Irish Trucker Magazine Online

Speed limit for lorries on motorways greeted with caution
Proposals by the UK Government to reduce the maximum legal speed limit for some lorries on motorways have been received with caution by the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

Driving disqualifications to be recognized across jurisdictions
Drivers who felt that penalty points accrued in another jurisdiction (Northern Ireland or England) would not be added to their licence when back in Ireland have now to wake up to the fact that the points will travel across all three jurisdictions.

HGV pollution charging on the way
According to a report from the European Commission’s in-house Joint Research Centre (JRC) the cost of charging HGVs for the polluting they generate far outweighs the impact on consumers.

Overloaded vehicles targeted
Random spotchecks are being carried out by VOSA and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on vehicles in the North West of England.

HGVs under scrutiny in Essex
In an operation named ‘Mermaid’ police and VOSA officers crack downed on HGVs in Essex resulting in 16% of those checked being refused from travelling.

EU publish White Paper on future of Commercial Road Transport in Europe
In a commissioned study on the future of commercial road transport throughout the EU a White Paper set out the vision of the commercial road transport on how transport, logistics and travel should be developed in the coming decades across the European Union.

Hauliers must ensure surface free ice work conditions
A Liverpool solicitor has warned that haulage firms should be vigilant during times of freezing conditions to ensure that all yards, steps; walkways should be properly gritted to insure that all surfaces are free of snow and face or otherwise they could face compensation claims.

Price hike for O-licences
The cost for obtaining a new O-licence in Britain will now rise by £1900 and by £900 for each additional vehicle from 1 January 2010.

TC comes down hard on fleet operator
Sixteen prohibitions over a four year period has landed an UK transport company in trouble as Traffic Commissioners set out terms of reference to decide if they will have the offending companies fleet suspended.

Half of trucks stopped were breaking the law
Following a police operation in Devon and Cornwall the statistics compiled by the law enforcement agency found that half of all trucks stopped were breaking the law. During the operation code named Fatigue, 368 HGVs were stopped with 162 registering offences.

New EU road regulations to lead to fairer competition and less red tape
The new road transport regulations which came into force late last week will according to official sources provide fairer competition and abolish much red tape.

Transport backbone of European community
A combined approach from nine transport organizations representing the European rail, road, air, inland waterways and maritime sectors petitioned the European Commission for a stronger and more comprehensive commitment to transport policy.

‘Top of the class’ for Irish drivers
In a survey commissioned by insurance company AXA, Ireland came out on top as having the most law-abiding drivers in Europe.

NI firm fined for lorry driver’s death
Northstone (NI), a top 100 company was fined £60,000 following the death of a sub-contractor at Dungannon Crown Court.

Hauliers at odds with proposed new carbon levy
The Green Party came under severe criticism for its budget proposals on carbon tax which according to a former prominent member of the Irish Road Hauliers Association, Jimmy Quinn, is a smash and grab policy on the road transport business.

Irish lorry drivers to avail of safe secure parking in UK
The roll-out of the new initiative by the UK’s Department of Transport of secure and safe parking facilities for lorry drivers will be welcomed by Irish hauliers who travel throughout England.

Call for all crash scene drivers to be breath tested
Calls backed by the Road Safety Authority and Parc (Public Against Road Carnage) seek to have all drivers involved in crash sites to be mandatory breath tested.

Irish hauliers to face added expense as road tax to be introduced in Holland
The Dutch government has announced it is set to abolish all road and vehicle tax by 2012 and replace it with a ‘green’ levy based on the distance travelled.

Rethink on HGV tolls a cause for concern
Fears are growing among hauliers that Dublin City Council may end its €4.5m toll subsidies over the next year.

Container with illegal cigarettes seized by customs
A haul of over 12 million smuggled cigarettes in two separate loads with an estimated street value of €4.8m has been seized by customs officers from Dublin Port.

Irish hauliers face Dutch charge
Already under financial stress, the beleaguered Irish hauliers now face a further charge when travelling through Holland.

Insurance company predict road deaths to be down this year
With 205 people already having lost their lives on the roads this year, insurance company AXA have predicted that the numbers could dip below 250 for the first time since records have collected back in 1959.

Hauliers welcome NI change
The Goods Vehicle (Operator Licensing) has passed the consideration stage in Northern Ireland and this may lead to an improvement in road safety and fairer competition.

RSA disappointed over points system
The Road Safety Authority is fuming that certain road offences have not been included in the Road Traffic Bill 2009, despite their best efforts.

Economy outlook more positive
Department of Finance figures due to be released tomorrow will show that the economy is slowly returning to normality as it predicts employment growth next year.

IRHA against carbon tax plan
The Irish Road Haulage Association claims that plans to introduce a carbon tax are ‘misguided’ and more needs to be done to motivate growth of the alternative fuel industry.

New technology to aid drivers
The increase of drivers holding digital cards has resulted in the need for new technology to be made available so that drivers can send data hassle free.

Four hauliers have licences revoked
The Department of Transport has ordered four hauliers to give up their haulage licences within the next week or face prosecution.

IBEC: Jobs need protection
Business lobby group IBEC has stated that the jobs market needs protecting ahead of next month’s budget that is set to target the employed.

New equipment needed for drink drive changes
The equipment being currently used for breath tests from drivers must be changed in order for the new legislation of lowering the legal limit to be introduced.

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Features

Legislation looms large
Three pieces of legislation, two national and one European could have far reaching consequences for the Irish road haulage industry. John Loughran reports.

Taxing times
The hard-pressed haulage industry will be hit with yet another layer of taxation next January, when the Government's controversial Carbon Energy Tax finally comes on stream. Words: John Loughran

Legislation update
John Loughran examines three EU Directives that will have far reaching consequences for the Irish Transport industry when they are finally adopted and reviews the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Act which came into force on April 1st.

A burning issue
The Solid Fuel Industry Association is seeking the backing of the haulage industry in its attempt to have a proposal to ban the nationwide sale of bituminous coal and petcoke rejected.

Prompt payment legislation is welcome news for truckers
Proposed new legislation currently being drafted by the Government which will mean that all payments in the public and private sector must be made within 30 days has been warmly welcomed by the Irish Road Haulage Association, But, not everyone is happy with the announcement, writes John Loughran.

Whistle Blowers scheme gets favourable response
Traffic Watch, an innovative "whistle blowing" blowing scheme aimed at curbing speeding and aggressive driving in counties Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary has received more than 300 calls in its first 10 weeks of operation.