No wonder UK truckers have been staging protests. Escalating fuel costs, green zone charges, increasing competition from foreign hauliers etc  something has to give. Well, valuable help is now at hand from renowned tuners Paramount Performance regarding fuel costs. No, they can't reduce the price of fuel, but then can retune most turbo diesels to run more economically  up to 20 per cent in many cases!

Paramount built their name on tuning performance cars for more power, but are increasingly required to use their renowned engine management skills to make turbo diesel engines run more economically. By using proven plug and play' economy devices or engine remapping techniques, they can deliver savings of up to 20 per cent for the majority trucks, vans and taxis, plus even tractors, excavators and other farm and industrial machinery  in fact just about anything powered by a turbo diesel engine.

The European Parliament has just approved a framework project for cabotage. Cabotage is set to be limited to three pick-ups and deliveries in a foreign country within a seven day period, if this follows on from an international transport mission. The MEP's are planning for a gradual easing of these restrictions, however, so that by January 1st 2014 road cabotage will be totally liberalised. They have also asked the Commission to undertake a study into the differences in terms of fiscal regimes and working conditions between the member states, in order to avoid social dumping. The Parliament has also redefined the criteria for carrying out the profession of road transporter. Amongst the criteria are: transport managers will have to prove their capacity to carry out this function via an exam, they must be a resident of a member state and have their operational premises in the same state, and they cannot be a director of more than four companies.

For over 25 years Cheshire-based PR Bozon Transport - which deliver concrete blocks and brick to building sites and merchants - have only ever purchased Volvo trucks. So when the chance came to replace one of the four vehicles on the fleet, the choice was not difficult.

“My first Volvo was an F12 which was back in 1981,” commented Managing Director Peter Bozon. “It was a terrific truck and I haven’t purchased another marque since.”

The newcomer, a Volvo FM-400 8x4 400hp rigid plated for 32 tonnes GCW, comes with a Day cab in ‘Fleet’ trim and joins the rest of the all-Volvo FM fleet. The vehicle is also fitted with an Atlas 105.2 crane.

Local Volvo dealership, Thomas Hardie Commercials of Middlewich supplied the vehicle, in conjunction with Thomas Hardie Engineering of Chorley, Lancs, who bodied and fitted the vehicle with its state-of-the-art crane.

After receiving the vehicle from Mark Lingard, Thomas Hardie’s Area Sales Manager, Peter said that, “Hardie’s made purchasing the vehicle extremely easy by looking after the complete process professionally and efficiently from start to finish.”
PR Bozon’s latest Volvo FM is on a 5-year repair and maintenance contract at Thomas Hardie Commercial’s Middlewich depot. Peter commented that, “All my vehicles are serviced and maintained at Thomas Hardie,” adding that, “the service they provide is excellent.”

Источник: Easier.com

The Volvo Group and its subsidiary Mack Trucks Inc., are participating in joint environmental program with the governments of the United States and Sweden aimed at reducing consumption of fossil fuel by focusing on projectswithin the areas of energy and vehicle development.
  The project is to be cost-shared between the Volvo Group, of which Mack is a part, and DOE, and the combined investment is expected to be in the range of $9 million.
  For Volvo, it would involve producing powertrains based on alternative fuels suitable for heavy vehicles. The cooperation is a result of a research and development agreement signed by the two governments. The Volvo Group will be a cooperation partner in a number of projects conducted under this agreement.
  The projects include the development of hybrid technology for heavy vehicles and analyses of how various biofuels impact on diesel engines, with the aim of further improving fuel economy and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
  Jan-Eric Sundgren, a member of Volvo Group executive committee, said, "This means that we can implement a number of projects within the environmental area that would otherwise have not been possible. We hope that our participation will lead to more cooperation aimed at sustainable development.
  Mack Trucks President and CEO Paul L. Vikner said the project has an initial goal of reducing fuel consumption and primary CO2 emissions from heavy-duty trucks by more than 10 percent.
  "These cooperative ventures are absolutely critical," Vikner said. "Governments, companies and universities must work together to ensure the successful development and commercialization of environmentally friendly technologies."
  As part of the project, Mack will investigate the reduction of CO2 emissions from heavy-duty trucks through a focus on very high fuel economy. This will include advanced hybrid technologies and conversion of exhaust heat, which would otherwise be wasted, to useful energy. The project's other main goal is optimized use of biofuels in diesel engines and evaluation of the characteristics of several bio-based alternative diesel fuels.

    www.trucki,nginfo.com

Hypermiling four-wheelers who tailgate trucks to improve gas mileage have made headlines recently, despite safety warnings against the dangerous practice.

  With gas prices up and no relief in sight, some four-wheelers, termed hypermilers, have become obsessed with bettering their fuel mileage by any means necessary. A common technique is drafting, tailgating big rigs to ride the vacuum the truck creates as it goes forward.

  Despite many warnings against the practice, some drivers may try it nonetheless.

  Too many car-truck crashes occur because cars are following trucks too closely, said Stephen Campbell, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

  If motorists are drafting, the truck driver more than likely cannot see them, Campbell said. Enforcement officers are on the lookout for, and will take action on, these unsafe and dangerous driving behaviors by four-wheelers around trucks.

  Few driving behaviors are more dangerous than drafting, which generally prevents the motorist from seeing around the truck, said Bill Graves, ATA president.

  Drafting is unsafe, illegal and significantly increases the chances of injury and death, Graves said. This practice compromises the safety of everyone on the nation's highways and must not be considered a viable means of extending fuel mileage.

    www.rha.net

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   www.rha.net

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has $1.7 million available to governments and non-profit organizations for clean diesel projects.

   Agency officials are taking applications until July 31 under the Voluntary Diesel Retrofit program as part of the USA 2007 Northeast Diesel Collaborative Emissions Reductions Grant Program.
The EPA is accepting applications for the Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program from states and local governments, federally recognized Indian tribes, international organizations, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals and other public or private non-profit institutions.
All projects must demonstrate innovative pollution reduction among on- and off-road vehicles and equipment, including heavy trucks, and must benefit the air quality in the area that includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont and federally recognized tribal lands in these regions.
Projects may include add-on pollution control technology, engine or vehicle replacement, idle reduction technologies or strategies and cleaner fuel use.

    www.epa.gov

Volvo Trucks have presented its contribution to increased traffic safety to Åsa Torstensson, Swedish Minister of Enterprise, Energy, and Communications and the national coalition for Vision Zero – a Swedish initiative that aims to reduce serious accidents on the road to zero by 2020.
After many years of studying traffic accidents, Volvo Trucks places fatigue and alcohol at the top of the agenda as statistics clearly indicate that these factors contribute to a great number of traffic accidents.

     www.duemotori.com

Navistar International Corp. announced late Wednesday that it has filed a counter-complaint against Ford Motor Co. for breach of contract and is seeking damages.
Navistar filed its counter-complaint following a hearing before Judge John J. McDonald of the Circuit Court of Oakland County, Mich. The hearing related to a lawsuit filed by Ford against Navistar involving 2007 engine pricing and prior period warranty claims. Navistar counter-sued, stating that pricing is consistent with contractual agreements, that the warranty claims are entirely without merit and that Ford has stopped honoring the terms of an agreement under which engines were built.
Navistar amended its counter-complaint in Wednesday's filing. Two previous hearings have been held and Judge McDonald has asked the two companies to meet privately to see if a settlement to the dispute could be reached prior to a trial.
At Wednesday's hearing, Judge McDonald set a schedule for discovery and other events in the case.
Navistar's principal operating company, International Truck and Engine Corp., has been the exclusive diesel engine supplier for Ford's heavy-duty pickup trucks since 1979 and recently launched a new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel engine that meets 2007 emissions standards while increasing performance, durability and fuel economy.
Ford, using International-manufactured Power Stroke diesel engines, has enjoyed leadership market share of close to 50 percent for many years. Navistar believes the new Power Stroke 6.4L diesel engines provide Ford the opportunity to maintain or improve this leadership position.
The amended counter-complaint filed Wednesday states that Ford's breach is based on indications that Ford plans to develop its own diesel engine for introduction prior to 2012. Ford's failure to honor the contract, which runs through 2012, entitles Navistar to damages that have been preliminarily calculated to more than $2 billion, the complaint states. In addition, Navistar states that Ford's actions are interfering with supply-base agreements.
www.truckinginfo.com

The London mayor is likely to draw criticism from businesses today as he outlines plans to create a low-emission zone (LEZ) in the capital.
Ken Livingstone is expected to confirm that older, "dirtier" lorries and buses will be charged £200 a day to drive in London. London First, a lobby group for businesses in the capital, has warned that the scheme will hit smaller firms that cannot afford modern vehicles that are exempt.
Mr Livingstone also plans to adapt the £8-a-day congestion charge so the most polluting vehicles pay £25 a day to enter. The LEZ will cover all of London's 33 boroughs, rather than the smaller congestion zone, which straddles central and western areas of the city. The new zone will be policed by existing congestion charge cameras, which monitor traffic entering the capital. Fines will be far more punitive than the congestion scheme, with transgressors facing a bill of up to £1,000.
The LEZ has been earmarked for launch next year and will be extended to vans and buses by 2010, in effect giving businesses two years' notice to overhaul their fleets.
Mr Livingstone has commissioned a report on the LEZ and indicated earlier this year that he would push ahead with it.
"London suffers from the worst air quality in the UK and the proposed low-emission zone would target those diesel engine lorries, coaches, buses, heavier vans and minibuses which are pumping out the most harmful pollutants," he said.
Transport for London, the capital's transport body, estimates the LEZ would prevent about 40 deaths a year from pollution-related illnesses and avoid up to 86 hospital admissions.
Some businesses have backed the LEZ and called for even more stringent curbs. The Knightsbridge Association called for a more ambitious scheme. "The LEZ should go much further, much faster," it said.

http://business.guardian.co.uk

The problems caused by the massive number of trucks and cars which pour through the Kent port town of Dover have been the subject of a major study.
Ahead of a major development in the town, traffic levels have been monitored to decide how road links are developed over the next two decades.
Drivers were asked questions about their journey and travel patterns.
The data will be used to create a computerised model of traffic showing how people move around Dover.
It will also indicate how any future developments could affect air quality and public transport. Dover is the busiest passenger port in the world, attracting about 9,000 freight trucks a day.
Freight is predicted to double over the next 30 years, and the findings of the transportation study will be included in the Local Development Framework, which will shape planning policy for the next 20 years.
www;bbc.co.uk

A device which a man claimed was a bomb after taking it to a police station in his truck has been declared safe and a 200m exclusion zone has been lifted.
Homes, offices and businesses around Norwich Road at Fakenham in Norfolk were evacuated on Monday morning.
A bomb disposal team from Essex used x-rays to check the device and declared it safe at lunchtime.
People were allowed back after four hours. The man transported the device from his home at nearby Field Dalling.
Norfolk Police said: "A member of the public told Fakenham police he had an explosive device that he had found in his garden in the back of his truck."
www.bbc.co.uk

If you've been worried about Digital Tachographs, don't be. When you use RHA Tachomaster you will be able to read, store and analyse Digital Tachograph Cards and Analogue Charts, so the transition to collecting and analysing Digital Tachograph data from your drivers and vehicles couldn't be easier. RHA Tachomaster also caters for the Road Transport Directive and your Tachograph data is automatically validated against the Road Transport Directive rules.
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HAULIERS using the ferry from Scotland to Belgium are saving the environment from £2.9 million worth of damage every year, according to a new report.
Scottish Enterprise Fife's evaluation of the Superfast service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge found that the route has stimulated a change in the way the Scottish freight market operates.
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=913&id=1506692006

European traffic: a doorstep both to Spain and to Luxembourg Modalohr is currently launching a long-distance service between Spain and Luxembourg. Not only the price is better, but transit times is also divided. President P. Mangeard is therefore very optimistic about the prospects for the new Autoroute Ferroviaire intermodal service (Modalohr already prepares the expansion of the network to eastern and southern and even northern Europe for the coming years). Managed by a separate operating company known as Lorry-Rail, the service starts with one train each way per day, running overnight in each direction. Perpignan currently sees around 6 000 lorry movements a day. If all goes well, Mangeard predicts that a second train could improve the network, and as many as 20 trains each way per day.. The company believes that this would match EU's objective of transferring more international freight from road to rail. One of the biggest challenges will be extending the network through the Channel Tunnel into the UK.

Source: Railway Gazette: 01 November 2006
http://www.railwaygazette.com/Articles/2006/11/01/3321/Modalohr+plans+Europe-wide+expansion.html