Relief for Castleisland
It may be long overdue, but the people of Castleisland are delighted to see work on the town’s bypass press ahead and in this month’s edition of Irish Trucker and Light Commercials, we take a look at the project that is ongoing at the moment.

Stabilisation is the key
During this current economic crisis, every business is trying to maintain a level of consistency that will see them through the recession. Irish Trucker profiles the aptly named Staplestown Ground Stabilisation Ltd and speaks to company director Kevin Gibson about the business, these current times and the area they specialise in.

Transport investment vital for continued growth - IBEC
The Government needs to invest in an improved transport infrastructure in order to boost Ireland’s competitiveness when the global economy recovers. That’s the message of Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC) President Tom Noonan, who spoke at a major national transport conference.

IRU wants European Unity
The recession is hitting hard all over Europe. And the International Road Transport Union (IRU) is doing all in its power to pave the way for some sort of recovery. If swift action is taken in accordance with the IRU’s recommendations, it should have benefits to the sector throughout the EU zone, including Ireland.

Providing bespoke TM solutions
The professionalism and expertise of Swords Auto was called upon recently to build a new state-of-the-art emergency ISU (Incident Support Unit) for the M50.

Slane old story
The controversy over heavy goods vehicles passing through Slane seems to have been rumbling on for an eternity. Residents have once more had reason to get up in arms recently, while there’s still no sign of the proposed bypass of the busier-than-it-should-be east Meath village becoming a reality. Thus, the accidents, protests and recriminations show no real sign of abating.

The road to the future
The changing face of Ireland continues to manifest due to the roads structure that is being developed throughout the country and a company heavily involved in the development of the roads network is Ascon Ltd.

M50 upgrade making good progress
Traffic congestion in Dublin will be greatly reduced with the completion of the first phase of the M50 upgrade in March 2008. Garrett Doyle of lead contractor SIAC/Ferrovial Joint Venture explains more.

Europe blows and Ireland feels a gale
The Irish road haulage industry is just as susceptible to decisions made in Brussels as it is to rules and regulations made closer to home. John Loughran reports.

Kelly's on top of their game
The National Roads Authority (NRA) launched a vehicle recovery service for the M50 and M11 on Thursday, November 1st 2007. The aim is to minimise traffic disruption caused by broken down vehicles particularly during peak hours.

How could they get it so wrong?
Dublin City Council’s HGV traffic management plan came into force on February 19 to a chorus of complaints from the road haulage industry and other stakeholders. John Loughran reports.

Another EU directive!
In just two years time hauliers, bus, coach and minibus drivers will have to hold both a driving licence and a Certificate of Professional Competence before going out on the open road. John Loughran reports.

Dublin's HGV traffic plan
Dublin City Council’s long awaited HGV traffic management plan for the city was approved by councillors at a highly charged meeting of the council on April 10. However, the plan could yet be destined for the courts.

Experts in civil engineering
PT McWilliams, a County Tyrone family run Company, has been in operation for 32 years and has established itself as a leading Civil Engineering Company in Ireland.

Ireland outstrips UK on Tens spend
On the periphery of Europe, Ireland like no other EU Member State needs high quality road, rail and sea corridors to get its product to market. But what happens when our near-neighbours fail in their EU obligations, by neglecting to invest in key transport infrastructure?

Mark engineers the basis for a successful business
MPB Ltd has proven successful for Mark Bennett in the last few years and after being handed some major developments around Dublin, his company continues to grow writes Cian O Raghallaigh.

Fannings continue high standards
The Fanning Group has been established since 1984 and during the intervening years has grown into a successful and thriving business that includes three businesses under the one umbrella. General manager Sean Keane spoke to Irish Trucker about the rise of the company over the last 21 years.

Bypassing hauliers' best interest?
Is the Enfield/Kinnegad bypass, which opened before Christmas yet another example of the Irish road haulage industry being taken for granted? John Loughran poses the question.

Deadline bypassed as Dundalk project proves speedy
Roadworks in Louth were due to be completed next year but early starts and dedication in Logan Earthmoving ensured the target was reached early.

Promises promises
When construction work started on the Dublin Port Tunnel it was hailed as the panacea for the capital’s transport ills with promises that it would remove 9,000 HGVs from the city every day. Nine months short of completion and £171 million over budget, a different proposition is emerging. John Loughran reports.

Dundalk Western bypass completion
The Celtic Roads Group was awarded the contract to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain for a concession period of 30 years, the M1 Dundalk Western bypass. Construction manager Ian Cunningham is confident the route will be completed ahead of its February 2006 completion date.

A rub with the Greens
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has launched a blistering attack on the Green Party following its criticism of Dublin City Council’s HGV traffic management plan, which is due to be implemented when the Dublin Port Tunnel opens next year.

Lobby Group calls on Government to buy back M50
The Irish Raod Haulage Association (IRHA) has thrown its lot in with a number of disparate business groups to highlight “inefficient tolls” on the M50 in Dublin. Here John Loughran opens up the great toll debate.

Putting Wexford on the map
Don Curtin has spent more than 30 years in local government. For the past three years he has held the post of Roads Liaison Officer with Wexford County Council. Don gave Irish Trucker an insight into road construction activities within the county.

Pilot HGV scheme goes 'live' in Dublin
Dublin City Council is set to launch a pilot HGV traffic management scheme in the city centre with the objective of improving traffic flow and road safety. John Loughran previews the initiative, which comes into effect on March 1.

Dublin Port Tunnel update
The National Roads Authority (NRA) has conceded that a strict traffic management system will be put in place at Dublin Port Tunnel, when it finally opens for business, because the ventilation system being installed won't be able to cope with the emissions caused by bumper-to-bumper traffic. John Loughran reports.

Tough talk
As 2004 gathers pace the haulage industry is tightening its belt for yet another tough year. Irish Road Haulage Association president Eamonn Morrissey teased out the issues with John Loughran.

Still a HGV hotspot
Some eight months after the opening of the Drogheda bypass on the M1, thousands of HGVs are still passing through the picturesque village of Slane in Co Meath every week to the fury of local residents. John Loughran reports.

Cashel's bottleneck blues
Limerick based civil engineering and construction company Roadbridge began building the N8 Cashel bypass in Co Tipperary in 2003, which has an estimated price tag of £29.5 million. Project engineer Pat McCarthy gave Irish Trucker an insight into the complexities of the project.

Collision course
The Government and the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) could be on a collision course in a winter of discontent on a broad range of issues from HGV tolling to the forthcoming carbon energy tax. John Loughran reports.

NRA Annual Report
The National Roads Authority, the body charged with delivering the Roads
Programme under the National Development Plan launched its annual report for 2002 and Programme for 2003 recently.

Kilgallen's Longford brief
Jack Kilgallen is director of services for roads and transportation with Longford County Council. In an interview with John Loughran, he gave an overview of road construction activities within the county.

Road to ruin
Proposals to introduce road charging on foreign trucks in Britain will have serious cost implications for the Irish road haulage industry and
Irish business. John Loughran looks at the controversial new charge, which will come into force in 2006.

German HGV tax will hit Irish hauliers and industry
Road charging on German motorways for all HGVs will come into effect on Sunday, November 2, despite huge opposition from the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and other EU road transport associations. John Loughran reports.

Tolls apart
The Drogheda bypass opened for business in a blaze of publicity on Monday June 9. However, the National Roads Authority's decision to toll the new road, which forms part of the M1 corridor between Dublin and the border hasn't gone done well with the haulage industry - on either side of the border. John Loughran reports.

Slow down boys
Some 2,662 people lost their lives on the Republic’s roads between 1996 and 2001. Shockingly, goods vehicles were involved in 20 per cent of these road fatalities, according to statistics just released by the National Safety Council.
John Loughran reports.

Tunnel height decision will haunt Brennan
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has finally quashed hauliers’ hopes of having the height restriction at Dublin Port Tunnel raised to 4.9 metres following discussions with the National Roads Authority and Dublin City Council. We predict it is a decision
that will come back to haunt him.

Road bans are a road to ruin
The much maligned road haulage industry has taken a hammering from several quarters in the recent past. An economic slowdown, spiralling fuel prices, escalating insurance premiums and virtually stagnant rates are just some of difficulties facing the industry on a daily basis. To compound matters, there is a growing lobby that wants to confine HGV movements to the national roads network. John Loughran reports.

How's My Driving?
Established in May 2001, by Tom O’Sullivan, How’s My Driving? is an Irish owned company that provides a driver monitoring service for Irish companies and anyone who entrusts someone else to drive their vehicle(s)

Congestion charging causes consternation
The advent of 'congestion charging' in the centre of London in February caused consternation amongst road haulage operators, who now have to pay for the privilege of delivering their customers' goods in the city centre. Irish Trucker reviews the introduction of Ken Livingstone's brainchild and the Road Haulage
Association's pragmatic response.

A uniform motorway
Work on the Northern Motorway Project (N1 Drogheda Bypass) running from Gormanston in Co. Meath to Monasterboice in Co Louth began in April 2000 and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2003.

Cross-border initiative will hit speedsters
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has thrashed out an agreement with the Northern Ireland Office, which will result in Northern Ireland motorists having penalty points added to their licence, if they are caught speeding in the Republic. Southern speedsters driving in the North will also suffer a similar punishment. John Loughran reports.

HGV ban in Dublin city centre on the cards
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan can expect to incur the wrath of the road haulage industry, following his admission that he intends to ban heavy good vehicles from the centre of Dublin when the Dublin Port Tunnel is completed in 2005. Words: John Loughran.

Port Tunnel update
A war of words has developed between Dublin City Council and the Transport Umbrella Group, based at Dublin Port over the final operating height of the Dublin Port Tunnel. John Loughran reports on the latest exchanges.

Road haulage industry has vital role to play
Manufacturing and retail business are the heart and lungs of our economy, but the road transport industry is the veins and arteries that keep these vital organs of our economy alive.” - Sean Murtagh

Tunnel vision
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has drawn the wrath of the road haulage industry following an announcement that he is considering imposing a height restriction of 4.65 metres on all heavy goods vehicles. He is in for one hell of a battle, writes John Loughran.

Road charging in Dublin must be resisted
Road charging - the controversial system of paying to enter a designated area within a city - operates in Oslo and Singapore and is due to be introduced in London in the near future. John Loughran asks: could Dublin be next on the list?

Eurotunnel increases truck shuttle departures
Eurotunnel has once increased the number of truck shuttle departures to meet growing demand for its services.

Tyrol in Austria introduces night ban on trucks
The local govenment in the Tyrol region of Austria has implemented a night ban on trucks over 7.5 tonne using the Alpine transit A12 Inntal motorway this winter, despite doubts about the legality of the ban.

IRHA strikes new deal with NTR
NTR, the company that runs the East and West Link Toll bridges and the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) have reached an agreement which will result in a 10 per cent saving on toll charges for IRHA members.

Luxembourg introduces new speed limits
International hauliers should note that new speed limits will come into force in Luxembourg with effect from November

Just like new
Corcoran Auto Body Repairs, based in Knockmay Industrial Estate in Portlaoise is known throughout the length and breadth of the country for recovering and repairing private and commercial vehicles. This year the company is celebrating 25 years in business. John Loughran reports.

Slane's bridge too far
Notorious accident blackspot Slane bridge in Co Meath, the scene of a number of fatal accidents over the years bore witness to two serious crashes involving HGVs during August.

A little advice
The Fianna Fail / Progressive Democrat Coalition Government is back in harness and will be guiding the fortunes of the country and the road haulage industry for the next five years. Here Gerry McMahon offers some salient advice to Bertie and Mary and the troops

Cork City Council
Irish Trucker talks to Brian Cassidy, the man responsible for Plant and Machinery in Cork City Council.

The delivery window tightens
Dublin City Council's controversial proposal to restrict commercial delivery times in the city centre to a two hour window between 10.00am and noon has been roundly criticised by business interests in the capital. Jimmy Quinn of the Irish Road Haulage Association pointed out the flaws in the proposal to Irish Trucker.

Taylor appointed MD at RAC Ireland
Robert Taylor has been appointed Managing Director of RAC Ireland. Robert has been a director of the company in Ireland since 1997.

Getting the Priority right
The new Harristown Little to Rathsillagh Road on the N25 in Co Wexford was opened to traffic in April.

A look behind the scenes
Tony O’Neill was Wexford County Council’s project engineer on the N25 Rathsillagh to Harristown Little realignment scheme. He gave John Loughran a behind the scenes look at the project from conception to completion.

The big FH
Eamonn Cole of Cole International Transport, based in Virginia Co Cavan road tested the new Volvo FH for Irish Trucker. After he caught his breath he spoke with John Loughran.

£3m investment at Monaghan Co Co sets wheels rolling
Following a critical examination of its Road’s Department machinery yard, Monaghan County has embarked on a major investment programme to upgrade and replace its plant and equipment. The investment will cost more than euro 3 million. John Loughran reports.

The opposing view
Denis Naughten is Fine Gael's deputy spokesman on Public Enterprise. He also has some outspoken views on the insurance industry, road safety and the National Roads Authority, John Loughran spoke with the haulage friendly TD.

Keeping it simple
When Cork based General Semi-Conductor Ireland closed its doors last August it hit local company, Macroom Haulage hard. However, owner Paddy Murphy is happy to report, it wasn’t a knock-out blow. In fact, the company is fighting fit and rarin’ to go. John Loughran reports...

Time to tackle the gridlock
Two out of five Dublin businesses are prepared to forsake the capital and relocate outside the city, in order to beat the ever worsening gridlock crisis, according to a survey conducted by the Irish Business Employers Conference (IBEC).

Gills (entrepreneurial) spirit
The Gill Group based in Church Road, Ballina, Co. Mayo epitomises the entrepreneurial spirit of modern day Ireland.

Gridlock
Traffic gridlock and an inadequate public transport system is eroding business competitiveness and adding substantial costs in terms of lost man hours and delays in getting people to work and products to market, according to the Small Firms Association.

NRA says SMA road surface is safe
A survey conducted by the NRA has identified the potential skid resistance problem, but stated the problem only arose when the SMA was not manufactured and laid to correct specifications.

£35 million bypass route finally agreed
Offaly County Council has finally agreed the route for the £35 million bypass of Tullamore, although residents of the village of Mucklagh are far from happy.

Eurotunnel truck traffic up 6% in third quarter
Eurotunnel has seen a 6% growth in freight traffic in the third quarter of the year despite being affected by the nightly incursions of would be stowaways, from the near by Sangatte refugee camp.

A meal in the midlands
You just can’t beat that full and satisfied feeling you get after tucking into a delicious meal. You know that lip licking, tongue tingling, sensual sensation that oozes out of every pour. Out on assignment recently, John Loughran dined at a peerless eatery on the N3 heading for Mullingar that tickled his taste-buds.

New Technology makes life 'eazier' for motorists using toll bridges in Ireland
An advanced toll collection system called Eazy Pass is available to Irish road users since last June.

C-ring by 2004
Dublin’s C-ring route from Dublin Airport on the north side to Loughlinstown on the Southside will be completed by 2004, more than 30 years after the project was first mooted.

Core beliefs
Intercore Ltd is a Co. Laois based company but its reputation and fame as a firm of few equals in its specialist field stretches countrywide.