Driver shortage submission and Queen’s Honours recognition

INDUSTRY

The RHA has made an emergency submission to the government today demanding that it steps in and sorts out the industry’s driver shortage, before it undermines the fragile economic recovery. It comes as a survey from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) revealed that 74% of its members worked in organisations experiencing a shortage of HGV drivers. It also found 89% believe the government is not doing enough to deal with the problem.

London mayoral candidate Diane Abbott has called for the introduction of an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in the capital by 2018, two years ahead of plans proposed by current mayor Boris Johnson. Abbott secured a Commons debate on London’s poor air quality on 9 June, claiming City Hall has “abjectly failed in their duty to protect Londoners”.

Industrial action by DVSA vehicle testing staff has been averted after a positive meeting between the government agency and trade union Prospect earlier this month. The meeting covered union concerns about the new contracts vehicle testers are being asked to sign up to as part of the introduction of the Next Generation Testing (NGT) model. It came after strike action due in May was called off in favour of the talks.

OPERATORS

Eddie Stobart Logistics has said that its revenue and profits are growing, and it is ahead of its targets, in its first year of trading under the majority ownership of private investors. It was revealed to investors that, in the period since its partial disposal on 10 April 2014 to the close of its financial year on 28 February 2015 Eddie Stobart Logistics made an underlying pre-tax profit of £14.8m, of which Stobart Group takes a £7.3m share

Haulage consortium Jigsaw has added a trio of pieces to its puzzle in the form of three new partner hauliers. PC Howard, Nolan Transport and Montgomery Transport have joined the consortium’s 10 other members, which include CM Downton (Jigsaw’s parent company), Elddis Transport and the Widdowson Group. Jigsaw said the new partners, based in Peterborough, Dublin and Newtonabbey respectively, will give the consortium “greater scalability, flexibility and capacity as the business grows”

Whistl has confirmed that it will be ending its final mile delivery service, which it suspended last month. The company, previously known as TNT Post, said in May that it had made the “difficult decision” to suspend the service in London, Manchester and Liverpool, after potential investment partner LDC, a branch of Lloyds Banking Group, decided against funding the company’s expansion plans.

PEOPLE

The DVSA has announced that its chief executive, Alastair Peoples, is to retire from the civil service in October. Peoples has been chief executive at the DVSA since its formation and was previously chief executive at Vosa, which was merged with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) to create the DVSA in April 2014. Prior to becoming chief executive of Vosa in 2009, Peoples held the roles of operations director and deputy chief executive there.

Janet Wilkinson, communications manager at the SMMT, has been awarded an MBE for services to the motor industry and charitable services. Wilkinson, who joined the SMMT in 1974, has spent the majority of her career with the society, where she has been instrumental in the organisation of leading industry events such as the CV Show and the British International Motor Show.