This weekend saw the end of new Euro 3 trucks, unless you are able to buy one under the derogation system. If you want a new vehicle now it has to be Euro 4 and you will have to choose between EGR and SCR.

It has turned into a bizarre year. First everyone tried to buy trucks with analogue tachographs before the end of April deadline. That resulted in hundreds more vehicles being registered than normal.

Who wants a digital tachograph? Well drivers actually. That is according to the drivers at a Scottish bakery which has 15 vehicles equipped with them, supplied by Stoneridge. It reports that the drivers prefer the digital tachos to the analogue.

One reason is that it is easier having all the information on one card rather than having to carrying around lots of paper charts. Another is that there is no change of making a mistake such as those so common in the centre part of paper charts.

Sales of new artics soared in September as buyers purchased Euro 3 vehicles while they could. Sales of artics were up 72% compared to last year while rigides rose by 15.5%. Overall new truck sales were up 35%. It is difficult to tell the underlying level of truck sales (ie without the distortion of the Euro 3 peak) but it is likely to be still strong.

To see the full SMMT figures click here

This rise in sales was entirely predictable, maybe slightly lower than expected. The question facing truck makers now is when the buyers will return to the market. After brought forward the sales, it could be a lean few months. The same is true of the used truck market where all used Euro 3 vehicles have been snapped up. There is even talk of new truck sales next year falling by about 10,000 to 45,000. The industry could be moving from feast to famine.

Just months after leaving his post as managing director of BRS, James Walker has turned up as boss of the commercial vehicle division of finance company Alliance & Leicester. In his time at BRS, Walker revitalised that company; I'll expect a similarly innovative approach at his new home...

Watch this space.

If you want to know when you trucks are likely to be stuck in traffic jams (OK I know it is all the time) is is worth looking at two free web sites. There is an interactive web site that shows a map with all the incidents on main roads across the country. It event shows what the traffic signs say. Click here to see it.
Or if you want to see what the traffic cameras can see, click here and go to the Transport for London web site.
If you click on the box that says CCTV, you can see the image when you pass your mouse over it. YOu may even see your truck getting a ticket!

The Highways Agency also now has an internet radio service. Click here to read about it.
Anyone know of any other useful web sites for truck operators? Post your comments below.

Fleet operators are becoming increasingly concerned about standards of dealer workshops. At a recent round-table discussion, a number of major companies said that they had or will be moving dealers because of problems. And they think that truck manufacturers are not taking action agains their bad dealers.
Operators can lose their O licence if their vehicles are in a dangerous condition, but they often rely on the dealers doing the work properly. It is not the dealer who is penalised if they miss serious faults.

The Department for Transport has issued guidance on night time delivery bans.
Reading through it you have to ask why it bothered. As the report says, it does not
• have any legal status;
• oblige local authorities to re-assess curfews;
• establish or vary policy or regulation in any way;
• suggest that existing curfews should be lifted;
• have the authority to override decisions of local authority planning and public health professionals

And this is the response to a serious problem. It makes much more sense to deliver goods in urban areas at night when the roads are clear instead of forcing them onto the roads at peak rush hour times.
Information on night time bans is also available from the FTA and includes a tool kit.

The Government yesterday announced that a draft Transport Bill is to be published and by the end of 2009 road pricing trials will take place in end of 2009; Norfolk, the East Midlands, part of the Thames Valley including Reading, Cambridgeshire, Durham, Greater Manchester, Shrewsbury and Shropshire, Tyne and Wear, and the West Midlands.
The problem for hauliers is that they are faced with not only paying the tolls but also with the cost of administration. If each of the tolls works in a different wayit could be a nightmare as operators try to work out how much they have to pay to which authority. Add to that the cost of administration for the London congestion charge - which will be increased in size next year - and puts a greater burden on operators. What we need is one bill for that covers all the charges for a fleet. We also need consistency in the rules. Otherwise a truck that is regarded as environmentally friendly in one tolling scheme may not be in another.
The tolls are also likely to be highest at the peak rush hour times. But that is when we need to deliver. The risk is that we can't deliver at night, and the tolls with be prohibitively expensive at peak morning times.

Sir Rod Eddington's much-hyped report into transport congestion is published today, a week earlier than originally intended.

Analysts and economists aren't known as media-centric folk but nonetheless a lot of scrabbling and jostling can be heard from the transport consultants' back rooms. A year ago Alistair Darling commissioned Sir Rod Eddington to look at the future of transport.

Truck operators may eventually receive an incentive to move to Euro 5 engines, but there is no sign of when. In the details of pre-budget report, there is a reference to incentives. It says "The Government is actively reviewing options for providing similar incentives for the early update of the Euro 5 emissions standard before it comes into force in November 2009. The "similar incentives" it refers it is the Reduced Pollution Certificate.
Since October, newly registered vehicles no longer qualify for these certificates. This creates the odd situation where vehicles with Euro 3 engines qualify for the incentives but cleaner, more environmentally friendly vehicles do not.
This delay in announcing when and what incentives will be available for Euro 5 makes it difficult for fleets to make buying decisions. However, the reason for the delay is probably to do with the difficultly of enforcing the use of Ad Blue in SCR vehicles. This will be solved by next October when all new vehicles will be fitted with systems that ensure Ad Blue is being used.

Neil Crossthwaite, UK Managing Director of CEVA Logistics

TNT logistics has revealed its new logo and name - CEVA Logistics - after its sale to Apollo Management, a major private equity investor. It now describes itself as the "worlds largest pure play contact logistics companies", or in other words it is not part of a post office.
It reckons that the new company is the second largest logistics company world-wide with a turnover of Euro 3.5 billion, with 38,000 staff and 7.4 million square metres of warehousing across 26 countries.
TNT logistics used to be owned by the Dutch post office. In the UK it has been very successful in growing its business.

Are you concerned about the bad image of the industry and worried about the lack of young people in the industry? Well take a look at the construction industry and you can see how we are losing out.
It has just started a striking television campaign on terrestrial and satellite television, and there have been posters on buses and billboards. When the television ads run, people can press the red button and send their details to the Construction Skills organisation, which is similar to our Skills for Logistics but much more dynamic. There is also a web site called bconstructive, a lively site giving lots of information
It is all very positive, imaginative and enticing for young people. It makes our attempts to recruit people look pathetic. Take a look at the construction site and see how it should be done.

Congratulations to John Allan, who has just taken over as chief financial officer of the mighty Deutsche Post. This is just a heartbeat from the top job of one of Europe’s largest companies.
John is well known in the UK logistics and distribution industry. As chief executive of the Ocean Group (and MSAS Global Logistics), he carried out a merger with Exel in 1994. It might have been called a merger but it was more like a reverse take-over. John became Exel chief executive. Then Exel was purchased by Deutsche Post., with Allan becoming head of the logistics division and a member of the Board of Management.
It is a remarkable achievement to get to the top of Deutsche Post. At Exel, he reassured the investors, who were worried after difficult times and profit warnings. He also seized the opportunities of consolidation in the industry, snapping up, for example, Tibbett and Britten in a a £328m takeover in 2004.
Now his skills at reassuring investors have served him well as these are exactly the skills Deutsche Post needs.
He will be swapping a rather dingy looking office next to a car park in Bracknell with futuristic glass landmark in Bonn.

And it is good to see an Englishman being in one of the very top jobs in Deutsche Post.

Thomas van Mourik is one of the most interesting, dynamic and successful people in the industry. He built up Culina Logistics distributing chilled food for its owner, Muller, the German food giant. He took on third party work, distributing goods even for Müller’s rivals. Then three years ago Thomas went off and took over the Bristol- based family company of Baylis so that he could run his own business.
Then last year Theo Muller, the owner of the huge Muller business took a 50% stake in Baylis..
And now Theo Müller has purchased Baylis through his Luxembourg investment trust. So from January the Müller and Baylis will be one company with a £125 million turnover, and 250 trucks and 550 trailers.
More importantly the new operation will bring together the chilled operation from Culina with the ambient offering from Baylis.
Or as Thomas puts it “Our aim is to be the UK’s leading food and drink logistics specialist.”
The Dutchman is clearly highly rated by Muller, one of the richest people in Europe. Thomas is a tough, determined, clever and highly successful operator. This is a bold move, as one would expect from Muller and van Mourik.

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