July 2022

Kitchen supplier Howdens said a vital ingredient for its sustainability strategy is hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which it is now using extensively across its logistics fleet. It is also piloting electric trucks and is introducing six bio-liquid natural gas vehicles at its Raunds and Portbury sites, which work similarly to diesel vehicles but with an 80% reduction in CO2. MT Awards shortlisted Howdens said it is committed to buying 350,000 litres of HVO before the end of 2022, with plans […]

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A Warwickshire excavator and fleet operator unintentionally allowed sediment from a quarry to enter freshwaters and cause environmental damage. However, because the environment agency (EA) accepted that the negligence by AT Contracting and Plant Hire was not due to dangerous or foolhardy behaviour, it escaped prosecution. Instead the company was sanctioned with an enforcement undertaking, which meant it paid £15,000 to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. The EA said the company worked quickly to solve the issue and […]

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Andrew Malcolm, chief executive officer, Malcolm Group I don’t think we’re heading for a recession – I think we’re already in it, or that’s the approach we’re taking at Malcolm. When you’re in transport, with lower margins than we should all be working for, you always have to work with a tight control on cost management / cash. As my late father always said, ‘plan for the worst and you won’t be disappointed or surprised.’ It seems that all we […]

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Operations at Felixstowe port could grind to a halt next month after union members recorded a “massive” 92% vote in favour of strike action over pay. The UK’s largest container terminal said Unite had agreed to its request to meet with conciliatory service ACAS next week in an effort to resolve the disagreement, but the union appeared resolute, describing the dispute as “of Felixstowe’s own making”. It said the row centred on the port’s offer of a pay increase of […]

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Bullet Express is adding 32 new trucks to its fleet and has opted for Wheely-Safe’s tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to improve safety and reduce downtime. The new DAF XF and CF tractor units, as well as Mercedes-Benz Actros rigids are being put into service via a three-year repair and maintenance contract hire agreement with Asset Alliance Group. The company said it specified the Wheely-Safe technology to ensure best practice across its fleet and help cut fuel costs at a […]

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BP and Europe’s largest utility Iberdrola are collaborating to provide large-scale production of green hydrogen to customers in the UK, Spain and Portugal. The two companies are also looking at options to jointly serve electric vehicle owners in the UK, following an announcement it was investing up to €1bn (£835.8m) into deploying 11,000 fast-charge points across Spain and Portugal. The plan includes installing and operating 5,000 fast charge points by 2025, and then up to 11,000 by 2030. Read more […]

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HGV drivers in Gloucestershire were caught on camera flouting the law while behind the wheel earlier this month. Police used an unmarked lorry and filmed drivers committing offences on the M5 such as using their mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt. Footage collected by officers included an HGV driver reading from a road atlas balanced on his steering wheel. A total of 23 drivers were stopped for offences including not being in proper control of a vehicle and having […]

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