Investigations are underway into the cause of a fire which destroyed 36 buses and other vehicles in South Wales. Police will study close circuit television images of the 1st Call Coaches, Pant, Merthyr Tydfil depot after the blaze was reported early Sunday morning where the vehicles were closely packed to hinder vandalism and fuel theft. … [Read more...]
CV News
Fleets facing bigger fines for safety breaches they can avoid
Smaller vehicle fleets are putting safety on the back seat and not being proactive to protect themselves from potentially huge claims. Brake and Licence Bureau questioned 228 fleets about driver education and the topics they cover, including mobile phone use and speeding. Around half (49%) operate fewer than 100 vehicles and they found a third are failing to educate or train their drivers in … [Read more...]
Lorries get higher speed limit next year
The government plans to raise the national speed limit from 50 mph to 60 mph for lorries travelling on dual carriageways, following the increase in speed limits for HGVs on single carriageways announced in July this year. The announcement will ensure that as of 6 April 2015, lorry drivers have speed limits that are better suited to a modern transport network. Transport Minister Claire Perry … [Read more...]
VW step up help for their van users
With the annual threat of wet and windy winter weather already looming, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is launching a new, free initiative that will help drivers stay safe, warm and mobile when the temperatures take a turn for the worse. And, as a thank you for visiting, drivers will be offered a warm drink in a complimentary thermal mug. The 29-point Express Visual Check (EVC) aims to … [Read more...]
CV business levels off
UK commercial vehicle manufacturing declined 8.9% in October, the smallest monthly fall since June 2013. Production for the UK market increased 14.6% in the month, but exports fell 30.6% and 2014-to-date volumes are still affected by last year’s restructuring, falling 23.5% to 57,981 units. “The heavy fall seen in UK commercial vehicle manufacturing over the past year is now levelling off as … [Read more...]
Gwynedd Shipping hits 30
Gwynedd Shipping is one of Volvo Trucks’ major customers in Wales and North-West England and is celebrating their 3Oth year in business. To celebrate, 23 Euro-6 FH tractor units joined this high profile fleet. Commenting on the anniversary, GSL’s Managing Director Andrew Kinsella said that the company and marketplace had changed significantly during that time. A key reason that the company … [Read more...]
Light vans keep the lights on in dealerships
Light vans are keeping the UK commercial dealers and manufacturers on track this year, but bigger vehicles are stalling, says George Alexander, editor of Glass’s Commercial Vehicle Guide. Writing in the latest edition of the guide, he says SMMT statistics for September confirmed that registrations are continuing to take the same path they’ve travelled throughout 2014 with little sign of change … [Read more...]
CV Newslines
British Gas has won an innovation award for going electric, with its first battery of Nissan e-NV200 vans. The Greenfleet Awards recognised the forward thinking and application of technology in the fleet sector and singled out Nissan, British Gas and Hitachi Capital Solutions for their tri-party initiative with electric vans. Fleet managers are being invited to recharge their knowledge banks … [Read more...]
Welsh coach company picks up Volvo
Cardiff based Watts Coaches has bought a new B9R coach with Jonckheere bodywork. Volvo was able to supply the new coach within the family run operator’s limited time frame, ensuring it could quickly enter service. “The coach has already covered some 10,000 kilometres on our continental tour work and has just got back from a ten day trip, so consistency and reliability are clearly important … [Read more...]
New and used vans sales soar in September
New van sales jumped nearly 11% last month. September registrations rose 10.8% to 54,497 units, mean 269,456 commercial vehicles have been added to UK roads so far this year, a 12.6% increase on the same nine months in 2013. Van market continues to drive growth; up 18.1% year-to-date to 242,071, and 14.1% in September to 49,123 units. Truck registrations fell by 12.3% in September, … [Read more...]