Join us in celebrating the fiftieth birthday of one of the most important developments in the global transport industry - the humble container.

When American truck driver Malcolm McLean watched individual sacks of cotton being loaded from ship to truck by hand, he had the idea of putting goods into a big metal box at the beginning of their journey. He bought an old tanker and had it converted to carry pre-loaded steel containers and started up the Sea-Land Services shipping company. Little could he have imagined that his idea would eventually carry 95% of the world's general cargo, reducing freight costs to a fraction of their previous level. It's said that it costs less to move a container from Japan to Southampton than from Southampton to Glasgow!

Away from the glamour of the truck makers' stands at Hanover, a major theme was developing among the trailer builders - the use of ultra-light composite materials. Possibly the most dramatic was this Meierling 25 cubic metre triaxle tipper weighing in at just 3,600kg. After two years and 165,000km of daily use, it's said to be showing no signs of excessive wear and tear. For more engineering news from Hanover, see Commercial Motor on 12 October.

I chaired Don-Bur's lifting deck forum last week at the Brittania Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent and a couple of presentations - from the fleet engineer's at John Lewis and Argos - captured the spirit of the day indicating that, if the business requirements are right, then lifting deck trailers can represent some massive efficiency gains.

But as the guy from John Lewis, Ray Collington, explained if the operational requirements of the business change then investment in some fairly expensive and niche kit, can leave the operation a bit exposed. John Lewis trucks are now being expected to backload for sister company Waitrose, which requires a different type of trailer to the high-tech lifting deck variety the firm has bought from Don-Bur in the past.

This conflict between making efficiency savings in a very specific operation through the detailed specification of product, versus retaining a more standard build which can be run across all parts of the business is an issue which has taxed fleet engineers for years and seems to swing with the fashion of the day and debates are likely to rage for a good few year's yet.

Iveco's brand new Daily range is now on sale in the UK, and the good news is that while it's improved in almost every way, it costs just 1% more than the old model.

Courier firm CitySprint has purchased the multi-drop and same day services of the Owner Driver Network (ODN). Terry King, managing director of ODN, says "I am delighted that this deal enables my clients greater support for their courier needs while enabling ODN to refocus on its HGV and and pallet business." The deal will add more than £3 million in turnover to CitySprint.
For full details visit the City Sprint site by clicking here

To see the Owner Driver Network click here

Renault Trucks has revealed the name and first picture of its version of the new Nissan Cabstar. The 3.5-tonne forward-control chassis-cab will be known as the Renault Maxity, and will be available from March with Euro-4 engines rated at 110, 130 and 150hp.

I recently heard a story about the tragic death of a van driver – who was killed after having a head-on collision with a tree. It was a clear day, the driver wasn’t on his mobile phone and he didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. How then did the accident happen?
Well it didn’t take long for the crash investigators to work out the cause of the accident – having found an atlas wedged between the driver’s crushed chest and the steering wheel. He was simply trying to find his way to his next drop, and was in too much of a rush to pull over to check the map. Unfortunately it’s an all too familiar story.
Of course there is a solution, and it’s called satellite navigation. And with this in mind I applaud Citroen for making the Trafficmaster Smartnav sat nav system standard in all new Relay panel vans. As far as I’m aware this is a first in the LCV world, but hopefully not a last. The sooner other van manufacturers follow suit the better.

Prices for New Relay, which claims to have class-leading load dimensions, start at £15,150.

In the Wiltshire drizzle of Moreton C. Cullimore’s Dairy Farm quarry Tipper Light 2006 was held for the second time under the Commercial Motor banner. Nine 3.5 tonne tippers from East and West clashed for supremacy with resident van expert Julian Milnes and his assistant Kevin Swallow the adjudicators.

FTA's Turner

Freight Transport Association boss Richard Turner admitted this week that had had been strongly criticised by European colleages after launching a campaign to require foreign truck drivers to tell us who they are.

"You will not believe the acerbic reaction that this attracted from our fellow trade bodies in mainland Europe. They accused me of gross xenophobia and labelled VOSA's actions as a restraint of free trade. I have been summoned to Geneva later this week to explain myself and I am looking forward to it."

My book Roadside Relics – America's Abandoned Automobiles is on sale now, and following my interview on Radio 4’s Front Row, seems to be selling quite well.
So much so that Amazon.co.uk has sold out and won’t be getting any more until after Christmas. But not all is lost because in an attempt to give the book yet another shameless plug I’m prepared to give away a free copy.

Dent Wizard has developed mobile repair and spray outfits to cut cost and downtime on cosmetic work for commercial vehicles.
In an industry where operators rarely allocate time for commercial vehicles to be repaired, if it doesn’t hamper its road worthiness, it could be the answer to a more cost effective process saving money when vans and trucks get de-fleeted.

I'm off to the launch of the new Renault Maxity tomorrow - Monday 22 Jan. This is the truck many will recognise as the new Nissan Cabstar, though now with a Renault Trucks badge on the front and it marks the continuation of the badge engineering strategy by Renault already used to good effect on vans with Nissan and GM (Vauxhall) and with Volvo Trucks at the heavy end of the spectrum. I’ll bring you full details of the new vehicle on the news pages in the next day or so, but all this badge engineering prevalent in the market at presence is worth a few lines.

This story was updated on 22 January at 16.10

There was a time when people, seeking unison and consequence, would meet in a common place, say the pub or at work, and conversed forming attachments based on common ground, ambition or sheer stimulation.
Perhaps it’s sad the motor industry has gone the way of youth culture, not to mention the singleton generation who believe live starts at 40, and staged a bypass to all that flannel and rubbish that people do when seeking said ‘unison and consequence’.
Yes, my friends, speed dating has arrived. This time it was the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders acting as the dating agency, manufacturers taking the role of single ladies looking for a suitable match, and the journalists as sad, desperate men trying to take any short cut they can to get…‘unison and consequence’.
All sounds a bit sceptical? Don’t you believe it; one day spent talking to the industry saved this journalist endless calls, surfing and research trying to put together a hastily commissioned CV Show preview.

The Institute of Transport Management recently conducted a survey of 1,000 franchised dealers in the UK – and the PR department at LDV are rather excited by one of the findings. Apparently 41% of those questioned said they want to sell the Maxus – Motor Transport’s current Fleet Van of the Year. The second highest ranking van was the Ford Transit, which appealed to 17% of dealers.
Well judging by this photograph, the Maxus seems to appeal to three-pointed star dealers too. Instead of opting for a Vito or Sprinter to deliver its parts, Mercedes-Benz of Bolton is running this LDV.

What great advertising for the Russian-owned van maker.

But while Mercedes dealers might be buying LDV vans, those in the know at Roadtransport Group are buying Mercedes-Benz cars like they’re going out of fashion. Last year web editor Toby Clark took delivery of a beautiful early 1970s 350SL, CM’s technical editor Colin Barnett bought a 2006 C320 CDi this week and last night I treated myself to a 280E. But before you start thinking that we’ve all got more money than sense at Roadtransport.com, let me explain a couple of things. Toby’s convertible "cost less than a Fiat Panda", according to Colin his C-Class has the same cost of ownership as a Ford Focus, and my 280 has an intergalactic mileage, is painted diarrhoea brown, and cost £500 on eBay.

Hino had a huge presence at the CV Show again, this time with no less than 27 trucks and a brand new 7.5 tonner.
While it has certainly done enough to grab some all-important headlines and fill plenty of column inches in the commercial vehicle press, I was wondering whether it has also done enough to excite truck buyers. So, I spent an hour or so lingering near its massive stand in Hall 5, grabbing poor unsuspecting operators as they climbed out of its tipper cab, and asking then for their thoughts.
Continued below....

How's this for an amazing sight - Americans having to pay over $3 (£1.50) for a gallon of gas? Admittedly this only works out at about 80c (40p) per litre, but it's an awful lot more than the 30c (15p) they were paying a few years ago. And needless to say they are bitching about it like crazy. On a recent trip to the States everyone wanted to talk to me about fuel prices, in fact it was the third most popular topic of conversation after "You speak good English for a European" and "is London in Paris?"
You might also notice an unusual Chevy truck in the photo, which was photographed in Northern Montana last week. It is being used to fix telegraph poles in rural areas, which means dealing with heavy snow for eight months of the year and thick mud for the other four. Apparently wheels are no good for these conditions and tracks are the only way to go. "This thing will drive over whatever Mother Nature puts in its path," said the owner. "In fact I bet it could drive from here to London," he joked (at least I hope it was a joke).
The kit cost $38,000 (£19,000), taking the total cost of the truck to $80,000 (£40,000). Which is roughly what it would cost to fill-up with petrol in the UK.

Sometimes all you need is that extra something to complete the picture - maybe a smart pair of shoes to compliment that suit for instance.
And the same philosophy applies to Toyota’s Hilux, which failed to live up to its potential on launch back in 2005. We were somewhat flummoxed when it was paraded around with a paltry 101hp under the bonnet – particularly when Nissan had recently crashed the party with its innovative Navara sporting a gratuitous 171hp.
Have no fear, said the Japanese company, check out our new and improved torque curve, and so we did. And as one cowboy said to the other, we concluded there’s no substitute for horses.
So now they’ve given us a 3.0-litre D-4D unit with 170 horses and we can say with all honesty that the picture is now complete. Ok, its suspension might be more off-road biased than some of its rivals, but isn’t that the point with these machines? In its element there little to beat the Hilux thanks to the excellent chassis and dynamic suspension action, but the icing on the cake is new engine which allows you to push on without having to put your foot to the floor.

For the complete road test check out the 2nd August edition of Commercial Motor

In next weeks Commercial Motor [2 August 2007] used section we profile the Iveco franchise covering South Wales – Dragon Truck and Van.
The company originates from the 1930s but the Dragon name only came about in 1996, when chairman Steve Powell decided to concentrate on vehicle recovery with Dragon Rescue. Previously he’d spent more than 30 years running workshops, garages, service stations, and two car franchises, under the Powell name.
The move to Iveco in 2003 was too good an opportunity to miss and Dragon has improved turnover more than four-fold and matching Iveco’s national marketshare in its region.
With retirement looming Steve is preparing the way for the next generation to take Dragon Truck and Van to the next level, his daughter dealer principal Jaime Powell.

They say the best way to accumulate is to speculate. Imperial Commercials, led by customer demand in Somerset, will open its new tailor-made site at Frome over the next few weeks.
In the next issue of Commercial Motor [2 August 2007] regional director David Lewis explains just some of the ups and downs negotiating with strong-willed property developers and what opportunities are being created with a new state-of-the-art site.
Frome remains a satellite dealership of the main Bristol hub, but it will be the sole Fiat commercial vans franchise, as well as selling new and used Daf Trucks.

Some vehicles are born for commercial purposes while others, like the Mitsubishi Outlander, are modified to fit the bill - but that’s not to say they don’t play their part in the great scheme of things.
The Japanese manufacturer has a history of chopping out the rear seats of its 4x4 vehicles to create a useable load space and therefore a new market.
Branding the range as 4Work, which also includes the company’s Shogun and L200 pick-up, they combine commercially focused product with off-road ability.
Powered by a Volkswagen sourced 2.0-litre turbo-diesel the Outlander drives with surprising composure on the road, displaying the refinement of a well sorted hatch. In the rear, load space is equally enlightening thanks to its practical design and even more practical load hatch that opens out in two parts with the lower shelf providing a useful platform to rest on.
Off-road it performs well, up to a point. In 4WD Auto mode it transfers torque to the wheels with the most grip, up to a 70:30 front:rear split for when on unsurfaced roads and this works well, remaining stable and maneuverable. In 4WD Lock it splits torque up to 50:50 between front and rear axle as and when required though we wouldn’t be as confident pressing on into harsher territory, best leave that one to the pick-ups.

For the full road test check out the 16th August issue of Commercial Motor

If you're ever at a party and get caught in a conversation with a Mercedes engineer, the chances are you'll be thinking whether faking a full blown heart attack would be less hassle than nodding obediently as they bestow the benefits of the company's new cup holder design. But if this scenario has negative connotations, the positive side to this level of commitment to the company cause can be seen in its product - in particular the Sprinter van.

On its press launch we were forcibly held down as one engineer after another was wheeled out to present to us their particular specialist areas in its development - bestowing the benefits of the technology employed with all the enthusiasm someone might have over their newborn son.
However, after we regained consciousness it was plain to see that its new van was a significant step forward in terms of productivity and safety. Adaptive ESP and intelligent crash repair systems where complimented by never-seen-before options such as automatic side sliding doors and thorax airbags to name a few.

We've recently returned to the Merc, testing it in 150hp, complete with the company's five-speed automatic, and found this combination made perfect sense. Anyone working in multi-drop work will find the reality of the urban environment requires you to concentrate, not just on the cramped road ahead, but also on your particular destination at the time. Having an auto significantly eases the stress in such a scenario, allowing you to focus on other matters - and to top it all it should ease fuel consumption and reduce overall cog wear.

For the full road test check out the 23 August issue of Commercial Motor magazine

Renault’s Premium struggled in its early days as a Spartan product devoid of pleasure. Operators, tempted by cheap price tags and favourable buy-backs, snapped them up en masse at a time when driver retention was not the problem it is today.

Trouble is when you sell yourself short all the hard work you spend as a manufacturer trying to recover can be easily lost. Today more drivers get a chance to choose their weapons and will remember what the Premium was, rather than what it is today – writing it off with out giving it a chance.
So what is today’s Premium all about. We have tested the 6x2 Premium 450.24 AML Euro-5 with the Optidriver+ transmission. It drives well, changes smoothly and intelligently, likes to lug down the box, and handles comfortably. Most importantly its more economical than its Euro-3 equivalent.
The light coloured interior is easy on the eye but the cab layout needs a rethink if it is to offer something different or better than its contemporaries. Read CM’s 27 September 2007 issue to get the full lowdown.

Rumour has it you will get more money for your truck at auction than through a used dealer. With the strong demand for late-year, used truck dealers have been very proactive to get to hauliers and finance houses ahead of the auctions to ensure their prices are met, stock is secured and margins are maintained.
Passing on price hikes to the operator has not proved popular.
Two auction houses have confirmed this trend and have to work hard themselves to make sure they aren’t squeezed out of the used truck supply chain. If you are a haulier the message is 'shop around' it will pay off.
Many hauliers have even gone down the private sale route to make sure they get the full return…either way it’s a sellers market.
What you replace your fleet with is, of course, another question.

It turns out the Department for Transport is only keen on implementing whole vehicle type approval and not policing it. It means once you have registered a particular vehicle you are free to change its specification without risk of being highlighted, caught or fined.
As loopholes go it’s not bad. It means manufacturers can simply build one type of body, register the vehicle, bring it back in through the back door, make the changes and out it goes again without recourse to WVTA paperwork and cost.
Even at the MoT stage there is no chasing up even if the vehicle doesn’t match the specification listed on its original registration documents. To power phrase a DfT representative at one of the seminars, hosted in conjunction with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, “we are only here to implement it not enforce it”.
Another cash cow? The DfT aren’t planning to close the loophole even though it raises questions about validity, build quality, and cost cutting measures.
The DfT is keen for trade to put in its opinion and has questionnaire on its website.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR): the traditional method of reducing NOx (nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide) in petrol and diesel engines.
It re-circulates a portion of the engine's exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders, mixing with incoming air and the re-circulated exhaust gas dilutes the mix with inert gas, lowering the adiabatic flame temperature and (in diesel engines) reducing the amount of excess oxygen.
The exhaust gas also increases the specific heat capacity of the mix lowering the peak combustion temperature. Because NOx formation progresses much faster at high temperatures, EGR serves to limit the generation of NOx. NOx is primarily formed when a mix of nitrogen and oxygen is subjected to high temperatures.
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means of removing nitrogen oxides, often the most abundant and polluting component in exhaust gases, through a chemical reaction between the exhaust gases, a (reductant) additive, and a catalyst.
A gaseous or liquid reductant (most commonly ammonia, urea referred to as AdBlue) is added to a stream of flue or exhaust gas and is absorbed onto a catalyst. The reductant reacts with NOx in the exhaust gas to form harmless H2O (water vapour) and N2 (nitrogen gas).