On The Road

Business group Logistics UK has called for government to review its decision not to grant temporary work visas to EU HGV drivers, in the wake of mounting pressure on the UK’s supply chain caused by a lack of available delivery personnel.  As Alex Veitch, the group’s General Manager of Public Policy, explains, with a current shortage of around 90,000 drivers, the country’s highly interconnected supply chain is now under extreme stress which could be relieved…

Post-Brexit study reveals border delays, increased admin and driver shortages as major challenges As haulage demand surges by up to 120% in 2021 and hauliers are pushed to breaking point, a perfect storm of red tape, driver shortages and other Brexit issues threaten retail, food, farming and gardening industries. According to a new study of haulage industry leaders, haulage companies are facing problems when working with a range of sectors post-Brexit, raising concerns that consumers…

More than 1,400 HGV drivers will be forced to spend the night sleeping in their cabs tonight, due to a chronic lack of safe and secure parking spaces for their vehicles, according to business group Logistics UK.  Despite government assurances over the past three years that provision of adequate locations for drivers to take their legally mandated rest breaks, including short stops and overnight stays, will be prioritised, as Elizabeth de Jong, the organisation’s policy director explains, a lack of progress means that drivers are still being…

UK Fuels, the provider of the UK’s largest independent fuel card network, has hit a new milestone increasing its nationwide network to over 3500 fuel stations.  This has been achieved by extending UK Fuels card acceptance to an additional 75 fuel stations owned by independent forecourt operator Motor Fuel Group (MFG). UK Fuels celebrated its 30th-anniversary last year and offers the most extensive range of fuel cards in the UK, with more than half a…

Logistics UK, the business group representing the logistics industry, has today (01 July 2021) announced the launch of a brand-new eLearning course, Van Driver Safety Training with the aim of ensuring the four million vans currently on the UK’s roads are being driven safely, efficiently and in compliance with government legislation. The fully online course – launched officially at the Innovation and Technology in Transport Hub – ITT Hub at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference…

Hermes, the consumer delivery specialist, has become the first customer to take part in an early stage trial with Ford, Europe’s market leader in commercial vehicles, to make city deliveries more efficient and sustainable in the future. Ford’s new ‘European Self-Driving Vehicle Research Programme’ has been designed to help businesses in Europe understand how autonomous vehicles can benefit their operations.  The two-week trial will use a specially adapted Ford commercial vehicle featuring sensors that mimic…

Around 3,000 additional electric vehicles are set to join Royal Mail’s UK fleet. The Company already has the lowest reported CO2e emissions per parcel amongst major UK delivery companies Today, Royal Mail announces plans for a ten-fold increase in the number of electric vehicles it uses across its UK fleet. The Company is rolling out around 3,000 additional electric vehicles targeting delivery offices in areas focused on ultra-low emission zones and green cities. With the…

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) must maintain its rapid programme of vocational driver tests, according to business group Logistics UK, if it is to overcome the backlog of outstanding tests which threatens to derail the UK’s highly interconnected supply chain, due to a shortage of drivers.  Speaking after a meeting with new DVSA Chief Executive Loveday Ryder, Logistics UK’s Chief Executive David Wells was encouraged by progress made so far by the agency,…

Brit-Tipp Limited, the Warrington – based commercial bodywork and tipper specialists, have specified a side-loading refuse bin lift for their customer Biffa, to provide a back-up collection service for households in the Winchester area. Fitted to an Isuzu N75 7.5 tonne chassis, the compact lift is designed and manufactured in the UK by accessxl who, according to Brit Tipp, provided the equipment almost four times faster than was achievable by other suppliers. “We were looking…

Mitie has welcomed its first zero emission large van – a Vauxhall Vivaro-e This takes Mitie’s electric fleet, believed to be the largest in the UK, past 1,000 vehicles The new van is the first of 655 Vivaro-e’s on order for delivery this year, as Mitie pushes ahead with its commitment to have 2,021 EVs by the end of 2021 Mitie has welcomed its first large van with the arrival of a Vauxhall Vivaro-e. Taking Mitie…