As part of a strategy to boost its coverage throughout the UK and Ireland, trailer maker and truck bodybuilder Schmitz Cargobull has opened another new Regional Business Centre. This, the second of the firm’s business centres opened in 2009, is on a two-acre site. It includes offices, a parts store and a display area for new and used trailers. “Essentially, the Regional Business Centres operate like owned dealerships,” said Tom Macallan, UK managing director at Schmitz Cargobull. “They perform different but entirely complementary functions to those undertaken by our existing Service Partners, with whom we will continue to develop, train and grow our network.” Schmitz has similar RBCs operate in Warrington and Harelaw, with others due in the South West of England, Scotland and Ireland during 2010.
Archive for the ‘Truck Services News’ Category
Another new business centre for Schmitz
Friday, December 18th, 2009Truck Makers call for Euro6 Delay
Friday, December 18th, 2009Iveco’s Chief Executive Officer, Paolo Monferino, addressing a Brussels event called for Euro 6 implementation to be put back a further two years to allow the truckmakers to recover from the recession and allow them to invest the billions required to meet the standard. He went on to suggest the standard should be reassessed, “in the light of the foreseen negative global warming aspect of vehicles certified to this standard.”
Monferino referred to the composition of the commercial vehicle running parc of four of the most significant markets in Europe where, on average, almost half of the vehicles in circulation were older than Euro 3. He called for the European governments to introduce some tax incentives for companies to renew their vehicles – scrappage for trucks.
Paolo Monferino
JDS Trucks in MBO
Friday, December 18th, 2009Renault Trucks distributor, JDS Trucks Ltd., has been bought by its three directors, Mark Griffiths, Peter Glover and Richard Davies from former owner Peter Harper. The company, which operates from Manchester, Blackburn and Leeds, has been part of the Renault Trucks network since the early 1990’s.
Richard Davies, Dealer Principal, JDS Trucks, says: “This is very much a team effort and we are all very excited by the acquisition in very difficult times for the industry as a whole. Between the three of us we have over 70 years of commercial vehicle experience and we can honestly say that trucks are in our blood!
Although times are challenging at the moment, we are very much looking forward to taking on this challenge and to working closely with Renault Trucks and with our customers. Our number one focus will always be on quality of customer care and satisfaction and we want to ensure that we always go that ‘extra mile’ for our customers. Our plan is to build on the already well known JDS brand and continue to operate a high quality business as usual.”
Richard Davies joined JDS Trucks two years ago after 25 years with Mercedes Benz; Mark Griffiths, Finance Director, has been with JDS for 10 years and; Peter Glover, Aftermarket Director, has been with the company for 18 years.
JDS Trucks was established in 1965, as J Douthwaite & Sons, and bought by Peter Harper 20 years ago.
BCA launches all-new website
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Following a 12 month development project BCA has launched a brand new website with a raft of new features for customers.
The new site has a fresh design and enhanced navigation allowing customers to interact with BCA in a more intuitive fashion. The site now includes Auction View, Commercial Auction View and www.british-car-auctions.co.uk on one platform, improving accessibility and functionality for customers.
According to Alexa.com BCA’s site attracts three times the traffic of its nearest rival.
Another major customer benefit is the introduction of a new and completely free auction catalogue search engine and stock locator for private buyers.
NEW DIGITAL TACHOGRAPH
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Delphi, which has its sights on becoming a major player in the digital tachograph market, is introducing a new product, the EFAS 3. The tacho supports rapid printing, read-out and data download. Current systems can take up to two and half hours to download 28 days data, The EFAS 3 from Delphi will download this data in only 60 seconds.
Top Truck Bosses outline the crisis’ impact on the transport sector
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009CEOs of the major European commercial vehicle manufacturers met in Brussels with European Commissioners, senior officials and Members of the European Parliament to highlight first-hand how the freight transport sector and its millions of employees are affected by the economic and financial crisis.
“The reality on the road, in the workshops and in sales and manufacturing is harsh’, said Leif Östling, Chairman of the ACEA Commercial Vehicle Board and CEO of Scania. “It is important that EU policy makers are well informed about this situation and we have encouraged them to alleviate the enormous pressure on this important part of the economy.” Östling, accompanied by Aad Goudriaan (President DAF), Andreas Renschler (CEO Daimler Trucks) and Mario Astengo (Senior Vice President Iveco) met with the Commissioners Vladimir Spidla (Employment) and Antonio Tajani (Transport) as well as with Directors General and several key MEPs.
As a direct consequence of the economic downturn and credit crunch, transport demand has dropped sharply over the past year. Vehicle fleet operators often have a quarter of their trucks standing idle. This situation is unlikely to change until the economy starts recovering. Demand for new commercial vehicles has fallen sharply as well and the European manufacturers do not expect the market to pick up before 2011. Over the past year, they have already taken numerous measures to adapt output levels, but pressure on permanent employment levels is mounting.
At the same time, vehicle manufacturers go to great lengths to sustain investments in R&D, most notably in the fields of road safety and emissions reduction. Just the Euro VI emission requirements alone require immediate industry level investments of EUR 6-8 billion.
“We have seen recent initiatives by governments in other parts of the world to invest heavily in R&D that contributes to environmental and related sustainability goals, helping their commercial vehicle major manufacturers to keep their heads above the water and continue to play their important roles in the transition to a low carbon economy. We hope to see similar initiatives in Europe soon as well”, added Östling.
USED CV SALES AT LONGBRIDGE
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Contract hire and rental specialist Fraikin is bringing vehicles back to the Longbridge site in Birmingham, the former home of MG Rover, with the opening in November, of its third dedicated used commercial vehicle sales location.
Spread over three acres alongside the busy Bristol Road South, this new sales site has the potential to display up to 350 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from 3.5 tonne vans to 44 tonne tractor units and trailers.
Commenting on the opening, Alistair Wood, Fraikin’s Procurement and Services Director, says: “We wanted a high profile site which would generate both passing trade and be easy for buyers to reach – this area of land at Longbridge was available and ideal for our requirements. It will enable us to keep a wide-ranging stock of vans, trucks and trailers on-site at any one time, so there will truly be ‘something for everyone’.”
Iceni Trucks take on North London and East Anglia for Iveco
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009A new commercial vehicle dealer called Iceni Trucks has taken over the Iveco franchise for North London and East Anglia following a management buyout of the previous distributor Norfolk Trucks.
Iceni Trucks has taken over the leases and will trade from the existing dealer sites in Norwich, Ipswich and Enfield. The company will also offer both new and used commercial vehicle sales across the full Iveco range from 3.5 to 44 tonnes.
The new company will be led by Steve Fisher, Managing Director, and is based in Sprowston, Norwich. Its satellite dealerships are located in Great Blakenham, Ipswich, and Brimsdown, Enfield.
The previous dealer, ECC Trucks, renamed from Norfolk Trucks in July this year, entered into a ‘voluntary arrangement on the 25th September 2009.
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
HGV and Goods in Transit Insurance
Insure Your HGV
says that
HGV insurance is vital to both self employed HGV drivers and haulage companies alike.
With so many hours spent on the road, expensive trucks and often transporting thousands of pounds worth of goods, haulage insurance and goods in transit insurance is likely to make up a significant part of your fixed costs as an individual or haulage company.
So what do you look for when considering a HGV insurance quote?
In today’s difficult trading conditions, the principle consideration is price. Getting cheap HGV insurance is at the top of most people’s wish list. Going to specialist HGV insurance brokers is probably the best way to get the most competitive quote.
One such specialist broker is called insureHGV with the website www.insurehgv.com.
Tim Crighton, from insureHGV, explains why they can get the best insurance prices on the market. “Firstly, we will know exactly what underwriters to approach given your individual circumstances. As our specialist HGV insurance team deal with HGV drivers and haulage companies every day, they know who to approach for insurance for a new HGV driver versus a vast haulage fleet insurance quote for example”.
Tim continued, “Secondly, as we write so much haulage insurance business, we have special rates with the underwriters that others simply can’t match. Our buying power, customer base and track record means that we have built superb relationships and exclusive insurance rates. Our expert team know where to go and when”
“We also specialize in taxi insurance, courier insurance, fleet insurance and car insurance so we know what we call the ‘wheels insurance’ market very well indeed”
So is there anything else you should consider for truck insurance?
“Goods in transit insurance is normally very important for an HGV driver or haulage company so make sure you have the appropriate level of cover. It can normally be included as part of your HGV insurance policy and doesn’t cost much extra in normal circumstances. I’d also check what cover you have regarding replacement vehicles. Being off the road for any period of time hits you financially so it’s important you get a like-for-like replacement vehicle. We have a 24/7 claims management service for all our policies”
Tim concluded “If you are a Haulage contractor, we have a combined Employers and Public Liability policy specially designed for Haulage Contractors. It is underwritten by a leading UK insurer and is competitively priced based on the number of vehicles operated.
Our standard limits of indemnity range from £1,000,000 for Public Liability and £10,000,000 for Employers Liability however there is an option to increase the Public Liability section to £2,000,000 or £5,000,000 any one loss if required”.
So it seems that whilst price is vital for HGV insurance, there are other factors you need to consider when renewing your next haulage insurance policy
For more information please call 0800 142 2841 or visit www.insureHGV.com
insureHGV are a brand of County Insurance Consultants Ltd
Iceni Trucks take on North London and East Anglia for Iveco
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009A new commercial vehicle dealer called Iceni Trucks has been awarded the Iveco franchise for North London and East Anglia following a management buyout of the previous distributor Norfolk Trucks.
Iceni Trucks has taken over the leases and will trade from the existing dealer sites in Norwich, Ipswich and Enfield – each of which benefits from modern, high quality facilities fully equipped to provide dedicated Iveco and all makes parts and servicing. The company will also offer both new and used commercial vehicle sales across the full Iveco range from 3.5 to 44 tonnes.
The appointment of Iceni Trucks marks the next stage in Iveco’s strategy to restructure and strengthen its dealer network across the UK with the concentration of urban distribution in North London and high levels of freight traffic to ports in East Anglia making this a key market territory with significant potential for growth.
The new company will be led by Steve Fisher, Managing Director, and is based in Sprowston, Norwich. Its satellite dealerships are located in Great Blakenham, Ipswich, and Brimsdown, Enfield.
Iceni Trucks joins a network of 25 main Iveco distributors across the UK, supported by 46 satellites and a further 34 authorised repairers, providing comprehensive all-makes support across the UK.