Industry News

The National Grid is ready to overcome the challenges of recharging large volumes of electric vehicles and so range anxiety need not be a barrier to the widespread adoption of low emissions vehicles,  according to Carl Bayliss, project director – electric vehicles at National Grid. Speaking at the FT Future of Mobility Summit in London this week, Bayliss said he was often asked if “the grid” could cope with charging the expected volume of electric vehicles as the UK heads [...]

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Truck turnaround times at the Port of Liverpool have fallen after owner Peel Ports said it had turned its focus to road haulage efficiencies. It said October was a “record-breaking” month for its container operations with quayside and landside throughput exceeding all previous figures with year-on-year growth of 12%. The port also said turnaround times for hauliers is now consistently below 40 minutes. David Huck, Peel Ports MD said: “More businesses are realising that it makes more sense to ship [...]

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Network Rail has insisted there is no excuse for HGV drivers not to know the height of their vehicles and it will support regulatory action against companies that are involved in bridge strikes. The rail network operator said its own research found 52% of lorry drivers do not take low bridges into account when route planning and 43% admitted that they did not measure their vehicle. In the last year alone, it said almost 2,000 instances of vehicles hitting railway [...]

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Protecting the seamless movement of goods after Brexit, boosting driver facilities, expanding Heathrow and helping hauliers decarbonise; the FTA has handed its own election manifesto to the main political parties. The trade association said the industry was determined to meet the government’s target of becoming zero-emission but it would not be achieved without the right support. It has called for the next government to actively support and develop the alternatively-fuelled vehicle market so that businesses of all sizes can transition [...]

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Commercial EV company Tevva has welcomed a technological breakthrough in the US which enables rapid charging of batteries, potentially adding 200 miles of driving time. Scientists said they have discovered a way for vehicle batteries to take in 400Kw of energy in just 10 minutes, overcoming a major hurdle currently surrounding electric vehicles. “We demonstrated that we can charge an electrical vehicle in ten minutes for a 200 to 300 mile range,” said Chao-Yang Wang, professor of materials science and [...]

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Road signage will be eliminated in less than a decade as self-driving vehicles emerge and digital infrastructure is built, according to the UK’s umbrella organisation for self-driving technology, Zenzic. So-called “naked highways” will become a feature of the road network from 2027, according to Zenzic, which also said new planning guidance and blueprints for connected and automated mobility (CAM) ready cities, towns, highways and rural roads will become available from early next year. Zenzic said the physical evolution and decommissioning [...]

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CNG Fuels has announced plans to become the UK’s first supplier of renewable biomethane from cow manure for lorries, to help operators achieve net zero emissions. The company said it was also consulting on how its network of refuelling stations can accommodate low carbon and battery electric technologies for HGVs, for when these become commercially viable. John Lewis has already committed to replacing its fleet of 500-strong diesel trucks with biomethane fuelled alternatives by 2028 and Hermes also intends to [...]

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Truck registrations over 6 tonnes fell 13.1% to 8,557 in Q3 2019 as the market “rebalanced” after higher than usual sales in H1, according to the SMMT. However 3-axle tractor units remained popular, with sales down only 2.5% to 3,623. The big losers were rigid trucks below 16 tonnes, with volumes down 28.5% to just 1,507. H1 sales were artificially inflated as buyers sought to avoid proposed import duties ahead of the original Brexit deadline of March 31 and beat [...]

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The FTA has slammed the government for breaking its vow to improve and expand the number of toilet facilities for HGV drivers on the national road network. The criticism follows an FTA survey which revealed that almost all respondents believe toilet facilities have not improved since the government pledged to upgrade them 18 months ago, with some drivers claiming they had become worse. Speaking on the UN World Toilet Day (19 November) Elizabeth de Jong, UK policy director, said many [...]

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New research by Rivus Fleet Solutions and the AA has revealed that, while fleet managers accept the need to move towards an alternatively fuelled future, many are continuing to invest in “more cost-effective” Euro-6 diesel vehicles. In a survey of 500 car and light CV fleet decision makers for the latest Operational Fleet Insight Report, researchers found the remaining barriers were cost, charging location, charging time and driver training. A “wait and see” attitude remained prevalent, the report said, although [...]

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Midlands Expressway, which operates the M6 Toll, has joined forces with police to target HGV drivers in a bid to improve their driving skills. The safety campaign focuses on the five most common offences on UK roads, which are tailgating, using a mobile phone or tablet while driving, stopping or reversing on a motorway, parking on the hard shoulder, and not using mirrors correctly. The programme is supported by literature and a video to help raise HGV driver awareness. The [...]

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A two-year trial of biomethane-powered trucks has seen well-to-wheel CO2 emissions slashed by over 1,400 tonnes and trial drivers rating the trucks higher on comfort than their diesel equivalents. The Dedicated to Gas project, funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Innovate UK, saw Howard Tenens, Kuehne + Nagel and Asda run a total of 20 Euro-6 trucks on biomethane. Other trial partners included Cenex, Air Liquide, Emissions Analytics and Microlise. The trial found that the trucks, which [...]

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The FTA has announced that the Safe Loading Pass Scheme (SLPS) is to be extended to cover Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG) from 1 January 2020. From this date, any vehicle wishing to load LPG at participating terminals must be inspected under the SLPS when their existing pass expires. Managed by the FTA, the SLPS identifies the vehicles and trailers that meet the safety standards required for admittance to fuel and gas loading terminals. The scheme is recognised by members of [...]

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Outsourcing of vehicle repairs is now industry’s preferred choice when it comes to maintaining their HGVs, according to the latest survey produced by Motor Transport and sister title Commercial Motor. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of operators surveyed chose to send vehicles off-site for repair, with one-third of those picking main dealerships as their preferred option. The research also highlighted that larger operators would be more likely to opt for a main dealership, while smaller businesses would be more likely to pick [...]

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