The Freight Transport Association has announced details of its series of
transport legislation seminars designed for transport managers, supervisors
and others responsible for the day-to-day operation of commercial vehicle
fleets. The 2007 series will look at the key areas of reducing the
environmental impact of the commercial vehicle fleet, transport safety and
risk management, and issues of driver management and care, together with a
look ahead to the requirements of the new EU Driver CPC from 2009. As ever,
there will be a round-up of all of the latest legislative issues impacting
on road transport.
Dates and venues are as follows:
18 September, Maidstone
27 September, Cwmbran
3 October, Warrington
9 October, Birmingham
17 October, Belfast
24 October, Cambridge
31 October, Durham
8 November, Yeovil
14 November, Dunblane
21 November, Sheffield
29 November, Bradford
6 December, Heathrow
Registration is £299 (plus VAT) for the first delegate and £250 (plus VAT)
for second and subsequent delegates.
For further information or bookings call the FTA Member Service Centre on
08717 11 22 22.
Airbus Econic prepares for take-off07 June 2007
When the first giant A380 airbus finally lands at Heathrow Airport next year, its cabin will be re-stocked with in-flight meals, refreshments and other items such as magazines by one of two very special Mercedes-Benz trucks.
Operated by AirFayre, a leading supplier of catering to aircraft, the chassis are both new-generation 6x2 Econic 2629LL models with BlueTec® Euro 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) engines.
They were supplied by dealer Orwell Truck and Van and are being fitted by Norwich-based specialist Emtek Support with GRP insulated box bodies that can be raised up to 8.2 metres in the air on mighty scissor lifts. The first of these remarkable trucks, which are costing AirFayre some £200,000 apiece, is currently undergoing trials; the second has yet to be built.
Because of the weight of the scissor lift and body, as well as ancillary equipment such as the stabilising jack legs, the payload on these 26-tonne gvw chassis is as low as four tonnes – but that’s still more than sufficient to fulfill the task for which they are designed.
The 555-seat, double-deck Airbus 380 represents the world’s most ambitious civil aviation project and the new aircraft will easily eclipse the Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo’ jet in size. Built by a European consortium, the first Airbuses are expected to enter service sometime next year, possibly in the colours of Singapore Airlines.
Emtek Support Director Mark Fowler says: “We have long experience of building service vehicles with scissor lifts for aircraft, using technically advanced components designed and manufactured by Byron GSE in Australia. These two Econics, though, are by far the biggest yet and we’re taking it step-by-step, ensuring that we have the first absolutely right before we start work on the second.”
From headquarters in Heston, Middlesex, close to Heathrow Airport, Airfayre applies an award-winning, logistics-based approach to the airline catering business. The company operates a fleet of 40 aircraft support vehicles, more than half of which are based on 15-tonne, four-wheeled Mercedes Atego with the automatic transmissions essential for operation on airport aprons.
“We quickly realised, though, that because of the size and weight of the lifts and associated equipment, we were going to need six-wheeled chassis to service the new Airbus,” recalls Will Homans, Fleet Manager for the London-based Watermark Group, which owns Airfayre.
“Although the Econic is designed and most commonly used as a refuse collection vehicle, which makes it significantly more expensive than a conventional Mercedes Axor six-wheeler, we chose it because it comes as standard with an Allison automatic gearbox and could also be specified ex-factory with a rear-steer axle for much-needed extra manoeuvrability.
“All we had to do was have the wheelbases extended by 1200mm, a task we assigned to Leighton Buzzard specialist Chassis Developments.”
Mr Homans adds: “Mark has now built 18 of our trucks and Emtek’s commitment to quality is admirable. Our new Econics also have air suspension which, coupled with their Euro 4 engines, will make them smooth, quiet and environmentally-friendly in operation on the airport apron.”
www.watermarkgroup.co.uk
www.emteksupport.com
Mercedes-Benz is the healthy option07 June 2007
The UK’s largest water cooler company has come up with a refreshing alternative to the traditional 3.5- or 4.6-tonne service van for its ‘cooler care’ installation and maintenance engineers, in the shape of a new fleet of Mercedes Vitos.
Nestlé Waters Powwow is now running 68 Long-bodied Vito 111CDIs, as well as 15 Mercedes Atego 12-tonners, all of which were supplied under an international vehicle acquisition deal.
They arrived via Wellingborough dealer Intercounty Truck and Van and are the subject of contract hire arrangements with independent specialist Artegy, vehicle servicing being undertaken by the most conveniently located Mercedes-Benz dealers.
Nestlé Waters Powwow’s water is drawn from aquifers deep underground in rural locations in Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire. Crucially, the company bottles its water at source, in its award-winning centres, rather than transporting it for bottling elsewhere. This ensures the water’s quality, and reduces the impact of the company’s operations on the environment by restricting transport movements.
The Vitos are assigned to cooler care engineers who visit customer premises, including factories, offices, schools, hospitals, and even private homes, to install or service their water coolers on site; the Atego are used to deliver water in 13-, 17.5- and 18.9-litre bottles.
It is a booming business, not least because of the heightened focus on healthy lifestyles – the Food Standards Agency says adults should drink at least 1.5 litres of water every day, and more when the temperature rises, but few do.
Nestlé Waters Powwow has UK headquarters in Oxford and 14 depots, strategically located throughout the country. The company has grown rapidly through a series of integrations and acquisitions and as a result most commercial vehicles marques are represented within its overall fleet of 192 trucks and 138 vans.
Fleet Co-ordinator Paul Watkins explains: “The fleet is very diverse and our aim now is to standardise as soon as possible on one manufacturer, with Mercedes-Benz as our preferred supplier. The international deal concluded between Nestlé and Mercedes-Benz in Germany means we benefit from highly competitive purchase prices. More importantly, though, the vehicles are ideally suited to our operation.”
Until now, those responsible for installing and maintaining the company’s comprehensive range of coolers have tended to use larger vans – Intercounty has also recently supplied eight Mercedes Sprinters, four 3.5-tonners and four 4.6-tonners.
“But we wanted to find a smaller van for use in towns and cities, where parking and other access issues can be a real headache,” continues Mr Watkins. “The 2.77-tonne Vito Long is significantly smaller and more manoeuvrable than a 3.5-tonner; it can even get in and out of low-ceilinged multi-storey car parks. But it also offers a very usable load area, which makes it ideal for this role.”
Specially fitted out for the job by racking specialist Bott, the Vitos are proving a big hit with Nestlé Waters Powwow’s cooler care engineers. Not only do they appreciate the model’s comfortable, car-like driving character, many take their vehicles home at night. Where they might have struggled to get their previous van on and off their private driveway, the Vito is easy by comparison.
The company’s Atego 1218L trucks have BlueTec® Euro 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) engines and are fitted with lightweight aluminium bodies specially designed for carrying bottled water and built in Hungary by Alcoa-Kofem.
These are split into four bays, each with roller shutter doors on both sides; one bay is slightly wider than the other three because it also accommodates the trolley used by the driver to carry bottles in and out of premises. The water is carried in purpose-designed racks, each able to carry 32 bottles which are angled back towards the centre of the truck for secure transportation.
“The Atego give us a payload of about six tonnes, which allows us to carry 270 bottles,” says Paul Watkins. “That represents a very useful improvement in productivity over our 7.5-tonners, which carry between 150 and 170 bottles depending on the model.”
www.nestle-waters-powwow.co.uk
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