When it comes to tankers and other vehicles carrying hazardous materials, operations and engineering are very different to general road haulage. Brian Tinham reports
ADR Vehicles
Equipment and materials for body shops and paint shops don't come cheap – and neither does compliance with the likes of PAS 125. But getting damaged vehicles back on the road fast and fully functioning is what matters, says Steve Banner
Bodyshop EquipmentTransport Systems Catapult, part of the Catapult innovation and technology programme set up by the government's Technology Strategy Board, has installed: Chris Powell as chief financial officer; Mark Ruddy (ex of Network Rail) as chief operating officer; and Neil Ridley (who formerly led the Transport Knowledge Transfer Network) director of business development.
People
Scottish haulier D Steven & Son has acquired its ninth new Volvo FH 540 tractor unit, as part of an ongoing replacement of its 30-strong fleet.
Tractor Units
Ford has notched up 10,000 sales of its new Transit Custom in the UK, in the 12 months since its launch.
Light Commercial Vehicles
Iveco launched its long-awaited Eurocargo Euro 6 truck range at the Italian Embassy in London – and simultaneously in Berlin and Madrid –last week (28 November 2013), with the slogan 'perfect in every situation'.
Rigids
Rob Flello, who chairs the all party parliamentary group for freight transport, has written to the Chancellor in advance of the Autumn Statement, calling on him to review the government's approach to bio-methane.
Alternative Fuels
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is warning HGV operators that complacency about Driver CPC deadlines is not an option, if they want to avoid heavy fines or possible 'O' licence suspension.
Driver CPC
Independent European technical certification centre TÜV is reporting that Iveco's Stralis Hi-Way Euro 6 tractor unit delivers a 2.33% fuel consumption reduction, compared to its Euro 5 counterpart.
Tractor Units
Ford has announced that a new University Technical College is to be built at the site of its Centre of Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME), in Essex.
Apprenticeships
International transport firm Stardes, which provides services to the concert tour and event sector, has put its first Euro 6 DAF tractor unit into operation – a two-axle FT low-deck model, with air suspension all round.
Tractor Units
Scottish tipper business Central Demolition is using Thompsons to supply high-sided Loadmaster bodies with a full specification so that each vehicle can perform multiple duties.
Tippers