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IN THIS ISSUE> Truck-makers unfazed by Brexit mayhem

> Can tyres of a certain age ever be completely safe?

HOW WELL-CONNECTED IS YOUR FLEET?

TELEMATICS UPDATE

DECEMBER|2018

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EDITORIAL & DESIGN

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VEHICLE REGISTRATION SECRETS ARE IN NOBODY’S INTEREST

t is that time of year when

truck and bus manufacturers,

dealers and indeed everyone

with a stake in the commercial

vehicle industry turns to forecasts. Central

to many (page 9) are the latest new vehicle

registrations statistics. Time was, scarcely

more than a couple of years ago, when the

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

(SMMT) could be relied on to provide these

for trucks, buses and coaches as well as for

vans and cars. Not any more.

Gone are the vital clues in detailed and timely monthly and annual statistics

to the current relative popularity and sales success of particular truck models.

Gone too therefore is an important stimulus to competition between suppliers,

including the manufacturers themselves, and their franchised dealers. Analysis

of detailed figures aided transport managers and fleet engineers in deciding

exactly where to pitch negotiating stances with dealers, manufacturers and

leasing companies. Then in 2016 came the near-€3 billion (£2.7 billion) fine by

the European Commission on truck-makers for alleged price-fixing and anti-

competitive “cartel” activity betweena 1997 and 2011, followed by legal action by

the UK’s Road Haulage Association (RHA). Even before this began, risk-averse

corporate lawyers at a few truck-making groups apparently had advised their

bosses to stop subscribing to the SMMT’s MVRIS (Motor Vehicle Registration

Information System), the software behind the familiar statistics, seemingly on

the petulant basis that it involved the sort of information sharing for which they

had been fined. It is now long past the time when these lawyers should have been

told, politely but firmly, that this advice was not going to be followed.

Just about everyone now seems to agree with MAN Truck and Bus UK boss

Thomas Hemmerich who sums up the current lack of reliable, independent

information on truck and bus registrations in the UK as the worst he has seen

anywhere, including Africa. This scandalous lack of transparency is benefiting

nobody, with the possible exception of a few well-heeled lawyers. It needs to end.

Tim Blakemore

Editor

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4 DECEMBER 2018 > COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER > DECEMBER 2018 5

CONTENTS

20

28

CONTENTS 16>> MAESTRO OF TECHNOLOGY BALANCING ACTSThe new Mercedes Actros going into production early in 2019 boasts four “world-firsts”. But how did the engineers behind the project decide what to leave out?

20>> ON THE ROAD TO A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION?Europe’s biggest trailer-maker is among those stepping up their drive into the telematics and computer software business. But independent telematics specialists continue to tick all the right boxes for many fleets. Tim Blakemore reports.

26>> NEWS FROM THE NORTHAdvice from the Transport News Truck Advocate on the Driver CPC and minibuses; and the legal thresholds for tachographs and operator licences.

27>> NEWS FROM THE NORTHOcado’s Graham Thomas explains the thinking behind his company’s switch to Iveco Stralis tractive units running on liquefied natural gas.

28>> PEOPLE AND JOBSClaire Gilmore has been appointed traffic commissioner for Scotland. Peter Tye has left ATS Euromaster to join Renault Trucks UK. The Volkswagen group is to have a new research and development boss from 1 January.16

6>> POINTS OF VIEWJost UK’s Paul Clayton wonders what UK fleets favouring trailer drum brakes still could learn from the tanker sector. Schaeffler (UK) technical services manager Alistair Mason finds solid reasons for sticking with dual-mass flywheels.

9>> NEWS

Truck-makers unfazed by Brexit mayhem. End of year reviews from Robin Easton of Daf Trucks and Carlos Rodrigues of Renault Trucks UK.

11>> NEWSCan tyres of a certain age ever be completely safe? The latest on government advice for truck and bus operators thinking of fitting tyres over ten years old, and what lies behind it.

14>> NEWS Drones cleared for commercial vehicle industry take-off?


POINTS OF VIEW POINTS OF VIEW

doption of disc brake technology on semi-trailers has been slower in the UK than in the rest of Europe. Many

operators apparently feel that potential performance gains are outweighed by additional purchase and maintenance costs. Yet UK tanker operators typically specify disc brakes as standard. Could other road transport sectors learn from them?

Car drivers of a certain age will remember the first time they experienced disc brakes rather than familiar drum brakes. The difference in performance would have been stark. Disc brakes are better than drums at slowing and stopping a moving vehicle, and far less prone to fade. The stopping power of disc brakes is more reliable because the design means that the pads are in contact only with a part of the disc at any point in time. This means in turn that the disc has the chance to cool down as it rotates out of the pads.

Other performance benefits of disc brakes include a self-adjusting capability. As a pad wears an even surface remains so pad pressure against the disc is constant. The design also delivers greater driver “feel”, making it easier for performance to be modulated and the vehicle driven more smoothly and efficiently.

Yet drum brakes remain the norm for new trailers built in the UK. This is driven by cost.

First, disc brake systems will be more expensive to specify on a trailer than simple drum brakes. Second, once installed, the cost of maintenance will increase as mechanics will require new tooling to carry out maintenance and service operations.

Many operators in UK haulage look at these costs and feel that the best business decision for them is to remain with their traditional braking systems. Tanker operators however have been specifying disc-brake technology as standard since it was introduced.

By highlighting how these operators offset the perceived costs, at Jost UK we hope to encourage other sectors to switch to the superior (and safer) performance of disc brakes.

One key difference between specialised tanker trailers for specific applications and general haulage curtain-siders and flat-beds is frequency of use. In tanker applications a single tractor and trailer typically will be coupled permanently. The trailers are seldom left parked for long periods of time. Because disc brakes provide consistent braking pressure throughout the life of their pads, they are more suited to daily use.

Operators of bulk trailers, especially tippers, that require a PTO (power take-off ) and hydraulic system on the tractor unit will also typically pair tractors and trailers in a similar way. So the brakes will be in action most days.

A

TANKER TRAILER DISC BRAKES: BEATING THE DRUM

Jost UK is able to directly support any operator of the opinion that the investment in tooling for maintenance and servicing would price them out of the disc-brake market. The haulage industry is increasingly competitive and margins are slender, so it’s perfectly understandable for businesses to shy away from committing to expenses they feel can be easily avoided. This is why, when a disc brake system is ordered, Jost UK will supply the specialised tooling required for maintenance. Similarly, parts are available from stock to ensure quick delivery and ensure that trailers can be back out on the road quickly.

The perceived cost disadvantage of disc brakes compared to drum brakes needs to be addressed. The system will offer greater performance efficiency, last longer and be more reliable. The tipping point for disc-brake adoption in the automotive industry came decades ago when consumers began to demand increased performance and safety. The UK haulage industry is a long way behind, though not so in continental Europe where there has been sharper focus on safety legislation. The fact is that the performance of disc brakes means they are the safer option.

Jost UK is encouraging all truck operators to consider their options carefully when specifying new trailers. Those who challenge industry conventions by specifying new technology may find that their businesses are being kept ahead of the curve.

Paul Clayton,UK and regional technical sales and support manager,Jost UK

E very second new car and light commercial vehicle has a dual-mass flywheel (DMF) fitted

as original equipment (OE). Over 85 million European cars are now fitted with flywheels of this type. It remains the go-to solution in most cars with diesel and high-power petrol engines.

Just like a clutch, a DMF is subject to normal wear and will need to be replaced at some stage.

The DMF performs a critical safeguarding function by removing torsional vibration from the crankshaft to protect the transmission and deliver a smooth, comfortable drive. A solid flywheel is not produced to the same exacting engineering specifications, so could cause vibration-related damage to the drivetrain.

Replacing a DMF like-for-like is the only guaranteed choice to maintain the comfort, economy and performance levels intended by the vehicle manufacturer. At Schaeffler we are concerned that DMF-equipped transmissions are being converted to a solid flywheel, using kits sold by some aftermarket suppliers. Unlike DMFs, these alternatives do not meet vehicle manufacturer specifications.

This apparently cheaper solution can lead to increased emissions and fuel consumption, excessive noise and harshness, heavier pedal feel (because the genuine self-adjusting clutch has been removed), premature clutch failure (as the clamp load has been reduced), as well, potentially, as major component failure.

The DMF is designed to enable up to 100-degree vibration damping. Actually there are three in the Schaeffler UK range that go up to 186 degrees. This compares with the 29

degrees from the “long-travel” damper used in conversion kits.

This is why workshop staff should rely only on the original type of DMF, to avoid unnecessary risks of follow-up problems and warranty claims. Conversions from a DMF to a solid flywheel will invalidate the vehicle manufacturer warranty. Do not be misled by claims of “OE quality” conversion kits. If the VM doesn’t fit or offer the component, how can anything about it be ‘OE’?

If a solid flywheel conversion does go wrong, who pays for the resultant damage?

Alistair Mason,Technical services manager,Schaeffler (UK)

SOLID REASONS FOR STICKING WITH DUAL-MASS FLYWHEELS


Paul Clayton

Trailer disc brakes: favoured by UK tanker operators.

Alistair Mason

www.jostuk.co.uk

www.schaeffler.co.uk


POINTS OF VIEW

T here can be confusion between fleet management software and telematics systems. Some

Commercial Vehicle Engineer readers may believe that they do much the same thing. It is true that they can and often do work together to support an operation, but their purpose and capabilities vary considerably.

Fleet management software basically is an intelligent database - a place that stores information on every aspect of a fleet including vehicles, drivers, maintenance, fuel, finance and compliance documents. Such software reduces the administrative processes involved in managing all fleet lifecycle information. Mobile apps like Chevin’s FleetWave Forms have gone further by enabling tasks such as the completion of documents to be carried out remotely. This information can then be uploaded directly into the system, making it ideal for remote workers.

Fleet management software can integrate with other third-party systems such as financial and ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions, telematics and GPS (Global Positioning System tracking systems.

Telematics and GPS systems are, in essence, vehicle and driver tracking and monitoring systems. These data are transmitted digitally to the company’s servers or through a smartphone app.

Telematics systems provide only limited data, but they can show real-time vehicle position and provide information such as routes followed. This information can then be used, for instance, to choose alternative routes and reduce engine idling time.

Information from telematics and GPS tracking systems can be transmitted directly into the fleet management software for evaluation and monitoring.

Which type of system should you choose? Ideally, both. The two systems

work well together in improving overall fleet efficiency and productivity. A comprehensive risk analysis can be carried out, for example, by combining driver behaviour information with data on accident rates, medical histories and fines. Engine fault codes can be attached to work orders to speed up repairs and enhance preventive maintenance.

Using both telematics systems and fleet management software together can allow you to reduce investment and operating costs in areas such as fuel purchasing, leasing, maintenance, accident management, accounting, information technology and ERP solutions.

In today’s connected world, integrating telematics systems with your fleet management software can be key to successful fleet management.

Lynne White,Global communications manager,Chevin Fleet Solutions

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FLEET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE AND TELEMATICS: SPOT THE DIFFERENCES

Lynne White

espite a government in meltdown and the risk of a catastrophic disorderly exit from the European Union seemingly

increasing day by day, truck manufacturers in the UK are looking forward to 2019 with far less pessimism than might be expected. This at least is the strong impression given this month in separate end-of-year reviews by the bosses of two rival UK truck sales and marketing operations. Robin Easton, managing director of Daf Trucks (the top-selling manufacturer in the UK’s six-tonnes-gvw-plus trucks market), was speaking in London on the same day that prime minister Theresa May scraped through a no-confidence ballot by her own Tory party, but only after vowing to stand down as party leader before the next general election.

Easton expects the total number of new trucks registered in the UK next year to be between 41,000 and 42,000, “but with a little more emphasis on rigids, reflecting their use in clean air zones (CAZ).” This would make the 2019 UK truck market roughly the same size as this year’s. Easton makes plain, however, that his forecast is based on anything but “a catastrophic no-deal Brexit scenario.”

Speaking at a separate London event a few days earlier, the recently appointed new managing director of Volvo Group’s Renault Trucks UK division, Carlos Rodrigues, struck a similarly upbeat tone, though he declined to forecast market size. Like Easton, Rodrigues reports that his order book for new trucks is strong, even though the latest registration statistics published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for

the first nine months of 2018 suggest that truck sales overall are down by more than 7.5% compared with the same period in 2017. Renault Trucks registrations are down by 11.6% year-on-year in that nine-month period. The fall in Daf Trucks registrations is even steeper at 16.5% but a market share of 27.4% still gives the Paccar subsidiary a commanding lead over second-place Mercedes-Benz at the top of the UK truck registrations league table.

D

NEWS

Robin Easton: “incoming orders best since 2007.”

TRUCK-MAKERS UNFAZED BY BREXIT MAYHEM

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NEWS

“2018 has been another great year for Daf,” says Easton. “As we forecast a year ago, the total market is slightly down on the 45,000-unit market of 2017. Because we are so strong in the rigid truck sector, the more pronounced downturn here will impact our overall market share. But the good news is that our level of incoming orders this year is the best since 2007, and this in a year when registrations are down. Despite Brexit concerns, operators are continuing to invest in new vehicles.”

What remains unclear, and what is worrying some analysts, is how many of these orders are being brought forward by fleet operators fearful of the tariffs and therefore steep price rises that could follow if the UK departs the EU in March without any trade agreement in place. If a large number of fleets were forward buying in this way, the likely outcome would be a collapse in demand for new trucks in the second half of next year.

At Renault Trucks UK Carlos Rodrigues sees no point in fretting over things over which he has no control. “As of today, the 2019 truck market is unpredictable,” he says. “The newly-formed Renault Trucks Europe division (excluding France) has significant growth ambitions and sees the UK and Ireland as key to these. We are the second biggest market in this division after Spain and our ambition is to be number one. Renault Trucks as a brand is preparing for a hard-Brexit scenario and we are focused on securing continuity of operations for our customers, including parts availability.”

Rodrigues is especially pleased with the performance of the Renault Trucks UK used vehicle sales operation over the past twelve months. “There’s no denying that 2018 was a challenging year for us in this field, with return volumes high,” he says. “But we’re delighted to have been able to echo the strong sales performance of the new Range T in the used market. In 2018 we sold around 500 more used Range T trucks than in 2017. The key to our success in this area has been our ability to secure conquest business, with 50% of sales to new customers compared with 30% in 2017.”

NEWS


ruck and bus operators in the UK are being warned more strongly than ever against using tyres more than ten years old. But

the latest government action, including a House of Commons statement last month and updated vehicle operator guidance, is unlikely to satisfy campaigners who have been calling for a complete ban on such tyres.

In his written statement to Parliament, transport minister Jesse Norman said that the latest version of the familiar Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness published by the Department for Transport’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) includes, for the first time, “guidance that tyres over ten years old should not be used on heavy vehicles except in specific, limited circumstances.” And he announced that unspecified “additional funds” were being made available for a research project on the effects of tyre ageing. This is the project that was originally commissioned by the government early this year.

The government has been under fire on this subject for more than six years since the danger posed by ageing bus and coach tyres was highlighted horrifically by a fatal Surrey coach crash on the A3 trunk road near Hindhead and subsequent inquest and coroner’s report.

In March this year, following a welter of criticism of repeated Tory blocks on proposed tyre-age legislation, Norman commissioned Berkshire-based TRL (formerly the Transport Research Laboratory) to carry out a £250,000, twelve-month research project designed to “provide a fuller picture on the safety of tyres as they get older.”

Frances Molloy was among those who were unimpressed, dismissing the

move on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme as a government delaying tactic which “doesn’t go far enough”. Molloy’s son Michael was the 18-year-old coach passenger who was killed in the 2012 A3 crash, together with 23-year-old Kerry Ogden and the 63-year-old driver Colin Daulby. The inquest in 2013 heard evidence from a distinguished accident investigator that the sole cause of the crash was a tyre blowout on the steering axle. The tyre was 19.5 years old, 2.5 years older than the coach itself.

Yet there was plenty of tread depth on the tyre and it was not unlawful in any way. This led the coroner, Richard Travers, to call on the government to introduce a legal age limit for tyres. “The real explanation for this tyre failing so catastrophically is age,” he said. “I formally announce that I will be writing a rule 43 report (according to the Ministry of Justice’s Coroners (Amendment) Rules

of 2008 confirming that ‘coroners have a wider remit to make reports to prevent future deaths’) to draw attention to the Minister for Transport of the very dangers caused by the fact that vehicles, be they private, commercial or public, are legally able to drive on tyres without restriction on age, and by reason of age are potentially in a perilous condition which there is no realistic means of detecting.”

CAN TYRES OF A CERTAIN AGE EVER BE COMPLETELY SAFE?

T

2012 Surrey coach crash: three deaths caused by tyre failure.

Carlos Rodrigues: especially pleased with used truck sales, like this T-range tractor to MJ Church.


Frances Molloy met Jesse Norman last summer, shortly after his appointment as a transport minister. Molloy’s local Member of Parliament, Labour’s Maria Eagle, later introduced a bill that would have made it unlawful for tyres over ten years old to be used on buses and coaches. The bill’s passage through the House of Commons was blocked by Conservatives. An earlier bill put forward by Steve Rotheram, now mayor of Liverpool City Region, had suffered a similar fate.

How could the Surrey coroner and his expert adviser be sure that in this case the sole cause of the failure was the tyre’s age?

The coroner’s own report, as distinct from newspaper and TV reports, would seem like a good starting point for definitive answers to this question. But coroners’ reports on deaths that occurred less than 75 years ago are not open to the public. They are available only to those having what is described in the legal jargon as “a proper interest”. So five years ago Commercial Vehicle Engineer turned to the expert who advised the coroner in this inquest, David Price of Bristol-based Forensic Accident Investigation Services (FAIS). His qualifications and experience in the field of vehicle accident investigation are impeccable. Price set up FAIS in 2007 having previously been employed by the government’s Forensic Science Service, first at Aldermaston, Berkshire and then in London. He was a senior consultant at TRL between 2001 and 2006, specialising in examination of road accidents involving component failures. High-profile cases in which his expertise has been sought include the Lord Stevens enquiry into Princess Diana’s fatal crash in Paris in 1997; the tyre failure behind the spectacular crash in 2006 of the jet-powered car driven by Top Gear’s Richard Hammond; and numerous official investigations into vehicle safety recalls. As might be expected, Price is rather more scrupulous in outlining his investigation into the A3 coach crash than the average newspaper reporter or headline-writer. “I can’t say 100% definitely that age was the cause of the tyre failure,” he conceded to us five years ago, before going on to explain that he nonetheless

had concluded that this indeed must have been the cause after ruling out all other possibilities through a process of elimination. What was not in doubt was that the tyre had been delaminating before the crash. Price found no evidence of impact damage, of any kind of puncture repair, or of any manufacturing defect. There was also no question about the tyre’s age, revealed by the sidewall code demanded by the US Department of Transportation (DOT). This coding format changed in the year 2000. Before then a mixture of symbols and digits had been used. Since then a four-digit code has taken over, with the first two digits denoting the week of manufacture and

the last two the year. So “1902” on a tyre sidewall means it was manufactured in week 19 of the year 2002.

The coach tyre that failed in 2012 had been manufactured in 1993, yet its tread was only half-worn and it had been neither regrooved nor retreaded. That suggests the tyre had either been a spare or in storage for years.

Richard Mallett, the Surrey police inspector who gave evidence at the A3 coach crash inquest pointed out that the coach had passed its latest annual roadworthiness test not long before the crash and that “the tyre was on the coach when it passed its MOT and there was no reason to suspect it was going to fail.”

NEWS NEWS

Derek Godden is managing director of Lasalign, a long-established, Rugby-based company specialising in commercial vehicle wheel, axle and chassis alignment. We first sought his expert opinion on the tyre-age controversy five years ago. “Think of the consequences of sudden failure when deciding whether or not a tyre is too old to use,” he advised, pointing to new tyres he had just fitted to a newly-acquired second-hand trailer. He had no reliable information where the old tyres had been standing, and for how long. So he quickly decided against taking any chances with them.

Few people can match Godden’s ability to diagnose a vehicle’s faults simply by examining its tyres and the way their treads are wearing. “Every tyre tells a story,” he says, pointing first in the Lasalign workshop to one 17.5in Dunlop tyre with an extraordinary knobbly tread-wear pattern. “That was caused by extreme suspension damper wear and knackered trailing-arm bushes,” he explains. Another newish-looking tyre has such extreme tread feathering that it will have to be scrapped. Astonishingly, that wear was caused by only a 50-mile journey to Rugby after some ill-advised individual had fitted a new track-rod end to a truck and failed to adjust the tracking afterwards. Another tyre, a

heavy truck’s 295/80 this time, has severe shoulder wear, again probably caused by badly-adjusted tracking, and the owner had tried to rescue the situation and avoid scrapping the tyre by regrooving just the worn-out portion of the tread.

Lasalign’s mobile engineers deal with a huge range of commercial vehicles, from buses and coaches to fire appliances and long-haul trucks, with tread-wear rates that vary enormously. So Godden, like many experts, doubts that any single legal limit on tyre age could work sensibly.

The latest government moves, including the update to the DVSA’s roadworthiness guide, nevertheless have been welcomed by two leading truck operator associations, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Road Haulage Association (RHA).

“FTA advises all drivers to request an age evaluation as part of their vehicle check,” says the association’s head of engineering and vehicle standards policy, Phil Lloyd. “Older tyres may look sound at first glance, but on closer inspection, a small crack or

perishing of the rubber compound may be evident – the effects of which may compromise both the safety of the tyre and the vehicle.”

Paul Allegra is RHA technical director. “Old tyres can let you down in more ways than you think,” he says. “At first glance the tyres may look OK and pose no risk. But remember, the older the tyre the greater the risk of sidewall failures and tread separation occurring, placing you, your employees and others at risk.”

Transport minister Jesse Norman warns operators that from now on any failure to provide an “adequate explanation” for using old tyres may be referred by the DVSA to traffic commissioners, who have the power to suspend or revoke operator licences.

“Tyre safety is vital and DVSA has always taken strong action to protect the public from unsafe tyres of all ages,” says DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn. “By changing our approach, we’re sending the message that no one should use tyres more than ten years old.”

“FTA advises all drivers to request an age evaluation as part of their vehicle check.”

Writing on the wall: and what it tells you. Source: Michelin.

Derek Godden: “Think of the consequences of sudden failure.”


DRONES CLEARED FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INDUSTRY TAKE-OFF?

NEWS NEWS

Current regulations on drone operation are described as “not fit to enable the industry to develop” by Robert Garbett, chairman of the BSI’s drone standards committee. “An industry that is moving so fast needs to be standards-led, not regulation-led,” he says. “It is not efficient.” Though the standards will not be compulsory, he hopes and believes that they will become “best practice”.

Even though truck fleet managers tend to be sceptical about rapid development of self-driving vehicles, some have been quick to take advantage of the commercial benefits offered by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Dawsonrentals, part of the Milton Keynes-based Dawson group and one of the UK’s biggest truck and trailer rental and contract hire operations, has been testing a drone to take photographs of the roofs of trucks and trailers before they are hired out and then again when they are returned. The drone is controlled through a Dawsonrentals app for smartphones and tablet computers. Drone test results are described as “encouraging” by John Fletcher, managing director of the Dawsonrentals truck and trailer division. One result that has surprised him has been the discovery of defects in the roofs of brand-new vehicles, even before they have gone into service for the first time. “That alone has saved possible future problems for customers and ourselves,” says Fletcher. “There is every reason to expect we would have handed these bits of equipment over as brand-new, which they were, with both parties therefore expecting them to be faultless.”

What was probably the first business delivery in the UK by an unmanned aerial vehicle was made in South Yorkshire three years ago. The drone, operated by Yorkshire-based Droneflight, was working for FPS, a big parts distribution subsidiary of the Lookers vehicle dealer group, in what was described as a “proof of concept” project seeking to establish the feasibility of drone use for local parts delivery. The part delivered was a Gates belt tensioner flown from the FPS national distribution centre in Sheffield to a nearby motor factor, Brakeline.

“We are constantly striving to find the most innovative and effective ways to service our customers,” said FPS managing director Neil Davis. “In an industry where time is critical, if we

are able to get to our customers more quickly, in a way that aligns with our business ethos, we will continue to invest in making that a reality. In the short term, the drone solution is likely to be cost prohibitive, and with current legislation we are not planning any changes any time soon. In addition, given the varied weight of products in our portfolio, it would only really be viable for lightweight parts travelling to customers in less populated zones. However, this has proved a very useful exercise.”

Droneflight emphasises that the delivery complied with all regulations governing UAV operation, including line-of sight flying and safe distance zones from people, during take-off and landing in particular. The drone was controlled by a qualified pilot with permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and its total weight was limited to a 7kg maximum.

New UK rules banning drones from flying within 1km of airports came into force six months ago. At the time, the Department for Transport said that the number of “drone incidents with aircraft” had risen from six in 2014 to 93 in 2017.

The new rules restrict drones from flying above 122 metres (400ft). Other rule changes, set to come into force at the end of next year, will require all drone pilots to take an online safety test. Owners of drones weighing more than 250g will have to register with the Civil Aviation Authority. ublication late last month

of the world’s first draft standards for drones is set to have a bigger impact on commercial

vehicle operators and their suppliers than might be immediately obvious. The ISO Draft International Standards for Drone Operations have been issued for public consultation by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, Geneva-based, non-governmental body with around 160 national standards organisations (including the British Standards Institution, BSI) among its members. The closing date for comments on the draft drone standards is 21 January 2019, with final adoption expected later next year in the US, UK and worldwide. Air safety is central to the draft standards, as might be expected, but they are by no means confined to “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV). A drone is defined by BSI as “any vehicle, ship, aircraft or hybrid system which is remotely or autonomously controlled”. So the new standards will apply to the autonomous trucks, buses and vans now under development just as much as to quadcopter drones flown by enthusiastic amateur photographers and film directors.

Adoption of the new standards next year is expected to herald a rapid acceleration in drone industry growth. A report published eight months ago by a big accountancy firm, PwC, estimated that the aerial drone industry alone (excluding surface, underwater and space) could contribute as much as £42 billion annually to UK gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, creating 628,000 jobs in the process.

P

Autonomous trucks and vans: covered by the BSI definition of “drone”.

Dawsongroup: testing drones for checking trailer roofs.


MAESTRO OF TECHNOLOGY BALANCING ACTS

he new Mercedes Actros truck range going into full production early in 2019 boasts four “world-firsts” among a host of

innovations. But how did the engineers behind the project decide which elements of the latest technology to include and which to leave out, for now at least? Who better to ask than Mercedes-Benz Trucks boss Stefan Buchner? Tim Blakemore reports.

Commercial vehicle technology is developing at a faster pace than ever before. So fast indeed that engineers on the vehicle operating side of the business complain of having to make crucial decisions, on new vehicle specification for instance, without enough time and reliable data to weigh up the pros and cons as carefully as they would like. But what effect is all this quick-fire technological change having on their suppliers: the

vehicle manufacturers? How are they deciding exactly which alternatives to diesel engines, for example, deserve the lion’s share of limited research and development budgets? And then there is the crucial matter of timing. Just because a particular trendy electronic gizmo is available now it surely does not necessarily follow that it should be adopted without delay or second thought on trucks currently in production.

NEWS FEATURE

TFew senior truck manufacturer

executives are better qualified to answer such questions than Stefan Buchner. Much of his career to date has been spent in the uncompromising commercial business of raw material and component procurement. Buchner, 58, joined what then was Daimler-Benz in 1986 as a buyer of “production material”. A string of promotions soon followed, taking him to senior procurement manager for the

division building the ubiquitous E-class range of cars. In 2002 he moved to Japan as director for global procurement and supply at Mitsubishi Motors, majority owned by Daimler. Returning to the group’s Stuttgart head office in Germany in 2010, Buchner became truck and bus procurement director before masterminding what is now regarded as a hugely successful global integration of Daimler’s disparate truck and bus powertrain manufacturing operations.

He has been head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks and a board member of its Daimler Trucks parent, the world’s biggest truck-maker, since 1 January 2013. That means that when it came to deciding which technology would and would not be offered on the latest Actros truck range unveiled a few months ago (Commercial Vehicle Engineer September) Buchner had the final say. As he made clear at the Berlin unveiling of the new Actros, this meant weighing up

“the balance between what is technically feasible and what is commercially worthwhile.”

How does he judge whether or not that balance is right? Buchner begins his answer by reminding us of the presentation four years ago of the self-driving Mercedes Future Truck 2025. “A lot of people were sceptical,” he says, tactfully omitting to note that Commercial Vehicle Engineer was and, to a large extent remains unashamedly among the sceptics. “With this truck, the new Actros, we have incorporated our vision with regard to efficiency, safety, connectivity, and a better place for the driver to work. We packed this truck right up to the roof with new features. Altogether there are more than 60. Four of them are absolute world-firsts. Our customers are still focused on total cost of ownership. So we have invested a lot to improve efficiency.”

BUCHNER INTERVIEW

“With this truck, the new Actros, we have incorporated our vision with regard to

efficiency, safety, connectivity, and a better place for the driver to work.”

Stefan Buchner: “This is the first step, but the whole package is well-balanced.”

BUCHNER INTERVIEW


BUCHNER INTERVIEW BUCHNER INTERVIEW

Two of these “world-firsts” are highlighted by Buchner as what he regards as the most significant of all new Actros advances. “Thanks to our Active Drive Assist system, partially automated driving becomes reality,” he says. “When the system is switched on the truck can do more than just accelerate and brake independently. It can now maintain its lane position and through curves. This is unique in our industry and provides significant driver support, especially on monotonous long-haul routes and in traffic jams. Safety in long-distance driving is significantly increased.”

Complementing this system is Active Brake Assist 5. As the name suggests, this is the fifth iteration of an autonomous emergency braking system (AEBS) which has been available on Mercedes trucks for years. But the crucial difference with the latest system, Buchner stresses, is its ability to independently initiate full braking is a pedestrian crosses in front of the truck or if there is suddenly stationary traffic ahead and the driver fails to react swiftly enough. Whereas previous Active Brake Assist systems depended solely on radar sensors, this one employs a combination of radar and forward facing cameras.

Five levels of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle control systems have been defined by SAE (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers), with level 5 meaning a fully self-driving vehicle with no need for any human driver interventions. The new Actros fall into the SAE level 2 category. “This is a big step forward in safety, driver comfort and fuel efficiency,” says Buchner. But is this not precisely the area in which the right technological balance is especially difficult to strike? Daimler, like other vehicle manufacturers, has demonstrated that it has the capability already to make cars, vans and trucks fully self-driving. But far from making our roads safer, if this technology is introduced too quickly is there not a risk of creating greater fresh hazards, with some drivers left uncertain as to exactly how much control over the vehicles they should be taking and how much can safely be left to on-board sensors and computer algorithms?

This would seem to be one of the central messages in a report published about six months ago by the respected European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) organisation. The report, the third in a series called “Roads That Cars Can Read”, suggests that the transition from current vehicles to fully autonomous ones (AV) will take decades and that the risks during this period need to be carefully managed, not least by the civil engineers designing roads as well as the engineers designing vehicles. “Increasing automation currently relies on clear road line markings and signs that can be reliably detected,” says report author and EuroRAP regional director Steve Lawson.

“Road users need to be able to anticipate AV manoeuvres accurately for safe, smooth traffic flow. Roads that vehicles can consistently and unequivocally read will be key to safety in the changeover period as the common factor of reliance for both driver-operated and automated vehicles.”

Buchner is acutely aware of the need for this interaction between vehicles and the infrastructure around them to be carefully managed. “Yes, this is the first step,” he says. “I see further steps coming down the road. But the whole package we offer now is, I think, well-balanced.”

He was speaking to us at this year’s IAA (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) Hannover commercial vehicles show where there were surely many more non-diesel truck and bus drivelines on display than ever before. Yet the percentage of all Mercedes trucks with diesel engines must still be in the high nineties. This raises another crucial question of technology balance. What percentage of all trucks being built by Daimler does Buchner expect to be diesel-powered five years from now and ten years from now?

“We are a global player,” he reminds us. “In the future we will continue to be manufacturing a high percentage of diesel engines because we cannot think only about Europe. We have very important core markets in regions where there will certainly not be electric trucks in the next five or ten years. Think about Africa. At the moment there most trucks are at Euro 3 or lower. So we have to continue spending money on further development of diesel engines.”

Buchner is at pains to point out however that Daimler certainly is not turning a blind eye to rapidly growing interest in diesel alternatives such as gas and electricity. But he is adamant that “even in Europe we will continue to need diesel engines for long-distance transport.” He readily accepts that alternatives such as gas “might add up” but says that the infrastructure to support such developments is crucial. “The infrastructure is not in place for electric trucks or gas trucks,” he insists.

“We are watching very carefully at Daimler Trucks what’s going on in the market and we can react in a very short timeframe if there s a higher need for e-mobility or for gas engines. At Daimler Trucks we have diesel, e-mobility, gas and fuel cell drivelines if needed. If the market and infrastructure are there we can respond immediately.”

One piece of technology that some engineers feel is a surprising omission from the new Actros is a head-up display (HUD) of the kind that has long been familiar in cars, including more expensive Mercedes models. Did Buchner and his team not think about at least offering HUD as an Actros option? “We have talked about head-up displays and in particular about the investment needed and potential customer advantages,” he reveals. “We came to the conclusion that we want to invest in different technology

focused on driver safety and comfort, as with Active Drive Assist. I’m familiar with HUD from my car, and yes, it’s interesting. But to be candid I have to prioritise and it’s not among my top three priorities. Some truck drivers like it. Some don’t. And the technology needs to be incorporated under the dashboard. Packaging is not so easy in a truck. With new European truck dimension legislation on the way we have to think about what the cab will look like in future. That might be an opportunity to incorporate head-up displays because maybe then we can remove some things from under the dashboard.”

That new EU legislation on truck dimensions is expected to come into force within five years, regardless of what an unbalanced, dysfunctional UK government and Parliament finally decides to do about Brexit.

“I see further steps coming down the road. But the whole package we offer now is,

I think, well-balanced.”

Battery-powered eActros: ready to go into production to suit demand.

New Actros: claiming four “world firsts” including MirrorCam and “multi-media cockpit”.


ON THE ROAD TO A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION?

t’s about transforming analogue fleets into digital. The comment comes from Simon Mols, nearly one year into his

new job as the first Schmitz Cargobull telematics and services sales manager in the UK. Mols was responding to our invitation to sum up why truck fleet operators should go to a trailer-maker like Schmitz for telematics systems and related services when they could instead

choose from a host of other suppliers of such services including not only independent telematics specialists but also these days many others, such as tyre manufacturers like Michelin or Goodyear and firms which hitherto have been best known for making trailer running gear or braking systems. BPW and Knorr-Bremse spring to mind. He is certainly right that the entire commercial vehicle industry is undergoing a digital transformation of one sort or another.

FEATURE

I

Europe’s biggest trailer-maker is among those stepping up their drive into the telematics and computer software business. But independent telematics specialists continue to tick all the right boxes for many fleets. Tim Blakemore reports.

But exactly which category of supplier will benefit most from this remains an open question. Mols is confident that Schmitz Cargobull, Europe’s biggest trailer-maker with around 5,800 employees building around 60,000 trailers annually at present, is well positioned to be among the winners in this fast-moving digitalisation game. “Our customers don’t want to operate with several separate systems,” he says. “They want one-stop-shop solutions.

This is pretty much what the company strategy is all about, combining services with telematics with the trailer itself.”

Evidence of Schmitz’s success to date in this field is not hard to find. Witness its Trailer Connect Smart Trailer system which took first prize in the hard-fought “smart trailer” category of the 2019 Trailer Innovation awards, presented a few months ago at the huge 2018 Hannover IAA commercial vehicles show.

But are there not deep-rooted differences in management style between a company with Schmitz’s long history, focused primarily on designing and manufacturing hardware like trailers and truck bodywork, and a typical modern, fleet-footed firm specialising in information technology and related services? Schmitz Cargobull chief executive Andreas Schmitz readily accepts that there are but thinks it possible to have the best of both worlds. That explains the formation just over a year ago of a new company called KubikX, part of the Schmitz Cargobull group but operating at arm’s length from the rest of it. KubikX is in essence a small software development firm, with fewer than 20 employees at present, based in Berlin and Münster. “We are hoping to get IT experts excited about our start-up,” said Andreas Schmitz last year. “Digital solutions for managing and monitoring global supply chains are becoming increasingly important but also more complex. We aren’t starting from scratch. We are able to build on our experience in the fields of production automation and value added services. The dynamic nature of the start-up will also create new ideas and provide an additional boost to our core business.”

Simon Mols recognises that the UK market for truck fleet telematics systems is already one of the most mature anywhere. He is nevertheless convinced that Schmitz has nothing to fear from its many rivals here, especially in the controlled-temperature sector. “We believe that these days time is crucial,” he says.

FEATURE

“Digital solutions for managing and monitoring global supply chains are

becoming increasingly important but also

more complex.”

Simon Mols: “Our customers want one-stop-shop solutions.”


FEATURE

“We give out customers the possibility of using just one phone number for everything trailer-related, including services and telematics. Hitherto, when a telematics system has been retrofitted a third party has always been involved. Now we can deliver everything, directly fitted from the factory.”

For a truck fleet operator perspective on the questions of what telematics systems really need to deliver and who should supply them, we turned to David Morley. He is driver training and telematics manager at Bibby Distribution, one of the UK’s ten biggest transport and logistics operations. There are 540 telematics-equipped vehicles in the Bibby Distribution fleet at present, leaving only around 40 without telematics of any kind simply because they are on short-term hire or local “shunting” duties. “Everything in the fleet that is on the road for any length of time is fitted with telematics including external and internal cameras,” explains Morley. About 75% of the trucks come from MAN. The rest are from Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Daf.

All these manufacturers are keen advocates of their own telematics systems, though both the MAN and Daf systems are from Microlise, a big Nottingham-based independent telematics specialist. Three years ago, Morley recalls, Bibby Distribution had three systems in operation: Scania’s C200, Fleetboard from Mercedes and MAN’s version of the Microlise system. And a fourth system, from Trakm8 (a Birmingham-based company in which, coincidentally, Microlise is expected this month to finalise acquisition of a 20% shareholding) was under consideration. Morley’s bosses gave him the job of assessing where the company stood in its use of telematics as part of a “road to zero” objective: doing everything it possibly could to minimise risk accidents and impact on the environment. “I persuaded them that using all these different telematics systems was bonkers,” says Morley. “The essential problem was that you weren’t comparing apples with apples. None was able to say that their driver A-grade was the same as another’s top driver rating, and so on.”

The upshot is that Bibby Distribution has standardised on the Microlise telematics system, regardless of make of truck. “Microlise is very helpful and their reporting is very clear,” says Morley. “It’s simple to use for coaching drivers. I like simple and clear.”

Data from the Microlise system, tailored to suit Bibby’s specific requirements, are used to grade drivers, from D to A, according to how smoothly, safely and fuel-efficiently they drive. “All our drivers are expected to be at least at B-grade,” Morley explains. “Those no at B-grade are coached at their depots (by driver assessors, “upskilled” drivers). If that doesn’t work one of my driver training team of five is brought in for further coaching.”

Morley has current driver grading statistics to hand. In the week before our interview this month, 50% of Bibby Distribu tion drivers were at the top A-grade, 40% at B-grade, close to 10% at C-grade and only 0.1% at D-grade. “Our experience has been that when we engage with drivers their grades improve,” he says. “I really don’t think that any driver sets out to do a rubbish job. Sometimes it’s just about explaining to them how to drive the vehicle to get the best scores.”

But sometimes an operator’s view of the best driver score measured by a telematics system does not tally exactly with that of the vehicle manufacturer.

This explains why the Bibby version of the Microlise driver rating system differs slightly from vehicle manufacturer systems. All truck-makers do all they can to encourage use of cruise control. The longer it is in operation, the higher the rating. Not in Bibby’s Microlise system.

“Originally we measured cruise control but found that some very good drivers didn’t use it because they didn’t like it,” explains Morley. Much depended too on traffic conditions. So night-driver cruise control scores would be high. During the day, they would naturally be lower. “We took cruise control off the parameters,” says Morley. “It wasn’t doing what we wanted it to do: improving driver performance. We appoint professional drivers, as do other good logistics companies. Professional drivers know how to do the job. All we’re doing is tweaking their skillsets.”

David Morley: “I like simple and clear.”

Bibby Distribution: standardised on Microlise telematics.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH


TruckScotSceneOriginally published in

One of the first XT versions of the Next Generation Scania has taken to north east Scotland roads in the form of this R650 wagon and drag which has joined the Durris based Reid’s fleet to be used in round timber haulage. Photo: Mervyn Walker.

This 68 plate S580 V8 named Deeside Warrior is the latest Scania Next Generation tractor unit to hit the road for Robert Addison Haulage Contractors of Torphins. Supplied by Scania Aberdeen. Graphics applied by Driver Signs, Huntly. Photo: Darren Green.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN


Three out of four Next Generation Scania S580 V8 units were made available by Grampian Continental for a rare picture opportunity given the distance the units travel. The fourth was in Finland!

Supplied by Scania Aberdeen on full air with full chassis infills, the paintwork was by Gray & Adams of Fraserburgh with Rood Signs of Inverurie applying the decals and graphics. Photo: Darren Green.

Animal nutrition supplier Harbro’s new Volvo FM Globetrotter eight wheeler. Photo: Ian Lawson.

New DAF XF530 Super Space working on general haulage duties for Portlethen based MGS Logistics Ltd. Photo: Darren Green.

This MAN is a new addition to the Caledonian Logistics fleet. Photo: Alan Shearer.

Heavy tractor unit for Mcfadyens Transport Ltd of Campbeltown. It’s a Scania Topline Streamline R730 V8 8x4, painted by Alan Dougan of Auchterarder with graphics hand sketched. Photo: Darren Green.

Due to the buoyancy of the timber industry a few new round timber transport companies have emerged including Inverness based Maclean Transport Services with this Scania R580 6x2 tag axle Topline Streamline. Photo: Ian Lawson.


THE TRUCK ADVOCATE

I am an LGV trainer and one of my clients recently asked whether

he needed a Driver CPC to drive a minibus from one location to another. He works for a construction company and transports workers to sites.

Up until relatively recently, the view was that drivers’ who held a

D1 category licence by default (pre-1997 test pass) with a code 101 (‘not for hire or reward’ restriction) who were driving minibuses, but driving was not their full time occupation, were not deemed to be within scope of Driver CPC.

For the purpose of this exercise, we will assume that the minibus has more than eight passenger seats, that the driver has a D1 licence with a ‘101 code’ and driving is not his main occupation.

There are a number of exemptions from Driver CPC, however the main criteria revolve around whether the vehicle is being used commercially or non-commercially.

Two examples from the government website, although referring to farm workers, would probably cover this situation, namely:

• A driver has a category D1 driving licence and drives a minibus (category D1) with a ‘101 - not for hire or reward’ driving licence code. They transport farm labourers between fields, using public roads. They need Driver CPC, as it’s not non-commercial carriage of passengers.

• A farm labourer drives a minibus (with a D1 driving licence) twice a day to take other farm workers from the local town to fields on the farm. The driving takes up a small part of their day - most of their time is

spent picking crops. They need Driver CPC, as they’re transporting other labourers, they’re not carrying materials or equipment.

It would therefore appear that your client would require Driver CPC qualification. However, please note that this guidance always carries the caveat that it is the DVSA’s interpretation of the regulations and that ultimately only a court can make a decision on the rules. A lot of companies will be in this position with drivers using larger works minibuses and we are not aware of any prosecutions to clarify the position.

I am considering starting a business where I will be

transporting cars using a Mitsubishi L200 pickup with a large trailer. I would like to know where I would stand in terms of tachograph use and whether I would require an operator licence?

Provided the vehicle combination when towing a large trailer is over 3.5

tonnes, and being used for a commercial purpose, then a tachograph would be required and drivers’ hours complied with when coupled to the trailer.

If the vehicle’s gross weight including any trailer drawn exceeds 3.5 tonnes then with certain exemptions (in relation to some smaller commercial vehicles towing lighter trailers carrying the operators own goods in connection with a business), an operator licence is required.

However, there is an exemption from operator licencing requirements where the vehicle comes under the classification of a ‘dual purpose’ vehicle.

GRT is a transport and training organisation specialising in road transport legislation and regulation, offering a range of operator licence compliance services, advising on a number of issues, and operating across Scotland and the north of England.

In conjunction with Transport News, GRT presents this regular Q&A column dealing with compliance and legislation issues relating to road haulage. Readers who have any queries can call 0141 237 6950, visit www.grtconsultants.com or post questions on our Facebook page, @GRTConsultants.

A dual purpose vehicle under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 is defined as follows:-

A vehicle constructed or adapted to carry both passengers and goods of any description which has an unladen weight not exceeding 2,040kg. It must EITHER have four wheel drive OR satisfy the following conditions:

• Be fitted with a rigid roof with or without a sliding panel;

• Have at least one row of transverse passenger seats to the rear of the driver’s seat;

• There must also be a minimum ratio between the size of passenger and stowage areas.

• Provided your vehicle has four wheel drive and does not weigh more than 2,040kg unladen, you would be exempt from operator licencing.

I work for a milk tanker company and we have recently encountered

an issue over the recording of breaks. When filling or emptying the tanks on-site, it can often take a significant period of time. Would we be legally permitted to record any of this time as a break on our tachograph?

As per the legislation, a break is any period which a driver does not carry

out any driving or any other work and which is used exclusively for recuperation.

Whilst there may be little driver input in the loading or unloading process, this is generally classified as ‘other work’ (can sometimes be a POA on certain occasions if others are loading/unloading) and should be recorded using the crossed hammers function on the mode switch.

We have extended our Festive Discount special into January. Any bookings made by Transport News readers during the month will receive a 10% discount on all courses booked online.

You can see our course dates at www.grtconsultants.com/events. Select your course, click ‘Book Now’ and simply enter the coupon code TN2019 to receive your discount.

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As part of the Scottish Rewards programme, a director of event

supporter Iveco traditionally takes the opportunity to discuss the truck market on behalf of all CV manufacturers.

Not so this year. Instead, Iveco asked one of its customers on stage: Graham Thomas, head of supermarket Ocado, who had recently bought 29 LNG-fuelled 460hp Iveco Stralis NP tractor units.

Why the move to gas? Thomas revealed his reasoning…

“We have 480,000 customers across England and Wales. Operating at 20 sites, we run 1,500 3.5-tonne vans and we also operate another 500 for Morrisons.

“Our heavy fleet consists of 150 tractor units and some 200 chilled trailers. We deliver 230,000 orders a week inside the M25. With your LEZ and Clean Air Zones popping up all over the country you may be forgiven for thinking that’s why we did it. The reality is, no its not!

“For all of these clean air zones, the going acceptable standard is very much Euro-VI, and that is where we perceived we needed to be. All of our fleet would have been Euro-VI compliant by the end of 2018, so there was no real issue for us. We run trucks in most of those CAZ areas and proposed clean air zones, and really there was no desire or political pressure on us to change, so why?

“Gas has been around for a long time. Iveco, Scania and many others have been doing it for 15 or 20 years. But a typical 300hp tractor had a limited range and some of those trucks would barely pull the skin off a custard!

“So the real reason, which we thought was a game-changer in 2016, was the natural power Stralis. I was lucky enough to go to Germany and see it being tested and what I saw, all of a sudden, was a 400hp truck with 550km of range if I’m running on CNG, which is my fuel of choice, or 1,500km that they were claiming for LNG. All of sudden that’s viable.

“This isn’t 300hp/300 kilometres anymore, this is something that I can actually run out, run back and refuel.

“The other thing was up to 40% reduction in running costs, that would get our accountant excited.

TWO REASONS FOR A DEMO

“It was a while before we got a demo, but we wanted it for a couple of reasons:

“One, we needed to understand driver acceptance. For ‘old-school’ drivers, trucks run on diesels, apart from the really old-school drivers who can remember trucks that ran on petrol, so we had to understand what resistance we might meet there.

“We also needed fuel data so we could understand what the truck would do with one of our double deckers behind it.

“We soon realised that, benchmarking it against our Mercedes fleet, there was up to 8p a mile cost benefit. But still not entirely convinced, myself and the head of fleet said, ‘Let’s go and drive one these things.’

“We were thinking maybe the Alps, but we ended up in Stoke, then South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire, where we spent the whole day driving head-to-head, diesel versus gas.

“At the end of day we couldn’t come up with a compelling reason not to do it, so we started the serious engagement with our business costs at that point.

“We got a hold of the TCO calculator, and put the numbers into it from our trial. We put the diesel numbers in that came from our diesel fleet. We put in our costs and we put our lease numbers into it, yet it was still showing up to £15,000 per annum, per truck, cost benefit to adopt gas. That’s why we’ve done it!

“You can’t ignore that kind of saving. We will have 29 in the fleet by the end of 2018, saving us £200,000 in the first year.

“The infrastructure was a challenge. We had to work that out and we understand that might be an inhibitor for a lot of people. What I can tell you is that the infrastructure providers are all out there. ‘The smart manufacturers are joining up with the infrastructure providers and approaching people jointly, so if you start buying in fives or tens they can give you temporary refuelling solutions and with the new Stralis 460hp 6x2 LNG the range is a viable option for pretty much any operation.

“There is no reason not to go to gas. The feedback from my guys, and we’ve had five on the road since August, is that we didn’t notice there was 30hp less than a diesel equivalent, plus they’re eight to ten decibels quieter. It drives like a normal truck, it’s spacious, and it’s comfortable.

“The message is absolutely clear. Get a demo, see it for yourself and trial it. With the 460 available now in 4x2 and in 6x2, the Stralis NP is really a very viable option. That’s our experience so far and we are looking forward to taking more next year.”

Why We Went For Gas...

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PEOPLE

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uncan McFegan and Siollan Rafferty are among the top award-winners at the latest annual Scottish Rewards

presentation ceremony run by Transport News, the leading monthly magazine for transport operators based in Scotland and northern England. Mr McFegan is fleet engineer at TP Niven, a family-owned, 150-truck fleet operation based in Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway. He has won the title “Scottish Fleet Engineer of the Year 2019” in an awards category sponsored by Palfinger UK. Ms Rafferty drives a truck for Beattock-based WD & A Haley, an artic operator specialising in wood-chip transport. She is Scotland’s Transport Woman of the Year in an awards category sponsored by Iveco.

Their awards, together with 17 others were presented last month in Glasgow at the 25th annual Scottish Rewards breakfast presentation organised by Transport News, with which CV Engineer has an editorial and advertising alliance. Iveco has always supported the awards scheme and this year also sponsored the “Industry Lifetime Achievement” category, won by Donnie and Kate McKerral from Peter McKerral and Company of Lochgilphead, Argyll and Bute. This haulage firm was set up in 1962 by the couple with a single tipper truck. Nowadays it operates around 60 trucks and 100 trailers.

Other award-winners this year include Grampian Continental of Aberdeen: Scotland’s top road safety operator in a category sponsored by Brigade; Davidson Bros (Shotts): Scotland’s most innovative haulier in a category sponsored by Michelin; and Drew Maclean of Nairn-based GF Job: Scottish fleet manager of the year in a category sponsored by Ryder.

More information at www.transportnews.co.uk

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PEOPLE

A n apprentice job-swapping scheme between a big trailer-maker and one of its main fleet

operator customers is being hailed as “a great success”.

Five apprentices from Cartwright Group, a big trailer-maker and bodybuilder based in Altrincham, Cheshire visited the Crick, Northamptonshire workshop run by Royal Mail as part of the maintenance and repair operation for its fleet of 48,500 commercial vehicles. In return, six Royal Mail apprentice technicians visited the Cartwright factory in Altrincham to find out exactly how the trailers on which they work are designed and made. “This was an excellent initiative from two companies that are committed to identifying and nurturing future talent,” says Paul Gatti, director in Royal Mail’s Fleet division. “I’m confident the apprentices will have learnt lots from the two days and be able to apply it in their respective areas.” Cartwright has long been one of Royal Mail’s main trailer suppliers, even before the postal delivery group was privatised and floated on the London Stock Exchange five years ago. One recent bespoke engineering project taken on by Cartwright for Royal Mail involves a lifting-roof double-deck trailer for operation on a route with a low bridge. A conventional trailer with a roof height low enough to get under the bridge would have been able to carry no more than 75 roll-cages. The lifting-roof trailer engineered by Cartwright can carry as many as 95 roll-cages.

“Cartwright prides itself on innovation, as well as engineering excellence,” says group managing director Mark Cartwright. “We encourage our apprentices to think about ways of improving operations and processes. Young people often have a fresh perspective and can be very creative. This was our first apprentice exchange and we look forward to hearing their views. It was a great success. The two teams worked well together, sharing ideas, and initial feedback has been extremely positive.”

This is not the first time that suppliers and customers in the UK commercial vehicle engineering sector have adopted an apprentice job-swapping scheme. Two years ago a Yorkshire-based Mercedes commercial vehicle dealer group, Northside Truck & Van, sent one of its top apprentices on a week-long job swap with a 19-year-old transport supervisor at Heron Foods, an independent supermarket chain with around 250 stores in north eastern England. The company operates 45 trucks, several of which are supplied and maintained by Northside. The job-swap was organised by Hull-based Heron Foods’ head of logistics Karl Dawson and Simon Rennison, manager of the Northside depot in Hull.

“We realise that not every customer is the same, so not every customer requires the same type of service,” said Mr Rennison. “This initiative can only help us to better understand the individual needs of operators, and to tailor our services accordingly.”

Messrs Christie and Massey each spent a week at their opposite number’s normal place of work.

“With over 250 deliveries leaving head office daily, it is vital that as our fleet supplier and maintainer Northside should understand just how much we rely on its services,” said Heron Foods transport manager Andy Barratt. “Even one truck off the road would have a huge impact on our business, so our relationship with the dealer is vital.”

Peter Tye has left ATS Euromaster, a big Michelin-owned tyre distribution and services company, to join Renault Trucks UK as used truck sales director. Mr Tye, 48, has worked for ATS Euromaster for more than six years, latterly as business support director. He moved to the company in 2012 as retail operations director after six years at Goodyear Dunlop, where he had been franchise development manager and then retail director. Mr Tye is an accountant whose motor industry career began with Volkswagen in the UK where his jobs included successively management accountant, Audi franchise and network support manager, and Seat network development manager.

At Renault Trucks UK he reports to managing director Carlos Rodrigues, filling the vacancy created by promotion of James Charnock to commercial trucks and services director .

Mr Rodigrues now has his new senior management team in place following the Volvo Group decision to separate Renault Trucks and Volvo Trucks marketing operations in the UK and Irish Republic, Belgium, Italy and France. The other new management appointees come from within Volvo Group. Angela Duerden is business support director; Angie Morgan is HR and competence development director; Derek Leech is service market and retail development director; and Alex Williams is head of brand and communications.

Peter Tye

Clockwise from left: award-winners Grampian Continental; Siollan Rafferty; Duncan McFegan; Kate and Donnie McKerral; Davidson Bros (Shotts).

Job-swapping Cartwright apprentices

www.transportnews.co.uk


PEOPLE PEOPLE


laire Gilmore has been appointed traffic commissioner for Scotland by transport

secretary Chris Grayling. She will take up the post in February 2019, following the retirement of Joan Aitken. Ms Aitken has been Scotland’s traffic commissioner since 2003. She is one of eight in Britain responsible for licensing and regulation of trucks, buses and coaches as well as registration of local bus services.

Ms Gilmore is at present a senior investigating officer in the office of Scotland’s Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life. She is a lawyer and a qualified engineer.

T he latest annual apprentice awards scheme run by MAN Truck & Bus UK and its dealer network

culminated in a presentation at Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield stadium last month. The seven top MAN Truck & Bus UK apprentice award-winners this year are Joshua Hunt (year 1) from Plymouth; Edward Lawrence (year 2) from Middlesex-based Cordwallis Group; Neko Daniels from Westbury, Wiltshire; Kirsty Dyer (business and administration level 3) from Bristol; Callum Gilchrist (parts level 2) from Bellshill, Glasgow; Jacob

Phillmore (parts level 3) from Westbury; and Ben Fraser (sales) from Bellshill. “The awards recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution to the apprentice programme, continuously showing commitment, dedication, hard work and passion for the brand,” says MAN Truck & Bus UK aftersales director Matt Squires. “These apprentices represent the future of the business. They have all demonstrated high levels of engagement with model attitudes and behaviour. Their clear focus and drive to succeed is very impressive.”

Research and development at the huge Volkswagen group, incorporating the Scania and MAN truck and bus manufacturing subsidiaries and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati as well as car-makers such as Audi, Bentley, Skoda, Porsche and Lamborghini, is to have a new boss from 1 January 2019. He is Frank Welsch, currently heading technical development at the group’s Volkswagen car division. Mr Welsch, 54, is being promoted to succeed Ulrich Eichhorn, 57. He is moving to Berlin-based IAV, a big multinational automotive engineering consultancy, as chief executive and management board chairman. IAV has operations in Asia and North and South America as well as in Europe. It has around 7,000 employees worldwide. Volkswagen has a 50% shareholding in the company. Other big shareholders include Continental Automotive and Schaeffler Technologies.

Mr Eichhorn is a mechanical engineer whose motor industry career started at Ford. He ran VW’s group research division between 2002 and 2003 before being appointed Bentley director of technical development.

Mr Welsch is a mechanical engineer who started work at the VW group’s research division in 1994. In 2009 he moved to Shanghai, China as head of VW development there. Two years later he was given responsibility for vehicle body, equipment and safety development on all VW cars. In 2012 he moved to Skoda. His move to technical development chief at VW cars came in 2015.

Frank Welsch

Claire Gilmore and Joan Aitken

oger Denniss, one of the most energetic and influential fleet engineers of his generation, died this month at the age of

84. He had been running his own Derby-based consultancy, Lorry Logic, since retiring from the Bass brewing group in 1992. He remained active in his business and, characteristically, in commercial vehicle engineering widely until very recently.

Denniss’s working life started with a five-year apprenticeship at a Vauxhall Bedford dealer in London. National Service took him into the Royal Air Force and to Cyprus, where he grabbed every opportunity to throw himself into vehicle-related work.

Denniss’s distinguished 23-year career with Bass, then the UK’s biggest brewing group, began as chief vehicle examiner. Promotion soon followed, first to group fleet engineer and then director of distribution services, based in Burton upon Trent, where he was responsible for the operation of a mammoth own-account fleet of trucks and trailers operating throughout the UK, including a network of workshops.

But it was Denniss’s relentless determination to spread best practice in vehicle engineering and engineer training which made him one of the best-known figures in this sector both in Europe and North America. He admired the work of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in the US, and especially its Truck Maintenance Council (TMC) division. Denniss was instrumental in the establishment of a European equivalent, the European Transport Maintenance Council (ETMC). This turned out to be a short-lived commercial venture but was successful, not least as a result of Denniss’s legendary powers of persuasion, in attracting high-profile speakers and delegates to a series of conferences focused on commercial vehicle

engineering information sharing. Denniss was a passionate advocate

of genuine continuous professional development long before the phrase became trendy among management consultants. He was an active member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) before its controversial merger in 2000 with the Institution of Plant Engineers (IPlantE) to form the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE). Fearful about this newly-formed body’s lack of focus on vehicle-related engineering matters, Denniss was among the many fleet engineers who had serious doubts about the wisdom of the merger. And he was unafraid of upsetting folk, including SOE hierarchy, by making his views public.

Denniss was one of the main driving forces behind the formation of a group of like-minded transport engineers which became the Brewery Transport Advisory Consortium (BTAC). This grew into an influential body in its own right as a result of organising high-quality seminars and an annual weekend of truck fuel consumption trials at the Mira proving ground near Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Denniss was never happier than when taking a hand-on approach to these trials, either by preparing entries from the Bass fleet, or by helping calculate the all-important “payload earnings factor” of all vehicles involved, based on fuel weight and temperature calculations rather than just fuel flow-meter readings.

John Comer worked for Roger Denniss at Bass before moving to Volvo Trucks where he is now UK product manager. Comer is among many to pay unstinting tributes to Denniss this month.

“Roger’s Monday morning breakfast meetings were sometimes not the best way

to start the week,” recalls Comer wryly. “But he always had drive, determination, and a willingness to try something new. Roger always pushed hard to raise standards not only for his beloved Bass but also for haulage and logistics more generally as well. Where he saw talent he would nurture and develop it. Roger Denniss was a true champion of his profession, raising standards proudly and professionally.”

Michael Coyle is head of Imise, a respected Huddersfield, West Yorkshire consultancy specialising in commercial vehicle fuel economy and productivity.

“There is so much that I could write about Roger,” he says. “I could write a thesis, but it wouldn’t do him justice. I first met Roger while studying for my PhD (Doctor of Philosophy degree). He would inject realism into some of my more high-minded ideas in a polite and witty way. Roger helped me to develop my career through his extensive network of contacts and was always available to discuss subjects. A true gentleman, a class act and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

Denniss’s wife, Jean, died four years ago. They leave two children, Simon and Sarah.

ROGER DENNISS 1935-2018

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