Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
22.11.21
NEWS INSIDE Part of the union
Unite claims victory in Wincanton pay row
p3
Bold ambition
Scania Super powertrain is the ‘greenest’ yet
p4
Joining the dots
Kinaxia Logistics adds links to internal pallet network p6
Who’s the daddy?
Don’t miss our rundown of the industry’s Top 100
p22
OPERATORS INSIDE Hastings Freight............................................ p3 Kinaxia Logistics........................................... p6 Owens Group................................................. p6 Suttons Group ............................................... p3 Wincanton.................................................... p3 Wren ...........................................................p30 Zedify ..........................................................p34
BULL MARKET: Schmitz Cargobull is to mark the opening of its trailer factory in Manchester with the launch of a new SKO lightweight dry freight box van developed for the UK and Irish markets. Aimed at parcels and express operators, the 13.6m trailer weighs 6.5 tonnes fitted with three axles – 600kg lighter than typical competitor products – and is available in three heights up to 3.2m. Boris Billich, director of sales, said the opening of the £2.3m Manchester production site and the two-year development of the new trailer were intended to help the company – Europe’s largest trailer builder – double its 11% share of the north-western European market, which includes the UK and Ireland. “Our ambition is to reach 25% market share across Europe,” said Billich. “I am optimistic that we will build 65,000 units this year.”
Industry backs government review of Driver CPC – and underlines need to make changes quickly
‘Now get training rules right’ By Carol Millett
The haulage industry has given a cautious thumbs-up to government plans to review the Driver CPC. The review follows concerted lobbying by industry leaders, who have warned government ministers that the bureaucratic nature of the qualification is acting as a barrier to both new and returning drivers and exacerbating the HGV driver shortage. Announcing the review, transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We’re listening to industry leaders, who have told us about the issues HGV drivers face with CPC arrangements. Now we’ve taken back control of our own laws and regulations, I’m delighted to say we’re launching a review into these training rules.” However, Kevin Buchanan, group chief executive officer at
Pall-Ex Group, said: “There is a lot of spin coming from this government and very little substance, so I do have reservations. “Driver CPC has driven mature drivers out of the industry whilst failing to raise driving standards or professionalise the industry.” He called for a graduated licence scheme to replace Driver CPC, with drivers rewarded accordingly for attaining each grade and assessed on levels of insurance claims, safety and fuel efficiency.
“We need to create gold-standard drivers and that would also benefit operators who would see their insurance premiums fall,” he added. David McCutcheon, MD of Bullet Express, said the review was long overdue. “Anything that speeds up the qualification of drivers and gets them on the front line would be a big help to operators,” he said. “The Driver CPC drove a lot of good drivers out of the industry
and there must be a lot of them out there thinking that they would come back if not for the CPC. “It is nothing more than a boxticking exercise and the officials who put it in place clearly did not understand the industry and have never checked its benefits. The government needs to reduce the length of the course and make it cheaper, perhaps through a grant.” Added ArrowXL chief executive Charlie Shiels: “It was clear from the start that many drivers are just not built for the CPC, which has far too much bureaucracy and paperwork and is far too cumbersome. We always knew it would be a bloody mess. “The devil will be in the detail and in the timing – we do not want them to take months to do the review. They say they have listened to the industry, so now they need to keep listening to the industry.”
Viewpoint: Self-employment p8 Trailer technology p12 DAF XF hydrogen p16 Road Transport Expo 2022 p18 MT Awards winners p28