While telematics systems still fundamentally monitor the movements of a HGV vehicle, they can be built upon and tailored to suit the requirements of a specific business.. Telematics software now has the ability to take a live traffic information feed, allowing the strategic deployment of vehicles to delivery or collection points along with predictive timing schedules. Data gained is then viewed through mapping software which can show the whole fleet pinpointed on a zoomable map, and can be updated minute by minute. It highlights drivers heading into problem locations so that they can be rerouted, or at least rescheduled on the basis of predicted delays.

Users are able to view the history of a vehicle’s movements which can be tracked through the day to verify driver’s hours, and see how much driving time they have left. Control centre software programming can also log movement knowledge, vehicle miles and driver hours, and elaborate on the information for personnel management and vehicle servicing purposes.

A telematics system can be provided from just a satellite navigation system and a smartphone. These are not restricted to business telematics use, they can be utilised as a normal satnav and mobile telephone as effectively. Smartphone use is on the increase as they allow extra specialised computer software packages to be deployed. Vehicle drivers can use a smartphone application to make their everyday walkaround vehicle inspections. Vehicle verification and defect studies get sent directly back again to the operations centre wherever they can be saved as VOSA accepted electronic reports.

Another smartphone application is digital proof of delivery – the type of delivery notice where goods are signed for on a touch screen. A duplicate of the signature goes directly back to the management centre so the administration can be completed straight away. Customers can have access to information regarding the locations of consignments in real time. There are stand alone programs that can do this, but incorporating the capabilities with a Car Monitoring Method is a lot more effective and can allow buyers to see the vehicle location on the internet to monitor progress.

Purchasing a complete feature-rich telematics system can be a large outlay, and not just for the up front expenses; upkeep and running expenses need to be accounted for as well. Many operators prefer to use a telematics rental service in which they pay out a fixed monthly price per vehicle for a package deal.

Isis insurance is a specialist HGV insurance broker and has many years experience in arranging HGV insurance and Haulage insurance for both individual HGV operators and haulage fleet clients. We are not a call centre and when you contact us you will get straight through to a hgv insurance specialist who will be able to discuss your individual needs with you.

The Scheme is the only sector based initiative that records, reports and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the logistics sector. During 2011 Scheme membership grew to 59 companies operating between them over 56,000 commercial vehicles (HGVs and vans). The Scheme received the endorsement of Logistics Minister Mike Penning MP in April last year.

During 2010 a reduction in emissions intensity was recorded of 2.6 per cent, meaning that participants were emitting less carbon dioxide even though their vehicle mileages may have grown or remained the same.

The Scheme works by collecting fuel usage data from participating companies and calculating carbon dioxide emissions that result from its combustion in commercial vehicles. CO2 emissions from fuel represent over 90 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions of most road transport operators and are the most easily measured and managed part of their ‘carbon footprint’. The data are anonymised and aggregated to produce a series of indicators for the Scheme overall. Data on vehicle mileages and company turnover are also collected to allow the intensity of emissions per kilometre and per million pounds turnover to be measured. Participants have committed to achieving an overall 8 per cent reduction in these measures by 2015.

“Pressures on businesses during the current tough trading times have not deterred Scheme participants from continuing their investment of time and money into a wide range of carbon saving techniques,” said James Hookham, Managing Director of Policy and Communications at FTA.

“The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme is showing the benefits of investments and efforts that are continually being made in transport operations to make them more efficient. These have always been going on but now we can quantify the effects and take credit for the progress being made. Scheme participants can be proud of their achievement so far and the Government satisfied with the vote of confidence it gave the Scheme last April.

“Our goals for 2012 are to continue and maybe accelerate this promising trend. During 2011 we commissioned a powerful and unique web application from Heriot-Watt University that allows fleet managers to calculate the best carbon saving technique for them to invest in. The ‘Carbon for Money’ application compares the effects of nearly 40 different fuel-saving techniques from driver training to a switch of traffic from road to rail or water. This allows fleet managers to quantify the carbon savings from the investments they are asking their companies to make and guide them through the maze of different fuel-saving techniques available. The application is free to use for Scheme members.”

The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme is managed by FTA but is open to all commercial vehicle operators to join.

Hookham concluded: “The current and very real concerns about the economy have tended to drown out the equally serious need to tackle climate change and meet statutory carbon reduction targets. The Scheme presents a very low cost and low effort way for businesses of all sizes ‘to do their bit’. FTA is determined that the logistics sector takes a leading role in the economy by showing how the never-ending quest for improved efficiency is also producing environmental benefits for everybody.

Isis insurance is a specialist HGV insurance broker and has many years experience in arranging HGV insurance and Haulage insurance for both individual HGV operators and haulage fleet clients. We are not a call centre and when you contact us you will get straight through to a HGV insurance specialist who will be able to discuss your individual needs with you.

According to a survey of 400 fleet and transport managers conducted by Goodyear Dunlop, operators are struggling to keep up with EU emissions regulations and lack funds to invest in fuel-efficient technology.

Michel Rzonzef, vice-president of commercial tyres EMEA at Goodyear Dunlop, says: “The (industry) is facing enormous pressure to hep meet Europe’s ambitious climate change targets, but despite their commitment to fuel economy, we found many fleets could be better prepared to handle the cost and operational impacts of carbon regulation.”

The survey also found that some operators were already stretched to their limits by the European Commission’s target of a 20% reduction in CO2 by 2020. More than half (52%) of respondents said their vehicle parc could not achieve CO2 reductions of more that 10%.

Geoff Dunning, Road Haulage Association chief executive, says the pressure for action over emissions will only increase, but it was up to operators’ customers to pay for the carbon cost as much as the transport cost.

“Consignees need to respect the whole supply chain, but operators need to manage their business efficiently. Regulations need to give incentives for improvements.”

Isis insurance is a specialist HGV insurance broker and has many years experience in arranging HGV insurance and Haulage insurance for both individual HGV operators and haulage fleet clients. We are not a call centre and when you contact us you will get straight through to a HGV insurance specialist who will be able to discuss your individual needs with you.

Source: http://www.commercialmotor.com/latest-news/hauliers-risk-collapse-from-lack-of-fuel-efficiency

Experts in the field of freight management will provide an overview of the Olympic and Paralympic route networks and highlight the planning work undertaken to date.  The workshops will explain how the road changes could affect businesses and the steps that can be taken to minimise that impact.

The workshops will include group discussions and advice on how to prepare an “action plan” so that businesses are able to operate effectively during the London 2012 Games.

A full list of workshop dates, times and locations are available from www.tfl.gov.uk/2012. Businesses should email freight@tfl.gov.uk with “Freight advice workshops” in the subject line to receive a link to the official booking site.  There is a limit of two representatives per organisations and places are allocated on first come, first served.

Isis Insurance have many years experience in arranging HGV insurance for both individuals and HGV fleet insurance customers, we are not a call centre so when you contact us you will get straight through to a HGV insurance specialist who will be able to discuss your individual HGV insurance requirements with you.

Tony Davies, managing director of Hyva UK said: “Since the first Tip-ex opened in 2007, it has become firmly established as the only show which caters specifically for this very important part of the transport industry.

“We have supported Tip-ex from the word go and believe it has a vital role to play in our industry.  Not only do we get to meet with and demonstrate our products to end users, it also gives us an opportunity to support our chassis, trailer and body builder customers who are out in force in Harrogate.”

In the current economic climate, it is essential for tipper and bulk transport operators to make informed buying decisions and the only place in the UK to see all that’s on offer under one roof is Tip-ex.

Here they can view the very latest products, equipment and services and discuss their specific needs with knowledgeable staff on exhibitors’ stands.

“We have always believed that our industry needs a dedicated exhibition that brings all the manufacturers together with their suppliers and customers.   We get to talk to them all on a one to one basis, on ‘neutral’ ground.  But another very important part of Tip-ex is entertaining and being entertained with customers and suppliers in the mix,” says Vito Ronzano, managing director of leading tipper body manufacturer Wilcox.

Up to a third of all trucks over 7.5 tonnes in the UK are estimated to be engaged in tipping and bulk haulage, from waste and recycling through to construction and demolition.

Jon Jackson, managing director of Vishay PM Onboard said: “Like many other major suppliers to the tipping and bulk transport industry, we welcome the opportunity to meet not only many of our manufacturing customers but their customers too.

“The feed-back we get from these meetings helps us with our product development and planning, enabling us to design and build overload protection and weighing systems which accurately reflect customer needs.  Tip-ex is unique and offers the perfect venue with plenty of socialising and networking opportunities too.”

Tip-ex12 runs from May 25th to May 27th 2012 and for more details including the very latest visitor and exhibitor information, visit the new Tip-ex website: www.tip-exshow.com

Isis insurance has a number of specialist tipper insurance and bulk haulage insurance schemes available. Contact us and you will get straight through to a tipper insurance advisor who will be able to discuss your individual tipper insurance requirements with you.

Isis insurance services, a specialist HGV and haulage insurance broker has noted a recent announcement by VOSA, the vehicle and operator services agency, which marks the opening of the 150^th Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) at Brownhills-based Gulliver’s Truck Hire Ltd which will offer open access vehicle testing of trailers, heavy goods and public service vehicles five days a week. ATFs are part of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency’s (VOSA) initiative to reduce costs to industry and take testing close to customers. Having undertaken market analysis to establish the likely ATF take up around existing VOSA sites, VOSA will cease testing at its Sheffield and Taunton test stations by the end of August 2012 and Purfleet by the end of October 2012.

VOSA Chief Executive Alastair Peoples said:

“I am delighted that so far 150 companies have invested in opening ATFs and are saving thousands of pounds in reduced fuel costs, vehicle downtime and salaries.

“It is essential to provide good value for money services and reduce costs to the industry and I am very pleased with VOSA’s progress in supporting the development of an ATF network where the same high standard independent tests can be provided to our customers by VOSA staff.”

Local staff will be involved in options development for future delivery of operations in these areas with VOSA staff delivering heavy goods and public service vehicle testing from ATFs.

Isis insurance have many years experience in arranging competitive HGV and haulage insurance for operators of single HGV’s and HGV fleet operators. We are not a call centre so when you contact us you will get straight through to a HGV insurance specialist.

The thieves – dubbed the ‘pirates of the road’ sneak out of a secret door cut into the side of their van to slash a hole in a target lorry’s curtain before jumping on board.

They are then able to help themselves to their haul – often thousands of pounds worth of clothing and electrical goods – in just a few minutes.

Just the damage to the lorry itself can cost £1000 to repair.

The door is cut into the side of their van at the same height as truck trailers – making it easier to access.

Police are urging motorists to report the number plate of any vans they spot with adapted side doors.

The heists, which are happening across the country, could cost the trucking industry millions of pounds a year.

Detective Sergeant Sue Coutts, of specialist crime unit TruckPol, said the converted trucks were a growing concern.

She said: ‘The gangs generally target soft-sided lorries parked in quiet lay-bys and parking areas.

‘They pull-up alongside, open their secret side door and slash a hole in the canvas of their target vehicle.

‘If they like what they find they will simply step across and offload the contents by hand – passing it to another gang member standing in their van.

If they don’t like what they find they will move onto the next parked truck and slash away until they find a valuable load.

‘Because the gang is also in a truck they do not look out of place in these lay-bys.

‘They pull up alongside their target and do everything through their side door, so there is less chance of them being seen than if they did it on foot.

‘These gangs use refrigerator trucks, which already have side doors, or they cut their own door into a 7.5 tonne box truck.

‘There is no legitimate reason for somebody to cut their own side door into a truck, so we would ask anybody who spots one to report it to us.

‘They are generally plain white and have no livery but are difficult to spot because they drive in the slow lane with doors cut into the passenger side.’

The increase in lorry’s being targeted has hit companies around the country – costing around one billion a year.

Chrys Rampley, security manager at the Road Haulage Association, said: ‘The gangs that carry out these slash and grab raids are like the pirates of the road.

‘They cruise around truck parks and lay-bys looking for soft-sided vehicles loaded with expensive goods that they can sell on with ease.

‘Once they find what they are looking for they board the truck and loot as much as they can fit into their van.

‘They are very crafty and because they pull up close to their victim and move goods between vehicles through a side door they often go unnoticed.

‘They tend to strike when the poor truck driver is asleep and he will only realise his load has been stolen when he wakes the following day.

‘If the driver happens to wake up during the raid and disturb the thieves they risk being violently attacked and tied up.” She added: “Hauliers use soft-side trucks with a curtain because it means goods are easier to load on and off with a forklift truck.

‘The downside is that they are more vulnerable to these slash and grab attacks.

‘It costs about £1000 pounds to replace a slashed curtain but the value of goods stolen is considerably more.

‘Theft of goods from trucks and theft of trucks themselves costs UK hauliers around 1 billion pounds a year.’

Read more here.

Isis Insurance services are a specialist HGV insurance broker and have many years experience in arranging competitive truck insurance.

The article reports the following:

It is a pleasure to list just some of our achievements. In no particular order, there is no doubt that we established effective liaison with Transport for London (TfL) in promoting our sector in the run-up to the Olympics and we have developed a much improved relationship with the Department for Transport (DfT) and a better working relationship with the Deputy Senior Traffic Commissioner and VOSA.

We were delighted with the Commercial Vehicle Show’s success and were equally delighted to show Transport Minister Mike Penning around as our guest. Furthermore, Penning’s decision to allow full service truckstops on motorways was a direct result of our campaigning. We also persuaded the DfT to introduce extensive relaxations to the enforcement of drivers’ hour’s rules because of last winter’s severe weather.

It was a pleasure to see the inclusion of several RHA lobby points in the DfT’s road safety strategy, including reducing the time the police take to investigate serious accidents on motorways. We have also been pushing the case for recovery operators to be able to use red lights and hope this will bring results early in the new year.

Other positive news from the RHA’s work representing the industry include raising the profile of fuel theft in the press and other media, and successfully arguing against the introduction of mandatory carbon reporting as a requirement of haulage contracts with large aggregates companies.

One area where we have seen real success is in our objections to four Operator Licence applications, including one of Ireland’s largest hauliers. The RHA stands out in having a policy of exercising our statutory right to object in the public interest and this is something we will continue to pursue whenever we have clear evidence that can support a formal objection.
We continue to develop the many services we provide to members and expand the benefits that members have simply because they have joined our Association. Our new-look website is a great improvement on what was already a great asset to the RHA and one feature of the site – the Find-a-Load section – is being improved.

We also launched RHA Smart Safety, which has been well received by those members who have taken advantage of the service, and our new Red Flag credit checking facility –  which offers exceptionally good value for money – includes a number of checks which are free for RHA members. RHA Training continues to offer the very high quality service for which it has become known and in 2011 I was delighted when we completed ISO9002 accreditation for that aspect of our activity.

Finally, a review of 2011 would not be complete without reference to FairFuel UK. As a result of our campaigning in early 2011, every litre of fuel bought since 1 April has been five pence cheaper than it would have been, and we have just seen Parliament unanimously agree that fuel price increases must be avoided.

The year started with one success on fuel duty. Now we have another and pledges of infrastructure investment on deregulation. Your RHA helped to achieve this.

Further details can be found by visiting the RHA website at www.rha.uk.net.

Isis Insurance is a specialist lorry and truck insurance broker. We are not a call centre so when you contact us you will get straight through to a truck insurance specialist who will be able to discuss your individual needs with you.

The report comments that despite the ongoing recession, all of the signs are that the logistics industry has delivered Christmas with its usual good timing, reliability and efficiency. Online shopping, supermarket supplies, mail, food, drink, and all of the other material contributions to the Christmas spirit, have required hundreds of millions of deliveries to arrive on time. And they have, this year with the added benefits of ever later order dates and successfully completed promises.

Christmas is the busiest time of the year for retailing and for the essential logistics industry which supports it. Christmas 2011 seems certain to have seen the biggest ever market for online shopping and thus the fulfilment by the logistics industry on which it all depends.

Geoff Dossetter, Chairman of the Freight Logistics Industry Image Group, said: “This year, more than ever before, millions of delighted customers will have been grateful for the ability to search and select their purchases online, knowing that they could order with confidence that their goods would be delivered to their home as promised.

“At the same time thousands of shops in malls, out-of-town centres and high streets, have all been full of goods delivered by the increasingly smart logistics industry, as have food and drink for pubs and restaurants. Whether for long-distance trunking, regional distribution, shop or home deliveries, the ability of the logistics industry to adapt to the huge demands of its busiest time of the year with slick efficiency is a great credit to all of those engaged in the work – warehouse staff, drivers, transport office personnel and managers. They should all be thanked and congratulated.”

Logistics employs some 2.2 million people across 196,000 companies, and annual turnover is in the order of £75 billion.

Geoff Dossetter said: “We take the efficiency of the logistics industry for granted – we expect goods to be delivered to the shop or the home on time and in the right quantity and condition, and they are. During December we must have seen literally hundreds of millions of successful deliveries. But the reality behind this achievement is a highly complex and sophisticated process of supply chain management and operation which results in these items being delivered to the right location, at the right time with no delay or problem.

“In 2011 the logistics industry has achieved a higher than ever success rate for the mutual benefit of suppliers, retailers and consumers.”

The five members of the Freight Logistics Industry Image Group are the British Association of Removers, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Freight Transport Association, the Road Haulage Association, and the sector skills council Skills for Logistics. The group is chaired by Geoff Dossetter, a long time industry spokesman. Further details can be found by visiting www.hgvuk.com.

Isis insurance are a specialist haulage insurance broker and have many years experience in arranging competitive haulage insurance. We are not a call centre and a specialist haulage insurance broker will be happy to discuss your individual requirements with you.

Figures from the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) show that thieves are often just as interested in a vehicle’s contents as its resale value, leading to a rise in thieves are targeting commercial vehicles for their tools and goods.

Accordingly to the latest statistics the most commonly stolen vehicle in the UK is the Ford Transit van.

Head of AVCIS, DCI Mark Hooper, says: “Due to the sheer number of these vehicles and the huge market for stolen parts, these cars are very popular with criminals.”

The report also highlighted that 40 per cent of British drivers had been the victims of motor crime at some point.

“Vehicles registered in the late-1990s and early-2000s are among those most desired: the vehicles are stripped for parts, which are sold on the internet before the larger components are sold as scrap metal.”

What can you do to keep your commercial vehicle and its content safe?

No matter how long you leave your vehicle for you should always lock the doors and take adequate security measures.

Never leave any valuables or goods on display. Don’t give thieves any temptation!

If your vehicle does not already have one, then ensure you fit an alarm and immobiliser. Be sure to make your insurance company aware of these details; it could reduce the cost of your premium.

Taking these security measures can help prevent theft and keep your commercial vehicle insurance costs to a minimum.

Isis Insurance are commercial vehicle insurance specialist. We have great rates for truck insurance, van insurance and goods in transit insurance. Get in touch for more info on how we can help with your commercial insurance needs.