Freight on The Thames – Swannells – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news June 27, 2016warehousing cambridgeshire

The possibility of moving freight on the Thames will be the subject of a free conference which will be held by Freight on Water next month. The conference will provide delegates with all the latest information regarding water freight services in the Thames region and set out FTA proposals to improve market conditions for such a crucial sector. The free conference will take place on the 6^th July on board PS Elizabethan, boarding at Butler’ Wharf Pier, Shad Thames, London.

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Freight by Water, which is run by the Freight Transport Association, is the UK’s official Short Sea Promotion Centre which has worked since it was created back in 2003, to enhance the use of short sea, costal shipping and inland waterways for the freight industry. Freight by Water has developed a diverse collection of stakeholders, including all the major UK ports.

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Freight by Water, which is chaired by Alex Beitch, FTA’s Head of Global Policy said: “The Thames is a key part of London’s transport infrastructure. While water freight traffic has increased in recent years, there is room for further growth. Our event will set out how planners, public authorities, shippers and operators can work together to develop water freight services, which in turn will help manage London’s traffic congestion problems.”

What will be discussed:

– Water Freight in London by the Port of London Authority

– TfL’s role in the water freight sector

– Freight by Water Policy Report

– Getting an operators perspective by Gerry Heward of Wood, Hall & Heward Ltd, Vice Chair of Freight by Water

– The London Construction Link

– Development of Freight by Water

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LGV Driver Apprenticeship Funding – Swannells – Warehousing Huntingdon

admin Latest news June 15, 2016warehousing cambridgeshire, warehousing huntingdon

The news that a funding cap for the Supply Chain and Logistics LGV Standard, has been agreed and has been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association, who have described the agreement as a “step in right direction.”

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The news that there would be a funding allocation for LGV Driver Apprenticeships was made via a letter from David Sampson of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The FTA added that they were pleased that common sense had prevailed, with the Government allowing the logistics sector to include license acquisition training within the funding allocation for the Trailblazer LGV Driver Apprenticeship.

The FTA’s Skill Policy Manager, Sally Gilson, had this to say about the funding: “Although the funding cap is lower than we hoped for, this is still a positive step by Government to help the industry grow the HGV drivers of the future. This will enable companies to capture a younger driver and gain funding for the licence acquisition training that will make apprenticeships a viable training solution.”

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Previously, there had been a lack of clarity from the Government which led to considerable lobbying by the logistics sector; this decision has been welcomed by the industry as it now has an official funding route.

Sally Gilson went on to add: “Now that businesses have this confirmation, they can prepare for the introduction of the levy and work with training providers to start their Apprenticeship Schemes.

“With the announcement of the Apprenticeship Levy last summer, it was crucial that industry had a usable LGV Driver Apprenticeship. This is excellent news and will finally provide a funded route for driver training.”

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‘Let’s get the economy moving’ – Warehousing Huntingdon – Swannells Transport

admin Latest news June 1, 2016warehousing huntingdon

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) have stated that they have plans to write to Northern Ireland’s newly-appointed Infrastructure Minister to highlight key projects which are a priority for the logistics industry.

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On May 25th, Chris Hazard MLA was named as the Minister for the Department of Infrastructure, combining many of the responsibilities previously managed by the now defunct Department of Environment (DOE) and Department for Regional Development (DRD).

The DOE had ben responsible for road safety, roadside enforcement, vehicle testing, operator licensing and driver licensing. The DRD looked after road infrastructure, sustainability and public transport.

FTA’s Policy and Membership Manager for Northern Ireland, Seamus Leheny said: “FTA is pleased that all the transport-related departments in NI are now under the one department and Minister, meaning greater coherence between everything transport-related in local government.”

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Mr. Leheny stated that the FTA would write to the new Minister two outline two key priorities:

The Upgrades of the A6 Belfast to L’Derry road and the York Street Interchange in Belfast.
Protect compliant commercial goods vehicle operators and improve road safety through targeted and consistent enforcement by the Driver & Vehicle Agency and the Transport Regulation Unit.

Other transport matters which could arise during the new Minister’s term include the potential sale of Belfast Harbour and the development of new vehicle test centres. The FTA are keen to talk to the Minister about both of the matters.

Mr. Leheny added to his statement by saying: “FTA looks forward to working with Minister Hazzard and the newly-appointed Infrastructure Committee and continuing to be the voice of the transport industry at the Northern Ireland Assembly.”

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Prescription Drugs and Driving – Swannells – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news May 17, 2016warehousing cambridge, warehousing huntingdon

Drug driving prosecutions reached an all-time high last year, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) says that all motorists need to be made aware of laws regarding prescription drugs.

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Many drivers are aware of the drink driving limits but no so many drivers are aware of the changes to in law in England and Wales on medications including diazepam and tamazepam. Limits have been introduced for 8 commonly-prescriped drugs and anyone whose driving could possibly be impaired through exceeding the limit may face prosecution.

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The penalty for drug driving is the same as drake driving in England and Wales, which results in an automatic ban for at least a year, a fine and in some cases six months in prison. In December 2014, lower alcohol limits were introduced in Scotland so it’s important that you are aware of the changes.

A report was conducted by confused.com, the comparison website. The report highlights a 144% increase in drug driving prosecutions in 2015, while one in every eight motorists admitted to feeling affected by prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies, for example, hay fever tablets.

Key Updates – Swannells – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

To help all motorists on the road, Shopfta have produced a poster which contains all the relevant information to ensure that you are safe behind the wheel. The poster includes the following key updates:

The Road Traffic Act England and Wales

• New Scottish drink driving limits

• New drug driving laws and roadside testing

• Methods and time scales for drug detection

• Advice on prescription drugs use in the workplace

if you’re interested on buying a poster, click here.

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Working with freight industry – Swannells – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news May 9, 2016

Today is the day that London elects its new Mayor and Assembly, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) says that working in partnership with the logistics industry will make for a stronger, safer and cleaner capital city.

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FTA’s Freight Manifesto for London highlights a number of key issues such as airport expansion, HGV regulations and delivery restrictions, the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and road infrastructure. On top of this it also closely examines housing in light of the aspiration to build 60,000 new homes every year. The FTA have calculated that to build just one house, you need atlas 34 commercial vehicles.

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FTA’s Head of National & Regional Policy and Public Affairs, Christopher Snelling said: “It’s really important that the Mayoral candidates take into account the role of logistics and freight in the operating of London.

“We would like the new London Mayor and Assembly to work with the logistics industry. Our Manifesto sets out how we can help to deliver a stronger London, a cleaner London but also a safer London. These things can be done but they are best done through intelligently working together, not through simplistic measures that just make good headlines.”

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London requires over 350,000 tonnes of goods to be supplied by lorry each day, and this is just for the city to operate efficiently. That works out at around 15,000 tonnes picked up or dropped off every hour, or 250 tonnes every minutes. And that figure excludes vans and other modes.

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Freight Industry Delivers EVERYTHING! – Swannells Transport – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news April 26, 2016warehousig cambridge, warehousing, warehousing cambridgeshire

Did you know, it takes around 400 vans to deliver all the toilet roll used by Londoners everyday, and 23 articulated lorries just to transport all of the baked beans – just two small examples of why the freight industry is so important to our capital.

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The Freight Transport Association (FTA) have release their Freight Manifesto for the London mayoral elections on May 5th. The Manifesto highlights the importance of keeping the city moving, building a stronger economy, safer roads as well as looking to reduce pollution. The FTA believe that the London Mayor and London Assembly need to attenuate to work with the logistics industry to achieve these objectives in an ever-growing city where over 90% of good are moved by road.

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Around 360,000 tonnes of goods – everything from coffee to cars – are delivered to London by lorry everyday. That works out ay around 250 tonnes every minute, without taking into account deliveries by van, rail and other methods.

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Karen Dee, Director of Policy at FTA, had this to say: “Reforming night-time delivery restrictions in London would have a huge impact, not only on the volume of HGVs on the roads at busy times but also on air quality and safety.

She continued:

“Increasing air freight capacity, improving connectivity with new river crossings, incentivising the use of trucks with reduced blind spots and avoiding peak-time lorry bans would all contribute to a more prosperous, cleaner and safer London. FTA is keen to engage with the new Mayor and London Assembly on behalf of its members to ensure logistics is high on their agendas.”

Members of the FTA actually operate more than half of the UK lorry fleet and consign over 90% of rail freight and 70% of exports which are done by sea or air.

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New ‘smart’ junctions on M25 – Swannells – Warehousing Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news April 13, 2016warehousing cambridge, warehousing cambridgeshire

A number of ‘smart’ junctions are set to be introduced in a multi-million pounds bid to cut severe congestion on the M25.

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Traffic lights will be linked up to other parts of the road network in the effort to prevent motorists grinding to a halt at the peak times on the UK’s busiest motorway.

A new hi-tech system would feed traffic information to the traffic lights at junction on the motorway. Therefore, if the motorway is getting too busy, the lights can be changed to hold back traffic for different lengths of time.

Highways England believed that the synchronised signalling will mean that they will be able to respond to traffic build ups more effectively.

The plan is set to be introduced later on in the year, the Times reported.

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The plan should mean that vehicles will be able to flow quicker at quiet times – though they may be held at junctions when the M25 is gridlocked.

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President of the AA, Edmund Kind told the Times: “Frankly there are too many junctions on the M25 and lots of the problems are caused by ‘junction hoppers’ who come on and off in the space of one junction and cause a domino effect when they brake.

he then continues to say: “It needs to be managed much more efficiently and hopefully this will help things.”

The introduction of the smart junctions is part of a £150 million plan to try and ease congestion and improve traffic lows on motorways and major A-roads across the country.

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Government Infrastructure Plan – Warehousing Cambridge – Swannells

admin Latest news March 29, 2016warehousing camr, warehousing huntingdon

A newly-announced Government plan for national infrastructure has been welcomed by the freight industry as well as the Freight Transport Association (FTA). The National Infrastructure Delivery Plan has been called a co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to future infrastructure planning.

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The newly-announced plan, which was released last Wednesday, has brought together all of the Government’s infrastructure plans for the next five years. One of the plans that the government has committed to is the construction of a Northern Powerhouse, which would connect major towns and cities in the north. The plan highlights more than £425 billion of planned investment in 600 major projects over the next five years.

The FTA’s Director of Policy, Karen Dee, had this to say about the new plan:
“The Government is right to put so much emphasis on infrastructure – these networks are crucial to delivering economic growth. Transport improvements represent a large proportion of the projects, which is vital for a trading nation that relies on the movement of goods and services.”

The plan includes a a major road and rail investment package including £15 billion to support Highways England in transforming the Strategic Road Network and support the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian times.

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Miss Dee later continued to say: “Given the unprecedented levels of Government and private sector funds being made available, it is essential to ensure efficient and effective delivery of projects. The National Infrastructure Delivery Plan is a welcome development as it presents a co-ordinated and comprehensive view of what needs to be delivered over the next few years and establishes a process for identifying what comes next.”

If you would like to see the full government plan, just click here.

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Civil Penalties Scheme Reviewed – Swannells – Haulage Companies in Cambridgeshire

admin Latest news March 14, 2016haulage companies in cambridgeshire 0 Comment

The civil enalties scheme is to be reviewed by the government. The scheme raised £6.6m in fines last year, punishing truck drivers who were carrying illegal immigrants. The plans to improve the scheme have been welcomed by the FTA

The government are working with the freight industry in order to put a stop to illegal immigration and the FTA is pleased to see that. Currently, HGV drivers that are caught with illegal immigrants on-board their vehicles are fined up to £2,000 per person. In the summer of 2015, it was estimated that around 40 illegal immigrants were entering Dover a day.

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The Home Office has said that it will now use the civil penalty to improve the behaviours of the careless and the reckless. The civil penalty regime will be strengthened so that the codes of practices underline the need for all drivers to show that they have the correct security measures – with potential penalties if they don’t.

When speaking about the plans to improve the civil penalties scheme, the FTA’s Manager of Road Freight Enforcement, Chris Yarsley, had this to say:

“FTA is pleased to see the Government working with our industry in an effort to try and combat illegal immigration. Following the mass migration in to the EU over the past year we welcome the opportunity to revise the charging regime so that it incentivises operators to better secure their vehicles and could offer possible benefits for those who go further than the required minimum.”

He continued:

“The levels of penalties have not been amended for over 10 years and vehicle security technologies have improved immensely so it is now time to look at the entirety of the scheme.”

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The FTA have been involved in discussions with the government for some time now and they are in regular contact with the Border Force to try and keep constant communication between both sides.

Last summer, around 40 illegal immigrants were attempting to enter the UK and many of these were from the ‘Jungle Camp’ in Calais. More than 3,600 were picked up by the Home Office between July and September 2015.

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Clearing Calais – Warehousing Huntingdon – Swannells Transport

admin Latest news February 29, 2016warehousing huntingdon 0 Comment

After responding to a court ruling in favour of the French government’s plan to clear part of the migrant camp in Calais the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called it a ‘step in the right direction’.

The camp, which has been called a ‘Jungle’ is set to be cleared after a court in France stated that eviction of the camp was legal.

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The camp is called home by around 5,000 migrants, the majority of which are reportedly looking to reach Britain by crossing the Channel. Members of the FTA have reported an increase in violence and unrest with migrants attacking lorries and drivers on a daily basis. Many drivers are now being told to avoid stopping in areas on the approach to the port and Eurotunnel.

The problems started back in the summer of 2015, where migrants where arriving in mass numbers at the French port looking to get across the Channel.

FTA’s Head of European Policy – Pauline Bastidon, had this to say about the decision: “FTA welcomes the decision to start clearing the Jungle camp in Calais. We appreciate the need for careful consideration – as the clearance of the camp could be seen as violating the fundamental rights of the migrants. However, considerations should also be given to the rights of our members to go about their work without fear of violence or intimidation.

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She continued to say “Disruption caused in part by migrant activity last year cost the UK freight industry an estimated £750,000 a day, and we do not want to see that situation repeated. £89 billion worth of UK trade passes through the port every year so it’s crucial that a solution is found as a matter of urgency.”

The progress that has been made in the recent months has been encouraging, with an increase to security the main change including fencing around the Calais area. But the FTA are urging French and UK authorities to complete the secure truck parking facilities and the registration of migrants as a matter of urgency.

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