Latest news updates...

Motorway lighting to be switched off on parts of the M1

Motorway lighting on parts of the M1 are to be permanently switched off in order to reduce carbon emissions.

The Highway Agency has already begun switching off lighting between Junction 10 (Luton) and Junction 13 (Milton Keynes) via phased removal, to be concluded in autumn 2012.

These junctions, approach roads and a section of the M1 on either side of junction 11 will have their lighting columns replaced and will remain lit, however, the Highways Agency have advised a huge 810 tonnes of carbon will be saved due to this change.

The Highways Agency is confident these changes will not affect road safety or cause additional congestion for motorway users.

Low Emission Zones warned to become reality in UK cities

Tom Henderson, Senior Associate at Bircham Dyson Bell LLP has warned UK hauliers, bus operators and local authorities that low emission zones in UK towns and cities are likely to become a reality, due to the Government aiming to reach its 2015 air quality targets.

Tom Henderson said: "Many parts of the UK did not meet the EU's nitrogen dioxide limits by the initial compliance date of 2010 and the Government is about to apply for an extension from the EU until 2015 - but to hit target it will need to look at how to reduce emissions in our towns and cities."

"The Government acknowledges that certain urban areas are unlikely to meet the 2015 deadline unless additional measures are taken and the Government is considering establishing a national framework to encourage local authorities to implement low emissions zone in towns and cities."

"If the Government does make a push for low emission zones, UK hauliers and bus operators will need to factor this into their costs and plans for the future. If London-style low emission zones are taken up, there would be charging structures to encourage operators of large vehicles to upgrade more 'emission-friendly' fleets.

"The proposal is that local authorities would retain ultimate control over whether to set up a zone, and would be responsible for setting them up and enforcing them. But if we are to meet our EU deadlines, it seems current methods won't achieve this and we will need more radical measures. Low emission zones seem an inevitable part of this."

Fuel prices continue to affect the trucking industry

Over the past 12 months the cost of refuelling just one 44-tonne truck has risen by over £5,700 based on calculations from the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

The 12ppl rise in the cost of diesel (excl VAT) – from 99.29 pence per litre in July 2010 to 111.21ppl in July 2011 has potentially cost the road transport industry an extra £1.3bn.

"Diesel is not an optional extra for commercial vehicle operators and the result of more fuel tax rises will see either the destruction of companies or increased prices for customers, ultimately fuelling inflation," says James Hookham, FTA’s MD of Policy and Communications.

The figures are from the FTA’s Cost Information Service and used figures that were based on 80% bulk and 20% forecourt diesel prices.

Government sets out plans to charge foreign drivers

The government has laid out plans to charge foreign lorries coming into the UK £9 a day in an attempt to level the playing field for the transport industry.

Currently foreign drivers – who make up one in eight of all vehicles on the road in the UK – have an advantage over British drivers as they pay no road tax or fuel duty.

This means they escape around £300m a year in levies, according to experts from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Foreign truckers also benefit from cheaper fuel bought on the Continent which can often last their entire journey in the UK.

Minister for Roads Mike Penning said that charges will be introduced based on a HGV’s weight and amount of time it spends in the UK.

“We are committed to a system of charging that ensures UK hauliers get a fairer deal. Charging will help make our hauliers more competitive by making foreign hauliers contribute towards the upkeep of UK roads”.

New legislation will be needed to implement these charges, which the government hopes to be able to introduce in 2014.

Logistics operators look at Olympic challenge

With London gearing up for the Olympics in just over 12 months time, the road transport industries are planning for a number of challenges

With logistics clients expecting business as usual but with road closures affecting large areas of London for up to 18 hours a day throughout the summer, there are a number of challenges to overcome.

For many operators, night time deliveries will be the only option to continue "business as normal". FTA head of policy for London Natalie Chapman says: "Following extensive trials with Sainsbury's and our work with the Noise Abatement Society we know that night-time deliveries don't have to mean disturbance for local residents."

Whilst not all the plans have been finalised, the core logistics companies are well advanced with their planning. The official logistics partner of the Olympics, UPS, has already opened a 331,000 sq ft hub in Stevenage with a new 200,000 sq ft one being opened in Tilbury shortly to aid in their Olympics logistics.

Fuel prices continue to rise

Once again the price of diesel has reached a new record high.

The Road Haulage Association’s weekly Fuel Price Survey showed that last week diesel reached an average price of 115.43 pence a litre (before VAT), up 0.50 pence from the previous week. Of the 15 weeks so far this year, the diesel price has risen every week but two. The price at the start of the year was 105.97 pence.

RHA director of policy Jack Semple commented "Relentless price rises are driving up the costs of everything we buy because it is impossible for hauliers to absorb the cost increases, much as they are under pressure from customers to do so”.

With fuel prices being up to 40% of a hauliers’ costs, and fuel needing to be paid for upfront but customer invoices being paid in 60 to 90 days, these rising costs affect cash flow and long term financial security for many hauliers.

Safer driving

A variety of products are coming to market that provide truck drivers with live feedback on their performance behind the wheel in a move that will promote safer and more economical driving for businesses.

TomTom Business Solutions are offering both "Active Driver Feedback" to give individual drivers the chance to see their fuel efficiency, or be warned of excessive steering or braking, and “WebFleet OptiDrive” which helps fleet managers manage their drivers with graphs and reports for individual drivers and their entire fleet.

Products such as this show the industry’s long-term commitment to safety which will be rewarded by some insurers. If you need insurance for your truck or fleet of lorries, give TruckInsure a call on 0845 112 0102

Logistics Report 2011

The Freight Transport Association has released its Logistics Report 2011, a review of the current state of the trucking and logistics industry in the UK. It paints a mixed picture of the health of the industry – whilst costs are continuing to rise, the industry is becoming safer, more economical and increasing profit margins.

The annual report shows that after the recession years’ slump in the freight industry, truck movements to Europe are up over 10% in 2010 vs 2009, whilst the number of trucks running empty has decreased, and the number of vehicles being found unroadworthy has also fallen.

These economy savings have led to the reported profit margins of the top 100 haulage firms increasing to 4% from 1% last year, even though fuel prices have risen around 40% in the past four years, suggesting that whilst the industry is continuing to feel the pinch they’re fighting back by becoming more economical.

Increased truck sizes

The Department for Transport is considering allowing longer articulated lorries on the UK’s roads. By permitting trucks to have a maximum length of 18.75 metres (two metres longer than the current limit), but keeping the 44 tonne weight limit, the DfT believes this could increase capacity by 13% and cut carbon emissions by “around 100,000 tonnes a year” across the UK.

Industry observers were surprised by the timing of this move as the European Union has yet to decide on standard trailer dimensions, and could still lead to a height limit of four metres being imposed on truck manufacturers.

New EU Whitepaper

The European Commission have released a new white paper outlining their transport roadmap until 2050.

“Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area” sets out a number of proposals that aims to cut transport emissions by 60% by the middle of the century.

The Mobility & Transport committee is working towards defining “a strategy for moving towards ‘zero-emission urban logistics’, bringing together aspects of land planning, rail and river access, business practices and information, charging and vehicle technology standards.”

As well as suggesting ways that emissions can be cut, the whitepaper also looks back on the achievements of the past: noxious emissions from trucks are down 88% since 1990, fuel consumption is down 36% since 1970 and that 25 modern trucks make no more noise than one built in 1980.

You can read the 30 page white paper and find out some more information on the European Commission’s website.

Budget 2011

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s budget has been welcomed by the trucking community for not only scrapping a planned 5p per litre increase in petrol but also reducing the tax take by 1p per litre.

Mr. Osborne announced the abolition of the “escalator” tax rises. "The fuel duty escalator that adds an extra penny on top of inflation every year will be cancelled - not just for this year, or next year - but for the rest of this parliament. To pay for those measures, oil and gas production will be targeted," he explained.

This is the first reduction in pump duty for over 10 years. Peter Carroll, the former truck driver leading the Fair Fuel campaign group commented "We are really delighted. This is excellent news and represents a real change in approach from government although we have yet to see whether the oil companies will pass the reductions on."

The Road Haulage Association’s Chief Executive Geoff Dunning further added “Today’s cut will go some way to bringing relief to an industry that has quite literally been fighting for its survival.”

To help fund this change to taxing British drivers, the government is introducing a "fair fuel stabiliser", which will fluctuate according to the price of crude oil.

However with the ongoing instability in the Middle East and North Africa, it is thought that these measures on fuel duty will only have a short term effect on pump prices.

Fuel Duty

There are strong indications that central government is looking to head off threatened hauliers’ fuel protests by easing fuel duty.

With fuel prices rising almost 18p per litre over the past 12 months, Chancellor George Osborne has made it clear that the proposed 1p per litre duty rise in April could be axed, or a Fair Fuel Stabiliser be brought in, in a reform of the fuel tax system.

The Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association have welcomed the Chancellor’s comments made on BBC radio. In reference to fuel duty increase, Osborne commented, ‘We can override it, we are looking at that.’

Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association says that fuel price hikes just pushed the annual cost of running a typical 44-tonne truck up by £410 in just one week. Overall the RHA says the recent fuel cost hikes mean that hauliers need to raise their prices by £1,000 a year to cover the higher fuel costs.

What is ELTO?

The Employers liability Tracing Office (ELTO) has been established to solve the problem of being unable to identify the insurers of companies for whom a claimant has worked for the with the aim of giving claimants and their representatives quick and easy access to an Employers’ Liability Database (ELD)

The ELD can be accessed by claimants, insurance companies, brokers, ELTO and solicitors acting on behalf of individuals who have been injured or developed a disease in the work place. Strict security is in place to prevent unauthorized access and to ensure the database is only used for legitimate purposes, in accordance with the data protection legislation.

ELTO is a proactive initiative to ensure that claimants receive the support they require from insurers in an open and transparent way.

What will ELTO mean for you?

From April 2011 ELTO will EXPECT the following types of EL policy data to be supplied:

Information required from now on is as follows:

• Insured name/Trading name
• Cover start and end dates
• Insured address and postcode
• Employer reference number

All of the above for each subsidiary companies that may be covered by the EL policy.

In addition:

• Your Employers Reference Number or Employers PAYE reference

For more information visit the official ELTO website

FTA Visibility markings legislation

The Freight Transport Association has published a guide to new legislation on the fitting of visibility markings to large goods vehicles

New heavy goods vehicles and their trailers will need to be fitted with conspicuity marking material from 10th July 2011. Conspicuity markings illuminate the outline of a vehicle at night by reflection from the headlights of vehicles following behind, and have the potential to prevent many fatal and serious injury accidents per year.

The regulations require a full contour marking on the vehicle’s rear, ie horizontal and vertical markings to outline the shape of the vehicle, and partial contour markings on the side. Partial contour markings consist of a horizontal line showing the length of the vehicle and ‘tick’ marks showing the upper corners of the vehicle. Tractor units are exempt from the requirements.

There is a full outline of the legislation on the FTA website.

Best Companies - 'One to watch'

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded with the best companies 'one to watch' accreditation. The Accreditation has been established to acknowledge excellence in the workplace and focus on workplace engagement as an integral component of an organisations success and growth.

Read more about the best Company Accreditation.

Success at BOSCAs

We are pleased to announce that TruckInsure's Ricky Chivers won the Barbon-wide new business award for 2010 at our BOSCAs award ceremony. The event was held on Friday 28th January at London’s Madame Tussauds.

Already an established face on the TruckInsure team, Ricky moved to a sales role in 2010. Ricky has quickly become renowned as “Mr. Consistent”, ending the year at 127% of his target. Always finishing in the top 3 of the P&C Race to Success league tables, Ricky’s certainly had a great start to his sales career at TruckInsure.

Although TruckInsure missed out on winning Barbon Business of the year (won by Homelet), Ricky and the team are determined to win more awards next year.

Emissions zone rules change

London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will have tighter standards from the start of 2012. The scheme encourages the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles driving in the Capital to become cleaner by charging for entry to greater London.

From 3rd January 2012, the standards are changing from Euro III to Euro IV for particulate matter, meaning that most large vehicles first registered before 1st October 2006 will be liable for a daily charge to enter the Greater London Area.

This advance warning gives you a chance to re-organise your fleet and understand the effects it will have on your organisation before they take place.

You can find out more about the scheme and the effects on you and your business at Transport For London's website.

Stowaway fines

News out last week suggested that Stowaway fines are on the rise with latest figures showing a 90% increase compared to the prior year.

In 2009 3,245 fines were issued, which was up from 1,700 in 2008 and fines collected so far from 2009 total £1.6m revenue for the UK Borders Agency.

Last month saw the European parliament vote to include self employed truck drivers within the scope of the Working Time Directive for Truck and Bus drivers, which will mean that self employed drivers will be limited to 48 hours a week to include all aspects of the job.

In the past self employed drivers could spend up to 56 hours a week driving so long as they were not driving for more than 90 hours over a fortnight.

This will simply heap more pressure on the industry unless this decision is reversed by the European Commission

Latest news updates...

Motorway lighting to be switched off on parts of the M1

Motorway lighting on parts of the M1 are to be permanently switched off in order to reduce carbon emissions.

The Highway Agency has already begun switching off lighting between Junction 10 (Luton) and Junction 13 (Milton Keynes) via phased removal, to be concluded in autumn 2012.

These junctions, approach roads and a section of the M1 on either side of junction 11 will have their lighting columns replaced and will remain lit, however, the Highways Agency have advised a huge 810 tonnes of carbon will be saved due to this change.

The Highways Agency is confident these changes will not affect road safety or cause additional congestion for motorway users.

Low Emission Zones warned to become reality in UK cities

Tom Henderson, Senior Associate at Bircham Dyson Bell LLP has warned UK hauliers, bus operators and local authorities that low emission zones in UK towns and cities are likely to become a reality, due to the Government aiming to reach its 2015 air quality targets.

Tom Henderson said: "Many parts of the UK did not meet the EU's nitrogen dioxide limits by the initial compliance date of 2010 and the Government is about to apply for an extension from the EU until 2015 - but to hit target it will need to look at how to reduce emissions in our towns and cities."

"The Government acknowledges that certain urban areas are unlikely to meet the 2015 deadline unless additional measures are taken and the Government is considering establishing a national framework to encourage local authorities to implement low emissions zone in towns and cities."

"If the Government does make a push for low emission zones, UK hauliers and bus operators will need to factor this into their costs and plans for the future. If London-style low emission zones are taken up, there would be charging structures to encourage operators of large vehicles to upgrade more 'emission-friendly' fleets.

"The proposal is that local authorities would retain ultimate control over whether to set up a zone, and would be responsible for setting them up and enforcing them. But if we are to meet our EU deadlines, it seems current methods won't achieve this and we will need more radical measures. Low emission zones seem an inevitable part of this."

Fuel prices continue to affect the trucking industry

Over the past 12 months the cost of refuelling just one 44-tonne truck has risen by over £5,700 based on calculations from the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

The 12ppl rise in the cost of diesel (excl VAT) – from 99.29 pence per litre in July 2010 to 111.21ppl in July 2011 has potentially cost the road transport industry an extra £1.3bn.

"Diesel is not an optional extra for commercial vehicle operators and the result of more fuel tax rises will see either the destruction of companies or increased prices for customers, ultimately fuelling inflation," says James Hookham, FTA’s MD of Policy and Communications.

The figures are from the FTA’s Cost Information Service and used figures that were based on 80% bulk and 20% forecourt diesel prices.

Government sets out plans to charge foreign drivers

The government has laid out plans to charge foreign lorries coming into the UK £9 a day in an attempt to level the playing field for the transport industry.

Currently foreign drivers – who make up one in eight of all vehicles on the road in the UK – have an advantage over British drivers as they pay no road tax or fuel duty.

This means they escape around £300m a year in levies, according to experts from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Foreign truckers also benefit from cheaper fuel bought on the Continent which can often last their entire journey in the UK.

Minister for Roads Mike Penning said that charges will be introduced based on a HGV’s weight and amount of time it spends in the UK.

“We are committed to a system of charging that ensures UK hauliers get a fairer deal. Charging will help make our hauliers more competitive by making foreign hauliers contribute towards the upkeep of UK roads”.

New legislation will be needed to implement these charges, which the government hopes to be able to introduce in 2014.

Logistics operators look at Olympic challenge

With London gearing up for the Olympics in just over 12 months time, the road transport industries are planning for a number of challenges

With logistics clients expecting business as usual but with road closures affecting large areas of London for up to 18 hours a day throughout the summer, there are a number of challenges to overcome.

For many operators, night time deliveries will be the only option to continue "business as normal". FTA head of policy for London Natalie Chapman says: "Following extensive trials with Sainsbury's and our work with the Noise Abatement Society we know that night-time deliveries don't have to mean disturbance for local residents."

Whilst not all the plans have been finalised, the core logistics companies are well advanced with their planning. The official logistics partner of the Olympics, UPS, has already opened a 331,000 sq ft hub in Stevenage with a new 200,000 sq ft one being opened in Tilbury shortly to aid in their Olympics logistics.

Fuel prices continue to rise

Once again the price of diesel has reached a new record high.

The Road Haulage Association’s weekly Fuel Price Survey showed that last week diesel reached an average price of 115.43 pence a litre (before VAT), up 0.50 pence from the previous week. Of the 15 weeks so far this year, the diesel price has risen every week but two. The price at the start of the year was 105.97 pence.

RHA director of policy Jack Semple commented "Relentless price rises are driving up the costs of everything we buy because it is impossible for hauliers to absorb the cost increases, much as they are under pressure from customers to do so”.

With fuel prices being up to 40% of a hauliers’ costs, and fuel needing to be paid for upfront but customer invoices being paid in 60 to 90 days, these rising costs affect cash flow and long term financial security for many hauliers.

Safer driving

A variety of products are coming to market that provide truck drivers with live feedback on their performance behind the wheel in a move that will promote safer and more economical driving for businesses.

TomTom Business Solutions are offering both "Active Driver Feedback" to give individual drivers the chance to see their fuel efficiency, or be warned of excessive steering or braking, and “WebFleet OptiDrive” which helps fleet managers manage their drivers with graphs and reports for individual drivers and their entire fleet.

Products such as this show the industry’s long-term commitment to safety which will be rewarded by some insurers. If you need insurance for your truck or fleet of lorries, give TruckInsure a call on 0845 112 0102

Logistics Report 2011

The Freight Transport Association has released its Logistics Report 2011, a review of the current state of the trucking and logistics industry in the UK. It paints a mixed picture of the health of the industry – whilst costs are continuing to rise, the industry is becoming safer, more economical and increasing profit margins.

The annual report shows that after the recession years’ slump in the freight industry, truck movements to Europe are up over 10% in 2010 vs 2009, whilst the number of trucks running empty has decreased, and the number of vehicles being found unroadworthy has also fallen.

These economy savings have led to the reported profit margins of the top 100 haulage firms increasing to 4% from 1% last year, even though fuel prices have risen around 40% in the past four years, suggesting that whilst the industry is continuing to feel the pinch they’re fighting back by becoming more economical.

Increased truck sizes

The Department for Transport is considering allowing longer articulated lorries on the UK’s roads. By permitting trucks to have a maximum length of 18.75 metres (two metres longer than the current limit), but keeping the 44 tonne weight limit, the DfT believes this could increase capacity by 13% and cut carbon emissions by “around 100,000 tonnes a year” across the UK.

Industry observers were surprised by the timing of this move as the European Union has yet to decide on standard trailer dimensions, and could still lead to a height limit of four metres being imposed on truck manufacturers.

New EU Whitepaper

The European Commission have released a new white paper outlining their transport roadmap until 2050.

“Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area” sets out a number of proposals that aims to cut transport emissions by 60% by the middle of the century.

The Mobility & Transport committee is working towards defining “a strategy for moving towards ‘zero-emission urban logistics’, bringing together aspects of land planning, rail and river access, business practices and information, charging and vehicle technology standards.”

As well as suggesting ways that emissions can be cut, the whitepaper also looks back on the achievements of the past: noxious emissions from trucks are down 88% since 1990, fuel consumption is down 36% since 1970 and that 25 modern trucks make no more noise than one built in 1980.

You can read the 30 page white paper and find out some more information on the European Commission’s website.

Budget 2011

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s budget has been welcomed by the trucking community for not only scrapping a planned 5p per litre increase in petrol but also reducing the tax take by 1p per litre.

Mr. Osborne announced the abolition of the “escalator” tax rises. "The fuel duty escalator that adds an extra penny on top of inflation every year will be cancelled - not just for this year, or next year - but for the rest of this parliament. To pay for those measures, oil and gas production will be targeted," he explained.

This is the first reduction in pump duty for over 10 years. Peter Carroll, the former truck driver leading the Fair Fuel campaign group commented "We are really delighted. This is excellent news and represents a real change in approach from government although we have yet to see whether the oil companies will pass the reductions on."

The Road Haulage Association’s Chief Executive Geoff Dunning further added “Today’s cut will go some way to bringing relief to an industry that has quite literally been fighting for its survival.”

To help fund this change to taxing British drivers, the government is introducing a "fair fuel stabiliser", which will fluctuate according to the price of crude oil.

However with the ongoing instability in the Middle East and North Africa, it is thought that these measures on fuel duty will only have a short term effect on pump prices.

Fuel Duty

There are strong indications that central government is looking to head off threatened hauliers’ fuel protests by easing fuel duty.

With fuel prices rising almost 18p per litre over the past 12 months, Chancellor George Osborne has made it clear that the proposed 1p per litre duty rise in April could be axed, or a Fair Fuel Stabiliser be brought in, in a reform of the fuel tax system.

The Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association have welcomed the Chancellor’s comments made on BBC radio. In reference to fuel duty increase, Osborne commented, ‘We can override it, we are looking at that.’

Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association says that fuel price hikes just pushed the annual cost of running a typical 44-tonne truck up by £410 in just one week. Overall the RHA says the recent fuel cost hikes mean that hauliers need to raise their prices by £1,000 a year to cover the higher fuel costs.

What is ELTO?

The Employers liability Tracing Office (ELTO) has been established to solve the problem of being unable to identify the insurers of companies for whom a claimant has worked for the with the aim of giving claimants and their representatives quick and easy access to an Employers’ Liability Database (ELD)

The ELD can be accessed by claimants, insurance companies, brokers, ELTO and solicitors acting on behalf of individuals who have been injured or developed a disease in the work place. Strict security is in place to prevent unauthorized access and to ensure the database is only used for legitimate purposes, in accordance with the data protection legislation.

ELTO is a proactive initiative to ensure that claimants receive the support they require from insurers in an open and transparent way.

What will ELTO mean for you?

From April 2011 ELTO will EXPECT the following types of EL policy data to be supplied:

Information required from now on is as follows:

• Insured name/Trading name
• Cover start and end dates
• Insured address and postcode
• Employer reference number

All of the above for each subsidiary companies that may be covered by the EL policy.

In addition:

• Your Employers Reference Number or Employers PAYE reference

For more information visit the official ELTO website

FTA Visibility markings legislation

The Freight Transport Association has published a guide to new legislation on the fitting of visibility markings to large goods vehicles

New heavy goods vehicles and their trailers will need to be fitted with conspicuity marking material from 10th July 2011. Conspicuity markings illuminate the outline of a vehicle at night by reflection from the headlights of vehicles following behind, and have the potential to prevent many fatal and serious injury accidents per year.

The regulations require a full contour marking on the vehicle’s rear, ie horizontal and vertical markings to outline the shape of the vehicle, and partial contour markings on the side. Partial contour markings consist of a horizontal line showing the length of the vehicle and ‘tick’ marks showing the upper corners of the vehicle. Tractor units are exempt from the requirements.

There is a full outline of the legislation on the FTA website.

Best Companies - 'One to watch'

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded with the best companies 'one to watch' accreditation. The Accreditation has been established to acknowledge excellence in the workplace and focus on workplace engagement as an integral component of an organisations success and growth.

Read more about the best Company Accreditation.

Success at BOSCAs

We are pleased to announce that TruckInsure's Ricky Chivers won the Barbon-wide new business award for 2010 at our BOSCAs award ceremony. The event was held on Friday 28th January at London’s Madame Tussauds.

Already an established face on the TruckInsure team, Ricky moved to a sales role in 2010. Ricky has quickly become renowned as “Mr. Consistent”, ending the year at 127% of his target. Always finishing in the top 3 of the P&C Race to Success league tables, Ricky’s certainly had a great start to his sales career at TruckInsure.

Although TruckInsure missed out on winning Barbon Business of the year (won by Homelet), Ricky and the team are determined to win more awards next year.

Emissions zone rules change

London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will have tighter standards from the start of 2012. The scheme encourages the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles driving in the Capital to become cleaner by charging for entry to greater London.

From 3rd January 2012, the standards are changing from Euro III to Euro IV for particulate matter, meaning that most large vehicles first registered before 1st October 2006 will be liable for a daily charge to enter the Greater London Area.

This advance warning gives you a chance to re-organise your fleet and understand the effects it will have on your organisation before they take place.

You can find out more about the scheme and the effects on you and your business at Transport For London's website.

Stowaway fines

News out last week suggested that Stowaway fines are on the rise with latest figures showing a 90% increase compared to the prior year.

In 2009 3,245 fines were issued, which was up from 1,700 in 2008 and fines collected so far from 2009 total £1.6m revenue for the UK Borders Agency.

Last month saw the European parliament vote to include self employed truck drivers within the scope of the Working Time Directive for Truck and Bus drivers, which will mean that self employed drivers will be limited to 48 hours a week to include all aspects of the job.

In the past self employed drivers could spend up to 56 hours a week driving so long as they were not driving for more than 90 hours over a fortnight.

This will simply heap more pressure on the industry unless this decision is reversed by the European Commission