On The Road

Leading parcel delivery firm DPD has agreed a deal with Ford for 1,000 E-Transit vans this year, which will take DPD’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet to over 2,500 in total.   DPD has purchased the 3.5t, 135kwh, long wheelbase version with 12.4 cubic metres of load space.  The vans will operate from depots right across the UK network and DPD will take delivery of the first E-Transits in May.   The Ford E-Transit order is part of…

Amid soaring petrol prices and 30-year-high inflation, data reveals the UK’s average haulage and courier price-per-mile has risen by 16% over the last three years.  New figures from the TEG Road Transport Price Index have highlighted the severe impact of road freight prices on businesses in Greater London compared to the rest of the UK.  The average price-per-mile for haulage and courier vehicles in Greater London jumped by 11.6 points from March to April 2022….

UK Fuels has launched a new service that can offset 100 percent of the carbon its fuel card customers currently release from the 1 billion litres of fuel they use each year. UK Fuels is the UK’s biggest supplier of fuel cards and the carbon offsetting service will benefit the 76,000 fleet businesses and their 500,000 drivers using UK Fuels’ cards. UK Fuels has partnered with UK-government endorsed carbon offsetting company Forest Carbon to invest…

Whether a vehicle breaks down on the motorway or a few miles from home, it can be a distressing experience and something people would like to avoid. In 2021, the AA rescued just over 2.9 million people who’d broken down. In a recent survey, the AA asked drivers about their experiences of car breakdowns and what checks they do to prevent one. Almost four out of 10 respondents said they have experienced breakdown due to…

UK Fuels has enhanced its fuel bunkering services with an expanded network of 3,500 filling stations that will accept operator-branded Bunkerplus fuel cards. The bunkering service is specifically designed for high volume diesel users, allowing businesses to bulk buy wholesale fuel, with the ability to fill up at any fuel station on the UK Fuels network. UK Fuels employs a team of in-house Fuel Stock Analysts to help operators purchase diesel at favourable commercial rates…

The average home electric vehicle charger is only used a couple of times a week. The rest of the time it’s lonely and neglected. But its owners will have paid anything from £600 to well over £1000 to buy and install it, whether directly or as part of a package with their car. By putting it to work via Community Charging the charger can earn some of that cost back – whilst also helping neighbours…

Changes to the Highway Code are now in force. These revisions establish a hierarchy; putting cyclists as the 2nd most vulnerable users at the top of the road user hierarchy, and HGVs at the bottom in 8th place. Whilst I think it’s appropriate for us to finally establish in law the respect that vulnerable users of the road need (i.e. cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders) the reality is that a hierarchy of road users establishes…

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) welcomes the planned updates to the Highway Code but calls for a major education campaign to ensure that all road users are aware of the new rules and advice. RoSPA participated in the consultation process that considered proposed updates and amendments to the Highway Code and is pleased that many of its observations and suggestions will be acted upon. These include support for the introduction of…

Northgate Vehicle Hire has responded to the Government’s decision to cut the Plug-in-Car and Van-Grant funding as ‘disappointing’. Northgate believes the Plug-in-Van-Grant funding in particular could have been retained at its current level, as EV adoption for van operators remains behind that of car fleets. It thinks the grant reduction for 2.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) vans or less and vans between 2-3.5 tonnes GVW to 35% of their purchase price up to a…

Hermes UK’s new batch of 70 IVECO S-WAY Natural Gas vehicles are now on the road as the company announces its commitment to becoming net zero by 2035 for direct and indirect emissions. It brings Hermes’ total CNG fleet to 160 – around 50% of the company’s core hub tractor fleet. Each of the new model IVECO S-WAY units being introduced reduces CO2 emissions by over 80% when compared to a Euro 6 diesel vehicle….