show, 20 bodied and liveried tippers on an outside display are and five more trucks on its stand.. The trucks on the stand in Hall 5 include three multi-axle trucks and two vehicles the firm describes as ‘surprises.’ Most will be Euro 4 rated, using EGR emissions control technology. None use exhaust particulate traps.
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New air defector cuts fuel by 6%
Mercedes Benz and Hatcher Components’ new and jointly developed air deflector on an Axor tractor can cut fuel bills by 6%. Nick Blake, sales engineering and truck marketing manager says the two firms have done very thorough and detailed tests against a ‘control’ vehicle over several days. “The results clearly show a repeatable 6% saving,” says Blake. “In any operation, that sort of saving quickly adds up to a lot of money and for big, high-mileage fleets, it could be a very important cost-saving” The firm will show one of the new deflectors on an Axor at the CV Show
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Volvo to help launch UK tours
Wiltshire’s Kinch Coaches just got its first Volvo B12B coach, a 53 seat Plaxton Panther. The new coach joins a 15-strong mixed, though Volvo dominated fleet and the firm says the move will help lauch its new UK tour programme. Started in 1998, Kinch Coaches is in the picturesque village of Minety. So far it has done corporate, private and contract hire and a number of school and miliatry contracts. Its new coach has full climate control, toilet TV/DVD player, fridge and servery. Power is from a 460bhp Volvo engine driving through an I-Shift automated gearbox.
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Truckfile to cut maintenance paperwork
Mercedes Benz its Truckfile, PDA-based workshop administration system will “enormously simplify” the complex paperwork around truck and trailer maintenance. Due for launch at the “all important” CV Show in April, the system gives a digital record of truck and trailer maintenance in a format that Vosa will accept. “From the end of April, truck technician will exchange paper for PDAs,” said Ian Jones, managing director, commercial vehicles. “This means that test and maintenance data can be available for all who need to see it.” Jones says the ‘all makes’ system will simplify maintenance data and for a very modest fee give operators a transparent and completely reliable record.
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Radio remote control use growing
Radio remote control distributor Motion29 says more people are specifying radio based remote control for truck and trailer based machinery instead of using ‘wander’ leads. “We’re talking almost anything from truck based cranes to steerable axles on low-loader trailers. The range of applications is huge and growing steadily,” said the firm’s Andrew Wilkinson. “We’re seeing growing interest right across the spectrum, from entry level units through to very sophisticated versions with a high level of built-in operator safety and protection. Clearly more and more people want the flexibility and safety that radio remote control gives.”
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Recovery continues
Van maker LDV says it registered over 550 Maxus vans in February, up 83% on the same month last year and delivering a 4.7% market share. “Maxus is continuing to win new business and this is driving our sales success, said Tony Lewis, sales director. With new 12 and 17-seat minibuses, and an all-new range of accessible buses on sale next month, Lewis expects continued success and a bigger market share.
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Vanity simplified
Autowired reports that UK parliament may simplify the process of buying and keeping vanity plates. Richard Ottaway MP has a bill on the subject due for a second reading on 23 March. The move is backed by vanity plate dealers and should simplify awkward transfer of ownership issues
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Remote monitoring for batteries
PMVision says it has a new GPS bases system that will reporting battery voltage status remotely, “This stops engineers wasting their time visiting perfectly healthy mobile equipment and changing batteries needlessly,” says the firm’s Roy Bussink. “Our BATman system also uses that GPS system to show where the equipment is, so when a maintenance engineer visits a site there is no wasted time searching for a piece of kit that someone moved and forgot.” The unit is simple to install and once fitted, if the battery charge drops below a threshold, it sends a message to a mobile phone. “Obvious applications include mobile traffic lights, signage, lighting monitoring and survey kit,” says Bussink
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Ryder wins £1.8m brewery deal
Ryder says it just won the fleet management contract for Hydes Brewery of Manchester, one of the UK’s last family-owned and managed breweries. The deal, worth more than £1.8m over five years covers specialist delivery trucks and staff and a contract manager. Ryder says it will deliver big cost and productivity savings. It will also replace the present fleet with the new one half the size but all telematically monitored.
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Isuzu Truck Finance rides again
Isuzu Truck (UK) Limited says it will relaunch its hire purchase and leasing arm, Isuzu Truck Finance, in a partnership deal with Commercial Vehicle Finance Ltd, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas Lease Group plc. “We can now offer a range of competitive finance options that will suit most businesses, making Isuzu trucks even more affordable,” said Richard Draycott, sales director, Isuzu Truck UK. The exercise is part of the firm’s plans to add heavier trucks to UK range.
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New boss at GRP
Refrigerated bodybuilder GRP Group says David Barnes is its new managing director, with immediate effect. He is based at the firm’s Leeds factory.
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New Scudo on sale in Uk
Fiat says its new Scudo van range is now sale in the UK. The firm says it combines a large load capacity with MPV practicality and car-like comfort, performance and handling. The new Scudo is available in 18 versions from launch, priced from £15,884 – £22,688 on-the-road. The range includes panel vans, chassis cabs; these have a body and payload allowance of up to three tonnes. There are also two variants with extra seats. The Combi variant will come in two models with up to six crew seats or up to nine crew seats and generous space fot tools and equipment. The more luxurious Panorama also comes in two models, one with up to six seats and one with up to nine seats and lots of luggage space. Fiat expects to show examples of the new Scudo range and its Doblo and Ducato models at the CV Show