Did you register?
"Register for the CV Operator Show on its website, www.cvoperatorshow.com and you'll be able to pick up your pre-printed entry ticket on door when you arrive and beat the queues," said David Crawford, sales manager for the CV Operator Show.  "This will help you make the most of your time at the biggest trade show of its type in the UK."  The CV Operator Show opens with over 300 exhibitors at the NEC near Birmingham on Tuesday 13 April and closes on Thursday 15.
More from David Crawford on +44 (0)1 634 261 262 or sales@cvoperatorshow.com
 

FedEx electrifies US parcel deliveries
The US-based parcel carrier just said it would put four electric trucks to work in the US in June this year.  Two of the new trucks come from Navistar, assembled in Indiana and based on the Modec design that FedEx already runs in Europe.  It has ten working in London and five more on order for Paris.  The new trucks will join nearly 1,900 alternative energy vehicles working for the firm worldwide.
More from www.fedex.com

Axscend launch at Show
Next week, Axscend will launch trailerMaster, the next generation of its trailer management system.  The firm says trailerMaster has been two years in the making and is the result of years of experience in trailer management.  "The system pinpoints the exact location of a trailer and gives its current load status," says Tim Steer, managing director.  "It enables operators to analyse trailer fleet performance, save time, cut costs and significantly improve efficiency."  On stand 5676, the firm offers a free, no obligation site visit to show how the system can help and, as a special offer to visitors to its stand, a free, one month trial.  The trailerMaster service comprises a data collection unit fitted to every trailer, access to the service website and a team of trailer management experts.
More from Amanda Pack on +44 (0)8 708 703 242 or amandapack@axscend.com
 
Cartwright in Bruntingthorpe
Cartwright Rentals has opened a new regional operating centre on a 700 acre site at Bruntinghthorpe Airfield in Leicestershire.  The firm says this, its fifth site, is part of its UK growth strategy.  The firm, based in Altrincham also has depots at Northampton and Avonmouth and Manchester and plans to open two more later this year, one in the North East and one in the South East.  Cartwright says business at the new sales and remarketing site was already healthy, with demand for trailer rentals starting weeks before the official launch date on 1 April.
More from Celeste Clarke on +44 (0)2 476 228 881 or celeste@centurypr.co.uk
 
Palletforce at the Show
The firm says it was started in 2001 to offer an express delivery service for small consignments of palletised freight and has grown to become one of the UK's leading distribution networks, working from one of the biggest distribution hubs in Europe.  "One of our cornerstones is to drive excellence and innovation within the logistics sector, so we are thrilled to be taking part in this year's CV Operator Show," said Michael Conroy, CEO.
More from Trevor Mudd on +44 (0)8 450 944 441 or trevor.mudd@palletforce.com
 
Auto industry worried by iron ore price hike
Acea, the Brussels-based auto industry association says its members are "very concerned" by the "sudden and massive increase" in iron ore prices.  Recently, leading iron ore exporters said they would hike prices by 80%.  The association says such an "excessive and unpredictable" pricing policy would hurt European manufacturing, including the auto industry.  The big three iron ore exporters are Australia's Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton and Brazil's CVRD with 70% of world exports.  Other big producers like India and Russia barely export ore.  To add to Acea's woe, BHP and Rio Tinto just said they plan to merge Australian iron ore operations.
More from Sigrid de Vries on +32 (0)2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be
 
Fiat Professional on show
Fiat says it will treat visitors to the CV Operator Show to the full 'Fleet' experience as Fiat Professional brings the fictitious company from its new TV ad campaign to exhibition.  Lightfoot Logistics, the sitcom fleet management firm introduced in Fiat Professional's TV and internet campaign 'The Fleet', features heavily at this year's NEC Birmingham show, on 13-15 April. The ad campaign opened with a slot during ITV News at Ten, followed by a comprehensive display on the internet.  All six vans to be shown on Fiat Professional's stand 5730 will be finished in white and feature the blue Lightfoot Logistics logo. Centrepiece vehicles will be two new Doblo Cargos, which were launched in the UK in March.
More from Peter Newton on +44 (0)1 753 511 431 or Peter.newton@fiat.com
 
Washington State bans texting
Commercial Carrier Journal reports that Washington State in the US has made talking or texting on a cell phone without a hands-free device a "primary offense".  The new law, signed Friday, 26 March, strengthens Washington's 2008 ban that allowed law enforcement officials to ticket drivers caught using their phones if they were pulled over for another offence.  The US bars federal employees from texting while driving and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver and more than half a million were injured. The NHTSA recently launched a website,www.distraction.gov as a forum and information centre.
More from www.cjdigital.com
 
Chevin launch to help cut fleet risks
Chevin Fleet Solutions will use its stand 5450 at the CV Operator Show to launch an addition to its FleetWave fleet management system.  The firm says the new Driver Licence Checking module aims to simplify driver licence management.  Its new 'plug and play' module gives a fully automated process for any business to check the licence status of all fleet vehicle drivers.  Chevin uses a secure connection to collect data direct from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the system will provide automatic alerts to system users when an 'at risk' driver is identified.
More from Stuart Jardine on +44 (0)1 773 821 992 stuart.jardine@chevinfleet.co.uk
 
IRTE Scottish Truck Show Revival
Ten years after the last IRTE Scottish Truck Show, moves are afoot to revive the event.  Projected dates are Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 November in Hall 2 of the SECC, Glasgow, which is linked with the Crowne Plaza Hotel where the 600 seat Transport News Scottish Rewards Breakfast will be held on the morning of Friday 5 November.  The organisers plan two trade days and a Drivers Day on Saturday.  The specially enlarged November edition of Transport News will carry a comprehensive show catalogue at its centre.  The Scottish IRTE Committee is keen to gauge support from potential exhibitors.
More from Alistair Vallance on +44 (0)1 355 279 077 or info@transportnews.co.uk
 
Getting technical at the CV Show
Technical issues at the Commercial Vehicle Operator Show fall into two broad types; keeping existing vehicles running longer and more efficiently and coping with new legislation.  There will be a huge range of systems there to help cut running costs, but at the same time firms have to look legislation and the way it will affect them.  Whole Vehicle Type Approval is a good example.  It will soon affect virtually all vehicle buyers and makers, in theory making it easier to buy or sell commercial vehicles anywhere across Europe.  But it's not that easy, which is why the SMMT has set up a special advisory service to help.  It will launch SENTA, (SMMT European and National Type Approval) at the CV Operator Show, to help steer vehicle makers, particularly bodybuilders, trailer makers and dealers through a thicket of much misunderstood legislation.  "The crucial point is that without Type Approval paperwork, you won't be able to register a new vehicle," says the SMMT.  "And of course, if you can't register it, you can't sell it.  The line to remember is 'no approval, no registration, no sale."  And the final point is that, come the day, you can't just nip down to the Post Office or the local Traffic Office and buy a Type Approval Certificate.  Getting the process sorted may take months, particularly if you get it wrong.
More from Allan McKenzie on +44 (0)2 073 449 202 or amckenzie@smmt.co.uk
 
Suttons spends £6m on new tanks
International tanker and bulk transport operator Suttons has ordered 400 new 26,000 litre baffled tank trailers from NT Tanks in China.  They are due for delivery from May this year.  The firm has spent more than £12.5m on new tanks in the last year, growing its fleet by 30%.  It aims to do more work with big customers including BASF, Bayer and Huntsman.  Based in Widnes, Cheshire, the firm operates globally, with depots in New Jersey, Houston, Antwerp, Essen, Le Havre, Kuantan, Shanghai and Tokyo.
More from Richard Clein on +44 (0)1 512 445 466 or rclein@bellpottingernorth.co..uk
 
Free fuel health check
Three Counties Fuel, on stand 5170 at the CV Operator Show, invites visitors to take a free fuel buying health check from its specialist team.  "By looking at the way customers buy fuel, we can prescribe a tailor-made fuel buying solution to save businesses time and money," the firm says.  It will also run a series of competitions from the stand with a new Apple iPad among the prizes.
More from Pauline Newcombe on +44 (0)1 905 379 050 or pauline@threecountiesfuel.co.uk
 
Goodyear Dunlop does new tyre deal with Cemex
Cemex UK has switched to Goodyear Dunlop and its TruckForce network for tyre supply and service.  The firm will use a range of different Goodyear tyres, choosing the best tyre for each of the wide range of jobs its truck fleet does.  The nationwide TruckForce network will service the Goodyear and Dunlop tyres fitted to the Cemex fleet.
More from James Bailey on +44 (0)1 213 066 328 or jbailey@goodyear.com
 
Allied Electric aims to spark even more interest
Specialist vehicle maker Allied Electric, on stand 5426 at the CV Operator Show will display a selection of its all-electric van range.  The Peugeot-based zero emission vehicles will include two vans, the eBoxer and the eExpert and the passenger carrying eExpert Tepee.  All have a 100 mile range and a top speed of 70mph.  They can be charged using industrial, three-phase electricity or a household power supply, making them highly flexible.  The firm is a supplier to the UK Department for Transport's Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme and says it's seen orders "flying in" from councils and other public bodies throughout the UK for its Peugeot eBoxer vans.
More from Natalie McClure on +44 (0)1 413 361 162 or natalie.mcclure@alliedvehicles.co.uk
 
Scanias for Hadfield
G I Hadfield of Droysden just got four Scania three-axle day cab tractors.  Each has a 400 bhp Euro 5 engine driving through a three pedal Opticruise gearbox.  They are working with tri-axle draw bar trailers fitted with Reynolds Boughton hook and electric sheeting systems.  The trucks are on a five-year full repair and maintenance package through West Pennine Trucks of Trafford Park, Manchester.  Hadfield is a three generation family business and one of the oldest of wood recycling firms in the UK.
More from Gary Kirkwood on +44 (0)1 618 777 708 or gary.kirkwood@scania.com
 
New tyre maintenance software from Accelerator
Award-winning vehicle maintenance software firm Accelerator Vehicle Maintenance Software now has a Wheels and Tyres Module.  It says this means that every detail about wheel rims and tyres can be tracked, from purchase and use right through to scrapping.  "Users can add specific tyre depth data to the module, which tracks across vehicles and individual axles," says the firm.  "They can also create any tyre categories they want on the module, such as new, retreaded or regrooved."  The tyre store screen allows searching by wide range of parameters and a "double click" produces complete history and location details for any wheel rim or tyre on the fleet.
More from Neal Snowdon on +44 (0)1 706 819 556 or neal@drummondpublicity.co.uk
 
More Optare Omni-Dekkas for Nottingham
Nottingham City Transport has taken ten more Optare Omni-Dekka double-deckers.  The new buses take the firm's fleet to 134.  They will do front-line work on the high frequency GO2 city services and Optare says their "comprehensive specification reflects the high standards set for these services."  The new buses have leather trimmed seats, a real-time information system with 17 inch monitors and Mobitec LED destination kit.  An Actia CCTV system provides added security for staff and passengers and all side windows are in tinted green glass.  The driving compartments have air-conditioning.  The new buses are based on Scania chassis, each with a Euro 5 nine-litre Scania engine driving through a six-speed automatic transmission.
More from David Rowlands on +44 (0)2 074 948 050 or drowlands@automotivepr.com