This author has yet to write their bio.Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Peter Gardner contributed a whooping 713 entries.
Founded in the South West in 1919, Gregory Distribution is one of the largest privately-owned transport companies in the UK. The Group consists of the Gregory Distribution business, ARR Craib Transport, newly acquired Pollock (Scotrans) and its joint venture business Hayton Coulthard Transport. Across the group it operates 1,100 vehicles and 2,000 trailers.
The year 2021 is the Golden Jubilee of Point S, the multi-national tyre and car maintenance group and, to mark this milestone, the company takes a look back at 50 successful years – and a look forward too. Back in 1971, the market for tyres, car accessories and repairs was very different from what it is now, with motorists’ choice of brands limited to what the local garage had in stock at the time. Things began to change when 50 French independent garage owners came together with the aim of offering new and higher standards of service, a better choice of products and competitive prices. And so, Point S was born.
Based on claims trends following previous UK lockdowns, insurer NFU Mutual is expecting a sharp increase in accidents from next week. This is when self-contained holiday accommodation lets, non-essential retail, personal care, outdoor hospitality and indoor leisure venues are scheduled to open to the public on 12 April. Claims to NFU Mutual for car accidents increased sharply by 22 per cent over the late May Bank Holiday last year, shortly after lockdown was eased on May 11. Car accident claims also increased by 12 per cent over the Christmas period compared with previous weeks, prompting the insurer to advise caution on the roads. The prediction comes alongside 1 in 4 drivers admitting they are feeling nervous about making long journeys once lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Transaid has been selected by the sustainable transport planning and research consultancy, ITP, to support the development of a road map for providing improved public transport services in Lusaka, in a major new project funded by the World Bank. The Zambian capital is one of the fastest developing cities in southern Africa, with its metro area population growing by nearly five per cent annually for the last 20 years. Yet it remains almost entirely reliant on minibuses for intracity public transport, supported by a smaller number of buses and taxis.
SMMT figures show that the new light commercial vehicle market grew by 85.5 per cent in March with 56,122 vans joining UK roads with the ’21 new number plate. Usually one of the busiest months of the year, March saw the largest-ever increase since the switch to the two plate system in 1999, but one which still represented an -10.9 per cent decrease when compared to the pre-pandemic 2015-2019 average, as prolonged nationwide lockdown continued to suppress business confidence in the first quarter of the year.
The car registration data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for the month of March shows that the UK new car market recorded its first ‘growth’ since August 2020, with 29,280 more units registered during March compared to the same month last year. However, the month represents the anniversary of the first lockdown in March 2020, when the pandemic brought Britain to a standstill and registrations fell by -44.4 per cent.
Uswitch, the comparison website, recently commissioned a survey among UK motorists to test their knowledge of the rules concerning when headlights should be switched on. Says Joel Kempson, Personal Finance Writer and car insurance expert at Uswitch; “With the days getting longer, and restrictions easing, we’ll soon be hopping back into our cars for the first time in months. And although they say driving is like riding a bike – you never forget – there are some things that do slip our minds.”
Cheadle-based Klarius Products is offering aspiring young professionals the chance to build a career in engineering, with the business hiring four new apprentices. The largest UK manufacturer of aftermarket exhausts, Klarius is looking for applicants to join its Administration, Maintenance, Technical and Quality departments.
On April 1, the subsidiary Lesjöfors Fjädrar in Mid-Sweden began the shift to biogas, which is a fossil-free energy source. The green transition will reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 70-90 per cent. Lesjöfors Fjädrar has previously used propane gas as the energy source, which is a fossil-based fuel. The plant is one of the Lesjöfors Group’s top consumers of gas. The biogas system estimates to reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 70-90 per cent (1,600-2,000 tonnes) on an annual basis, calculated “well to wheel”.
UK commercial vehicle (CV) production declined -45.4 per cent in February, with 4,308 units built, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). CV manufacturing entered its fifth consecutive month of decline as supply chain shortages, new customs processes and prolonged lockdown measures across the globe affected output, resulting in the worst February on record.
Excel Automotive Group (EAG) has implemented MAM’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) to improve efficiency and accuracy in its warehouse logistics. The WMS optimises the flow of products through the EAG warehouse in Leeds, managing all activities from goods receiving and putaway to picking, packing and shipment. It also includes a hand-held PDA and scanner that handles all data input and communicates wirelessly with the main software application, where a dashboard provides an instant snapshot of current activities.
RAC analysis of the latest official Government data shows that the number of battery electric vehicles (‘BEVs’) in private hands in the UK rose by nearly 30,000 in the 12 months to September 2020, an increase of 53 per cent on the year before, with more than a third of these (36 per cent) in London and the South East of England.
New research released today (31 March) reveals that the impact of the pandemic has resulted in the average driver reducing their mileage by 42 per cent over the last year. However, there has not been an equivalent drop in the amount of pothole damage to the nation’s vehicles.
Almost one in seven (14 per cent) UK drivers have considered getting rid of their car because of the pandemic (17 per cent men and 11 per cent women), rising to one in three (35 per cent) of under 34s. According to a new survey of 2,000 UK drivers by InsuretheGap, a provider of Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance, over half (56 per cent) say they do not need a car as much as they did before the pandemic (53 per cent men and 59 per cent women).
Ahead of May’s introduction of the new-style European tyre label, Test World has begun ice grip testing for customers at its facility in Ivalo, Northern Finland. The existing 3PMSF ‘snowflake’ symbol indicates that a tyre is suitable for both Central Europe and Nordic countries, but Test World says that, in reality, the technical demands of these two markets are very different. Nordic winter conditions are typically far harsher than in Central Europe, with more snow and ice on the roads.
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