FTA sets out Scotland's rail freight infrastructure funding needs 13 July 2007

FTA has today welcomed the publication by Scottish Ministers of the High Level Output Specification ("HLOS") for Scotland's Railways. This is the first time that Scottish Ministers have published their specification for the railways in Scotland under devolved arrangements. A similar publication for England is due before the end of July. This is good news for Scotland and the UK as it sets out spending on rail from 2009 to 2014, supporting maintenance of the current level of service on the existing network and including improvements to be delivered such as the Stirling - Alloa - Kirkaldy line which will have freight benefits. Additional schemes to deliver infrastructure and capacity enhancements to benefit freight as well as passenger services will also be explored. The HLOS is however lacking in detailing Industry's freight needs. To fill the gap, FTA has produced Scottish Industry's demands for a World - class transport infrastructure to enable Scotland to compete in the Global economy. It can be accessed by clicking here . Chris MacRae, FTA's Rail Freight and Global Supply Chain Service Manager said, "It is vital that the correct infrastructure investment is put in place to allow rail freight in Scotland to meet the challenges of both the Stern and Eddington Reports. Sir Rod Eddington identified that it is infrastructure constraints that are most likely to impact upon a nation's productivity and competitiveness and that Government should prioritise action on those parts of the transport system that are critical in supporting economic growth." MacRae concluded "We will be pursuing these recommendations with Ministers and Transport Scotland to ensure that rail can best serve the needs of Scottish and wider UK industry."

Stop the Fuel Duty Rise" says RHA 13 July 2007

The RHA has written to the new chancellor Alistair Darling urging him to defer next October’s 2ppl increase in fuel duty the then chancellor Gordon Brown announced in his March Budget. “We cannot believe that with oil prices back up to last year’s record levels that a duty increase makes any sense” said RHA Chief Executive Roger King. “Indeed when they were last up at around $78 per barrel the chancellor froze further duty increases. We are asking the current chancellor to emulate the policy of his predecessor who is now, of course prime minister”. The RHA again points out that the growing number of foreign trucks operating within the UK do not pay UK fuel duty and thus enjoy a competitive advantage over UK operators. “In October, this will mean a fuel price differential of around 28ppl, a huge competitive benefit”, said Roger King. “All hauliers have to accommodate the world price of oil but only the UK singles out its own hauliers for punishment by taxation. We hope Alistair Darling responds positively”.

Mercedes-Benz lands a winning hat-trick 12 July 2007

Mercedes-Benz stole the show at the UK transport industry’s ‘Oscars’ ceremony by scooping three of the event’s top awards. Judges at the annual Motor Transport Awards 2007 awarded their three premier prizes – for the best truck, best van and best commercial vehicle dealership in the country – to the Mercedes Axor, Mercedes Sprinter, and Northside Truck and Van. Addressing a crowd of more than 1,400 people, including some of the industry’s most influential figures, a jubilant Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Managing Director Ian Jones declared: “This is a fantastic achievement. To win all three of these highly coveted awards is a true indication that both our products and our dealer network are exactly what the market requires. “Axor, a truck designed for Britain, fought off strong competition from both DAF and MAN. Our new Sprinter, meanwhile, proved once again that it’s the best van range on the market today.” He continued: “The award for Northside Truck and Van marks the unstinting efforts made by the company, our representative in West and South Yorkshire, but also reflects the hard work and huge investment put in across our entire national dealer network, to bring the highest possible levels of service to all of our customers.” The prizes were presented at a glittering gala evening held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday 4th July. Awarding the title of Fleet Truck of the Year to the Mercedes Axor, judges paid tribute to its superb fuel economy, describing it simply as: “The best in its class on fuel.” Other comments included: • “Good mpg and a simple truck that fits well into the fleet market”, • “First-rate reliability and class-leading whole-life costs”, and • “Good on fuel, with good support”. Meanwhile safety was among the trump cards that helped the Mercedes Sprinter win the Fleet Van of the Year award. The judges said: “Its focus on safety helps cater for Duty of Care concerns.” Other comments included: “Its commitment to safety is second to none,” and “Probably the best-engineered van on the market”. In the keenly-fought Dealer of the Year category, which was open to representatives of all manufacturers across the UK, the judging panel said Northside Truck and Van was “a company that has been transformed since its change of ownership two years ago”. They continued: “It is customer-focused and has dedicated staff, and is a business going in the right direction. There has been substantial growth and a dramatic improvement in profitability in two years of ownership.” The Mercedes Axor was designed specifically for the UK fleet market and had been a huge hit since the original model’s launch in 2002. The award was its second in three years – it also scooped the Fleet Truck of the Year title at the Motor Transport Awards in 2005. The new Mercedes Sprinter was launched just over a year ago but has already won an impressive crop of industry awards. The range took 400 design engineers five years to develop, at a cost of £1.25 billion, and immediately set new standards in terms of productivity, refinement and safety. Northside Truck and Van is the official Mercedes-Benz dealer for West and South Yorkshire. It underwent a change of ownership in the summer of 2005, when Lanarkshire-based SAH Ltd bought the company in a deal worth more than £13 million. Since then it has invested heavily in improvements at all its sites. Along with a head office in Bradford and outlets in Leeds and Sheffield, the company recently opened a purpose-built, £4.6-million dealership on a five-acre site in Doncaster, which includes a van showroom and 10-bay workshop.