The Freight Transport Association has announced that GreenRoad, a leader in driver performance and road safety management, is the latest partner of the association’s innovative Van Excellence scheme.

GreenRoad is designed to significantly reduce crash incidents and cut fuel consumption by enhancing driver performance while behind the wheel and a typical GreenRoad customer sees up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions, as well as a 50% reduction on collision costs.  

The Van Excellence scheme aims to raise standards and improve the image of the UK’s growing van sector and includes a tough accreditation system and a strict code of practice. It is backed by many household names and is a standard set by van operators for use by van operators, formalising “best working” practices already used by leading companies in the commercial vehicle sector.  

Mark Cartwright, FTA’s Van Project Manager, said:

“We are delighted to have GreenRoad on board as partners of Van Excellence.  As leaders in driver performance and safety management they bring a huge amount of value to the scheme in terms of experience and expertise, and their support is invaluable.”

For further information on the Van Excellence scheme visit www.fta.co.uk

Citroen Berlingo

The Citroen Berlingo LCV has just gained the accolade of the Institute of Transport Management’s (ITM’s) ‘Best LCV 2012’ award. The ITM’s key criteria for choosing the award winner meant a van had to, “embody perennially important qualities such as reliability, cost-effectiveness and durability. It is because of this that the Institute of Transport Management has named the Citroen Berlingo the ‘Best LCV 2012’.”

The ITM’s judges were very impressed with the Citroen Berlingo and said, “Businesses are looking for LCVs that are lighter, with lower emissions and better fuel efficiency, qualities that the Citroën Berlingo range has in spades.  In particular, the Citroen Berlingo e-HDI Airdream models are equipped with e-HDi micro-hybrid Stop & Start technology. For further fuel savings, all Berlingo vans are specified with Citroen’s unique Trafficmaster telematics package.  This further reduces urban fuel consumption and emissions by offering the fastest congestion avoidance routing direct to the driver.”

Citroen’s key addition to their Euro 5 Berlingo range is the new e-HDi Airdream models, with their efficient micro-hydrid drivetrain. This power unit provides a unique combination of environmental, economic and driver benefits.

Berlingo Airdream vans have Stop & Start with an advanced micro-hybrid starter/generator to restart the engine quickly and smoothly and incorporate regenerative braking to recover and store energy that would otherwise be lost.

Berlingo e-HDi vans are available with a choice of either a 5 speed manual transmission or Citroen’s advanced 6-speed automated manual transmission, which provides the benefit of two-pedal driving and a combined cycle fuel consumption of up to 60.1mpg and CO₂ emissions as low as 123g/km. We have the full range of Citroen vans, including e-HDI models, on the site now on Citroen commercial vehicle contract hire.

The Freight Transport Association has warned commercial vehicle operators to keep their older vans out of London as the new Low Emission Zone comes into effect on the 3rd January 2012. This will apply to Y-registration and some 51 plate vans, as well as even older vans.

If you run a fleet of vans (or just one) and want to understand the new charges being applied, then the FTA has produced an LEZ compliance guide which is available for FTA members to download at www.fta.co.uk/lez

If you are unsure if your van is compliant or not you can also check this by entering your vehicle registration mark at the Transport For London website. This will also affect minibuses and motor caravans as well.

Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, said,”The penalties are such that non-compliance is simply not an option. Research by the FTA shows that fortunately, most large HGV fleet operators will be fully compliant with, or prepared for, the move up from Euro 3 to Euro 4 standard engines. However, for tradespeople operating vans over ten years old the LEZ will be an entirely new consideration and, therefore, preparedness will be far lower. This is where our immediate concern lies”.

If you are a small business running an older van and you need to get a new van quickly then we have the full range of commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes on van contract hire available now. The LEZ requirements mean that vans will have to meet Euro 3 standards if you want to avoid a fine of £500, or face a daily charge of £100 to operate in and out of London.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has commented on the forthcoming toll rise for the Severn Crossing which will see prices for lorries increase by an extra 90 pence in the New Year. The FTA has condemned the decision made by the Severn River Crossing PLC (SRC), who built the bridge, to increase the charge for hauliers from £17.20 to £18.10. The Severn crossing is a vital trade corridor and the FTA is concerned about the impact on businesses on both sides of the river.

Ian Gallagher, FTA’s Policy Manager for Wales, said,”Severn tolls already cost companies many thousands of pounds a month; this latest price hike will make life a lot tougher for hauliers who cross England into south Wales and comes at a time when companies are already struggling in the face of higher fuel costs. In an industry with notoriously tight profit margins, road freight operators often have no choice but to pass their costs on to the customer, which stokes inflation and is certainly not good news in a faltering economy”.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has just launched the 48th edition of their Yearbook of Road Tranport Law 2010. If you are a commercial fleet operator and run HGVs or other commercial vehicles and vans, then this book should keep you fully informed on all aspects of road transport legislation, health and safety and duty of care.

The 2010 yearbox has been written by a team of FTA experts and includes details of the new fixed penalty system introduced in May 2009 and used by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the police in roadside enforcement. The 2010 Yeabook costs £37.00 for FTA members or £79 for non-members with discounts for multiple copies. The FTA also publishes Van Drivers’ Handbook and the Dangerous Goods Drivers’ Handbook.

Visit www.shop.fta.co.uk to order.

A new satellite navigation unit has been designed specifically for lorries making it possible for trucks to avoid narrow roads, low bridges and unsuitable routes. The new unit, the TomTom GO 7000 truck navigation solution, is available from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and costs £379 plus VAT or the SD car on its own costs £139 plus VAT.

All drivers have to do is enter their vehicle’s weight and dimensions and the unit will then provide information on clearance heights, speed restrictions and other problematic obstacles. Driver’s can also make corrections to their map with a map share function and the sat-nav solution can be adapted to suit a variety of different size vehicles.

The Government has provided an extra £30m funding for more electric car charging points. The Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, has also invited cities and businesses to bid for the money to help with the installation.

The initiative is called “Plugged in Places” and intends to support the development of between three and six electric car cities across the UK. Overall the Government is investing around £400m to encourage the development, manufacture and use of the next generation, low CO2 vehicles.

Nissan NV200

The Institute of Transport Management has awarded the Nissan NV200 the title of “Van of the Year 2010″. This innovative van from Nissan was praised for its versatility, fuel efficiency and value for money.

Fuel efficiency is impressive, offering up to 54mpg and this commercial small van also offers a low CO2 emissions of only 137g/km. Powered by a 1.5-litre four cylinder diesel engine you will certainly help the environment and keep your costs down.

The van can hold up to seven people, while still retaining a significant storage capacity and with its folding seat systems it can be easily adapted to carry a larger load. Patrick Sheedy, ITM Media and PR Director said,”It is my pleasure therefore to announce the accreditation of Nissan’s NV200 with the “Van of the Year Award” 2010. Congratulations to everyone at Nissan who contributed to the design, production and marketing of this vehicle”.

Berlingo Crew Van

Citroen has won the Institute of Transport Management’s LCV of the year award with their Berlingo Crew Van. The judges were impressed by the flexibility of this light commercial van, with its innovative sliding/folding rear seat and bulkhead. This allows the van to be either used as a five seater (1,320mm long and 2.4cu.m) or a two-seater with an 1,805mm long, 3.35cu.m load compartment. Add to this the low CO2 emissions of this van and the package represents excellent value for money. 

Crew seats

The van also comes with Trafficmaster Smartnav and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking system which is unique in the LCV sector. Robert Handyside, commercial vehicle operations manager for Citroen said,”We are delighted that the Institute of Transport Management has recognised Citroen’s considerable environmental strengths and the merits of the brilliantly versatile Citroen Berlingo Crew Van with this prestigious award”.

The Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan, has signalled that the Government is going to crack down on rogue car parking firms, with the introduction of tough new rules limiting the access to driver data.

Private parking companies can currently request data from the DVLA in order to issue penalty notices for drivers who have parked illegally on private land. These companies will now have to become a member of an Accredited Trade Association, requiring them to abide by a strict code, before they will be able to get this information in the future. To date the only ATA is the British Parking Association.

Other measures being considered include a compulsory licensing system for clamping firms which will ensure they behave reponsibly.