Fleet Transport Dec15 Jan16

IRELAND'S LEADING COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MAGAZINE Inside!

International Awards for Iveco, Volkswagen & Nissan

PICK-UP AWARD

FEATURES

Test T e st T Trials r ia l s N orway Norway

DEC 15/JAN 16

INTERVIEW: Frank Donnellan, MD Finance Ireland ON TEST: Renault Range C & K Construction REVIEW: Solutrans 2015, Eurexpo, Lyon, France MOTORSPORT: Dakar Rally 2016 preview

€4.50 inc.V.A.T.

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Diary Dates 2016 - Events & Exhibitions Event

Dates

Venue

Website

Dakar Rally 2016

3-16 January 2016

South America (Argentina & Boliva)

www.dakar.com

Autosport International Show 2016

14-17 January 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.autosportinternational.com

Holiday World Show 2016 NI

15-17 January 2016

Titanic Exhibition Centre Belfast

www.holidayworldshow.com

Holiday World Show 2016 ROI

22-24 January 2016

RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin

www.holidayworldshow.com

Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show

23-28 February 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.thecaravanandcampingshow.co.uk

FLTA Awards

27 February 2016

International Centre, Telford, UK

www.fork.truck.org.uk

86th Geneva International Motor Show 2016

3-13 March 2016

PalExpo, Geneva, Switzerland

www.salon-auto.ch

LogiMAT 2016

8-10 March 2016

Trade Fair Centre, Stuttgart, Germany

www.logimat-messe.de

FTAI Transport Manager Seminar

9-March 2016

Johnstown House Hotel, Enfield, Co. Meath

www.ft ai.ie

CeBIT 2016

14-18 March 2016

Exhibition Centre, Hannover, Germany

www.cebit.de

SEAI Energy Show 2016

6-7 April 2016

RDS, Dublin

www.seai.ie

Bauma 2016

11-17 April 2016

Munich, Germany

www.bauma.de

Motorcheck.ie Fleet Car Awards 2016

TBC

TBC

www.fleetcar.ie

FPS Expo 2016

20-21 April 2016

Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, UK

www.fpsshow.co.uk

CV Show 2016

26-28 April 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.cvshow.com

IRHA AGM & Conference

TBC (May 2016)

TBC

www.irha.ie

Multimodal 2016

10-12 May 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.multimodal.org.uk

Waterford Truck Show 2016

28-29 May 2016

The Prom, Tramore

www.waterfordtruckshow.com

CeMAT

31 May-3 June 2016

Fairgrounds, Hannover, Germany

www.cemat.de

IFOY 2016 (at CeMAT)

31 May-3 June 2016

Fairgrounds, Hannover, Germany

www.ifoy.org

Full of the Pipe Truck Show

11-12 June 2016

Equestrian Centre, Cavan

Kevin (086) 0850015 Colin (086) 8051222

Tip-ex 2016 & Tank-ex 2016

2-4 June 2016

International Exhibition Centre, Harrogate, UK

www.tip-ex.co.uk www.tank-ex.co.uk

Truxx Factor Truck Show

13-14 August 2016

Silverstone, UK

www.steve.horne-racing.co.uk

Tipperary Truck Show

28 August 2016

Dualla - Cashel, Tipperary

www.duallashow.ie

Mondello Truck Show

TBC (September 2016)

Mondello Park, Naas, Co. Kildare

www.mondellopark.ie

IMHX 2016

13-15 September 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.imhx.biz

National Ploughing Championship

20-22 September 2016

Tullamore, Co. Off aly

www.npa.ie

66th IAA Commercial Vehicle Show 2016

22-28 September 2016

IAA Hannover, Germany

www.iaa.de

Paris Motor Show 2016

1-16 October 2016

Porte de Versailles Expo, Paris, France

www.mondialautomobile.com

Fleet Transport Awards 10th Anniversary

13 October 2016

Citywest Hotel, Dublin

www.fleet.ie

Handling Network Awards

13 October 2016

Citywest Hotel, Dublin

www.handling-network.com

Euro Bus Expo 2016

1-3 November 2016

NEC, Birmingham, UK

www.eurobusexpo.com

CTTC Coach & Bus Show 2016

11-12 November 2016

RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin

www.cttc.ie

TRANSPORT AWARDS 2017

Citywest Hotel, Dublin.

Thursday 13 October 2016 www.fleet.ie

Fleet Transport Awards

years

celebrating

Contents Dec15 / Jan 16

Fleet Transport Magazine, D’Alton Street, Claremorris, Co. Mayo, Ireland. F12 E7P2 Tel: +353 (0)94 9372819/ 9372826 Fax: +353 (0)94 9373571 Email: enquiries@fleet.ie Subscription Hotline: 094 93 72827 Editor: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie Contributors: Sean Murtagh, Paul White, Cathal Doyle, Jonathan Lawton, Donal Dempsey, Howard Knott, Jerry Kiersey, HSA, Dr. Betty Maguire, Michael Corcoran, Rob VanDieten Photography: Jarlath Sweeney, Paul White, Cathal Doyle, Rob Van Dieten, Howard Knott, Joe O'Brien, Michael Corcoran, Jerry Kiersey, Leonard Allison, Newspress, Solutrans, Paul Sherwood Administration: Denise Owens, Paula Mullarkey - enquiries@fleet.ie Advertising: Mary Morrissey - mary@fleet.ie Sponsorship/Events: Orla Sweeney - orla@fleet.ie Design: Eamonn Wynne

4 News • International Night of Champions in Lyon • FPS Driver of the Year 2016 search is on • TGE: MAN Van • Donaghey’s - new FIAT Professional dealer • RHA Lorry Week • New SAP pumps

31 Fuel Prices and Safety Matters

8 Interview with Frank Donnellan, Finance Ireland Ltd.

36 Trailer • New development from Dennison • Hireco invests • New 5th wheel from Fontaine • Dawbarn in demand

10 Awards International accolades for Iveco, Volkswagen and Nisan 12 New Fleet Investments by Pulse Logistics, Goggins, Noones, Dixons and Wylie Transport 14 Profile McCulla Ireland – Keeping it cool!

16 Fleeting Shots • Magical Merc • Special Arocs and British Truck Racing featured 18 Test Renault Trucks Construction range 20 Viewpoint from Verona Murphy, President, Irish Road Haulage Association 22 Global Mercedes-Benz Metris goes Stateside

Printed in Ireland

www.fleet.ie | 3

25 Review Six page report from Solutrans, Lyon

P12

32 Health Matters Baby boomers 34 Times Past 50 years of Transiting recorded

40 Shipping & Freight Progress reports from the Ferry companies 41 Comment A Greener Supply Chain 42 Legal Significance of the RSA 43 Green Issues Natural Gas – A viable alternative 44 Finance Watch the wages 46 Opinion Going nowhere 48 Motorsport Getting ready for Dakar 2016 50 Soapbox Insurance issues

P16

P36

Fleet Transport/ Fleet Car/ Fleet Bus & Coach/ Fleet Van & Utility/ Fleet Trailer & Body Builder/ Fleet Maritime/ Green Fleet Management are published by JJDS Publications Ltd. Registered Office: D’Alton Street, Claremorris, Co. Mayo.

Co. Reg. 368767 Directors: Jarlath Sweeney, Sean Murtagh.

Transport Barometer: Data from 16/10/2015 - 14/11/2015

TimoCom Messenger has arrived!

TimoCom Messenger - The new

Disclaimer: Fleet Transport Magazine management can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of contributed articles or statements appearing in this magazine and any views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Fleet Transport management, save where otherwise indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the authors, contributors, Editors or publishers.

The Editor reserves the right to make publishing decisions on any advertisements or editorial article submitted to the magazine and to refuse publication or to edit any editorial material as seems appropriate to him. Professional legal advice should always be sought in relation to any specific matter.

transport platform is available to the 100,000 users without additional costs and is far more than just chatting.

You now have the option of selecting an offer from the TC

Fleet Transport Official Irish Jury Member of the International Truck of the Year Award

Truck&Cargo freight exchange and with one click start the offer-related chat with the business partner. This saves

Official Irish jury member of the International Forklift Truck Award

a great deal of time when concluding a deal. As soon as negotiations have been successfully ended, chat records can be stored locally as PDF files or printed out as legally binding agreements. The security aspect is also covered: In contrast to publicly accessible chats, customers communicating via the TimoCom Messenger can always be assured that they have a real person as chat partner. Every new customer is thoroughly verified before they are approved for the transport platform in the first place. More on www.timocom.ie

follow us on twitter.com/fleettransport

4 | NEWS 1

International Truck, Van & Pick-up honoured at 'Night of Champions'

T

op accolades in the commercial vehicle industry were presented to Iveco, Volkswagen and Nissan at the International Awards Gala Dinner, hosted by the Lyon Chamber of Commerce, France on the eve of the opening at Solutrans 2016.

For the fourth occasion in recent times Iveco has won an International award claiming the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) 2016. The new Volkswagen Transporter 6 (Euro 6) secured the International Van of the Year 2016 (IVOTY) and the new Nissan NP300 Navara scooped the International Pick-up Award 2016.

Iveco Brand President Pierre Lahutt e (left) accepts Truck of the Year 2016 award from jury Chairman Gianenrico Griffini

With the new Eurocargo's success, the Italian commercial vehicle brand Iveco is on a roll following the success of the Daily (IVOTY 2015), and Stralis (ITOY 2013). Most recently the Magelys was presented with the International Coach of the Year trophy at Busworld in Belgium. The Eurocargo beat off its nearest challenger the Renault Construction Range C&K. This is the third occasion that the Volkswagen Transporter has won the International Van of the Year title with previous generations honoured in 1992 and 2004. FIAT Professional’s revised Doblò Cargo came second with the Volkswagen Caddy 4, third. It is the fi rst time that Nissan has been recognised in the International Pickup Awards programme. The new Mitsubishi L200 finished second ahead of the revamped Ford Ranger.

Dr. Eckhard Scholz, CEO Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman IVOTY/IPUA

Senior representatives from all three brands were present to receive their respective awards at the Gala Ceremony in Lyon, presented by Gianenrico Griffi ni, President ITOY and Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman IVOTY. • See pages 10 & 11 for further details and photographs from the event.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Philippe Guerin-Boutaud, Corporate V.P. Global LCV Business Unit, Nissan Motor Company; Ponz Pandikuthira, Director of LCV's, Nissan Europe and Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman IVOTY/IPUA

NEWS II | 5

Search is on for Oil Distribution Industry Driver of the Year 2016

W

hile Flynn Fuel’s (Mullingar) Ciaran Quinn continues to enjoy his reign as the FPS Oil Distribution Industry Driver of the Year 2015, the call is out for entries to the 2016 running of the competition.

Organised by the Oil Distribution Industry Trade Association, FPS (Federation of Petroleum Suppliers) the search is on to seek the fi nest tanker driver in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with the FPS looking to all oil distributors to nominate its Driver Of The Year Awards 2016 contenders.

Sponsored by Pen Underwriting Incorporating OAMPS this prestigious award, which carries a £1000 winner’s prize and two runner-up prizes of £250 each is celebrated within the oil distribution industry, and the FPS has just started accepting nominations for next year’s winners.

“FPS has a fantastic track record when it comes to driving up industry standards and promoting best practice to all our members.

The Driver of the Year Award is a great way to reward the oil tanker drivers for their hard work and to encourage them to continually exceed the industry’s rigorous standards.”

The Driver of the Year award will be announced in April 2016 and presentations to the winning driver will be made by FPS Chief Executive Mark Askew. For this year’s Driver Of The Year Award, this will take place at the driver’s company premises so that all their

L toR: Mark Askew, FPS Chief Executive; Duncan Grant, FPS President & 2015 Driver of the Year Award winner Ciaran Quinn, Flynn Fuels (Mullingar).

colleagues can celebrate with them.

“We’re excited about the 2016 Award and really want to beat this year’s amazing record number of entries by encouraging every distributor to get involved – by nominating their fi nest tanker driver if they’ve not done so in the past 12 months. The closing date for entries is 14 February 2016 and each shortlisted candidate will be interviewed in March 2016. We’ve already had lots of nominations so please keep them coming!” said Dawn Shakespeare, FPS Marketing & Events Manager Nomination forms for the Driver Of The Year Award 2016 and further information are available via www.fpsshow.co.uk or by emailing ds@fpsonline.co.uk

TGE – You’re only MAN Van!

M

AN Truck & Bus is to get a new lease of life with an extended customer base, thanks to the collaboration with fellow Volkswagen Group brand Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The all-new Volkswagen Crafter due to be built at a newly constructed plant in Poland will now also wear a MAN badge in this alliance project, rekindling a joint venture from the 1980s.

The new MAN light commercial range will be called the TGE and cater for the 3.0 to 7.5 tonne market, thereby facilitating MAN to become a full line commercial vehicle supplier from 3.0 tonne to 46 tonnes GVW. For Volkswagen, this development makes good business sense as the new Crafter has become a stand-alone project since separating from manufacturing partners Mercedes-Benz in Germany (it was built alongside the Sprinter).

Simon Elliot, Managing Director of MAN Truck & Bus UK and former Head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in the UK said that there are exciting times ahead with the launch of the new van range at the IAA CV Show in Hannover, Germany next September.

Simon said that when he worked for Volkswagen, his ethos was ‘van people, talking van language to van customers.’ The new product will offer various power ranges with front, rear and four-wheel drive and a choice of transmissions, producing a vehicle to meet all van

drivers’ needs.

“Customers have repeatedly asked me about the possibility of a MAN van, so it’s great to be able to confi rm that we are in the market. Th is new addition to our range puts another building block in place for our future. We are keen to offer the HGV approach to repair and maintenance for our customers. That belief has not changed,” he stressed. “Having the right product with the right strategy, understanding what customers want, will be key to the success of the MAN TGE range."

“I am confident that our new product will do very well in a competitive market. The next few years are going to be very exciting.”

www.fleet.ie

6 | NEWS 111

Donaghey’s Letterkenny – New FIAT Professional Dealers

D

onaghey’s Letterkenny, the name synonymous with nationwide sales and service of motorhomes and campervans, has been appointed a full light commercial vehicle dealer for FIAT Professional. Previously it had been appointed an aftermarket agent for the brand.

Stock of Fiorino, Doblò Cargo, Scudo and Ducato vans and spare parts has arrived at its facility, which includes a seven-day service area. And with launch plans for two new models next year, the time is right for this business expansion, according to dealer principal, Mick Donaghey.

With vast knowledge of Fiat products through his motorhome business, Mike was keen to acquire the full agency, “Yes, we know the Fiat Ducato extremely well and it is a very good van. So too

are the other vans in the line-up such as the Fiorino, Doblò and Scudo,” he said. “We look forward to meeting and dealing with new customers for vans in the region, which will be backed up by our experienced aftersales staff,” he added.

Gerry Doherty and Damien McElchar, two of Donaghey’s sales experts will look after the FIAT Professional sales and enquiries.

RHA National Lorry Week – A Great Success

T

he Road Haulage Association (RHA) declared the UK's first ever National Lorry Week (26-31 October) to be an outstanding success and has confirmed that plans are already being laid for an even bigger scale event in 2016.

“We launched National Lorry Week with the #LoveTheLorry [twitter] strap line to do two things. First, to raise the profile of our magnificent industry in the eyes of the public and the popular media. Second, to hammer home to Government the very real challenges that we face with particular emphasis on the critical driver shortage,” said RHA Chief Executive, Richard Burnett.

RHA member companies nationwide got behind the campaign, opening their yards to the general public, including many schoolchildren and hopefully, many potential future employees. The week featured in the national Sunday press, on over thirty regional BBC and independent radio stations and in national, regional and local newspapers.

The RHA was able to provide programme planners with details of many excellent drivers – all of whom had interesting stories to tell, including the journey of two live sharks that were being taken from Heathrow Airport to the Plymouth Marine Aquarium.

Richard Burnett added, “The enthusiasm of our members and industry stakeholders from the start was overwhelming and the variety and scale of events amazing.”

A large number of MPs from all parties, several senior civil servants and members of the national press attended the RHA National Lorry Week Parliamentary reception in the House of Commons on the 27 October. “We were delighted at the turnout for our Parliamentary event,” continued Richard Burnett. “It presented us with the perfect opportunity to talk to MPs about the incredible job the industry does in delivering daily life and of course the problems that we as an industry face; in particular, the fact that we are currently between 45,000 and 50,000 drivers short. We have been following up these contacts and many are now actively helping us press our case to secure a proper LGV Apprenticeship and for emergency Government funds for driver training.”

More efficient, lighter and durable piston pumps from SAP

C

ommercial vehicle component supplier Hi-Power has introduced the new SAP series of Sunfab bent axis piston pumps. The new generations features include a more compact size, higher rotation speed offers a maximum 400 bar pressure.

“Model type SAP 012–108 DIN is a series of lightweight casing piston pumps with affi xed displacement for demanding mobile hydraulics,” said a Hi-Power spokesperson.

“It is a modern, compact pump which meets the market’s high FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

demands on flow performance, pressure, efficiency and small installation dimensions. The pump is either mounted directly on the power take-off or on a frame bracket via an intermediate shaft.”

Other advantages include lightweight metal casing design, long life, corrosion free metal-housing and that it generates less heat due to better ability to dissipate heat through housing.

MICHELIN X® MULTI™ Z 215/75 R 17.5

MICHELIN X® MULTI™ D 215/75 R 17.5

8 | INTERVIEW

One-to-One

us but I think also we can offer a more competitive term. Where we score on the motor side of our business is that we’ve been different, we’ve been innovative and we’ve offered customers more choice with lower repayments over longer terms, than may be our competitors will offer.

with Frank Donnellan, Managing Director, Finance Ireland Limited

by Jarlath Sweeney, Editor, Fleet Transport.

F

inance Ireland Ltd, is a leading non-bank provider of asset finance. In October, Finance Ireland Ltd was appointed as on-lender by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) for its second phase of new funding for Irish SMEs, with a €50 million equipment, machinery and vehicle finance programme.

JS Can you outline the respective roles of Finance Ireland and First Auto Finance as lenders in Ireland?

JS Do you see much growth potential in the commercial vehicle sector?

JS The time element when purchasing a new commercial vehicle is crucial. How can you offer something different in that regard?

What's the process re due diligence?

FD Well, I think if you look at our motor business, we understand service, we know what is required, and gett ing a deal turned around and gett ing a deal paid out is really what concerns everybody in terms of the buyers, customers and ourselves.

FD Finance Ireland Limited was the fi rst non-bank lender in Ireland - we started back in 2002. Our objective is to be the biggest non-bank lender in the country.

Finance Ireland Leasing is the company that offers funding to SME’s, whether it is hire purchase, leasing, contract hire - the full spectrum of products.

Regarding due diligence, depending on the size of the deal, it goes to a credit committee that meets on a daily basis – we’re fully focused on turnaround time. Once we’ve got the information that we require from you, there’s no reason why we cannot have a same day/next day turnaround.

The motor fi nance business was set up in 2011, and First Auto Finance is now the largest independent motor finance company in the country. First Auto Finance Ireland is the exclusive agent for Close Brothers Motor Finance in the Republic of Ireland and that business is 99% through motor dealers.

Whereas with Finance Ireland Leasing our channel of distribution is directly with SMEs, face to face with contract hire leasing.

Borrowers will be able to avail of loans two percent cheaper than those currently on offer.

JS Do you see an opportunity to attract owner-driver operators who typically specify a truck quite more than fleet operators do by offering competitive packages over the life of the vehicle rather than the base cost?

FD What we can offer is the fi nancial advantage that the SBCI funding allows

FD We’re seeing about 25,000 new LCV’s registered this year and I suppose if you put that into context, you go back to 2007/2008 that market was about 44/45,000 units, so there’s still huge room for growth.

What we’re seeing back out there now are your builders, your plumbers, your sole traders. There’s confidence out there that hasn’t been there for a long time and we’re certainly seeing a lot of that. I think we’re going to see that on the materials handling side as well as on other assets.

JS You’ve stated your goal is to be the biggest non-bank lender in Ireland. How long is it going to take?

FD I’d say we’re well on our way. We’ve a very big car fi nance business, we hope to have a very big asset fi nance business, and the whole area of commercial mortgages is something that we’re going to kick up in the fi rst quarter of next year and that again is an expanding opportunity and proposition for us. The area of the market that we’re targeting is traditional, old fashioned lending, anywhere between half a million and two and a half to three million euro. So there is a niche market there and it’s probably a litt le bit too small for the banks, but we see a big opportunity for ourselves.

JS How are you planning to market and promote Finance Ireland’s finance programme to SMEs? FD I think that the sales team that we are putt ing in place have a huge part to play.

They are the guys dealing with things locally.

The representatives that we’re taking on are all seasoned professionals, they understand the business, they know the business.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Billy Kane, Executive Chairman, Finance Ireland pictured with the SBCI Chief Executive Nick Ashmore at the announcement of the SBCI Finance Ireland deal.

THE RENAULT TRUCKS RANGE T. TRUCKS TO BE PROUD OF.

FOR DETAILS OF OUR DEALER NETWORK AND TO BOOK A DEMO CALL (01) 403 4500 Setanta Vehicle Importers, Long Mile Road, Dublin 12 www.setantatrucks.ie

10 | AWARDS

Iveco’s new Eurocargo lifts International

T

he new Iveco Eurocargo has been elected International Truck of the Year 2016 (IToY) by a group of 25 senior commercial vehicle journalists, representing 25 magazines throughout Europe and Russia. The prestigious award was presented to Pierre Lahutte, Iveco Brand President, during the Solutrans Gala Dinner, hosted by the Lyon Chamber of Commerce, France.

In a neck-and-neck competition, with its winning score of 101 votes, Iveco’s new medium-duty truck fought off a strong challenge posed by Renault Trucks’ C&K Range, which finished in second place with 98 points, while Ford Trucks’ new Cargo construction series was third.

The votes were independently adjudicated by the UK’s Road Haulage Association. According to the International Truck of the Year rules, the annual IToY award is presented to the truck launched in the previous 12 months which has made the greatest contribution to road transport efficiency based on several main criteria, including technical innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, fuel economy, environmental footprint and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Volkswagen Transporter T6 elected Internati

F

or the third occasion, the Volkswagen Transporter has won the International Van of the Year Award (IVOTY). For 2016, the latest version, the Euro 6 sixth generation Transporter was announced winner of the most coveted accolade in the Light Commercial Vehicle industry.

The presentation of the trophy was made by Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman, IVOTY in the presence of Patrick Cholton, President Solutrans and Emmanuel Imberton, President, Lyon Chamber of Commerce at the event held on the eve of the opening of Solutrans 2015 at the Eurexpo, Lyon.

On receiving the prize, Dr. Scholz, Eckhard, Head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said: “The prestigious International Van of the Year 2016 Award for our T-series is a great mark of recognition for the achievements of our team, which by implementing the correct measures has made our icon from Hannover the best Transporter ever. We dedicate this prize to all Transporter users and accept it with great pleasure on behalf of the whole Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles team. This great

Nissan NP300 Navara wins International

T

he Nissan NP300 Navara was announced as winner of the International Pick-up Award 2016 (IPUA). The presentation was made by Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman, International Van of the Year jury (IVOTY) to Philippe Guérin-Boutaud, Corporate Vice President, Global LCV Business Unit and Ponz Pandikuthira, Director of Light Commercial Vehicles for Nissan Europe, in the presence of Patrick Cholton, President, Solutrans, Lyon and Emmanuel Imberton, President, Lyon Chamber of Commerce.

Nissan has become third winner of this prestigious award, organised by members of the International Van of the Year jury after coming out on top following an extensive test drive programme over the Summer and into the Autumn in Spain, France, Norway and in the jury member’s home country. The new NP300 Navara scored 80 points in the voting process, independently adjudicated by the UK's Road Haulage

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

AWARDS | 11

Truck of the Year Award 2016 The New Eurocargo cab design, which continues the family feeling of the Iveco Daily, features city-friendly contours with horizontal lines which underline its main focus on multi-drop distribution missions in urban environments, whilst delivering a substantial Cx (aerodynamic) reduction at higher speeds on motorways and inter-urban routes.

New Eurocargo also boasts eco gear-changing strategies in its two-pedal AS-Tronic automated box, plus an eco-roll function that encourages fuel-saving ‘coasting’. Savings in diesel consumption are also achieved by the use of low-viscosity engine oils and the fitment of a ‘smart’ fan, that contribute significantly to the TCO reduction.

Iveco’s new medium duty truck cab interior is a multi-functional ‘office on-the-move’ with its central console pre-configured to integrate with smartphones, tablets and GPS-based navigation systems, as well as advanced telematics solutions. The latter are managed by the Drivelinc central touchscreen display that offers a user-friendly interface for messaging, fleet management and driving-style support measures.

In addition, with its Natural Power CNG version Eurocargo, Iveco has delivered a viable response to future challenge of ever-tighter restrictions on diesel-engined trucks in major European cities. With low noise footprint and low emissions, the Natural Power Eurocargo is perfectly-suited to urban delivery missions in environmentallysensitive areas.

The International Truck of the Year journalists (who all had the chance to drive the new Eurocargo some months ago) praised the advanced features of its driveline, including its award winning SCR-only 4 or 6-cylinder engines that offer improved driveability and fuel-savings as well as lower CO2 emissions.

Summing up the jury vote, International Truck of the Year Chairman Gianenrico Griffini commented: “Iveco has delivered a new medium duty truck that, once again, raises the bar in a highly-competitive segment in which Eurocargo has set the market benchmark in the last 25 years.”

onal Van of the Year 2016 honour makes us very proud and gives us a positive impetus for a good start into what is set to be an eventful year in 2016.”

and safety of people, and the Volkswagen T6 is deemed to have made this impact this year," added the IVOTY Chairman.

From the shortlist, the International Van of the Year jury consisting of 24 leading Light Commercial Vehicle journalists across Europe and Russia, collectively gave the Volkswagen Transporter T6 (Euro 6) 98 points with the Fiat Professional Doblo Cargo second on 68 points with the Volkswagen Caddy 4 (Euro 6) taking third with 63 points.

The votes were independently adjudicated by the UK's Road Haulage Association.

“It is a great honour for French Bodywork Federation (FFC) that the IVOTY jury has selected its exhibition Solutrans to unveil the worldwide renowned 2016 IVOTY Award commented Patrick Cholton, President of Solutrans.

"Congratulations to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles on winning the International Van of the Year Award for the third time with the new Euro 6 Transporter Six. Previously, the T4 won the inaugural award in 1992 and again in 2005 with the T5," commented Jarlath.

This is an unprecedented and a precious recognition of Solutrans’ commitment over the last years to promote the innovation in the transport and automotive industry as well as to grow its international audience. I congratulate the winner of IVOTY 2016 Award and I wish that Solutrans 2017 welcomes the 2018 Award”. On behalf of our organization and our customers I sincerely thank the jury. It is a real encouragement for us to continue the job,” he added.

"The award acknowledges the Light Commercial Vehicle manufacturer that makes a major contribution to raising the standards of efficiency and the sustainability of transport with respect to the environment

Pick-up Award 2016 Association, with the new Mitsubishi L200 second on 47 points and the revised Ford Ranger third, on 39 points.

"In 2009, the award was established to acknowledge the Pick-up truck manufacturers that are deemed as making a major contribution to raising the standards of efficiency and the sustainability of transport with respect to the environment and safety of people," explained Jarlath.

"This new batch of Pick-ups, launched this year, has transformed the sector with high levels of technology developed and installed as standard equipment. And with more newcomers preparing to enter the market in the next few years, augers well for both the industry and this competition as they will raise the profile of these special vehicles even more," added the IVOTY Chairman.

Philippe Guérin-Boutaud, Corporate Vice President, Global LCV Business Unit stated on winning the Award: “This prestigious award celebrates Nissan’s 80 years of Pick-up expertise. Rigorous testing by IPUA jury illuminated the tough and innovative character of the allnew Navara.”

“Nissan is best known by its customers in Europe as the maker of capable 4x4s and breakthrough Crossovers. This new NP300 Navara represents the fusion of those two realms of excellence to deliver a truly breakthrough Pick-up truck that combines rugged 4x4 toughness with the sophistication and efficiency of a Crossover,” added Ponz Pandikuthira, Director of Light Commercial Vehicles for Nissan Europe. “I want to thank the Nissan employees across the globe that have helped us win this award and I am excited to see the NP300 Navara on the road,” he added. www.fleet.ie

12 | NEW FLEET I

Pulse Logistics invests over €1m in new trailers

P

ulse Logistics’ fleet heartbeat is beating all the stronger now having taken delivery of twenty-six new trailers through TIP Trailers Services Ireland Ltd. The €1million investment by the relatively new supply chain solutions provider consists of twenty-four box semitrailers from Schmitz Cargobull and two double decks supplied by SDC Trailers.

Additional investment is being made in upgrading its IT systems at its four strategic locations in Dublin, Cork, Clonmel and Longford. Additional warehousing is availed of in Galway and Limerick. As part of the Total Produce Group Plc, Pulse Logistics handles in excess of 20 million cases, for over 40 different contracts servicing over 10,000 delivery points throughout Ireland.

Commenting on the recent purchases, Jason

the number one provider of best in class logistics and supply chain solutions. Our ever growing reputation and our expanded offering of cutting edger technologies, we hope will help continue to stay ahead of our competition. This recent investment will just add to our already growing commitment to our customers and the Irish industry.”

Bushe, Managing Director at Pulse Logistics stated; “We are delighted to announce the significant investment in excess of €1 million that further expands our capacity and capability. It also further enhances the profile of the brand with the increased presence of our name and logo on the roads of Ireland.”

“We are growing year on year as a company and we continually focus on providing best in class value for money services to our loyal customers. We strive to be considered

On the latest partnership deal with TIP Trailer Services Ireland Ltd., Michael Murphy, its Sales Manager said; “We are proud to supply Pulse Logistics with its latest instalment of semi-trailers, knowing that Pulse Logistics is an approved partner for some of Ireland’s largest blue chip companies.

The purchase further strengthens the long standing relationship between Pulse Logistics and TIP.”

Goggins & Noone expand Mercedes-Benz Actros fleet

T

wo leading haulage companies, Goggins Transport (Galway) and Noone Transport (Slane) are both in expansion mode, by increasing their fleets of Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks.

Delivered in Goggins Transport’s white and red livery, are four new Actros 2545LS 6x2 tractor-units with 2.5m StreamSpace cabs, all equipped with a flat floor, tilting sunroof, luxury bed, refrigerator, Mercedes-Benz PowerShift3 and Predictive Powertrain Control.

The new additions bring to ten the number of Actros units purchased by the company this year – a decision that Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager, Fergus Conheady said: “further underlines the proven resilience and excellent fuel efficiencies that the Actros provides.”

A privately owned, family run freight company founded in 1979, Goggins Transport has two depots in Dublin, one in Galway, and one in Liverpool, and operates over 80 tractor-units and in excess of 150 trailers.

Noone Transport has placed what Mercedes-

Benz describes as a ‘very substantial’ double-digit order for new Actros trucks.

The company will take delivery of the new units in 2016 – coinciding with what will be the company’s 30th anniversary year.

Noones was influenced in its choice by “the excellent fuel efficiency and reliability of the eight existing Actros trucks on its fleet”.

Founded in 1986 in the County Louth village of Duleek, Noone Transport has grown to become one of Ireland’s leading logistics and distribution companies. Since 2001, the company has operated from its current, more extensive headquarters in Slane, County Meath.

In addition to a dedicated national transport service, Noone also operates a Europe-wide service for full and part-load consignments employing ambient and temperaturecontrolled trailers.

Both these deals comes hot on the heels of recent Fuel Duel Challenge tests conducted

by Mercedes-Benz which showed that on Irish roads and in Irish conditions, the Actros consumes 10.4% less fuel than its main rivals.

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FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

NEW FLEET II | 13

Dixon International go Volvo Trucks…again!

A

w a rd-w i n n i ng D i xon International has signed on the dotted line with Irish Commercials, (Naas) to supply thirty new Volvo FH 4x2 and 6x2 tractorunits.

Ten of these new Volvo trucks will be based at Dixon’s new depot in the UK Midlands at Rugby, with the remaining twenty based in Dublin where the company is currently investing in a new purpose built headquarters near Dublin Airport.

Swords based Dixons now has a workforce of over 200 employees and a modern fleet of 130 trucks and 250 trailers, and believes in continually investing in its fleet to keep it modern, reliable and efficient. Its new facility will open in April 2016 and will enhance the company’s ability to cross-dock temperature-controlled and ambient pharma products.

When Dixon International Managing Director, Michael Dixon, was asked why he made the decision to go with Volvo Trucks again, he explained to New Fleet: “We have a long relationship with Volvo and Irish Commercials in meeting our high expectations. The FH is a quality product and is received very well by our drivers. It is very fuel efficient which is always a key factor for us and this is helped by the Volvo telematics system, Dynafleet, which is fitted to all makes in our fleet, this allows us to monitor driver performance which can have a very significant impact on fuel efficiency. We also fi nd that the Volvos maintain excellent residual value which makes quite a difference when the time comes to trade-in.”

“In the case of any unexpected breakdowns, we get a fantastic response in Ireland or throughout the rest of Europe from the Volvo Trucks dealer network. We purchased the trucks from Irish Commercials, which means we have the added support of their aftersales team which has proven to be second to none over the past few years. Th is minimises downtime and gives us peace of mind.

Irish Commercials was also able to manage the preparation and registration of the trucks going into the UK,” Michael added.

Barry Horan, Managing Director at Irish Commercials, speaking about the major deal stated: “We are delighted to have secured this deal with Dixons. When Michael Dixon and his team are deciding on new fleet, they do a massive amount of research and testing; they measure products and dealers in every category you can think of. A lot of people in the industry are aware of this, and they know that when Michael decides to purchase 30 new Volvo trucks, that it is because they are the very best truck available.”

The new vehicles are all specified with 460 horsepower Euro 6 engines, Globetrotter cabs, and are fitted with Volvo’s market leading I-Shift transmissions with I-See GPS technology. I-Park Cool aircon systems are fitted for when the trucks are parked up. They also boast a range of high-tech safety features including now standard Lane Keeping and Emergency Braking, and Dixons also opted for Lane Change Support and Adaptive Cruise Control. Also in the specification is the Visibility Plus Package which includes Xenon Headlights, Static Cornering Lights and Headlamp Washers.

The fi rst ten new trucks were delivered to the UK in November and the remaining will be supplied in January.

Dennison Rentals supports Wylie Transport Ltd

D

ennison Rentals, the truck rental division of Dennison Commercials, has recently supplied seven Volvo FM tractor units to newly-founded business, Wylie Transport Ltd.

Phillip Wylie, owner of Wylie Transport, has a 13-year track-record as a Transport Manager in the food industry sector, but recently made the decision to set up on his own. The company’s first major contract is with leading European dairy processor, Glanbia Plc, and in particular, the ‘Ingredients’ division of the business. Utilising ten drivers, Wylie Transport is now the main milk collection subcontractor for Glanbia for all of Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

Since the fi rst truck went on the road in July, Dennison Rentals has supplied a further six vehicles, including five new and two used tractor units, a mix of Globetrotter and Sleeper cabs. All vehicles Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

have been supplied in Glanbia livery and are on 36-month rental, with full Repair & Maintenance. www.fleet.ie

14 | PROFILE

McCulla Ireland ‘Keeping it cool’

T

hanks to its striking livery, McCulla Refrigerated Transport is one of Ireland’s most familiar transport names. In reality though, little is known about the company itself. The business has traded steadily since 1969, and if a word was needed to describe McCulla’s operations for over four decades, that would be steady.

The company has never been known for extravagance, and has always travelled steadily down the quality, rather than the flamboyant road. Th is approach could be the reason it has outlived many of its competitors over the years, and one reason it received the Fleet Transport International Haulier of the Year 2016.

To get a further insight into McCulla, we spoke with the award winning company’s Transport Manager, Brian Beattie at McCulla’s Dublin offices in Ballymount. Brian is also an award winner - his in-depth knowledge of how McCulla Ireland operates was one of the main reasons he won the coveted Fleet Transport ‘Transport Manager of the Year 2016’ in September.

From its foundations as a regular haulier, McCulla has evolved into a complete logistics provider, counting many household names in the food retailing, restaurant and pharmaceutical sectors among its

customers. Often these companies demand bespoke transport solutions to meet their particular needs. If some of the solutions required are outside what would normally be described as McCulla’s usual transport and cold-store division activities, the company always manages to meet such requests in its stride. Th is is clearly demonstrated with the creation of Certa. Certa is McCulla Ireland’s special services division established to meet the particular requirements of the Pharmaceutical and airfreight sectors.

While the nature of much of this work could be called temperature controlled groupage, in many ways it goes beyond that, and moves into the realms of own account haulage for individual customers.

These customers receive a level of service that previously they could only have achieved by running their own fleet. The advantage for McCulla is that offering a highly specialised transport service of a highly specialised product to a select group of customers reduces the potential threat from the competition.

However, such exacting levels of service can only be achieved if the structures are in place within the company. It also requires the staff to work with - and believe in - the structures. Brian feels that training is key to achieving top performance, i.e. if the person is competent and able to do their job well, then they will perform better. Consequently in McCulla Ireland, the best performing drivers receive performance rewards. This helps to encourage continued positive performance, and it also allows time for the in-house driver trainer to work with those drivers who are not performing to their full potential. Close monitoring of on-the-road performance via Bluetree Telematics, and in the office through a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ensure a high customer service level is maintained. Constant monitoring quickly highlights any problems, allowing them to be dealt with and resolved before they become an issue.

The latest information technology is widely used throughout the company and plays a significant role in the day-to- day running of

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

PROFILE | 15 the business. For example, McCulla has partnered with IT specialist Zetes from Limerick, who has developed its own dedicated in-cab proof of delivery (POD) capture system. Th is went live in November and existing customers are already seeing a major benefit as they now can obtain their POD online as soon as a delivery has been completed.

Adopting these enhanced operating methods could be described as best practice for any business, not just a transport company, and no doubt that is true. Indeed it's a common thread found running through the majority of so called ‘better companies.’ However, it is not enough to simply have advanced systems. It is also necessary to believe in the systems for them to work and add to the success of a company.

Within McCulla’s operation, as with all successful companies, all divisions of the company - from the traffic office and the cold-store, to drivers and admin - must work with the same objectives to meet the customer’s needs.

Being on top of the varied different aspects of company performance, and knowing what measures need to be being taken to maximise efficiencies allows for steady expansion by building on solid foundations.

Th is philosophy is inherent in the McCulla Ireland ethos, notably where it has recently invested in 10 new Iveco Stralis tractors to add to the 85 strong fleet of artics and rigids. The trailer fleet of 120 trailers has also recently been expanded, with the arrival of 10 new Schmitz Cargobull fridges fitted with Thermo King SLX quiet reefers - all good solid sensible plant, and equipped with Bluetree’s latest, live GPS location and temperature tracking.

Defining best practice can be difficult to measure. Often one of the best benchmark can be the lack of negative performance indicators from external monitors - an area where McCulla features positively.

For example the company has no issues with either the Road Safety Authority (RSA) or Health & Safety Authority (HSA), though they have been checked on numerous occasions for driving hours and CVR compliance.

Fleet /Transport Manager of the Year 2016 – Pictured (l-r) Orla Sweeney, Fleet Publications; Pierre Lahutte, Brand President, Iveco (sponsor); Brian Beattie, McCulla Ireland Ltd and Denise Owens, Fleet Publications.

While the principle of consolidation, balanced with steady sustainable growth permeates the company, this is not to say that McCulla isn’t innovative. Take for example that it is in the process of installing an Anaerobic Digester (AD) unit to power its cold-store facility in Lisburn, and will soon be testing the viability of running CNG fuelled trucks.

While some may see investing in an AD as being extremely good PR for a transport company there is little doubt that McCulla has a strong business case to support the investment, and has exacting calculations on how it will provide a return on that investment.

Looking forward McCulla has ambitious plans to increase traffic levels within the specialist sector of temperature controlled transport serving the food and pharma sectors. Brian feels that McCulla Ireland with its strategically placed operating centres at Lisburn, County Antrim and Ballymount, Dublin 24 is well placed to benefit from the opportunities that future growth should bring. Nevertheless there is also a great awareness that other companies will be looking enviously at McCulla’s success, and therefore the need to ensure customer satisfaction and ensure their ongoing loyalty is paramount.

International Haulier of the Year 2016 - Pictured (l-r) Marty Whelan, M.C.; Mary Hanley, Thermo King (sponsor); Carol Thompson, McCulla Ireland Ltd and Jarlath Sweeney, Group Editor, Fleet Publications.

Looking into the future, one thing is certain - the steps McCulla will take to increase traffic, turnover and profitability will be calculated and based on sound evidence and projections rather than aspirational ideas.

And why not - it has worked very well for the past forty five years.

Text: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

16 | FLEETING SHOTS

‘HobMog’ hits the road on time

T

he Graphics team at commercial vehicle bodybuilder Bevan Group are the toast of customer Wychwood Brewery after pulling out all the stops to ensure that a striking new promotional truck could make its debut at an important company event.

Its efforts paid off as the all-terrain MercedesBenz Unimog, which tows a beer can-shaped bar trailer, was completed and delivered in time to play a starring role at the parent company’s annual sales conference, staged at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium.

Dubbed the ‘HobMog’, the truck was chosen primarily for its unusual appearance, which makes it a perfect ‘fit’ for a flagship brand that trades on its distinctive, quirky image.

Joanne Wyke, Senior Brand Manager for the legendary Hobgoblin beer, confi rmed: “It was clearly a labour of love.

The ‘HobMog’ looks fantastic and will now play a key role in helping us to raise the profi le of our brand by “Bringing taste to the nation” at music and food festivals, and other events, all over the country.”

Wychwood Brewery is located in the market town of Witney, Oxfordshire, on the fringes of the medieval forest of Wychwood. The brewers take inspiration from the ancient myths and legends associated with the forest to create a range of award winning and characterful beers.

Biber Power Truck Turox from Eschlböck

S

pecialist German chassis builder Paul Nutzfahrzeuge has developed and produced the all-new special chassis for the Biber Power Truck of the Eschlböck Maschinenfabrik GmbH. For the new chassis, components from the Mercedes-Benz Arocs series are used.

Eschlböck Maschinenfabrik GmbH is technology leader in wood chipping machines, and with the Turox, the company presented for the fi rst time its own chassis at Agritechnica 2015 in Hanover.

The Biber Power Truck Turox is the answer to increased demands in the field of wood chipping with crane loading and combines convenient working conditions with latest technology. Due to its unique qualities the Biber Power Truck Turox is especially suited for companies with a wide scope in the range of timber harvest, timber disposal and timber preparation. Among them are agricultural enterprises and agricultural contractors as well as forestry authorities and departments.

Powering the new unit is a Euro-6 engine

type OM 473 from Mercedes-Benz, with a displacement of 15.6 litres and an output of 625hp. In addition, the chassis is equipped with three big tanks, which permit carrying along 750 litres of diesel fuel and an AdBlue supply of 60 litres.

Mat’s the MAN again as Truck Racing Finale is cut short

I

t all came down to the final race of the season to decide the BTRA British Truck Racing Champion for 2015.

The stage was set for an exciting climax at the famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent with two of the most experienced gladiators and former Champions, Mat Summerfield and Stuart Oliver in contention for the title.

Heavy rain and a slippery track made the task all the more challenging for the top two chargers in their respective MAN TGS and Volvo FM. Oliver got the upper hand by setting the fastest qualifying lap and started the first race by merit of ranking in the overall standings. The blue MAN and silver Volvo went at it hard and fast, exchanging places

lap-by-lap, and towards the end the two clashed, sending Stuart into a spin to fi nish seventh, with Mat taking the vital win.

Amends were made in race two with the Kelsa backed Volvo taking the chequered flag from a mid-field start. Just seven points separated the dueling duo now. A second place for Oliver in race 1 on the Sunday closed the gap further. Th is had the crowd

all on their feet and those on Druids Corner witnessed yet another clash between the two trucks with Oliver emerging from the smoke screen as Summerfield was welded to the Armco barrier. After the red flag was lifted, Mat was allowed to rejoin but it was Stuart that took the honours. A mere 2 points was the difference now leading into the fi nal race fi nale.

Alas, just one lap in, an unrelated incident led to a yellow flag and the race never restarted as dusk began to fall. The shortened race led to an unexpected conclusion to the season with Summerfield taking the laurels without the expected fi nale the disappointed crowd had wished for.

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FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

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18 | TEST

Renault Trucks: Customer Interaction pays-off

G

eneva, Switzerland: "I never thought Renault Trucks were so good" - is what Neil Tomlinson of Hazell & Jefferies said in answer to a question from the audience at a recent Renault Trucks Test Drive event at La Valbonne. Neil was explaining why his company had purchased eleven new Range C (construction) trucks within the last six months. Indeed the company has since ordered another two.

Neil and Jack Hazell were invited to the event to relate fi rst hand how the decision came about to make the move to Renault Trucks – a brand the firm had never previously considered.

Hazell & Jefferies operates almost 60 trucks, the majority of which are 8x4 tippers with a few hook loaders and roll-on skip units mixed in. Its work centres mainly on road construction, surface dressing and waste transport. Neil reminded us of his mindset prior to the move; “Renault Trucks was

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

never even on our radar,” he observed, as the company operated a mixed fleet of mostly Volvo, DAF, and assorted others. However, after an initial test drive and the use of a demonstrator Neil was convinced. Equally encouraging was the positive reaction to the trucks from the drivers at the company based on the Oxford/Berkshire border near Pangbourne.

Our reason for travelling to Geneva was its closeness to the Renault Trucks' proving ground of La Valbonne, where we collected the trucks for the on road section of our test drive. From La Valbonne we drove to the extreme off-road testing site of La Vallée Bleue. Th is facility contains all the ingredients needed to test any vehicle type, and is regularly used by the Emergency Services for extreme rescue training.

the development of Range C and K. The disguised Range K operated in the Borzk mine in Central Turkey, working twin-two hour shifts per day for two years, hauling an average weight of 62 tonnes of quartz from the mine face to the surface. These types of intensive field trials highlight the kind of problems that can't really be predicted on the drawing board or replicated in test laboratories. What it showed Renault Trucks was that with Range C and K, had an extremely durable product in the making.

Over the two years’ work in Turkey the Range K covered 93,000 kms and all it needed apart from regular servicing was a heavier set of U bolts. All other components coped well with the mine's challenging conditions, which bodes well for regular companies operating Range Cs and Ks on every day run-of-the-mill construction work.

Renault Trucks had assembled a variety of models which included one of the original prototypes used in field trials for

Nevertheless we did get the opportunity to drive a Range K loaded out to 50 tonnes GVW, and it is really difficult to see where

TEST | 19 it could not go. The engineers at Renault Trucks have developed the systems perfectly to meet their customer’s needs, and apart from a small minority, the customer’s needs will never truly test the immense capability of either model. Though it's worth noting that to increase front ground clearance, Hazell & Jefferies interestingly chose the option of factory fitt ing their Range C trucks with the Range K front bumper.

As well as the seriously tough Range K we also drove the milder mannered Range C in an unusual configuration for the Irish market, but one nonetheless that could be considered. Th is Range C was set up as an 8x2 with a rear lift and steer and was aimed at the materials supply section of the construction sector. The unit would also be as well suited to other industries that need to collect or deliver heavy products to locations with limited access, sectors like food and beverage supply and agriculture, for example.

Our initial expectation was that this truck is an eight-wheeler, and even with the rear axle steering should behave as such. However, with three of the four axles steering, this expectation was quickly dismissed on taking the fi rst roundabout leaving La Valbonne.

Having the rearmost axle steering means that the truck is quick to react - and accurate with the reaction. Combining this feature with the other known att ributes of the new Renault Trucks' line up gives this truck a positive and competent feel, making it easy to see why Neil was so impressed when he fi rst drove the model. The Range C 460 we tested first was as car-like to drive on the road sections, and wasn't found lacking around the off-road course at La Vallée Bleue.

Because of its experience developing products for the construction sector, Renault Trucks believes it is very much

Text & Photos: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

aware of its customer’s requirements. Th is is what led to the development of Range C X-Load, a lightweight mixer with an empty weight of 9,200 kgs, certified by UTAC (the official French Certification body), which permits an 8 cubic metre payload. Another initiative included in the trucks is the offroad management system for differential and inter-axle locks. Correct use of this will allow the driver to ascend and descend almost vertical gradients with both feet on the floor. The truck does all the work by combining the engine brake/retarder with accelerator to hold a gear lett ing the truck ascend/descend gradients untroubled at tick-over speed.

Renault Trucks was also keen to show-off its hydrostatic four wheel drive system Optitrack, which is available on Range C models. The system gives operators the benefits of four-wheel-drive by hydraulically powering the front wheels when required, so improving traction. To have the option of 4WD available without the need for a transfer case is a significant benefit. Though not having to carry a transfer case around when you don't need it is where the real benefit lies. Optitrack uses 47 litres of hydraulic oil and operating temperature is controlled using a heat exchanger mounted in front of the diesel tank.

Addressing the group, the CEO of Renault Trucks, Bernard Blin was keen to highlight the involvement of the company's customers and their contribution to the development process. He also feels that this has helped Renault Trucks realise a dramatic increase market share of over 15%. He points out that “these are not just sales figures, as that the results are plain to see on the road everyday with the increasing number Range T, C, and K trucks.”

Speaking on the company’s policy of research

and development in conjunction with customers. Vice-President of Renault Truck Brand, Bernard Modat said that “this is a policy we have continued and currently there are over forty customers testing Renault Truck products.” He believes this practice ultimately delivers "the right truck for the right customer, has the best total cost of ownership, and a truck the driver can be proud off."

www.fleet.ie

20 | VIEWPOINT

Pending sale of Whitegate Oil Refinery – many questions to be asked An open letter from Ms. Verona Murphy, President Irish Road Haulage Association

W

hat are the implications of Whitegate Oil Refi nery in County Cork being sold as a non-operative refi nery for the people and the businesses on the island of Ireland?

Having recently visited and toured the refi nery, I was surprised to learn of their plight in that the refinery may be in jeopardy of being sold as a non-operative refi nery in 2016. When first devolved of State ownership in 2000, there was a caveat placed in the contract that the refi nery would remain as an ‘operational’ refi nery for the next fi fteen years - this ends in July 2016.

The refi nery is currently producing as much as 40% of the fuels burned on the island of Ireland today. It is responsible for 50% of port traffic into Cork and indeed any one distributor who meets the regulations required can purchase their fuel in Whitegate, thereby keeping competition on an even keel with that of imported fuel.

Just think, if this refi nery becomes nonoperable and just another storage facility for imported fuels, it’s almost certain that a monopoly will evolve. As it stands there is no ‘fuel’ regulator; yes a ‘taxi’ regulator, an ‘energy’ regulator but no ‘fuel’ regulator despite billions of euros worth of fuel burned each year in Ireland.

Maybe a ‘fuel regulator’ could do something to stop diesel being laundered and people, livestock and wildlife being poisoned from the burning of waste chemicals just being dumped on the side of the road. There are hundreds of people employed in the refinery in Whitegate and more in the surrounding indigenous industries. The Government has a responsibility to see that legitimate fuel refi ning is protected and in-turn stop the laundering and supply of illegal diesel.

We all know the story of the Irish sugar beet industry, it’s now seen as a disgrace that it was ever let go and within a short space of

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

by W hitegate staff who know the consequences for every citizen in Ireland if the refi nery becomes non-operable?

Ms. Verona Murphy, President, Irish Road Haulage Association with Jarlath Sweeney, Editor, Fleet Transport.

time we now have a world sugar shortage and a high price to match.

Can we not learn from this? Must we wait until it’s too late? Why is Minister Alex White not listening to proposals for development to help the Government reach their 2020 targets with regard to biofuels and yield improvement projects such as a “Cracker”?

Why is there no obvious concern over the job losses or the price of fuel going through the roof because we sold off our only ‘saving grace’? Why has no individual in Government or in positions of influence not recognised what will happen if this continues? Is Minister Coveney aware of what is happening on his own door step?

Do we know has M i n ister W h ite con s u lted w it h Minister Bruton, Minister Noonan or with Government at all? Has anyone evaluated t he proposals submitted

I know I will not stand by and watch a resource that can defi ne a semblance of sovereignty and keep us competitive in our daily lives as we climb from the ashes of recession, go by the wayside. Th is is of fundamental importance as we are an island nation and cannot afford to be dependant solely on imports that for some unforeseen reason in the future we may or may not receive. It will leave us in a very vulnerable position that no one except this Government can stop and that is exactly what I am calling on them to do.

No one wants another avoidable disaster or hearing the words of David McWillams clanging “I told you so”. It’s time to act, Whitegate Oil Refinery must be maintained as an operable refinery for the future integrity of the State.

I would appreciate your support on this pressing matter.

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22 | GLOBAL

Mercedes-Benz Metris for the Metropolitans Prior to the public launch of the Metris, the Texas Auto Writers’ Association awarded it ‘Best Commercial Vehicle’ at the TAWA Texas Truck Rodeo, held at the historic Knibbe Ranch near San Antonio.

T

he next big thing for Mercedes-Benz in North America is mid-sized – in the shape of the Metris, the new nameplate for the European made Vito van range.

On sale in the United States and Canada since October, the Metris, renamed to be more urban or city-like as in Metropolitan, aims to resurrect the dormant mid-sized van market. Currently with no competition, this situation is likely to change when other European based LCV brands introduce their 1-tonne vans into the marketplace in due course.

Metris brings with it high levels of standard safety features and equipment pitched at an attractive starting price of $28,950, for the cargo van version, increasing to $32,500 (+$995 delivery for the passenger van).

It is sold through selected Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz car dealerships, presently at 280 outlets and growing. However, the V-class luxury passenger version will not be sold in North America.

Since 2001, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been successfully sold in the US, sporting the Freightliner, Dodge RA M and Mercedes-Benz badging, all Daimler brands at the time. “It is only logical that we adopt the global approach and also expand our successful vans’ business in the USA,” explained Claus Tritt, General Manager-Operations, Mercedes-Benz Vans USA (pictured) during his presentation to invited European press at the Mercedes-Benz West Coast Campus in Los Angeles. Th is facility, in the hands of Daimler for over three years, formerly housed the production of the Boeing 717 airliner. Over 150 employees are based here, processing 160,000 vehicles wearing the ‘triple-pointed-star’ for sale at the Western Region Centre and also a multi-faceted training academy.

Mercedes-Benz Master UpFitters fit the bill and MBUSA, to offer our end-customers the highest levels of customer satisfaction.”

Since the Master UpFitter programme was introduced last July, 40 members have been authenticated, with up to 84 applications pending approval of the Metris to the MBUSA van line-up. Various upfittings are available such as approved shelving, partitioning, etc.

S

eventy-seven percent of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinters sold in the United States are outfitted in some way. In order to ensure conformity and quality and that Health & Safety standards are met, each outfitter (or bodybuilder/coachbuilder) must conform to the Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) Vans Master UpFitter programme.

To date, the majority of the conversion work FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

has centred towards the RV – Recreational Vehicle/campervan market, with large fleet operators and special applications such as ambulances making up the 11,500 units sold

by Mercedes-Benz USA in this way. “Master UpFitter is a seal of recognition that identifies upfitters as qualified converters of MercedesBenz Vans,” explained Claus Tritt, General Manager-Operations, Mercedes-Benz Vans USA. “Through this new programme our goal is to work with all teams – dealers, upfitters,

One such authorised Master Upfitter is Automotive Designs & Fabrication (ADF) headquartered at San Fernando. Established in 1987 as RW Automotive by Ron Weaver (pictured right) the business is operated by Ron and his son, Jeremiah. The company, which has another facility nearby, turns out high quality bespoke design and fittings to customer requirements. Some high profile names on its books include Michael Jackson, Francis Coppola and Heidi Klum. Examples of their excellent workmanship on display included a mobile TV studio, mobile barbershop and T-shirt printing firm that sets up

GLOBAL | 23 “The Metris is just the right size for the changing American market.

It is larger than the small vans and smaller than the large vans. Its value proposition includes superior craftsmanship, high cargo and towing capacity and an attractive price. It is designed to thrive in large Metropolitan areas with an agile yet spacious presence. It can easily fit into a parking garage in a large Metropolitan area and can also meet the needs of those who work out of their homes. In addition, it carries many of the rugged characteristics of the Sprinter,” added Claus.

In preparation for the sales assault across the Atlantic, a few changes have been made to the Vito to transform it into the Metris. Firstly, the 2.1 litre diesel has been replaced with a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that has 208hp mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with rear-wheel-drive. Eco Start/Stop is an option. Other differences noted during our extensive two-day test drive programme were that the steering feel was a little lighter and that the exterior mirrors are smaller in dimension - too much in our opinion, as more blind spots emerge. The centre console now features two large cup holders (a must) which means the gear-lever moves to the steering column like in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Linked to the Metris arrival, is the Daimler Vans USA Upfitter programme which has been upgraded to set higher standards of conversion by coach/body builders. A visit to the Long Beach dealership at Signal Hill gave us an insight into how Mercedes-Benz vans are sold in the US. Much of the marketing is done through the internet, with emails and newsletters sent direct to its customer base.

from Europe can cause some headaches. This issue will be eliminated once the new $500 million plant is opened in Carolina in 2018.

In the meantime, Mission Metris is moving ahead at Freeway speeds!

An average month sees around 165 Mercedes-Benz cars and up to 20 Sprinter vans leave its showrooms, with its workshop servicing over 100 vans. Its sales teams have to hedge demand for both Sprinter and now Metris as the 4-5 months waiting time for delivery (in kit form) a pop-up shop at concerts, sporting events, etc.

Last year, between the two workshops, 300 individual units were turned out with all interior components handmade on-site. Ron, who began his career building race cars and converting vans for motorsport teams, is keen to see Jeremiah introduce more modern techniques into the production process with computerised design and laser measurement cuttings.

“We developed a simple dealer install kit for the stock passenger vans that includes a carpet kit, leather seat covers, and a small audio video system. This kit makes the Sprinter heft y competition for luxury SUV’s and Caravan style vans on the market today. Working with local dealers, we supplied point of sale packages that allow instant quotes to be given to customers.

We strive to make the best conversion package

with low maintenance and easy serviceability.

Our company enjoys the fact that the majority of our staff has been together for over 20 years.

With over the top work ethic and high amounts of sheer customer satisfaction, we have built and designed automobiles for the most elite clientele in the world,” explained Ron during our visit.

“Our intent is to build low cost, high quality Sprinter van luxury conversions. We have developed a modular interior kit, which allows production of a completed vehicle in a very competitive timeframe. These vehicles include touch screen technology, quality seating, and high-end audio-video sound systems.

Lightweight materials like aluminum are used to keep the vehicles more eco-friendly and easier to work on. The interior models focus on business class, limousine, and family friendly styling.”

Text & Photos: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

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REVIEW | 25

Solutrans 2015 – Eurexpo, Lyon France

I

n performing the official welcome to the world’s trade press, Patrick Cholton, FFC and Solutrans President mentioned that the 13th edition of the biennial commercial vehicle exhibition had a number of achievements and milestones to mark. “Over 75,000 square metres of exhibition space, 900 exhibitors, 23% of international origin and with 37,000 visitors expected over the five-day event, the Eurexpo, Lyon is the place to be,” he said.

“This year we are honoured to be in a position

to announce and present the International Awards for Truck, Van and Pick-up trucks alongside our two Prix de L’Innovation des Solutrans de Transport. Finally, Solutrans 2015 is an opportunity for the French Bodywork Federation to celebrate 170 years of existence and to take a look back at its history.”

“Solutrans is another success for the industry, both in terms of the number and the quality of exhibitors and the professionalism of the visitors. But as always, above all, Solutrans brings stakeholders together, and the wide

range of conferences and workshops on offer present new technologies and new market opportunities.”

Truck and light commercial manufacturers were out in force at the national expo with a growing international fl avour. Jarlath Sweeney reports.

HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES Iveco On a roll! The Italian commercial vehicle brand, under the parentage of CNH Industrial, has now won four International trophies since 2013. Three in the last two years! Following the Iveco Stralis winning the International Truck of the Year of 2013, the prestigious title has followed on the Eurocargo for 2016. In between the Iveco Daily won the International Van of the Year 2015, and the Magelys claimed Coach of the Year 2016.

Prime examples of its current line-up were displayed, including Natural Gas and diesel powered versions of the newly crowned champion Eurocargo, and a special Le Mans limited edition Stralis Hi-Way AS 440556 with a Trakker A D 3 4 0 T45 8 x 4 nearby.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Not one, but two separate stands from the German giant. As the brand’s market share continues to increase in France, a broad selection of trucks were on show, from the Actros 1863 GigaSpace 4x2 tractor-unit to the Fuso Canter 7C15 EcoHybrid featuring Stop/Start technology. Over 3,000 units have been sold since it was introduced in 2009. A follow-on development project is the Canter E-Cell, which was available to

DAF Trucks Significant product developments from DAF’s headquarters at Eindhoven made their way to France, fresh from their debut appearance at the brand's native RA I Amsterdam Show. In sparkling white ( a major change to the traditional and patriotic orange) was the 2016 LF.250 4x2 rigid featuring a host of advanced technologies aimed to reduce TCO and increase safety. Under the ‘Transport Efficiency’ label, the LF Series edition has a newly developed 4.5 litre PACCAR PX-5 Euro 6 engine mated to a new 12-speed ZF AS-Tronic gearbox that offers up to 5% better fuel economy. Then there’s the Lane Departure Warning System, Advanced Emergency Braking System, Forward Collision Wa r n i ng a nd Adaptive Cruise Control.

Alongside was the award winning CF.440 Silent.

the Truck Jury the next day for inaugural test drives around the routes along the Eurexpo. (See report in next edition of Fleet Transport). Versions of the Econic 2630 in Natural Gas form and two models from the Arocs range (2045 6x2 tractor and 3243 8x4 rigid) were lined up. A selection of Vitos, Sprinters and Citans were there too.

www.fleet.ie

26 | REVIEW Scania Buy this range topping Scania R730 LA 4x2 topline “Red by BRM” (limited to 30 editions) and get a BRM Chronograph watch worth €10,000 for free! But that was not the only big att raction at the Swedish brand’s stand. For instance, its focus on Natural Gas power was highlighted with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Variants on display included a G340 LA 4x2 GNL Highline which was parked beside a P410 LB 6x2:4 with Palfi nger grab. Outside, at the Alternative Drives event, a similar G340 LA 4x2 GNL tractorunit had technical experts available to explain the numerous benefits of Natural Gas, especially in the urban environment.

Isuzu Trucks Representing the Asian medium truck fraternity was Isuzu with both N Series and F (Forward) Series present. From the F-Camp were the F11.210, which is the 11-tonne GVW 4x2 rigid with 210hp from the 5.2 litre Euro 6 and the F14.240 was a special production issue “Series Bleu”. Meanwhile the N75 7.5 tonne rigid had the 3.0 litre Euro 6.

MAN Truck & Bus Two distinct eras within the 100 years of MAN Truck & Bus were proudly placed side-by-side. Most eyes were centred on the 1923 Saurer 50 hp 7 tonne truck, which had the Special Edition TGX 18.560 4x2 with the latest Euro 6 D38 imposing over it. The Volkswagen Group owned German brand had a number of versions from the TGX and TGS line-ups in glowing red livery, from the TGS 26.440 6x2.4 with LX cab, to the TGX EfficientLine 2 18.440 4x2 tractor and TGS 35.480 8x4.4 (LX).

Bridgestone Bridgestone offers a comprehensive range of complementary programmes for fleet managers. Much more than just support, the Bridgestone Total Tyre Care programme is a service offering for tyre management and maintenance. Total Tyre Care is a commitment to safety and peace-of-mind with 3 major areas of focus:

At the lower weight end, was a TGL 12.250 4x2 rigid fitted w it h a crew cab. “Efficient Solutions” was the marques theme throughout.

Berliet No French exhibition would be without the presence of a Berliet and at the end of Hall 3 adjacent to the dedicated International Van/Pick-up Awards arena was this beautifully restored 1924 Type VHA (hotel bus) from Foundation Berliet.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Various items from its accessories catalogue were promoted during the show. The same company, based at Montigny-leBretonneux also distributes the latest D-M A X range of Pick-up trucks, but these were not on display here.

Total Tyre Life: A range of retreading products and solutions designed to extend tyre life through: lower raw materials consumption, less pollution thanks to reduced carbon emissions, and much greater cost-effectiveness.

Total Tyre Services: Maintenance, monitoring, and assistance services delivered by a pan-European network of partners is available 24/7. Its Service Europe teams are equipped with everything they need to provide fast and effective roadside assistance: on-board machinery, rescue vehicles, bus and truck dedicated fitt ing areas, and modern, high-performance tyre management tools.

To t a l Ty r e Systems: Reporting tools and an automated tyre-pressure monitoring system to enhance safety and tyre life, as well as cutt ing down on fuel consumption.

REVIEW | 27 ED Design An enthusiastic Mike Robinson, CEO & Design Director of Italian company ED Design made a presentation on “The Future of Trucks” and how technological innovation will transform life on board commercial vehicles due to ongoing developments with autonomous driving.

“The self driving truck of the future will be a preview concept of an upcoming convergence between two cultures: automotive and information technology, transferring the world of transport directly in the Digital Era, in order to encourage manufacturers to speed up the market entry of hi-tech autonomous vehicles, making them more appealing and more efficient both for the drivers and for the professional operators,” explained Los Angeles native, Mike.

“It will be an "intelligent" truck, fully electric, with no external windows and no steering wheel, which moves along long-distance roads, connecting seamlessly with the other vehicles, and is environmentally friendly as well as extremely efficient.”

“Th is does not mean that the presence of the driver inside the truck will no longer be necessary. Simply the role of the driver will change.

He or she will become a manager of the delivery service. The “ex”driver of the future will manage activities now reserved for logistics departments, using social networks as their assistants. These newschool business vendors (ex-truck drivers) will conveniently carry out both professional and personal activities during their travels.”

LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES Renault PRO+ National brand Renault PRO+ impressed show visitors upon entering Hall 4 with a vast array of vans and adaptions of same. In fact, over 30 LCV conversions carried out by Renault and its approved bodybuilders extended from an ambulance to a mobile food unit to cherry pickers and refrigerated vans, and to even an Espace converted to suit an undertaker’s work! These outfitt ings were built on the Renault PRO+ range of Kangoo, Trafic and Master. Most interesting from the Kangoo was a Pick-up tipper (from Kolle) while a crew-cab mobile workshop was constructed on a Trafic by Gruau and Sortimo.

Of the selection of Masters on show, the twin single axle high volume box van from Durisotti stood out.

Gruau Electron II was premiered at Solutrans from the French LCV coachbuilder and electric vehicle specialist. Innovation Award winning too! Based on the FIAT Professional Ducato platform and body shell, the newly developed-all electric Electron II prototype can cover a distance of up to 200 kms (using the biggest battery pack) with up to 150 kms from the standard fitt ing. Battery packs can weigh from 400 to 700 kg but what is noteworthy is that the 90 kW electric motor is 20 kg lighter than IC engines.

Nissan ‘Cock-a-hoop’ best describes how the Nissan people are feeling right now having scooped the coveted International Pick-up Award 2016.

Naturally, the prize-winning NP300 Navara took pride of place on its stand with members of its van and light truck range from the NT500, NV400, NV200 and e-NV200 playing supporting roles.

Nissan sells over one million LCVs globally each year and recently introduced a 5-year/160,000 km warranty across its light commercial range. In over eight decades, Nissan has built 14 million Pick-ups and Solutrans prov ided t he platform for the launch of the new 1-tonne Pick-up into the French marketplace, which is divided evenly between business a nd leisure customers.

Rated at 3.5 tonnes GV W, this can extend to 4.2 tonnes GVW due to French regulations allowing for the extra weight of the batteries affecting payload.

Meanwhile, Gruau’s Home Delivery Solution for the e-commerce sector won silver at the Solutrans Innovation Awards.

www.fleet.ie

28 | REVIEW Oberaigner With over 20 years’ expertise built up, the Oberaigner Group is now a specialist in four-wheel-drive conversions. It works with five different brands from Mercedes-Benz, Renault, GM Opel/Vauxhall, Nissan and Volkswagen. One of its latest developments is a 6x6 three-axle configuration based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Offering increased versatility, the rugged looking Sprinter 6x6 also provides more payload.

Oberaigner, based in Allemagne-en-Provence, sells its products worldwide backed-up by the required technical support and service.

Lamberet The well-known brand in the bodybuilding and trailer business is also prominent in refrigerated unit coachwork for the light commercial sector. Th is new Frigoline, through its subsidiary Kerstner, drew most interest as the all-electric delivery vehicle has lots of potential.

Note the unique door opening mechanism.

On its 850m2 stand, Lamberet’s full range of products were displayed covering combined rail/road transport and demonstrating new solutions for urban deliveries.

The company was also a finalist in the Innovation Awards programme for its SR2X City rear-steer box trailer. 2016 also sees the opening of a new production site dedicated to products for the light commercial vehicle sector.

TRAILER & BODYBUILDERS Carrier Transicold For 2016, Carrier Transicold, the French headquartered global refrigeration specialists has introduced new equipment and options for its Supra (truck) range. Environmental sustainability is its theme and this policy has been recognised by Solutrans in its Innovation Prize programme.

Improved ergonomics on the new cab command panel through larger buttons and featuring a large white backlit screen enable the driver to see key information at a glance.

Customers can specify Supra units with a new eco-friendly package consisting of a low emission diesel engine (by 50%) plus the use of the R-452A refrigerant. This has the same cooling capacity, fuel efficiency, reliability and refrigerant charge as the standard R-404A, but offers a 45% reduction in global warning potential.

Completing the package offering is C a r r i e r ’s Silent option kit, which helps to reduce unit noise emissions.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Chereau A gold prize in the Prix de L’Innovation des Solutrans de Transport for its Smart Open C sliding rear door mechanism was just reward for the French company.

The simple push button system takes the chore out of manually closing rear doors, much safer also. Launched initially at the IAA CV Show in Hannover, the Smart C has benefitted from ongoing developments and tweets based on field trials.

An evaporator has been built-in in the truck body’s roof panel, which also incorporates a remote warning light line.

Should the truck’s power disengage, the door can be opened/closed manually. A red-button stop/start can also be used.

The next phase of evolution will see a remote control oper at ion i n place.

REVIEW | 29 Faymonville The Belgian trailer manufacturer values the French market having opened a new larger branch in Paris with stock trailers and parts available at all times. Its sales team has expanded in line with its growing business.

At Solutrans 2015, Faymonville was honoured with a Bronze award at the Prix de I’Innovation de transport with its CombiMAX extendable low loader trailer for middle to heavy payloads. Every conceivable combination can be created from the range. CombiMAX also won the Trailer Innovation award at the IAA in Hannover last year and was recognised by “The Heavies” in its Heav y Torque awards programme.

Faymonville trai lers are distributed in Ireland by Ashbourne Truck Centre.

Kögel Trailers Europe’s third largest trailer manufacturer, Kögel is currently enjoying growth in market share that exceeds current buoyant trends. With a €395m turnover, over 62,000 trailers were produced by 1,500 employees at the Humbaur Group owned plants in Germany, Czech Republic and Russia.

Under Humbaur’s parentage, Kögel focuses its products on road transport and construction sectors covering platforms, box, demountables, tippers and flatbeds. Its latest reefer unit Kögel Cool, and Cargo Coil were on show. From January to June this year, the trailer market in Europe was up 6% on last year’s first half with 94,000 sold.

From that, Kögel’s business is up 7% with almost 5,000 trailers made and sold.

Schmitz Cargobull Products and services continue to evolve at Europe’s biggest trailer builder. The German company’s Varios height-adjustable curtainsider trailer meets a broader customer profi le. The plug-in mechanism enables the body height to be changed in 50mm steps, front and rear independently of each other.

Krone Trailers Diversity within the product line at Krone Trailers was the theme from the German brand, number two in Europe. On exhibit was latest versions of the Cool Liner, Profi Liner City, Dry Liner and Paper Liner. Also presented was its new trailer axle together with a focus on its service packages.

Having entered the reefer unit market a few years ago, (with over 2,000 units sold to date), a multi-temp motor has been developed and again fitted on Schmitz bodywork. A new bumper fitt ing called Dynamic Ramp Protection, with a second rolling axle retainer has been developed, while the S.KI light tipper box trailer for the agri sector has further been improved on. The roll over can now be operated more safely and the rear door is multi functional.

A multi-temp version of the Cool Liner was showcased alongside its ‘City Version’ compact semi-trailer with single axle positive steering system. Th is solution serves urban operators that have to endure narrow lanes, tight spaces and restricted parking on a daily basis.

To date, over 10,000 Krone axles have been fitted to trailer units, noted for its lightweight, integrally bolted air sprung suspension system.

By the way, it has roughly a 27,000 kg payload.

Under its Krone Service banner, finance, telematics and used vehicles are also offered.

www.fleet.ie

30 | REVIEW Kässbohrer Turkish/German trailer brand Kässbohrer presented a number of new product developments incorporating its latest technology such as the K.SCH X curtainsider, and K.SPS 3 Multi-Load Platform. In addition, at the open area outside Hall 5, the K.SLA.3, extendable low-bed semi-trailer with 3 axles was demonstrated.

strapping points, each with 2.5 tonne capacity.

The K.SCH X features a hardwood floor, permissible fork lift axle load of 8,000 kg, and is equipped with K-fi x Load Security System. K.SCH X provides 236 different Thermo King/Frigoblock The integration of Frigoblock into the Thermo King family at Ingersoll-Rand is coming around nicely according to Mike Hall, Communications Leader. A pilot project in Paris with distribution operators is working well whereby Frigoblock’s non diesel (electric) transport refrigeration products allows access to the low emission, low noise districts within the French capital. Natural Gas powered trucks are used also to help to meet the lower CO2 threshold. Further roll-out of this ecofriendly package will be undertaken in other cities across Europe with similar regulations.

Currently the harmonisation of the joint Thermo King and Frigoblock dealer and service network is progressing and the full

K.SLA 3 is its extendable low-bed semitrailer with 3 axles, 3-step side extension brackets, and 7 different sliding ramp options. Equipped with advanced load portfolio of their innovative truck and trailer products from both companies were demonstrated by both team’s representatives at Solutrans. Notable from Thermo King is the new R-452A refrigerant, which has about 50% less global warming potential. Patrice Deschamps, Responsible Commercial, at Frigoblock was on hand to explain the merits of the FK range.

Kässbohrer’s platform semi-trailer, the K.SPS 3 is engineered to offer high payload capacity with a tare weight of 5.500 kg, while the KTL-coated robust chassis ensures life-long performance of the semi-trailer.

Through TK Pharma Solutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers and transport operators can avail of vital expertise in reducing risks and ensure that the cold chain is not severed. A comprehensive and dedicated team at Thermo King provides an advice platform to address the regulatory needs for the diverse

security features, K.SLA 3 offers enhanced manoeuvring capability in the toughest working conditions.

sector that comes under the pharma supply chain. So, according to Essangui Mbaitjongue, Business Development Manager, whether it’s the first phase from factory to truck, to the last mile to the medical customer, TK Pharma Solutions has the answer.

On the move at Frank Keane Volkswagen Frank Keane Volkswagen has recently ramped up its presence in Dublin. Almost one year ago it moved to a new state-of-theart Volkswagen dealership in Liffey Valley from where Ger Colwell has been successfully managing the Commercial Vehicle department and developing it into one of Ireland’s leading van centres. Its objective for 2016 is for the company to become the number 1 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle Dealer, and as part of this plan Daniel Kavanagh has joined the team as Commercial Vehicle Specialist. Daniel will work alongside Ger and the team and look to grow volume through specialisation. Daniel has a particular passion for the chilled/ FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

frozen food industry and sees this sector with great potential.

Commenting on the recent move, Daniel said: “I am delighted to be joining the Commercial Vehicle Sales team at Frank Keane Volkswagen. I look forward to the challenges ahead, working with both new and existing customers and expanding our overall presence in Dublin”.

Frank Keane Volkswagen offers a full range of Volkswagen Finance options including Contract Hire, Personal Contract Plans (PCP) and standard Hire Purchase over 5 years (terms and conditions apply). Rates are as low as 0.%.

Frank Keane Volkswagen Liffey Valley Motor Mall, Liffey Valley, Dublin 22.

Tel: 01 4262000 www.frankkeanevolkswagen.ie

Text & Photos: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

FUEL PRICES (WEEK 49) / SAFETY MATTERS | 31 Country

Currency

95 Lead Free

98 Lead Free

Diesel

Country

Currency

95 Lead Free

98 Lead Free

Diesel

Albania

ALL

175.00

-

174.00

Lithuania

EUR

1.061

1.106

0.991

Andorra

EUR

1.039

1.129

0.891

Luxemburg

EUR

1.103

1.166

0.969

Austria

EUR

1.134

1.279

1.070

Macedonia

MKD

62.50

64.50

49.50

Belarus

EUR

0.619

-

0.640

Moldova

MDL

17.67

18.27

15.47

Belgium

EUR

1.357

1.424

1.173

Montenegro

EUR

1.080

1.120

0.990

Bosnia-Herzegovina

BAM

2.15

2.25

2.10

Netherlands

EUR

1.584

1.659

1.261

Bulgaria

BGN

2.03

2.24

2.05

Norway

NOK

14.55

-

13.48

Croatia

HRK

8.95

-

8.34

Poland

PLN

4.37

4.71

4.29

Czech Republic

CZK

28.84

-

28.22

Portugal

EUR

1.382

1.511

1.162

Denmark

DKK

10.39

-

8.76

Romania

RON

5.01

5.53

4.95

Estonia

EUR

1.017

1.067

1.027

Russia

RUB

37.39

-

35.58

Finland

EUR

1.399

1.464

1.237

Serbia

RSD

132.70

-

135.40

France

EUR

1.316

1.371

1.116

Slovakia

EUR

1.229

-

1.093

Georgia

GEL

1.89

1.99

1.89

Slovenia

EUR

1.205

1.261

1.113

Germany

EUR

1.304

-

1.118

Spain

EUR

1.164

1.298

1.062

Greece

EUR

1.379

1.565

1.074

Sweden

SEK

12.64

13.14

12.20

Hungary

HUF

332.00

-

340.00

Switzerland

CHF

1.455

1.505

1.520

Ireland

EUR

1.299

-

1.199

Turkey

TRY

4.41

4.43

3.72

Italy

EUR

1.478

-

1.345

Ukraine

UAH

19.50

22.00

17.00

Kosovo

EUR

1.01

-

0.99

UK

GBP

1.077

1.173

1.099

Latvia

EUR

1.046

1.101

0.979

USA

USD

-

-

0.646

Safety Matters . . . Safety Matters . . .

Are you Winter ready?

I

n adverse weather the hazards associated with driving for work increase greatly.

Employers should review their company’s driving for work risk management policy to ensure driving in adverse weather is properly covered.

First, please ask yourself: • Is driving in adverse weather conditions considered?

• Do employees know what is expected of them?

• Do employees know how to handle vehicles [company provided or their own] in adverse weather conditions?

• Is additional driver training appropriate for those who drive for work?

• Are plans in place for emergencies such as a collision, breakdown or gett ing stuck/stranded in snow?

• Is the trip necessary?

For those with no option but to drive: • Listen to weather forecasts, travel bulletins and any advice issued by An Garda Síochána [www.garda.ie] or the Road Safety Authority [www.rsa.ie]. Change or delay your journey as appropriate.

• Plan your journey, stick to major routes where possible. Allow extra time for your journey.

• Inform your employer, manager or supervisor where you are going and your estimated arrival time so that an alarm can be raised if you fail to arrive.

• Turn your lights on to ensure that your vehicle is visible to other road users.

• Top up your windscreen washer bott le with the correct concentration.

• Drive at a safe speed according to the road and weather

• •

conditions; maintain greater stopping distances (double in wet weather and ten times greater in icy weather).

Avoid harsh braking or acceleration. Carry out any manoeuvres slowly and carefully.

Never feel pressurised to complete a journey if weather conditions are too dangerous.

Make sure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition prior to driving: • Tyres are in good conditions and inflated to the correct pressure (including the spare).

• The vehicle has plenty of fuel.

• Wipers, defrosters and lights are in good working order.

• An ice-scraper or de-icer is available for ice or snow.

Carry an emergency kit in your vehicle containing items such as: • A high visibility, reflective jacket or vest in the vehicle cab (so that you can put it on before you leave the vehicle).

• A torch with extra batteries.

• An emergency warning triangle.

• A mobile phone – for use only when parked.

Further information For further information on Work Related Vehicle Safety matters, including winter driving tips, please follow the links below. www.vehiclesatwork.ie www.winterready.ie or contact the Workplace Contact Unit at Lo-Call: 1890 289 389 (Between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday). www.fleet.ie

32 | HEALTH MATTERS

Are You a Baby Boomer?

If you were born between 1946 and 1965 – then yes, you are!

A

fter the Second World War II, there was an unusual increase in birth rates which is referred to as the Baby Boom. But it’s been downhill all the way since then, as world population growth has fallen by more than 40% since the late 1960s and the generation following the Boomers is often referred to as the Baby Busters (a.k.a. Generation X) because they’re not producing enough Generation Y. Children in modern society remain economically dependent on their parents well into their own childbearing years because it takes that long to acquire the range of technical skills and social maturity for modern life.

Consequentially, children no longer provide economic benefit to their parents, but are expensive impediments to the parents’ material success, therefore the most successful individuals in our society are often people who have few if any children.

Th is disincentive to reproduce leads to a reduction in the number of productive workers and a relative increase in the dependent elderly to be supported.

As any country’s GDP is the sum of its labour force multiplied by average output per worker; by raising and educating children parents contribute greatly to society now and social security systems later.

If we have a diminishing population leading to a shrinking labour force, our economic growth will depend on gett ing more out of each remaining worker and taxing them at higher rates to pay for pensions and health care for the (non working) elderly.

Raising the retirement age was supposed to help ease the burden of old age financial benefits. This may not be really feasible as increasing disability in the population from 59 years on – possibly due to lifestyle choices - is causing an increase in demand for nursing homes as well as services from the health care system. As the proportion of elderly in a population rises, the level of entrepreneurship and innovation in society begins to drop. Approaching retirement age people are reluctant to undertake career or fi nancial risks and begin to cash in their investments and spend their savings.

Ageing workers are less well able to take advantage of new technology and as there are less young people in the country there will be fewer people to produce new ideas – “your young men will have visions and your old men will dream dreams”. Without the youth – where are the visions?

Immigrants are only part of the solution as they will have already lived half their lives and they too will become elderly. It seems that many human beings living in developed societies will not produce enough children to replace themselves. Over eating, lack of exercise, and substance abuse leave many people with chronic conditions, which lead to lowering of fertility rates.

Th is scenario has happened in other times – when Governments suddenly found themselves facing the appalling vista of shrinking populations and tried to do something about it.

When the French population began to decline drastically and was seen as a threat to France’s long term survival, politicians introduced legislation that aimed to increase reproduction rates.

These included taxes on bachelors of 25 and over, removing barriers to marriage and making divorce difficult, providing cash benefits to parents with multiple children, creating maternity leave for women in the workplace, establishing Government job quotas for parents multiple children. (It didn’t really work – maybe the French just aren’t that fertile).

The reasoning behind the French plans was the lack of manpower for armies – but we have a more immediate problem – who will pay for our pensions?

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Text: Dr. Betty Maguire - contributor@fleet.ie

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34 | TIMES PAST

THE FORD T

I

t came as a shock to me a few weeks ago to discover that the Ford Transit has just celebrated its half century. It is so much a part of the traffic scene that it seems to have been around since time began and will go on forever. And this feeling possibly has to do with the very name of the vehicle – it just goes on and on. One result is that its name has become generic – any van of the shape and size of a popular universal concept is generically called a Transit, surely a splendid tribute to one of the most successful ever commercial vehicles.

1.

There was a further shock on realising that no matter how much could be written about the thousands of faces of Transit, there was no hope of covering the countless uses to which it has been put, the variations of body type and sizes defying any attempt to catalogue the Transit.

Therefore, on this occasion Times Past relies on pictures rather than text to tell the story.

The Transit first appeared in October 1967, successor to the 400E, a lighter vehicle that had been around for about ten years and had a respectable reputation. The 400E had forward control and to some the Transit’s short stubby bonnet with semi-forward control and hints of American influence seemed a backward step; European commercial vehicles mostly being of forward control, the Americans favouring (often long) bonnets. However, the Transit soon built up an enthusiastic following and in time became one of the best selling commercials with carrying capacities ranging from 700 to 1,750kg.

2.

What are sometimes known as Mark I Transits, powered by V4 engines and with a Perkins diesel alternative available from an early date, remained in production until 1978 when a revised and advanced range appeared.

Over the years further versions with major improvements came in 1986, 2003 and 2013. These have somewhat contradictory Mark numbers which give Transit enthusiasts - these exist, as do operators – and this writer prefers to leave the arguments to them. Transit front ends and van body shapes changed over the years and several mechanical advances took place, most too boring to list in what is a celebration of a remarkable vehicle.

3.

The Transit has had numerous rivals throughout its history but for some reason the one which sticks in my mind is the Bedford CF, introduced in 1969 and seen as a particularly determined answer to the Ford vehicle.

I especially remember the two types as ambulances and many, of both marques plus Mercedes-Benz, have given excellent service here in this guise. Ambulances are in fact a subject I hope to return to in the near future.

As is my usual practice, I began this contribution by selecting some images around which to build a narrative. There is usually a wealth of pictures, sometimes a shortage. But in this instance, I was completely overwhelmed. Much of my collection is based on an index of makes and models and in this case Transits fell out all over the place. Some were obvious choices, but a few could be embarrassing to the owners of vehicles that had been clamped. I would have no qualms about including a clamping van, but behind it was an unfortunate victim: one cannot but feel sympathy for a vehicle clamped when it is performing a vital public service.

4.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

As said earlier, my best solution to the problems raised by such a profusion

TIMES PAST | 35

D TRANSIT of images is to number them and list the captions in a chronological order, letting the pictures pay tribute to a most intriguing vehicle. These images show how the Transit straddles so many facets of our history.

1. The oldest commercial vehicle in this selection is a 1977 Luton-head furniture van 125 SZC, one of the many small pantechnicons used by the smaller furniture shops, which abound in our towns.

2. Once a familiar sight, many Post Office vans had high roofs to allow postmen to move around inside sorting sacks, with a modicum of comfort. The stylised P + T logo on this 1979 van stands for Posts & Telegraphs, the Government department, yes, complete with Minister - that ran these services until An Post and Telecom Éireann were set up as semi-State companies around 1984.

5.

3. Parked on Burgh Quay near the offices, Irish Press van ZS 4771 is ready to distribute the much missed Evening Press. Just another standard Transit panel van when photographed in the early 1990s, now a part of our history. The letters ZS, which were not used in two-letter days because the letter 'S' was reserved for Scotland in earlier times, was issued here when registration combinations were running out in the 1980s.

4. Although the school bus fleet was overwhelmingly Bedford, CIE had a number of Ford Transits of which 6521 RI was one. RI was Dublin’s first registration mark, used from 1904 until 1922 and became the first reversed mark (number before letters) in 1970. This time, it lasted less than a year.

6.

5. Many Transit ambulances operated throughout Ireland, many of them bodied by Hanlon of Longford, which had an international reputation for excellence. 293 RZO was a Hanlon-bodied Transit, seen here in the white livery which later gave way to the universal yellow now worn.

6. Advertising vehicles – everything from bicycles to buses – have become increasingly widespread in recent years. This 1997 Transit of Vanads offers rotating screens, which can be used by a group of advertisers. Just a modern face of Transit.

7. A sign that cycling is becoming a very serious element of traffic everywhere. Transit 05D 14726, photographed at the Dublin Civic Offices, is operated by a mobile cycle maintenance business that attends at large employers’ premises and major public events where many cyclists congregate. Another sign of the times.

7.

8. The wheel may have turned full circle when the Transit becomes a recovery vehicle – could it be 42579 is seen at Harbour Road, Howth?

The day of bringing a car home at the end of a rope or chain has long gone.

The National Transport Museum Heritage Depot, Howth Demense, Howth, Dublin 13.

Opening Times: Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, 2.00 - 5.00pm Text & Photos: Michael Corcoran - contributor@fleet.ie

8. www.fleet.ie

36 | TRAILER I

Dennison Trailers reinvents Goose Neck 40’/45’ Skeletal

D

o you want to save money on your container transport fleet? It is a question often asked in a general sense with little to substantiate the claim. Dennison Trailers claim however, that it has a new skeletal that will genuinely reduce transport operator’s running costs. That new skeletal is a goose neck chassis that will carry both a 40’ and a 45’ container.

There is nothing radically new about goose neck chassis, according to David Dennison, Innovation Director at Dennison Trailers. “In mainland Europe trucks have been transporting 40 foot containers on goose neck chassis since containerisation began over 40 years ago and transporting 45 foot containers since the early 1990s. The big difference between Europe and Ireland/UK is Europe's 4 metre overall height limit, which demands trailers carrying 9 foot 6 inch hi-cube containers on goose neck chassis to stay under 4 metres. The first 3 metres of floor on a 40 foot container has a tunnel which lets that part of the container sit down over a goose neck,” he explained.

With a 4.65m overall height limit in Ireland and no such regulation in the UK, operators were never forced into using goose neck chassis to carry hi-cube containers. One of the biggest benefits which may not be obvious to some people is the potential fuel savings gained by carrying a container on such a chassis. It physically sits lower on the chassis, therefore the top of the container is lower creating considerably less wind resistance. David highlighted the advantage here, “I always relate carrying a container to hauling a big concrete block through the air. It’s aerodynamics are pett y awful to say the least,” he said.

“We supplied a 40 foot goose neck skeletal to a customer in the UK recently who transports 40 foot hi-cube containers from London to Edinburgh. He reported after the first year they had saved an average of £33 per journey on fuel. That’s a lot of money when you consider the trip was undertaken 6 days a week all year round.”

That customer was restricted you might say, in that his trailer can only carry a 40’ container. Being a goose neck it can not carry a 45’ container. Up to now this has been the disadvantage of goose neck skeletals. A trailer to carry both a 40’ and a 45’ container traditionally uses an extendable pull out front bolster. This is done either manually or by an air ram. Dennison, along with other trailer manufactures has

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

supplied these in the past. Their design however, has been criticised as being costly and problematic for a number of reasons. They were complicated for drivers to use, had too many moving parts and are quite fragile for coupling/uncoupling.

David and his team in the R&D department at Dennison’s Innovation Centre took up the challenge of what their customers had been saying and developed the new 40’/45’ goose neck chassis. “My brief was ‘keep it simple’,” he said. “The chassis is longer to suit a 45 foot container, the innovating feature is in the two-swing out bolsters which accommodate a 40 foot container. When not in use, these swing back inside the width of the neck letting a 45 foot container sit in position. To change from 40 foot to 45 foot takes less than 2 minutes. After removing the container guides the arm can be hinged in/out and the container guides slotted into their corresponding position.”

Standard 8’6” containers (not just hi-cube), also share the benefits of being carried on a goose neck chassis. Established institutions like Drewry Shipping Consultants, which conducted a biennial survey of the containers in use worldwide, state that over 50 percent of 40' containers are hi-cubed. The mix of 40’ and 45’ containers tend to be peculiar to certain shipping lines, with European lines using mostly 45’ and 40’ for deep sea shipping lines. Operators need to have the flexibility to be able to carry both.

Up to now the market relied on straight frame multi-purpose chassis and were not overly enthusiastic about goose necks. That is where the new Dennison design comes into its own, offering a cost effective solution to carry both 40’ and 45’ containers giving all the benefits already mentioned above. Fuel savings for a 45’ are going to be better than that of a 40’ as the container sits closer to cab, further reducing drag. Another benefit that comes with the container sitting lower on the chassis is a big increase in vehicle stability, especially with high centre of gravity loads such as frozen fish.

Dennison launched the patented trailer at the Fleet Transport Awards Exhibition Arena last September and has since attracted a lot of attention both here and abroad. The first trailer in Ireland has gone into service with Martin Ryan & Sons Limerick.

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38 | TRAILER II

Hireco secures £500k trailer deal with Krone

T

he Belfast branch of Hireco, which provides a full rental, leasing and 24/7 breakdown service for trucks and trailers in Northern Ireland (plus across the UK & Republic of Ireland) has invested £500k towards the purchase of 20 Dry Liner GRP Box Trailers from Krone.

This deal underlines Hireco’s commitment to investment in fleet having spent £25m last year and £20m so far this year. Hireco Commercial Director Tony Wan (pictured) was keen to highlight his reasons for choosing Krone trailers in this investment: “Our customers need the assurance of high security and secure loading when conducting logistical tasks. Krone’s Dry Liners have a unique door locking mechanism which guarantees against break-ins and owing to the trailers’ inherent strength, they can also cope with form-fitted loads without the need to strap. Furthermore, they come with Code XL Certification which is important for our European service.”

Established in Dublin over 30 years ago, Hireco, with over 100 employees now has seven outlets throughout the UK and Ireland supplying more than 5,000 vehicles for contract hire and rental.

The Perfect Couple - Supply Chain Specialist & 5th Wheel Supplier

F

MCG supply-chain operator, Fowler Welch has reported safe coupling across its fleet since adopting the latest fi fth wheel and coupling solutions from Fontaine Europe.

Fowler Welch required a method of tractor-trailer coupling which is as close to ‘fail-safe’ as possible and guaranteed to keep driver handling to a minimum. “We operate around the clock from eight key depots in the UK,” explained Paul Allera, Head of Fleet, adding: “Every day we experience a high drop and pick-up rate. The TechLock fi ft h wheel couplers we use from Fontaine have a unique jaw mechanism with a height sensor that will not allow the fi ft h wheel to close if the kingpin enters at the wrong height or position. Basically, this ensures 100% connection and takes away the need for drivers to check that the kingpin is engaged. In other words, no contact-no couple - which means the days of mis-coupling are gone!”

connected when in fact they are not and in such cases, trailers can easily be dropped and with potentially disastrous consequences.

Also, said Paul, the TeckLock system has a 360 degree kingpin contact surface which negates the requirement for wear-ring replacement.

Naturally, this not only helps from a safety point of view but also extends the life of the kingpin.

Paul also noted the fact that other fi ft h wheels can appear to be

Dawbarn opens new factory to meet increased demand

D

awbarn & Sons, a leading manufacturer of bulk transport sheeting systems, has opened a new factory to meet the ever-increasing demand for its products. The new 35,000 sq.ft. facility on a 3.5 acre site is located on the outskirts of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, where Dawbarn first set up shop over a century ago serving the inland port as ships’ chandlers and sail makers.

Production bays increases from the eight on its current site to fourteen, with the capacity to add five more. At the same time the workforce has been increased by ten to eighty.

According to Sales Director Ben Harrington, the decision to open a new factory came about as a result of unprecedented demand for Dawbarn’s comprehensive range of sheeting systems. “For the last 18 months we’ve not only been experiencing a huge increase in orders for rigid vehicle systems, but also for walking floors and ejector trailers too. The new plant, with its two additional alloy welding units and much larger floor area will allow us to accommodate them more easily and there is plenty

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

of hard standing to park chassis and trailers,” explained Ben. Having introduced the first manual rollover sheeting systems to the tipper and bulk haulage industry in 1992, today Dawbarn offers a variety of bulk vehicle sheeting systems for the waste, aggregate, coated stone and agricultural industries.

Text: Jarlath Sweeney - editor@fleet.ie

40 | SHIPPING & FREIGHT

Irish Continental Group grows business and purchases vessels

I

rish Continental Group (ICG) recently announced the purchase of four Lo-Lo container vessels from German owners.

Three of the vessels, MV Elbefeeder, MV Elbecarrier and MV Elbetrader are currently operating on services into Dublin while the fourth, MV Jork Ranger will be delivered to its new owners in December.

lease on the terminal following a tender process from the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. The significance of the Belfast operation is indicated by the figures just released for the Group’s 2015 business up to 7 November where they report; “Units lifted at our container ports at Dublin and Belfast were up 51%, with underlying port lifts up 5% after adjusting for Belfast VT3 concession volumes in 2015.”

The purchase cost the ICG Group €24.2 million and secures the future of the company’s Eucon Lo-Lo services without the risk of increased charter costs, as the availability of vessels such as these with a freight capacity of up to 980 TEU, which are perfectly suited to services to Irish ports, becomes tighter as business grows. Eucon has also purchased and taken delivery of a new fleet of 250 x 45ft containers.

On the group’s shipping services, the year to date figures show that Lo-Lo container freight volumes increased by 3% over the same period in 2014 to 247,500 units, while Ro-Ro volumes on their ferries increased by 10% to 231,000 units. Passenger and car volumes also showed a significant increase. For Dublin Port, the figures for the first nine months of 2015 were 650,104 Ro-Ro units, an increase of 6.4% on the same period last year, and Lo-Lo units moved through the Port were 452,992 TEU, an increase of 8% on the same period in 2014.

ICG has completed the integration of the operation of the Belfast VT3 container terminal into its terminal network. It secured the

Seatruck, Stena and BG Freight boost Liverpool services

C

openhagen headquartered Seatruck Ferries has added a third vessel to its Dublin- Liverpool Ro-Ro service. In a statement Seatruck said that the six additional midweek departures will provide much needed peak capacity on a route that is attracting increasing support from unaccompanied traffic. They go on to say; ”Driver shortages are causing operators to reassess their traditional accompanied method. Seatruck Ferries believes in a switch to greater volumes of unaccompanied movements from ports, which reduces road mileage compared with the transit through Wales and Scotland.” Seatruck are also speculated in the Trade Press to be the likely tonnage provider for a planned “Team Ferry” service linking Ipswich and Ostend.

Stena Line has switched “Stena Performer” from its Belfast-Heysham service to the Belfast-Birkenhead run, replacing the “Stena Hibernia”.

The former vessel has a capacity of 2166 lane metres, 50% more than that on the vessel it replaces. The service frequency on BelfastBirkenhead is 17 round trips weekly.

The Port of Liverpool which is planning to open its massive “Liverpool2” Port development over the next three months, is also the focus of an upgrade of the Lo-lo services operated by BG Freight. Th is will involve the deployment of an additional ship on the Liverpool/Manchester, Scotland, Ireland services giving twice FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

weekly Liverpool to Dublin and Liverpool to Belfast connections and adding a new Dublin to Greenock route. The Liverpool to Manchester service along the Manchester Ship Canal has been extended to three times weekly and a weekly Ellesmere Port call has been added.

In anticipation of the opening of the new riverside berths in Liverpool, Peel Ports has taken delivery of five gantry cranes from the Chinese builder, Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. These cranes will each have the ability to operate at speeds in excess of 30 container moves an hour and work in wind speeds up to 88 kp/h.

Text: Howard Knott - howard@fleet.ie

COMMENT | 41

How Green is my Supply Chain?

From where I'm sitting - Howard Knott

I

was chatt ing with an expert on the whole matter of electric power and its production while awaiting the fi rst presentation at the recent National Sustainability Summit which took place recently at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

It was only a few days after the judgement had been given on the Bord na Móna Proposal to extend the life of its peat fi red power station at Edenderry, turning it down on the basis that the environmental impact of the harvesting and transport of the peat to the station had not been taken fully into account. The Summit was also taking place just a few weeks ahead of the Paris Global Environment Conference which hoped to cure the world’s environmental ills. As we chatted I was really taken aback with his comment to the effect that if the power station at Moneypoint on the Shannon Estuary was converted to burn biomass instead of coal, then an area the size of the State of Louisiana would have to be requisitioned to grow enough material.

If that is the case, have the Government and the various power station operators bitten off more than they can chew with the various biomass powered facilities planned or currently under development? It is becoming clear that, in a post milk-quota world, it will be difficult to persuade Irish farmers to give the long term commitments to growing willow and other sources of biomass instead of catering for the growing dairy and meat product demand. Th is means that huge volumes of biomass will have to be imported, and taken by possibly a mix of rail and road from port to the power plants. I haven’t done the numbers but that is going to be a serious number of freight movements. Even with longer freight trains, Euro 6 trucks and the like, the environment has to suffer; the more you think about it, the more att ractive nuclear power becomes.

the laboratory to commercial production then it would enable a car to drive from London to Edinburgh on a single charge, with batteries that cost and weigh one-fi ft h of the lithium-ion cells that power today’s electric cars. The developers expect that it will take another ten years or so to reach the stage that these batteries can be put into use. When they do so then, perhaps, battery electric power will become practical in HGV’s, buses, smaller vessels and even railcars. At that stage the dream of plugging in such vehicles overnight, with them becoming power sources for the national grid storing wind turbine generated electricity could become a reality and the biomass issue may fade away.

Sticking with the electric theme, Senan McGrath, who is Chief Technology Officer, eCars at the ESB and is now recognised throughout the EU as a serious expert on both the technology and the practicalities of roll out of such vehicles, advised the Summit that the plug-in recharging network on the island of Ireland is now virtually complete. He added that electric car sales here, though still very small, have begun to increase at a similar rate to that seen in Britain and other EU countries. With the exception of a few, no real push has been made by the manufacturers on developing sales of battery powered LCV’s, but if the EU target of CO2 free urban logistics by 2030 is to be achieved that will have to change.

Coincidentally, a couple of days later the Financial Times carried a report on a breakthrough achieved at Cambridge University which could lead the way to rechargeable super-batteries that pack five times more energy into a given space than today’s best batteries. If this development of lithium-air batteries can be transferred from Text: Howard Knott - howard@fleet.ie

www.fleet.ie

42 | LEGAL

The importance of the Road Safety Authority

I

n recent times there has been a substantial increase in the potential impact of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) on the road transport industry, and operators must recognise this. In 2010 the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Reform programme (‘Reform Programme’) was introduced as the direct result of a request by the Minister for Transport that the efficiency of the systems for testing the roadworthiness, compliance, and enforcement procedures should be reviewed.

Given that this report first saw the light of day in 2010, by now every haulage operator in the Republic should have a copy of this Reform Programme in the office and, more importantly, should have read it. The simple intention of the report is to reduce the number of accidents on Ireland’s roads. The report anticipates a number of benefits which include the creation of a ‘level playing field’, and the targeting of those operators who don’t maintain their fleet.

The report covers effectively every aspect of the haulage business detailing the steps which the RSA intends to take to improve standards across the industry. Given the size and complexity of the report it was perhaps inevitable that the detail of the report would be introduced in stages, and operators would be well advised to check periodically to discover what is in place. Obviously the RSA website should be checked at frequent intervals, but additionally there will be information in the trade press and, of course, information put out by the trade associations.

One of the reports’ declared intentions, which is in the process of implementation at the moment, is the introduction of the Commercial Vehicles Risk Indicator (CVRI) for Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV) which, when it is finally in place, will affect the whole industry.

Once the CVRI is effective, every haulage undertaking using HCV’s, whether or not requiring an Operator’s Licence, whether the haulage undertaking be a sole operator or a limited company, will be rated on the basis of its operational history. Adverse reports from roadside checks or from site inspections, and, of course, convictions for transport related offences will all be taken into account when the relevant assessment is made. Operators of HCVs will be assessed as Red/Amber/Green depending on the enforcement history, and these assessments will be available on a web site to any operator who is anxious to check his/her risk rating. The site, perhaps more importantly, is likely to be used by officers operating a roadside check when deciding which vehicle to pull in, or used by officers about to carry out a site inspection. Those operators whose vehicles travel into Europe should be aware that the site may also be available to enforcement officers in Europe.

an assessment concludes that a red rating would be appropriate, that red rating will be displayed, even if, in another assessment, Green is deemed to be appropriate. These assessments are likely to be based on seven factors which are presently:- Roadside Checks. Operator Premises Checks. Completion of Annual Online Self-declaration, Annual CVR tests, Presentation of HCV’s ‘on-time’ for annual testing, Presentation of HCVs for voluntary testing, Operator Prosecutions, (Prosecutions for relevant offences such as Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Offences).

The intention is to target non-compliant operators and so evidence of compliance will lower an operators’ score in the same way that noncompliance will increase it.

The CVORI should be fully in place by the end of 2016, and will be seen as a keystone of the RSA’s Reform Programme. From an operator’s point of view action should already have been taken with the intention of ensuring that there is no danger of a ‘Red’ assessment. When the implementation of the CVORI is complete, operators will be able to check their own rating on line, but in the meantime, check the RSA website frequently. Operators should direct questions to the www.cvrt. ie if they are uncertain about any part of the programme.

The intention is that the risk assessment will be divided into two categories, firstly Roadworthiness, and secondly Drivers’ Hours. When FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Text: Jonathan Lawton - jonathan@fleet.ie

GREEN ISSUES | 43

Alternative Fuels Developing opportunities for Irish Transport Fleet Operators

A

number of high profi le Irish based companies have signed up to the Climate Declaration initiative, where they commit to purchasing renewable energy to support carbon reductions. As consumer demand for environmentally responsible goods and services continues to drive sales of certain high value items, there is a significant potential for hauliers and service providers to win contracts through the use of low carbon alternative fuels.

industry in a very short timeframe.

To find out how Natural Gas for transport can help make savings for your fleet, contact Gas Networks Ireland at cng@gasnetworks. ie or www.gasnetworks.ie/ngv

The future transport energy mix for Irish road haulage and fleet vehicles is to be expanded to include alternative transport fuels such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and biofuels by 2020.

The Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport is currently developing a National Policy Framework to encourage market uptake of alternative fuels, including CNG, for transport in Ireland.

A National Policy Framework for the development of Alternative Fuels in Transport is a requirement under the EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive (2014/94/EU).

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive requires Ireland to develop refueling infrastructure for alternative fuels by 2020. The Directive recognizes the need to establish a critical mass of refueling facilities before these alternatives will achieve market penetration among transport users.

Gas Networks Ireland supports the development of CNG for Irish transport with a particular focus on the refuelling infrastructure required to cater for truck, bus and van fleets. Th is emerging market will provide fleet operators with a cleaner, cheaper and proven alternative fuel for transport. Gas Networks Ireland supports the growth of a national network of refuelling locations across the country. CNG is widely used across Europe and can serve as the gateway fuel to the use of renewable gas in transport.

Gas Networks Ireland forecasts the rollout of at least 70 CNG Fast Fill stations across Ireland by 2025, in line with the requirements of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive. These will consist of a combination of public and private stations. The fi rst three stations will open in 2016 with full national deployment in the following three years.

Vehicles currently available on the Irish market, powered by Natural Gas have a range of over 600km and include trucks, buses and vans. Th is means that a minimum level of refuelling stations will allow a fleet to operate countrywide without range anxiety.

As manufacturers continue to release new CNG vehicles onto the market the opportunity to avail of CNG in Transport continues to grow.

The infrastructure and equipment required for CNG in transport is fully compatible and capable of using renewable gas in place of Natural Gas. The move to indigenously sourced renewable gas will further reduce transport emissions, support economic growth and replace imported fuels. The use of renewable gas in the transport sector offers a real opportunity to decarbonise the Irish logistics www.fleet.ie

44 | FINANCE

Wage Inflation

A

s an Accountant working in the Irish Transport industry I have a very clear understanding of the responsibility and hard work of all employees in the sector, especially drivers whose wages do not ref lect the hard work, unsociable environment, increased training and compliance requirements that are now an element of the job.

From a job that had litt le pressure, and ability to work hours to increase earning ability, drivers are now monitored continuously, constant communication both verbal and text is possible, and have to accommodate increased road congestion and customer expectations that border on the impossible.

Added to this the status of the job has slipped further and further down the pecking order, and the cost of entry is increasing.

While motorways are now a feature in Ireland no one had the foresight to invest in motorway services that give some of the basic requirements of living to professional drivers away from home for days.

The biggest motivator of workers is money, you can sugar everything else up but at the end of the day the wage in the pocket is what matters. All employees expect a uniform wage for similar work done by others in the company but paying wage increases

without linking these increases to employee performance is unproductive and results long term in the best performers leaving and others sett ing a lower performance norm.

Your legal expert may state that you cannot create performance benchmarks such as kilometres driven in a period, but you can link wages and bonus to productivity (such as units delivered), deliveries/collections without damage, overall score of driver performance (fuel/braking etc) and link bonus to driver communication and feedback. A standard wage sets the norm of performance at a mediocre level. Any wage increases does not materially effect this norm, it may att ract good people into the business but quickly they fall into the group's routine.

A standard wage and a fair and well constructed bonus scheme encourages those that are motivated and able to earn more and achieve more for their employers.

Unproductive waiting time can be reduced by drivers liaising with office and customers in a manner that will speed up the process. Better utilisation of assets is the responsibility of owners, transport managers and also drivers who see where issues arise in the actual performance of tasks. Along with wage infl ation transport fi rms are now being hit with substantial insurance premium hikes, even where clients have invested in additional vehicle monitoring devices

such as real time cameras systems. With the implementation of these cameras the level of road accidents where liability rests with the haulier has dramatically decreased, demonstrating the skill and compliance of your professional driver. Your driver has to have the common sense to undertake his/ her work in a safe manner, report areas of concern and you as owner need to review all aspects of safety within his/her workplace.

As an example see the reduction to 750kg max of home pallet deliveries in the UK where specialised handling equipment is not provided.

Your driver and loading staff have a huge job to play in risk assessment of loads carried, the att itude of it “should be okay” will only result in short term gains but potential longer term insurance and legal claims.

‘Accidents do not happen by accident’ is a statement that recognises that the majority of incidents are the result of human error or omission when combined with speed/road conditions/weather.

Drivers obviously have a crucial role to play in your business, but whether they are your biggest asset or biggest nightmare is a factor of your management and remuneration system. The most profitable hauliers pay their workers high wages but link it to productivity and that means paying a staff a professional salary for a professional job done.

Exceptional Loads Services Ltd. Specialist Services to the Heavy Haulage Industry • PERMITS • ESCORTING • ROUTE PLANNING • ROUTE SURVEYS Tel: 0402 31229 Fax: 0402 31257 Mobile: 087 2549601 Website: www.wide-loads.com FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Text: Donal Dempsey - donal@fleet.ie

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46 | OPINION

The Road nowhere

R

ecently the Government announced a significant Budget, in excess of €20 billion to improve the country’s infrastructure. Much of this money will be spent on schools, hospitals and public transport, and of course road infrastructure. All of this spending will have a direct positive effect on road transport sector, particularly those associated with the construction industry. Without a doubt though the one area that will have the most dramatic effect for truck operators is road development. In last month’s column I said that any change to drivers’ hours and their working time should only be made with their involvement and input. Similarly road infrastructure should involve consulting with the industry through their trade associations. There are some bott lenecks in the most unlikely of places; it is possible that decision makers are not aware of them.

After the Government announcement, one comment came from an unlikely source, the CEO of Munster Rugby, Garrett Fitzgerald, who is based in Cork. He said he was very disappointed that the long proposed motorway between Limerick and Cork was not mentioned in the plan. In what should be a very obvious wake up call to politicians in both Limerick and Cork city, the Munster Rugby man said that if he was scheduling a meeting between some of his staff in Limerick and Cork, it would make more sense to hold it in Portlaoise because the midlands town was connected to both cities by the motorway.

One fact that seems to escape every county based Minister and TD is the need for motorway access to Dublin and their neighbouring cities.

We constantly hear the cry that Dublin and the East coast get everything. Well that may always be a problem, but if the Chief Executive of Munster Rugby decides he would prefer to take a fast and safe journey to Portlaoise on a motorway rather than struggle up through Mallow, Buttevant and Charleville, running the risk of delays and speed camera vans, then how can we expect foreign investors to choose

to move away from the motorway system.

View from the Operators V O D Desk by S Sean M Murtagh - sean@fleet.ie

Reading through the Government plans for road building it is hard to sense conviction or any indication that planners have an idea how bad congestion could get.

country. During the past few years, this entire infrastructure was able to carry the traffic, now they are nearly at capacity and will be before long. Now we have to deal with where there were problems before, every county has them, the road from North Mayo to Sligo, Limerick to Cork, Birr to Dundalk, which is a popular route for North/South traffic. You cannot underestimate how traffic congestion will influence people’s decision on where they locate business or travel to. It may be nice to live in a quaint and idyllic place, but you need to be able to get close to it efficiently and easily. Road planners must spend wisely and strategically.

To use a rugby analogy, here is one tactic that helps to put a team in front, set pieces. In planning terms there is one set piece that you can always rely on, one of the first things that follow when an economy starts to improve is congestion and pressure on infrastructure. It is likely that this problem will present itself in two ways. Pressure on infrastructure that was in the past adequate. For example the M50, the M7, ferry space in and out of the

Public Display of the Preferred Route Corridor for the Foynes to Limerick Road Improvement Scheme Limerick City and County Council in consultation with Transportation Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority), have commenced a public display of the preferred route corridor for the Foynes to Limerick Road Improvement Scheme.

Public Consultation took place in relation to four route corridor options in March 2015.

Following assessment under the headings of Economy, Safety, Environment, Accessibility & Social Inclusion and Integration the preferred route corridor is Route Corridor Option 3 (Orange). The preferred corridor runs from the N69 at Foynes towards the N21 at Rathkeale and will provide a much-needed bypass for Adare Village, before connecting to the existing M20 motorway into Limerick. The preferred route corridor is 300m wide, within which the road alignment is likely to be developed.

Drawings and a brochure outlining the preferred route corridor are available at the public display sessions and from the Mid West National Road Design Office in Lissanalta House, Dooradoyle a nd projec t website www. foyneslimerick. ie. The closing date for receipt of comments on the preferred route corridor is Friday 15th January 2016.

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48 | MOTORSPORT

Major battle ahead for Mini and Peugeot at Dakar Rally 2016 …. while Iveco ups-the-ante against KAMAZ 354 entries: 143 bikes, 110 cars, 55 trucks & 46 quads

B

ig brands and high profi le drivers make the headlines once again for the next chapter of the Dakar Rally, which takes place from 3-16 January in South America. On this occasion, the wilds of Argentina and Bolivia are the host countries as the world’s sporting media centre their focus of attention on the most arduous cross-country rally marathon.

In the German/UK camp is the Mini X-Raid challenge with Nasser Al-Att iyah (Qatar) defending his title with former Dakar winner (in both car and bike) Nani Roma (Spain) seeded number two in the team. Former World Rally Championship (WRC) driver

Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) is a newcomer to the scene and joins the squad which sees Quart Motorsport prepare 11 Mini All4 race cars for the event.

Meanwhile in the French corner, the Peugeot Lion will roar once more in a bigger more powerful 2008 DKR16 racing machine with

former multi-WRC Champion Sébastian Loeb joining fellow French driver and multiDakar winner Stèphane Peterhansel, Cyril Despres and also Carlos Sainz, another title holder in the past.

Dutch delights at Dakar 2016

F

or Dakar 2016, 42 Dutch vehicles and 80 competitors are scheduled to take part with many taking part in the traditional pre-event shakedown at the Valkenswaard Circuit close to Eindoven Football Stadium.

Since 1987 former Dakar winner Jan de Rooy provided this facility for all cross-country racers. His son Gerard, also a past winner, continues to put up the challenge to the might of the Russian Kamaz team.

Interestingly, Team Petronas Iveco De Rooy has a stronger line up. On the instigation of Iveco President Pierre Lahutte, Team De

On this prologue event in the Netherlands, attended by almost 24,000 avid spectators, Gerard De Rooy sent a message of intent to Moscow by recording the fastest stage times, with his cousin Hans Stacey (another Dakar winner) close behind, pleasing the crowd.

Rooy and experienced charger Aleš Loprais have joined forces to become the ultimate squad! Czech driver Loprais had previously entered in Tatra and most recently in MAN trucks.

On their first competitive outing together, Loprias fi nished second overall in the recent Rally OilLibya Maroc in the Iveco Powerstar, with Gerard fourth. In fact Iveco fi lled the top five positions behind event winner, Maarten van den Brink in a Renault.

Hino Team Sugawara goes for straight seven successes!

F

or its Dakar Rally 2016 campaign, Hino Motors and Team Sugawara have spent the last year redeveloping and upgrading the Hino 500 Series race trucks in order to achieve their seventh straight category win in the 10-litre class. The engine and suspension upgrades were just two aspects of the development programme as somehow the engineers managed to shed 300 kilogrammes off the truck’s overall weight.

FLEETTRANSPORT | DEC 15/JAN 16

Both Hino 500 series entered for Dakar 2016 will be powered by the new 630 hp 9 litre AOGC 6-cylinder engine which now

comes with a modified exhaust system.

Truck No 1 to be driven by veteran Team Director, Yoshimasa Sugawara is the new facelifted model as launched in Asia this year. Mr. Sugawara holds the Guinness World Record for the most Dakar starts and fi nishes. According to the Team Sugawara statement, the event is an important marketing medium – “By continuing to race in the world’s top vehicular challenge, Hino Motors hopes to share the excitement with motor sport fans and customers around the world, and build a stronger Hino brand.”

Text: Jarlath Sweney - editor@fleet.ie

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50 | SOAPBOX

Be Prepared

I

nsurance is a subject that comes under the spotlight every ten or so years, causing uproar in the media and heat in the Dail, and then the lights slowly fade until the next fiasco.

How many of you know the initials ICI? Possibly more of you remember PMPA but I’ll bet most of you will know the name Quinn Insurance? Each and every one of these arrived as insurance messiahs, cornered the market with rates no one could touch, and became politically untouchable and Too Big to Fail! They all folded but they have not gone away as we are still paying for them in the Insurance Compensation Fund (ICF). Th is is the fund set up by those who failed to regulate and now, just as with the banks, we pay for their insurance companies in the form of the 5% levy added to your insurance premiums. The Fund has been used to fi nance the administration of three insurance companies.

• • •

A balance of €164,386,901 was paid from the Fund in relation to the Insurance Corporation of Ireland.

A balance of €139,013,808 was paid from the Fund in relation to PMPA. To date a total of €1,158,000,000 has been paid from the Fund in relation to Quinn Insurance Limited.

Within the sums above, how much has been taken up with legal fees? I recently attended an insurance presentation in the UK and

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figures given there are frightening for anyone involved in insuring trucks. Their levy has just gone to 9%. The two biggest scams in the UK seem to be the legal profession and scam accidents. The number of accidents over a five year period have fallen by 15% but the number of claims have gone up by almost as much. When asked why, and about the cost of claims and legal costs, the presenter said that almost any accident nowadays was being treated as an opportunity to make a personal injuries claim, and this was aided and abetted by the legal profession. It appears the insurers have almost given up tackling this, and weighing up the total cost they simply cave in and pay out. The UK Government has taken steps for which the industry has some hope but nothing of a similar nature is happening in Ireland.

Where does that leave us, are we just at the mercy of the gods or can we do something to defend ourselves? The answer to that question is yes but unfortunately it costs both time and money. Forward facing cameras are the obvious answer but so is training for drivers in accident reporting. The UK speaker said that if you are involved either in a scam accident or a genuine mishap, it was essential for drivers to get all the relevant information to the insurer as quickly as possible. The camera download plus photographs of the third party and their vehicle showing its ID and damage (this prevents a single car occupant putt ing in a claim for non existent passengers) should be got to the broker a.s.a.p. The speaker said that gett ing the info in as soon as possible enabled the insurer to contact the “injured party” before it got to a legal eagle and thus keep legal fees out of it. We recently had a sideswipe, which was our fault, and we acknowledged it as such. Damage and expenses amounted to £3,500, but the legal fees came to an additional £10,000. These legal eagles advertise their services every night on the telly so for some having a tip with a truck is a win on Lotto.

Do all your drivers know how to use the camera on their mobile; we aren’t all totally familiar with them? Ask your broker just what are the photographs you need to take? Some brokers are quite indifferent to how much their client (you and me) pays in premiums as they get the commission if they increase.

As things get more complex the old Boy Scout motto holds good, “Be Prepared”.

Text: Jerry Kiersey - jerry@fleet.ie

REGISTER NOW at www.CVRT.ie All Operators of Heavy Goods Vehicles, Goods Trailers, Buses and Ambulances are required by law to make an online ‘Self-Declaration’ every year with the RSA. Register online at www.cvrt.ie to complete and submit your ‘Self-Declaration’ and access your CVRT Online Account. It only takes a few moments to register!

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Email Addre ss and Mobil e Number Company Re gistration N (or PPSN if So umber le Trader or

View your vehicle information (test reports, pass statements, Partnership ) Transport Lic roadside/premises inspection e n Chassis/VIN ce Number & reports, and CRW details) of your vehicnumber of one les (only if you Receive alerts and reminders a licensed op are erator with RTOL) about your vehicles Book commercial vehicle tests Apply for ADR certificates and replacement CRWs Upload additional vehicle documentation (that can be accessed for vehicle testing and reduce the need for paperwork at test time) Add and remove vehicles from your online fleet list

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TIP ONE Display your disc. All commercial vehicles should have a disc displayed, failure to do so can mean lengthier delays for you at roadside enforcement checks as well as being against the law.

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Register now at www.CVRT.ie If you are having problems registering online then you can contact our helpdesk @ 091 480981 or email us at selfdec@rsa.ie

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