BEHIND THE LATEST ACTROS WHEEL · Actros truck boasts greater refinement in this technological field than any rival to date (page 14), including its “world first” MirrorCam system.

IN THIS ISSUE

The new boss at Volvo Trucks UK sets out his stall

IS THIS TRUCK A GAME-CHANGER?

BEHIND THE LATEST ACTROS WHEEL

AUGUST|2019

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER > AUGUST 2019 3

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IF YOU’RE NOT CONFUSED YOU MUST BE MISINFORMED

here is a lot of confusion, misinformation and an over-abundance of terminology. This is not, as you could be forgiven for imagining, a comment on

the latest Brexit rants by yet another deranged Tory government minister. In fact it is among the remarks made by Neil Greig, the reassuringly sane and level-headed policy and research director at IAM RoadSmart (trading name of the Institute of Advanced Motorist), in response to a recent IAM survey into driver attitudes towards development of self-driving vehicles. More than 66% of the 1,600 respondents to the survey were “concerned” or “very concerned” about the way that more and more functions are being taken away from drivers and left under the control of algorithms.

“It’s clear from the results of our survey that the motor industry has a big job ahead in convincing drivers of the safety virtues of self-driving vehicles,” says Greig. Not half. And the task is by no means confined to car drivers.

Truck drivers and commercial vehicle fleet managers too are faced with an ever-expanding array of systems such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and satellite-navigation-based gearshift control systems. The new Mercedes-Benz Actros truck boasts greater refinement in this technological field than any rival to date (page 14), including its “world first” MirrorCam system. Mercedes engineers and managers deserve credit for having recognised how essential it is that drivers and their bosses are properly informed about how to use these systems effectively and, more important still, what their limitations are. The same certainly cannot be said of all car manufacturers. That is why Matthew Avery, director at Thatcham Research, a respected, Berkshire-based not-for-profit research centre funded by motor industry insurance companies, added his heft last year to calls for greater clarity.

“There’s a problem with the manufacturers trying to introduce technology and consumers not being ready for it, not being sure if it’s automated or whether they need to keep watching,” he said. “We want it very clear. Either you are driving, assisted, or you are not driving, automated.”

Now IAM RoadSmart is calling for vehicle manufacturers to work with the government “to ensure the facts out there are clearer and easy to understand.” Some sort of agreement or even an industry standard on acronyms and products names, as IAM suggests, surely would be a good starting point.

Tim BlakemoreEditor

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4 AUGUST 2019 > COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER

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18

6>> POINTS OF VIEWMichael Kenyon of Bureau Veritas is concerned that a rush to boost the quantity of electric vehicle charging points could mean a sacrifice in quality. Horiba Mira’s Greg Harris argues that the only way to really ramp up electric car sales is to invest in rigorous development, testing and evaluation programmes. ParcelHero’s David Jinks warns that one result of a no-deal Brexit at the end of October could be empty Christmas stockings.

9>> NEWSEnterprise expands again through SHB Hire takeover

10>> NEWS Green light for ZF takeover from Wabco shareholders

CONTENTS


14

11> NEWSVolvo Group on a roll as it joins forces with Samsung SDI

12>> NEWSNorthern six appeal for restructured Motus Group

14>> STEERING CLEAR OF TECHNOLOGY TRAPSDeliveries of the fifth-generation Actros truck range have just started in the UK. It is described as “a real game-changer” by Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK boss Mike Belk. But will seasoned drivers agree? Tim Blakemore has been behind the wheel in Spain and South Yorkshire to find out.

18>> TRUCK MARKETING ROUTE MASTERWhat drives the new Volvo Trucks UK managing director? Tim Blakemore went to Warwick to find out.

22>> NEWS FROM THE NORTHOur learned friend the Transport News Truck Advocate is back with advice on “hotbox” vehicles; obstructive sleep apnoea; and agricultural tractor exemptions from operator licensing rules.

26>> PEOPLE AND JOBSMercedes-Benz Vans UK charity fund-raising cyclists shift up a gear or two. Martin O’Shea takes charge of quality control at Wheely-Safe.26

CONTENTS


DON’T SACRIFICE QUALITY IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING GOLDRUSH

T he government’s Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that nearly £40 million is being

pumped into improving the infrastructure for electric vehicles, with investment in wireless charging and pop-up pavement technology. All new homes built in Britain are set to be fitted with electric car charging points. But quality surely must not be overlooked if the UK is to create a world-class charging network for cleaner vehicles.

At present there are more than 24,000 public charging connectors in nearly 9,000 locations in the UK. But with EV (electric vehicle) car registrations up 62% to 2,461 in June compared with the same month last year, the number of charging points being installed is expected to rise dramatically in coming years. In this rapid creation of charging infrastructure the focus on quality and safety must not be lost.

The latest government funding offers a great opportunity to several industry sectors, including automotive, engineering and electrical contractors, helping to deliver the government’s Road to Zero strategy which demands that “almost every car and van” in the UK be zero-emission by 2050.

In the race to deliver the charging infrastructure required to achieve this goal, quality in terms of engineering, safety and compliant installations must come first. This is essential if the world-class charging network for cleaner vehicles that we are seeking to create is not only cost-effective but also will stand the test of time.

At Bureau Veritas we encourage charging point installers to have the latest accreditations and be up to speed with recent rule changes on residual current devices (RCD) and earthing arrangements.

The latest guidance on the installation of EV charging points can be found in section 722 of the 18th edition of IET Wiring Regulations (co-published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as the BS7671 standard). This has led to the code of practice for electric vehicle charging equipment installations moving on to its third edition.

As all new installations will need to be compliant, businesses such as service stations, shopping centres and hotels will require installers of EV charging points to be accredited by the Office for Low

Emission Vehicles (OLEV). What’s more, installers and inspectors of charging infrastructure will need to have a clear and detailed understanding of the different types and classifications of RCD and how to test them.

We understand that this will be a new area for many, often fraught with complexity. That’s why putting a robust strategy in place for the initial inspection and maintenance of these charging installations by an independent appraiser is the best way to ensure they comply with all relevant standards.

Michael KenyonTechnical managerBureau Veritas

POINTS OF VIEW

https://www.bureauveritas.co.uk/


EV RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS TO SHIFT UP A GEAR OR TWO

ritain’s largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has announced that an electric version of the XJ saloon car will

be built at its Castle Bromwich factory. Now JLR is calling for multiple UK “gigafactories” to be created to provide batteries of the kind currently imported from Asia.

At Horiba Mira we welcome JLR’s investment in electric vehicles and we are encouraging the whole automotive industry to support robust testing and development to address the factors currently deterring many car buyers from choosing electric vehicles. These factors include “range anxiety” and cost.

Jaguar Land Rover’s commitment to future development of electric vehicles is a positive move for the UK automotive industry. But this industry as a whole needs to do more to overcome challenges of customer perception. At Horiba Mira

we are working hard on this, seeking to ensure that next-generation vehicles are safer, cleaner and smarter.

UK capabilities in the production of cleaner vehicles has grown rapidly in recent years. But the only way to significantly increase the number of people willing to make the transition to electric cars is by investing in rigorous development, testing and evaluation programmes, and then effectively explaining the latest technological advances to consumers.

Recent Horiba Mira investment in test facilities for electric vehicles and battery systems includes an advanced battery development suite (ABDS). This enables tests to be performed on full battery packs and battery pack components, both physically and in simulation.

Horiba Mira has been working with low-carbon propulsion and battery systems for over 15 years. Much of what we do is focused on deeper understanding of the performance and characteristics of

battery cells. Our new ABDS means we can carry out such activities at extremely high resolution and accuracy, and it allows us to investigate EV battery energy efficiency and durability. This is critical to demonstrate long-term viability and credibility to vehicle buyers.

Greg HarrisGlobal electrification services leaderHoriba Mira

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POINTS OF VIEW

https://www.horiba-mira.com/


NO ROOM AT THE INN OR ANYWHERE ELSE FOR CHRISTMAS STOCK THIS YEAR?

ne effect of a no-deal, 31 October Brexit that seems to have received far too little attention so far is the huge impact it

would have on Christmas-related logistics operations. The timing could hardly be worse. Either there is enough stock to get through a no-deal Brexit, or there is enough for a traditional Christmas. Retailers cannot magic space for both.

Available warehousing space in the UK is already bursting at the seams with stockpiled hard-Brexit goods of all kinds, including non-perishable foods and medicines. This will reach a peak just when the usual influx of products pre-ordered by all the major stores in time for Christmas would start to flood in.

Both of the final two Conservative leadership candidates seemed to be trying to out-macho the other over a 31 October hard Brexit. Now the winner and prime minister Boris Johnson still vows to leave the EU by that date “come what may”. This could spell disaster for the normal Christmas supply chain.

Christmas is run like a military operation for retailers. They will have pre-ordered much of their stock and have put most of their logistics plans in place. But this year there may be no room at the inn for Christmas goods such as electronics and toys. The UK’s warehouses are already groaning with supplies stockpiled to counteract the potential explosive effect of a no-deal Brexit.

Spare warehousing space in the inner M25 area is already down to only 2.2%. In normal times the national average would be around 20%. In a perfect storm of stockpiling, retailers will be building up Brexit supplies in time for 31 October just as they must also be ramping up the usual Christmas stockpiling of electronics, games and other seasonal items.

On top of all this, if we really do leave the EU without any agreement, existing EU trade deals with many countries producing electronic goods that are popular at Christmas will no longer apply to the UK. So we could face new tariffs and delays on these items.

And the potential for Brexit-related supply chain chaos at Christmas does not end there. Anyone sending a Christmas parcel overseas, or from the EU to the UK, could face Customs difficulty following a hard Brexit. The first time many parcel senders will experience a potential no-deal Brexit EU frontier could be this Christmas. For many people this is the only time of year that they send parcels.

Forced to complete unfamiliar Customs invoice forms, inexperienced parcel senders are bound to find them confusing.

And gifts coming into the UK from the EU are likely to meet similar delays, and possibly unexpected duties and taxes. Even under normal conditions, 12% of all overseas gifts missed Christmas day entirely last year, and over 30% were significantly delayed. Brexit chaos could mean 25% or more of all presents do not arrive in time.

David JinksHead of consumer researchParcelHero

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POINTS OF VIEW

https://www.parcelhero.com/


NEWS

ive years after buying Burnt Tree, one of the UK’s biggest commercial vehicle rental and contract hire operations, a US-

based global car rental giant, Enterprise, is on the acquisition trail again in the UK commercial vehicle market. This time the takeover target is Romsey, Hampshire-based SHB Hire and its fleet of around 18,500 commercial vehicles. SHB is a 50-year-old, family-owned company with local government and utilities among its many established fleet operator customers. There are 16 SHB sites throughout the UK, each with a workshop equipped for servicing, repair and breakdown support. Six of the SHB workshops also have vehicle bodybuilding and repair shops. SHB claims to run the biggest 4x4 commercial vehicle rental fleet in Europe and the biggest fleet of rental tipper and crane trucks in the UK.

Following completion of the acquisition by Enterprise Rent-A-Car last month for an undisclosed sum, SHB Hire is set to

become part of the group’s commercial vehicle division, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, headed by managing director Danny Glynn. His boss is Khaled Shahbo, managing director of the entire Enterprise Holdings business in the UK and Irish Republic. “We are very excited to complete this acquisition and formally welcome SHB Hire into the Enterprise family,” says Mr Shahbo. “This is a very significant moment as Enterprise and SHB Hire unite with a shared vision to create the best commercial vehicle rental business in the UK. The speed of regulatory changes for commercial vehicle operators, coupled with the desire of many organisations not to commit large amounts of capital to their fleets, is shaping how businesses are rethinking their mobility needs. We are investing to provide greater depth and breadth in our mobility offering and to evolve world-leading technologies that support better analysis, sourcing and management of vehicles. Our goal is to become the UK’s principal mobility provider for businesses and private

motorists needing access to any type of vehicle for any period of time. With SHB Hire we can build a much stronger business to better support customers that require commercial vehicles both today and in the future.”

The St Louis, Missouri-based Enterprise Holdings group includes National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car among its divisions. The group has around 100,000 employees in total and an annual turnover around US$24 billion (£19 billion).

Khaled Shahbo

F

ENTERPRISE EXPANDS AGAIN THROUGH SHB HIRE TAKEOVER


GREEN LIGHT FOR ZF TAKEOVER FROM WABCO SHAREHOLDERS

A US$7 billion (£5.4 billion) takeover of Wabco by ZF has moved a big step closer to

completion following a shareholder vote in New York. On 27 June nearly 72% of all Wabco shareholders voted, accounting for more than 68% of Wabco share capital. ZF now expects to be able to finalise the deal early next year, though it is still subject to approval by regulatory authorities.

Wolf-Henning Scheider, ZF chief executive, said: “It is a confirmation of our strategy that Wabco shareholders have approved this important transaction.”

“Together with Wabco, ZF can form an integrated systems provider for commercial vehicle technology, creating long-term value and security for our

customers, employees and shareholders. We will be shaping the future of technologies and services for efficiency, safety, automation and connectivity in the commercial vehicle sector together with Wabco management.”

The Wabco deal comes only four years after the ZF group acquired TRW Automotive, another big US-based, multinational vehicle components supplier, best known for steering system expertise.

Finalisation of the Wabco takeover would mean ZF’s customer list probably would include nearly every truck and bus manufacturer worldwide.

Wabco turnover last year was around £3 billion. It has around 16,000 employees working in 40 countries.

Jacques Esculier, Wabco chief executive, said: “We are very pleased that shareholders have supported our merger plans, recognising that the ZF transaction offers a compelling strategic fit, while also providing certainty of value and liquidity for our shareholders.”

NEWS

Wolf-Henning Scheider

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VOLVO GROUP ON A ROLL AS IT JOINS FORCES WITH SAMSUNG SDI

ard on the heels of news that it has teamed up with Nvidia, a fast-growing US-based technology company specialising

in computer chipsets and the artificial intelligence (AI) computer systems on which self-driving vehicles will depend (Commercial Vehicle Engineer July), Volvo Group has confirmed that it has also entered into a “strategic alliance” with Samsung SDI. This South Korea-based company, part of the mammoth Samsung conglomerate, is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of lithium-ion batteries. The agreement with Volvo Group covers joint development of battery packs specifically for trucks. Detailed terms of the agreement, including planned duration, have not been revealed.

“With electromobility, the increasing needs for transport will be done in a cleaner and quieter way, opening up new possibilities for our customers and society as a whole,” says Volvo Group chief executive Martin Lundstedt. “The alliance with Samsung SDI is an important next step on our journey towards offering the world’s most truly sustainable transport system with fossil-free alternatives for our commercial vehicles.”

News of the Samsung tie-up comes shortly after Lundstedt had unveiled record-breaking financial results for the second quarter of 2019. Both group turnover and net profit reached new highs in the first six months of this year. But Lundstedt warns that Volvo Group’s truck order intake globally was 21% down in the second quarter of 2019 compared with the same period last year, with orders for heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks in Europe down 9%. “Consequently we will adapt

our production during the course of the second half of the year,” he says.

The first commercial operation involving autonomous Volvo trucks using Nvidia software could be in operation in Scandinavia as early as this winter. That is when seven driverless FH16 trucks are expected to start carrying limestone from a mine in Norway to a nearby port.

“High-level automation will redefine the transport industry,” says Volvo Group chief technology officer Lars Stenqvist. “It will deliver clear benefits to our customers and society when it comes to safety, productivity and energy efficiency. We have already demonstrated self-driving trucks and construction equipment operating in quarries, underground mines and logistics hubs. The next step is developing autonomous transport solutions for public roads– including fully autonomous trucks driving on the highway.”

Andrea Fuder is in charge of purchasing for the entire Volvo group, including Renault Trucks and Mack Trucks in North America. “We welcome the expertise

Samsung SDI brings into Volvo Group,” she says. “With this collaboration we are well positioned to meet the increased market demands. By utilising Samsung SDI’s strong battery technology knowledge, we have strengthened our powerful electromobility technology even further.”

Samsung SDI chief executive Young-Hyun Jun says that he is “confident that this alliance will secure the market leadership of the two companies in the long term.”

NEWS

H

Samsund SDI vice president Jeong-Wook Kim and Volvo Group’s Andrea Fuder

Martin Lundstedt


he UK’s biggest commercial vehicle dealer group has a new name and six newly acquired sites in

northern England. Imperial Commercials changed its name to Motus Commercials with effect from 1 July. The move follows a restructure of the group’s South Africa-based parent company, Imperial Holdings, which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Imperial Holdings’ automotive division has been “unbundled” and is now listed separately on JSE as Motus Holdings. The company has around 18,300 employees in all, based in South Africa, Australia and the UK, and an annual turnover of around £4.5 billion. Motus Group (UK), the parent of Motus Commercials, has an annual turnover of around £1 billion and about 3,000 employees. Its subsidiaries include Pentagon Motor Group dealers

and two big Mercedes-Benz truck and van dealer operations, S&B Commercials and Orwell Truck & Van.

The latest UK acquisition by Motus (née Imperial) Commercials is F&G Commercials, an independent Daf Trucks dealer group with sites in Manchester, Barnsley, Huddersfield and Oldham. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, has consolidated the Motus Commercials claim to be the largest Daf Trucks dealer group not only in the UK but also in the whole of Europe. There are now 29

Motus-operated Daf dealer sites in the UK, together with three MAN truck dealer sites and numerous light commercial vehicle dealerships franchised by Ford, Volkswagen, Isuzu, Fiat and LDV.

F&G has been in business for 24 years, founded by Frank Woodhead and Glenn Stevenson. “It was not an easy decision to sell the business after so many years, but I do so with complete confidence in Motus to maintain the spirit of customer service that we have always fostered,” says Mr Woodhead.

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NEWS

NORTHERN SIX APPEAL FOR RESTRUCTURED MOTUS GROUP

New Gloucester site: opened last month


“Business has changed over the years. In these days of ever-larger organisations, I am sure Motus will look to channel and even enhance that spirit to the benefit ofcustomers and staff alike.”

As well as its Daf Trucks dealer sales and service operation, F&G Commercials runs a Barnsley, South Yorkshire bodyshop specialising in accident repair. This is included in the Motus deal. Matt Lawrenson is Motus Commercials managing director. “We know the Daf products and have developed a strong relationship with the manufacturer over many years,” he says. “The acquisition of F&G Commercials has been a carefully thought out decision. I can assure customers and suppliers alike that it is our intention to build on the already solid support levels provided by F&G, overlaying those with our own group strengths and expertise. The dealership and repair centre teams have now transferred into the new Motus Commercials operations. The bodybuilder team has also moved, in this case to our sister division, Motus Vehicle Solutions (headed by Peter Glover), where it joins two highly-successful existing bodybuilder operations.”

In a separate development seen as underlining Motus Commercials’ ambitious growth plans, a new £5 million Daf Trucks and Fiat light commercial vehicle dealer site was opened in Gloucester last month. The 1.2-hectare (three-acre) Spinnaker Road site is three miles from the old Imperial Commercials premises at Mercia Road and all staff from there are understood to have moved to the new site.

“Following our acquisition of the F&G Commercials business, this is a further clear commitment to our relationship with Daf Trucks and the UK transport sector,” says Motus Group (UK) chief executive Rob Truscott. “We have an ongoing strategy of investment to expand our group business. We are committed to growth. Not growth at any price, but where we see real opportunity at sensible investment levels. This new Gloucester site delivers on this both for our colleagues at Daf and for us.”

NEWS

NORTHERN SIX APPEAL FOR RESTRUCTURED MOTUS GROUP

Rob Truscott: “committed to growth but not at any price”.

Matt Lawrenson: F&G acquisition is “carefully thought out”.


ards on the table. Influenced unashamedly by fond memories of cutting my truck-testing teeth long ago on

the unforgiving helical-cut gearteeth of manual, constant-mesh gearboxes like the Eaton 12-speed Twin Splitter, I have never been easily convinced of all the benefits claimed for the burgeoning multitude of what are often euphemistically categorised as “advanced driver assistance systems” (ADAS) on new vehicles. I’m not so old-school and churlish as to dismiss

the life-saving capabilities of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems and their electronic brethren but I remain firmly of the view that car-makers in particular (and truck-makers to a lesser extent) are far too ready to rush headlong into automating every last driver task at every possible opportunity. We have access to the technology, therefore we must use it as extensively as possible, as quickly as possible. This would seem to me to be the unspoken guiding principle for far too many vehicle development engineers at present.

So when the latest incarnation of the Mercedes-Benz Actros truck was unveiled last year (Commercial Vehicle Engineer September and December 2018) amid claims of a host of technological “world-firsts”, I confess to being among the more sceptical of observers. Had Mercedes-Benz Trucks engineers fallen into a trendy technology trap and risked alienating many a seasoned truck driver in the process? Now, following a few hours behind the wheel of the new Actros, both in Spain and the UK, my scepticism is almost entirely dispelled. The Mercedes engineers behind this truck deserve enormous credit for having cleverly

C

STEERING CLEAR OF TECHNOLOGY TRAPS

Deliveries of the fifth-generation Actros truck range have just started in the UK. It is described as “a real game-changer” by Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK boss Mike Belk. But will seasoned drivers agree? Tim Blakemore has been behind the wheel in Spain and South Yorkshire to find out.

ACTROS


steered a path around such traps, while still justifiably claiming several firsts.

There is a curious parallel here with that ancient Twin Splitter manual gearbox, however. It is that now, as then, drivers really need time and guidance to learn how best to make use of the technology if they are to make the most of it and take increased satisfaction from doing their job skilfully. Mercedes-Benz Trucks engineers both at Daimler’s Stuttgart base and here in the UK do seem to recognise this fully. Bob Gowans, Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK’s highly-regarded product management and sales technical manager, underlines the point at the company’s Wentworth Park site (called a “customer experience centre” nowadays, following extensive refurbishment) near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

He points to the “four-phase handover procedure” now employed by Mercedes and its UK truck dealers for the new Actros, deliveries of which started here last month, and to a QR code on a plate tucked away neatly behind the driver’s door among the steps. This QR code can be read quickly and easily by a smartphone or tablet computer to take a driver instantly to the new Actros user manual whenever that may be useful. This is one of countless examples of how Mercedes engineers have not simply just adopted some of the latest information technology on this truck, but painstakingly thought through how it can be used by drivers in practice in the harsh commercial world of road transport. “The whole package we offer now (in the new Actros) is, I think, well-balanced,” Mercedes-Benz Trucks boss Stefan Buchner told us at last September’s huge IAA (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) show in Hannover, Germany (Commercial Vehicle Engineer December 2018). After driving a couple of the trucks on various types of road around Barcelona, and then last month one of the first UK-specification 6x2 versions for an hour or two around South Yorkshire, it is hard to argue with the “well-balanced” epithet.

Aside from the obvious absence of conventional external rear-view mirrors, replaced by the slender MirrorCam camera housings atop both doors, there

is precious little in its exterior appearance to distinguish this fifth-generation Actros from its predecessor. But inside the cab and under the skin there is innovation aplenty. Bob Gowans points to seven “core innovations”, namely “Enhanced PPC (predictive powertrain control); Multimedia cockpit; MirrorCam; Active Brake Assist 5; Active Drive Assist; Truck App Portal; and Enhanced Uptime.”

It is all too easy to get bogged down in the Mercedes jargon here and thus perhaps even lose sight of tangible benefits, for drivers as well as for fleet managers focused primarily on safety, efficiency and operating costs. The two innovations which impressed me most on my two recent drives of the Actros are the MirrorCam system and Enhanced PPC.

ACTROS

High and mighty: high-roof GigaSpace cab with options including Multimedia Interactive.

Step change: QR code for easy access guidance.


The Actros is the first production truck anywhere to take advantage of a recent change in the law allowing “indirect vision” systems to replace conventional rear-view mirrors. But many other trucks, buses and coaches are sure to follow suit soon. One legislative snag that persists however lies in the ADR (pan-European) and Safe Loading Pass (UK) regulations governing tankers carrying inflammable liquids and gases, including petrol and diesel. The MirrorCam’s dependence on electrical power always is incompatible at present with the electrical master-switch requirements of this legislation. So tanker operators taking the new Actros will need to specify the option of conventional mirrors. Unsurprisingly, Daimler is among those lobbying hard for a change in the law here.

Like their counterparts at just about every other commercial vehicle manufacturer, Daimler engineers are a little coy about revealing details of component and system suppliers but it soon emerges that the main MirrorCam hardware and software suppliers are Mekra Lang and Bosch. A rival indirect vision system for coaches and trucks from Orlaco of the Netherlands (part of the Stoneridge tachograph-manufacturing group) was much in evidence at last September’s IAA show. But Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK’s

Bob Gowans is right to underline that with any system of this kind it is not a matter of simply buying cameras and display units off a supplier’s shelf and then bolting them on to a vehicle. A huge amount of Mercedes’ own engineering effort has gone into refining the MirrorCam system. The upshot is that drivers will take to it from the word go. That certainly was my feeling after only a few kilometres behind the wheel on Spanish roads. The rearwards view in the screens mounted inside the cab on the windscreen pillars is uncannily like what a driver would expect from conventional, external glass mirrors. Lighting adjusts automatically fast and effectively to ambient light changes, when driving through tunnels for instance. But it is when cornering or reversing an articulated rig that the MirrorCam benefits are a real and immediately obvious boon. The image on the screen on the inside of a curve automatically adapts (through the software controlling the camera lens rather than through any mechanical camera movement) to provide the driver with a clear view of the full length of the semi-trailer. Guidance lines in the display tell the driver at a glance when it is safe to pull back into lane one after overtaking a vehicle. And these lines can easily be

adjusted, when a tractor has been coupled to a different semi-trailer, for instance, to indicate its length precisely, making pin-point reversing on to loading bays a doddle and minimising the risk of costly damage to trailer bodywork. I put this system to a severe impromptu practical test on the Barcelona off-road track where my Spanish test drive started, using a spectacle case measuring only 15x7cm. Having set the MirrorCam trailer length guidance line I then put the slender spectacle case on the ground and set out to

ACTROS

Fingertip control: right side for 12in instrument panel, left for 10in touchscreen.

Spectacularly precise: thanks to MirrorCam.

Pin-sharp: MirrorCam’s nearside view.


reverse a 13.6-metre semi-trailer so that the rear under-run bar was as close as possible to it. With or without spectacles, my vision and presumably that of any other diver would not have been good enough to even consider such an exercise with conventional mirrors. Yet so precise is the MirrorCam’s display’s guidance line and so pin-sharp the image that the trailer and spectacle case alignment in this case were spot-on, first time, with its driver (me) in an unfamiliar and left-hand-drive truck. A tribute to the MirrorCam technology rather than to my limited artic-reversing capability.

The enhanced field of vision for a truck driver resulting from the absence of hefty external mirror arms and heads was strikingly demonstrated on my South Yorkshire test drive. Our route took us through countless roundabouts and other typical UK junctions where driver-door mirrors normally create an irritating blind-spot in which traffic approaching from the right can easily be missed for a dangerous moment or two. Not so from the GigaSpace cab of the Actros 2563LS I was driving.

Predictive Powertrain Control, using satellite navigation data and digital roadmaps programmed into the truck’s on-board computer to refine automated gearshifting patterns and thus improve fuel economy, has been available on the fourth-generation Actros for several years. Other truck-makers, including Scania, Volvo and Daf, offer similar systems. The “enhancement” on the latest Actros involves not only inter-urban routes being added to its capabilities but also clever interaction with the truck’s adaptive cruise-control system. This member of the ubiquitous Mercedes “assist” family is called Proximity Control Assist. Combined with Predictive Powertrain Control, its abilities go further than a rather uninspiring name suggests. They were demonstrated convincingly on one section of our Spanish test route, chosen deliberately by Mercedes engineers for its series of vicious hairpin bends on a narrow, single-carriageway road. Any driver of a laden, 16.5-metre artic negotiating this section of road for the first time would need extreme caution, not least because of the unpredictable severity of each bend.

But, following the recommendation of my Mercedes co-driver, I activated Predictive Powertrain Control and Proximity Control Assist, and suddenly the task ahead became much less daunting. Aware of the radius of each upcoming curve, the system displays a recommended speed for it and then sets the truck speed accordingly, automatically engaging the engine brake as necessary, selecting the best gear for the job, and then accelerating out of the bend. In effect, all I needed to do was steer the truck, unless at any time I chose to override the system.

Back in South Yorkshire the latest PPC system was a tad less impressive. Indeed I chose to switch it off about half way through the trip. Our A- and B-road route took us through a series of villages with speed limits often dropping from 40 to 30mph. The PPC system could cope with this well enough most of the time, recognising where the limit changed and adjusting speed accordingly, though on one occasion oddly it failed to recognise a 30mph limit and would happily have kept us at 40mph had I not intervened. But this was not the principal reason I decided to switch it off for the remainder of this route. I did so because parked cars, vans and other hazards in that string of villages through which we passed meant I

often needed to anticipate the action of oncoming traffic and slow or stop the 44-tonnes-gcw rig in plenty of time. Not even the sophisticated cameras and radar systems behind the latest Actros PPC can do this, of course. Provided a driver understands the limitations of the system, there is no problem. Certainly after only a few minutes at the wheel of the 2663LS in South Yorkshire, and following some brief expert tuition from Mercedes-Benz Truck UK senior trainer Alistair Colquhoun, I felt entirely happy to make full use of PPC from time to time, switching back into manual control at will. One especially impressive feature of the Enhanced PPC system is its ability to detect and display the speed of a vehicle ahead travelling in the same direction as well the distance to it and how that distance is changing.

Mike Belk is Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK managing director. Following my two first drives of the new Actros I find his confidence that this new truck will soon be winning over driver and fleet managers alike easy to understand. “Mercedes-Benz has had incredible success with the Actros, more than 1.2 million units have been delivered since 1996,” he says. “This new truck is a real game-changer though. We are pleased to give UK operators more safety, efficiency and connectivity.”

ACTROS

“The new Actros can make the logistics business significantly safer for all road-users,

and make our customers more efficient”


ewly appointed bosses at commercial vehicle sales and marketing operations in the UK typically like to keep a low profile for about a

year or so before feeling confident enough in their understanding of the market to give press interviews. Not so Robert Grozdanovski. Within a few months of starting work on 1 January this year as Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland managing director he was volunteering his views publicly on a wide range of topics including Brexit and the outlook for the

UK truck market in 2019. But it would be a big mistake to see this as an indication of any sort of brashness. On the contrary, like many fellow senior Swedish managers and engineers, Grozdanovski is soft-spoken and unassuming. An abiding impression left by my interview with him, a little less than six months into his new job, is that rushing into decision-making and taking action hastily unless absolutely necessary is simply not in his nature. At one point, for instance, I observe that on the question of the latest developments in commercial vehicle technology, electrification and self-

driving vehicles in particular, engineers generally fall into one of two camps: those arguing evangelically almost for some sort of revolution and those wedded to evolution. “I’m definitely in the latter camp,” he says, without hesitation. “All of us who have been in the industry a long time realise that this will not happen overnight. There’s a lot of new technology popping up, but it will take time for this to take over. Much of the technology is not really proven yet. Legislation needs to catch up. I think that for quite some time we will still be spending money on developing diesel engines, but in parallel

N

TRUCK MARKETING ROUTE MASTER

What drives the new Volvo Trucks UK managing director? Tim Blakemore went to Warwick to find out.

VOLVO INTERVIEW


we will have to increase spending on other technologies as well. Funding this is a challenge for all manufacturers. At Volvo Group we are well positioned, trying to cover all areas, I would say, by co-operating with other players for future technology.”

Doubtless one of the “future technology players” Grozdanovski has in mind is Samsung SDI, the giant South Korea-based manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, with which Volvo Group has teamed up in a recently announced “strategic alliance” focused on electric truck battery pack development (page 10).

One aspect of futuristic technology however in which Volvo Trucks seems on the face of it to be dragging its feet, at least by comparison with sister company Renault Trucks and arch-rival Scania, is the use of headsets ( “optical head-mounted displays” in the technical jargon) by technicians to help diagnose faults quickly and benefit from expert, on-the-spot guidance on repair and maintenance tasks from a remote call centre. Renault Trucks UK dealers have begun a trial of such headsets, powered by what is called Optiview augmented reality software. Scania (Great Britain) dealer workshops are understood to be about to adopt something similar (Commercial Vehicle Engineer July).

Far too polite to object strongly and openly to what he probably regarded as my rather short-sighted view of the subject, Grozdanovski instead just discreetly reminds me of the most recent finals of the biennial Volvo Group global skills competition, called VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Awards), held in Brazil in July 2018. One of the tasks faced by the 40 teams in the finals (whittled down from 4,800 original entrants) required

use of just such headsets, he points out. The MC Hammers team of four from MC Truck & Bus, an independent Volvo truck dealer based in Essex, came a highly creditable sixth overall in last year’s VISTA competition. The potential for using optical head-mounted displays like these to improve workshop efficiency and quality of service to truck operators will not have escaped MC Truck & Bus and indeed all other Volvo Truck dealers, both independent and Volvo-owned, in the UK. Grozdanovski unquestionably recognises it, citing the recently introduced innovative Volvo gas-fuelled trucks as an example of how this information technology could be put to good use.

Head start: augmented reality headset in use in last year’s VISTA skills competition.

MC Truck & Bus team: among the top six at Volvo Trucks “world championship”.

VOLVO INTERVIEW


His idea is to have a single, centralised training centre for the specialised repair and maintenance of trucks running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). But rather than technicians having to travel to this centre, possibly in the UK, from all over Europe, instead they could stay in their own workshops and benefit from the training through the headsets. “It’s a super cost-efficient way of doing it,” says Grozdanovski. Watch this space.

One aspect of technician training in general that has been in the news lately is the UK government’s controversial “apprenticeship levy” and in particular its plans to cut substantially the funding per apprentice from later this year (Commercial Vehicle Engineer July). What are Grozdanovski’s views on this? As someone with extensive experience of running truck sales and marketing businesses in other parts of Europe (vice president of Volvo Group’s central east Europe truck operation for three years until coming to the UK, and previously successively as Volvo’s truck boss in Slovakia and then Czech Republic) how does he see the UK by comparison?

His answer is sure to surprise the many who tend to regard the UK as having had undervalued apprenticeship schemes for far too long by comparison with continental European countries, Germany in particular. “I think the whole way the apprenticeship system is organised here in the UK is fantastic,” he says. “I really think it’s something unique. In principle, I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

Austria is part of the central and eastern European Volvo Trucks region recently headed by Grozdanovski. The Lehrling (German for apprentice) system operating there is “pretty similar” to the UK’s, he concedes, but elsewhere in central and eastern Europe and even in Scandinavia there is nothing like it, he maintains. “There are technical schools from which we were getting youngsters to gain practical experience, but it was not as consistent as the apprenticeship schemes here.”

On the specifics of the latest apprenticeship levy plans, Grozdanovski is reluctant to join those who denounce the entire scheme as scarcely more than a stealth tax, not least because its introduction pre-dates his arrival here. But he is critical of the latest plans to cut government funding per apprentice.

“I think it would be a pity if the amount by which companies can benefit from the system were reduced,” he says. “For us it would mean a drop from £6,000 per

apprentice per year to £5,000. So that would mean £3,000 in total over the three-year apprenticeship. But already today companies like ours put in a lot of additional money to improve the programmes. So we invest in engines, gearboxes and equipment for the colleges, for example. If this government funding cut goes ahead there is a risk that the general quality of apprenticeships might deteriorate over time. That would be a pity. The system is really great at present.”

“There are technical schools from which we were getting youngsters to gain practical experience, but it was not as consistent as

the apprenticeship schemes here”

Work in progress: “We are not as strong in the tractor unit sector (of the UK truck market) as I had expected,” says Grozdanovski. This 500hp FH 6x2 is one of five just ordered by Greencarrier Freight Services of East Anglia.

VOLVO INTERVIEW


At the latest Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland apprentice graduation ceremony recently Grozdanovski emphasised how many current senior Volvo Group managers had started their careers as apprentices. He is an engineer, but one whose career followed a slightly different route. Born and brought up in Gothenburg, Volvo’s home city on Sweden’s west coast, he graduated from the city’s Chalmers University of Technology with a mechanical engineering degree before joining Volvo Bus in 1997.

Though no stranger to the UK (his two daughters are studying at universities here), Grozdanovski deliberately spent the first couple of months in his new job touring the country, visiting dealers and their customers. “Now I’m starting to get an understanding of the market, of how things are connected, and I’m slowly developing a feeling of where the biggest challenges lie and where there are possibilities to improve things,” he says. “One of the biggest challenges is Brexit, but we can’t influence that. It unfortunately creates difficulties for our customers. They don’t know which leg to stand on. That’s a complication which then impacts us as well. As a market company we are prepared and have done as much as we can to ensure a good level of parts stock in our central UK warehouse as well as at dealer sites, in case there are border challenges resulting from a hard Brexit. For truck imports we have chased every truck ordered that is scheduled to enter the UK before 31 October and have secured that we will have a smooth inflow of trucks to the UK and Ireland, with a new import flow just established directly to Dublin from the continent. We have measures in place in case of any eventual disruption, but as with all other businesses, together with our customers we wonder what the final outcome will be.”

One subject on which Grozdanovski’s opposite numbers at other truck makers in the UK have been vociferous over the past year or two is the truck market information published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), an organisation to which they all pay hefty membership fees. The SMMT no longer publishes detailed, timely registration

statistics on various truck market sectors as it previously did for many decades. When Thomas Hemmerich, MAN Truck & Bus UK was asked for his views on this by Commercial Vehicle Engineer just over a year ago he wondered how anyone could properly steer their business without access to “proper statistical data.” He had encountered nothing like the poor UK truck market data from the SMMT in any of the many countries he had previously worked in, even in Africa.

Seemingly in response to complaints like this, the SMMT has recently begun providing truck-makers at least with a little more monthly information on truck registrations, but still in nothing like the previous detail.

Is Grozdanovski happy with the SMMT data his company receives, especially by comparison with the other European markets in which he has worked?

“Had I arrived here six months earlier I probably would not be happy,” he replies. “Now at least the data is.........OK. Now we receive our own registrations data every month but the full picture of the whole market we still get only quarterly. We can’t see what others are doing month by month. I would support moving it fully forward to having all truck registrations data published every month. That’s how it is more or less everywhere else in Europe. To those who argue that this would adversely affect competition I say that it is the opposite.

With full access to the data month by month we would be fighting even harder.”

What does the available data, limited though it is, tell him about Volvo Group’s position at present in the UK truck market? Grozdanovski’s naturally measured, pragmatic approach to challenges such as growing market share comes over strongly in his answer to this question.

“The UK truck market (16 tonnes gvw plus) is about 24% up so far this year (by comparison with 2018),” he says. “We are also up, with a market share about 16%. That is more or less where we finished last year. Is it good, is it bad, is it enough? Do we want more?” He leaves the questions hanging in the air.

“Normally, growing market share comes with a price tag,” he says. “We try to balance things. But with our history here in the UK I think we should have a little bit more.”

Grozdanovski is pleased with Volvo’s progress being made in the eight-wheeled tipper market sector here, less so with tractive unit sales.

“We have the best tractor in the market, whether it’s 4x2 or 6x2, that’s my claim,” he smiles. “We are not as strong in this sector as I expected. It could be connected with this sector being dominated by big fleets, where price has a big influence. We have some work to do here.”

On the up and up: Volvo’s share of the eight-wheeled tipper sector is growing.

VOLVO INTERVIEW


Does a hotbox vehicle need to be allocated to an operator licence?

We have never allocated it to our licence, but we have been informed that this may now be required.

‘Hotbox’ vehicles could previously be operated under the following

exemption from the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995:‘A vehicle fitted with a machine,

appliance, apparatus or other contrivance which is a permanent or essentially permanent fixture, provided that the only goods carried on the vehicle are: (a) Required for use in connection with the machine, appliance, apparatus or contrivance or the running of the vehicle.

However, the Goods and Motor Vehicles (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 September 2018 and changed this provision. It now substitutes (a) Above with: (a) Water, fuel, accumulators and other equipment used for the purpose of propulsion or the running of the vehicle, loose tools and loose equipment.

As we understand, this would now bring ‘hotbox’ vehicles into the scope of operator licensing.

I recently attended my doctor’s surgery as I have been suffering

from excessive tiredness. The doctor has proposed to remove my vocational driving licence until tests are carried out for obstructive sleep apnoea. Do you know how long my licence will be suspended for?

Unfortunately, there is no prescribed time for the return of a vocational

driving licence after diagnosis of sleep apnoea.

If it is suspected that you have obstructive sleep apnoea, you must not drive but there is no requirement to notify DVLA until your condition is confirmed or after three months of unsuccessful treatment, whichever comes first.

If the condition is confirmed, in order for DVLA to return your licence to you, they must be satisfied that a) the condition is being controlled, b) sleepiness has improved, and c) you are adhering to treatment. Confirmation of the above will be required from your doctor and you will thereafter be subject to annual licence reviews.

We occasionally use an agricultural tractor to pull a

trailer of bulk materials to site where we carry out engineering work. Is this exempt from operator licensing and can we use red diesel?

There would be no exemption available from operator licensing for

the type of work described. The available exemptions for tractors are all relative to work in connection with farming.

The main reason why tractors performing haulage of non-agricultural goods are brought into scope of O- licensing is in the interests of fair competition. If another company is performing the same type of journeys using a lorry, it is DVSA’s view that there

THE TRUCK ADVOCATEGRT 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.

is no reason why the tractor should not be similarly licensed and held to the same standard as the lorry.

With reference to section 8.3 of Excise Note 75, it states that for a tractor to qualify as an excepted vehicle, it must be an agricultural tractor designed and constructed primarily for use otherwise on roads. It must not be used on public roads except for: A) Purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry. B) Cutting verges bordering public roads. C) Cutting hedges or trees bordering public roads or bordering verges which border public roads. D) From 01 November 2013, gritting of roads including travel to and from where gritting takes place, and for the collection of equipment and material for gritting.

Therefore, the use of red diesel would not be permitted for the journeys undertaken.

I run a marquee company and we have one 7.5 tonne vehicle

which is used during our peak season. I’ve heard different stories from various people and I’m unsure what set of drivers’ hours rules we should be adhering to?

An exemption from EU rules exists for vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes

that are used for carrying materials, equipment or machinery for the driver’s use in the course of their work and which are used only within a 100km radius from the base of the undertaking and on the condition that driving the vehicle does not constitute the driver’s main activity.

If you are able to fit into the above criteria, you would be exempt from EU rules and would transfer onto GB domestic rules.

Additionally, if your driver drives for less than four hours on every day of the week, you would be exempt from the 11-hour duty limit. Records are technically not required if the driver drives less than four hours per day, but we would recommend keeping a log book which should be checked and signed on a weekly basis by management.

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NEWS FROM THE NORTH


NEWS FROM THE NORTH ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN

TruckScotSceneOriginally published in

The latest Scania S650 6x2 tag axle unit to join the Alford based fleet of W&W Mackie, supplied by Scania Trucks in Aberdeen. Photo: Ian Lawson.

Campbell Plant Hire of Inverness put this new Scania P410 XT 8x2 rigid to work in April, equipped with a Fassi crane and beavertail body. Photo: Ian Lawson.

New DAF XF that has recently joined the Portsoy fleet of Barclays Transport. Pictured on the A96, near Elgin. Photo: James Smith.


Scania G450 eight wheel tipper in the Breedon livery, owned and operated by WJ&J Green of Corskie Farm, Garmouth. Photo: Sharon Moffat.

Forfar based AAD Transport recently put this new Scania S500 6x2 mid lift tractor unit on the road. Photo: Ian Lawson.

D Steven & Son have added several new Scania S650’s to their all Scania fleet, supplied by Scania Inverness. Photo: Mervyn Walker.

Smart livery on this Scania R500 for W Walker with matching livestock trailer. Photo: Colin Valentine.

Dyke, near Forres based bulk haulier WS Macarthur has just put this Scania S500 into its fleet. Supplied by Scania Inverness with decals by Steven Driver. Photo: Mervyn Walker.

Peterhead based Jackson Trawls are leading independent commercial fishing net manufacturers. Here is their new Scania P370 8-wheel crane truck. Photo: Ian Lawson.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH


A new William Nichol Volvo 6x2 and tanker rig. Taken on the M74 Nether Howecleuch. Photo: Lucy Sames.

New addition to Di-Al Transport based near Methlick is this DAF Euro 6 XF. Photo: Alan Shearer.

Scania S Series in Lochwinnoch Motors heavy haulage livery. Photo: Colin Valentine.

Carnoustie haulier Ian Roberts’ Ivceo Stralis, taken on the M74 (J14). Photo: Lucy Sames.

South Uist based ND Macaskill & Son put this new Volvo FH16 750 Globetrotter 6x2 tag axle unit on the road supplied by Volvo Truck & Bus, Inverness. Photo: Ross Lawson.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN


PEOPLE

Charity fund-raising, especially the pedal-powered variety, continues to attract widespread and

growing generous support from the UK motor industry, seemingly regardless of the precarious state of the market and deepening worries of the risk of yet further Brexit-related chaos. Two events last month, one in north-western England and another in the south-east, illustrate the point vividly.

For the third year in a row a team of cyclists from Mercedes-Benz Van UK took part in the annual Manchester-to-Blackpool ride staged by The Christie cancer charity. Around 80 members of the Mercedes-Benz Van team, including customers, dealer staff and suppliers as well as Mercedes employees, joined about 6,000 others on the 62-mile ride. Among them was Mercedes-Benz Vans UK managing director Steve Bridge. “This is a fantastic event and one that I now look forward to each July,” he says. “I’m tremendously proud of the team and delighted that we’ve again smashed our £20,000 target.”

Uppermost in the minds of several members of the Mercedes team were two highly-regarded van sales managers who lost their lives to cancer recently.

Martyn Donnelly, who had worked alongside many of them, died in October 2017 after two years fighting against stomach cancer. He was 55 and had been a keen cyclist.

Tim Page joined the Rygor Commercials dealer group in 2003 after seven years at East Anglia-based Orwell Truck & Van. Mr Page lost a short battle with cancer early this year. Rygor director Paul Reed was among several employees from the West Country-based dealer group to take part in this year’s ride. “We’ve all had loved ones who have died from or overcome cancer or are struggling with it right now,” says Steve Bridge.

“We hope that the money we’ve raised will mean that in the future more people like Tim and Martyn survive this awful disease.”

More information at: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/ mercedes-benz-vans-uk-fundraising

O n the same day (7 July) as the Manchester-to-Blackpool ride, the latest fund-raising event in

an annual “industry leader challenge” series reached its climax at the Thames Barrier in east London. This is where the trio of senior managers who had accepted the Ben charity challenge this year completed their three-day, 171-mile ride, most of which had been carried out literally on the Thames, rather than alongside it, on Schiller waterbikes. As this edition of Commercial Vehicle Engineer was closing this month the total raised for the Ben charity by this year’s event was over £202,000 and still growing.

The fundraising target for the trio (Volvo Car UK managing director Jon Wakefield, Allianz Partners UK & Ireland chief executive Tim Tozer, and Group 1 Automotive managing director Darren Guiver) is £300,000,

and they remain confident that this can be reached.

“I can’t even put into words how it felt to be part of the Epic Thames Waterbike Ride,” says Jon Wakefield. “It really was the experience of a lifetime but also the toughest thing I’ve ever done. We pushed ourselves harder than ever before to complete this and raise as much money as possible for Ben. Huge thanks to everyone who donated.”

Pedal power unleashed: the Mercedes-Benz Vans team set to raise £20,000-plus.

Triumphant trio: accepting Ben’s 171-mile Thames challenge.

PEOPLE


Forklift truck drivers are being encouraged to put their skills to the test in a competition to be

run at a big materials handling equipment show in September. The competition, called Forklift Operator Challenge, is being organised by Talent in Logistics, a recruitment and training division of the Telford, Shropshire-based CapitB company which trades as RTITB (originally the Road Transport Industry Training Board). The competition is run in partnership with UniCarriers UK, a Thame, Oxfordshire-based supplier of forklifts and other material handling equipment.

Ruth Edwards is Talent in Logistics business manager. “Forklift operators don’t tend to get recognised often for their hard work, which is why we want to celebrate these individuals and encourage them to continue their efforts,” she says. “The Forklift Operator Challenge will also demonstrate the importance of skilled, safe and efficient forklift operators to the productivity and profitability of any company.”

The competition will take place at the IMHX 2019 show at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), running from 24 to 27 September. The organisers say the competition is open to “any qualified counterbalance lift-truck operator”. Entrants can register to take part at the IMHX show (stand 6B190) or in advance by e-mailing [email protected].

“The operators taking part will use the award-winning UniCarriers TX3 electric counterbalance truck, and UniCarriers will provide each entrant with a truck familiarisation session before they compete to ensure that they enjoy the truck’s new technology and extra features,” says UniCarriers UK sales director Chris Bates.

More than 400 exhibitors at IMHX 2019 make it, according to organiser Informa group of London, “the largest international logistics solutions exhibition in the UK.” Rob Fisher is event director. “Transport, logistics and the supply chain need ever-increasing and changing skills to keep Britain moving,” he says.

“The Forklift Operator Challenge is just one of a number of features planned that will highlight the importance of skills and training at IMHX 2019.”

One of the biggest of all IMHX stands this year will be taken by Doosan Industrial Vehicle, a giant multinational manufacturer of forklift trucks, based in South Korea.

“This year at IMHX we hope to demonstrate to our fast-growing UK customer base that Doosan has an established and rapidly expanding portfolio of materials handling equipment designed and built to drive performance in just about every industrial sector,” says Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK sales and marketing director Brian Grady. “IMHX gives us a valuable platform to display our latest product advances and allows visitors to see first-hand the strong design features that make Doosan products the robust, reliable, high-performance workhorses favoured by a broad cross-section of industries.”

Rapidly growing interest in electric vehicles of all kind, including forklift trucks, will be reflected in Doosan exhibits, but the company is keen to stress that “diesel is set to remain a significant power source for heavy handling tasks for some time to come.” This is underlined by the latest Doosan diesel engines, designed to satisfy the latest “Stage 5” European Union emissions limits, going on show for the first time in the UK at IMHX 2019.

More information at www.imhx.net.

C ontinuing growth at Wheely-Safe, manufacturer of an increasingly popular tyre

pressure management system (TPMS) adopted by Michelin under a licensing agreement, has prompted recruitment of Martin O’Shea to take charge of quality control.

Mr O’Shea, 53, joins Wheely-Safe’s parent company, GX2 Technology Group, from UTC Aerospace Systems where he had been a senior development engineer since 2011. Before that he worked on steering systems at TRW Automotive as a supervising test technician.

Wheely-Safe and GX2 Technology Group were set up and are now headed by Gary Broadfield and Gary Thomas (Commercial Vehicle Engineer, August 2018). Mr O’Shea now reports to Mr Thomas, with responsibilities including testing and certifying TPMS prototypes as well the quality of finished products.

The latest Fit2Go TPMS products were unveiled in January, all with sensors designed to fit easily on tyre valves. The Wheely-Safe heavy vehicle wheel-security system is now reckoned to be in use by more than 100 UK truck, bus and coach fleets, and the light-vehicle Wheely-Safe/Michelin TPMS is fitted to thousands of vehicles.

“I met the company owners during the interview process and was sold on their enthusiasm and product development plans,” says Mr O’Shea. “I knew immediately that this was a chance to be part of something which is going to make a major contribution to road safety.”

Martin O’Shea

PEOPLE

mailto:talentinlogistics%40capitb.co.uk?subject=

https://www.imhx.net/en/home.html

BEHIND THE LATEST ACTROS WHEEL · Actros truck boasts greater refinement in this technological field than any rival to date (page 14), including its “world first” MirrorCam system.

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