Merry Christmas
We wish all our customers and friends
a very Happy Christmas
and a
Prosperous New Year
Merry Christmas
- 07798 505152
- ticks1@btinternet.com
- Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 16:30
A useful service for both small businesses and families
A useful service for both small businesses and families
The festive season is coming up and that means that small businesses will have additional stock to find room for.
Did you know that our self-storage facilities are accessible to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?
You can access your stock whenever you need to so you can fill up shop shelves as they empty without keeping all your seasonal stock on the premises.
Of course, there are limitations on what you can store for safety reasons. So you can’t store the following:
Food and perishable goods unless they are securely packed. We don’t want to attract the interest of rodents or bugs!
Birds, fish, animals and any other living creature.
Combustible or Flammable materials such as gas, paint, petrol, oil or cleaning solvents and compressed gases.
Christmas gift storage can also be a headache for families if you want your presents to be a surprise and you live in a small home. If it is something that needs to be assembled, where are you going to find the space to do it?
This is also the time of year when older children return home from college or university complete with all their clutter!
There is a simple solution,.
Why not rent a storage unit for a short time to take care of all these problems. Call us to find out more.
We are now even more flexible on deliveries
We are now even more flexible on deliveries
We are delighted to have finally taken delivery of the newest addition to our fleet, a crane lorry that we believe may be the only one with a long reach of this kind in our region.
The new truck means we can now transport and deliver 40ft containers.
It has a mega reach of 33 metres in any direction and with a high jib can lift loads over roof tops, so that we can deliver that new hot tub directly into your back garden!
With full loading equipment installed there’s very little this new rig cannot do!
RHA urges the Government to focus on Brexit essentials for the haulage industry
RHA urges the Government to focus on Brexit essentials for the haulage industry
Time is running out to ensure a smooth transition for the transport of goods once the UK leaves the EU, says the RHA (Road Haulage Association).
The RHA has produced a document listing the crucial unanswered questions covering Customs formalities, Lorry access regulations and labour.
A big worry is the length of time hauliers may find themselves having to wait to pick up and discharge loads, particularly at UK ports.
It will not only impact on the speed with which deliveries can be made for customers, but also on the welfare of drivers.
With waits of up to 48 hours in queues being predicted at Dover, for example, no thought has been given to welfare facilities such as access to food and toilets. Not only this, but drivers are limited by tachographs to a maximum number of driving hours per day.
It says that making sure that the safety and welfare of drivers is properly taken care of is critical, but also that “transport businesses and traders need have clarity on how the border is expected to operate and their role and responsibilities in making it work.”
The RHA also believes that “emergency and free online based customs training will be needed” given that there are likely to be new regulations at ports and that there need to be new additional locations for customs offices.
RHA events coming up
RHA events coming up
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is the industry body that represents all of us in the business of transporting loads for all types of clients.
Almost everything we eat, drink, or wear, not to mention the materials needed for construction sites and manufacturing will at some point have been transported by lorry.
This year the RHA celebrates its 75th anniversary and there is a special commemorative film that you can watch via this link.
Each year the RHA celebrates National Lorry Week, and this year it will be held from Monday, 16 September 2019 until Sunday 22 September 2019.
Local events are held in schools and colleges, but this year there is also a Twitter challenge to reach more than two million posts on @RHANews with stories about the events you are holding #LoveTheLorry. There is a £100 for the best entry.
The RHA’s annual Autumn conference will be held on Thursday 3 October at the NEC, Birmingham and will cover the topics that are most affecting hauliers, not least Brexit.
There is an early bird discount for bookings before August 16 and bookings can be made online via the RHA website.
Expanding our fleet
Expanding our fleet
We’ll soon be taking delivery of the latest addition to our haulage fleet.
It’s currently in the final stages of being fitted out in Colchester and is an articulated vehicle and crane with a specialised pick-up kit that will reach up to 33 metres..
The new rig is the first of its kind in our area and will enable us to lift loads of up to 10 tonnes over buildings to get loads into spaces where there is no other access.
It’s eco-friendly and will be registered and approved so it will be able to go into the new Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
If you have a job that needs this kind of specialist equipment why not give us a call.
The diversity of the freight haulage industry
The diversity of the freight haulage industry
We have to know something about a wide range of conditions, businesses and products to be able to plan and work effectively for our clients.
For example, did you know that there is a slowdown in shipping for China during its New Year celebrations, when everyone has a two-week holiday? That means there is a four-week slowdown in goods shipped from China because of the time it takes for them to get to the UK.
Then there are the effects of the still-unresolved process of the UK leaving the EU. We were super-busy before the last deadline, when businesses were stock piling materials and products to avoid disruption of supplies immediately after the expected leaving date at the end of March. Now, of course, with the extension to October, the flow has slowed down, which gives us the capacity to take on more work.
There are many sectors for which we supply haulage services and for each we have to understand the conditions necessary to get customers’ orders to them on time and undamaged.
This includes fresh fruit and veg for superstores, which of course has to be moved both refrigerated for freshness and quickly.
Then there is glass, which we transport for another client – without breakages!
We have mentioned the supply and siting of cabins and materials for the construction industry previously.
Another industry for which we work is the UK film industry, although we cannot say a great deal about that as it is all confidential.
However, what many people do not realise is that the UK film industry is large and growing. Figures published this year by the BFI (British Film Industry) revealed that the market share for independent films had increased from 9.5% in 2017 to 11.7% in 2018. A total of 202 films was produced in 2018, at a cost of £1.924 billion.
And of course, the industry, like any other, needs supplies to be delivered on time to wherever it needs them!
Whatever the industry, we have the capacity to provide a seamless service from sorting out all the necessary permits and paperwork to collection, safe transportation and delivery, whether it’s a wide load, a high load or a container-full of stuff!
The new London vehicle charges
The new London vehicle charges
We have a new truck that will enable us to comply with new anti-pollution legislation introduced in London!
There were just two months’ notice before Transport for London introduced the new ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
While it is understandable that given the publicity about the toxic atmosphere that is believed to have been causing many people, particularly children, to suffer from asthma and especially given the recent Extinction Rebellion demonstrations in the city to highlight the problems of climate change the new charges have added a cost burden to many businesses that have to drive into the zone to make deliveries
It operates within the same area as the Congestion Charge, which is payable as well. The Congestion Charge is an £11.50 daily charge for driving a vehicle within the charging zone between 07:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday.
To be ULEZ compliant, a vehicle has to be Euro6 compliant, which means it has to have a 66 (or newer) registration, in other words be no older than September 2016.
The ULEZ charge operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Most vehicles are subject to the daily £12.50 rate, including vans up to 3.5 tonnes, minibuses and motorcycles. However, for lorries above 3.5 tonnes the charge is £100 per day.
Failure to pay the ULEZ charge will incur significant fines. It is set at £160 (reduced to £80 if you pay within 14 days)
Many people do not realise that there is also a LEZ. The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was set up to encourage the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles driving in the Capital to become cleaner. It covers most of Greater London and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Charging days run from midnight to midnight – if you drive within the LEZ between 23:30 and 01:00 the next day, you’d need to pay for two days.
This website explains about the zones, charges and registering your vehicle.
Ticks new eco friendlier artic with crane
Ticks new eco friendlier artic with crane
Mounting environmental concerns over the past decade, led by European legislation and low emission zones (LEZs) in major cities, are fuelling a new wave of green technology from truck and van manufacturers.
We are not yet at the stage where switching to alternatives like fully-electric powered or LPG vehicles is viable for hauliers, largely because there are not enough refuelling points. For example, there are only two LPG-supplied petrol stations for HGVs between London and Birmingham.
But that doesn’t mean we hauliers can do nothing to contribute to efforts to reduce emissions and environmental pollution.
Ticks is in the process of having a new articulated crane lorry custom-built.
It will be much more fuel-efficient than older models and will also be fitted with a bigger job so that we can lift the large steel beams used in many construction sites, particularly in London.
So, in three months’ time, when we get the new vehicle, we will be able to meet the new emissions charges being introduced in April in London, and we will be able to better meet the needs of our construction industry customers working in the confined spaces of inner city London but still needing the capacity of lifting the heavy steel beams that are a feature of modern construction.
This new vehicle will be an addition to our fleet, so we will still be able to meet the needs of our existing customers.
Uncertainty about the future and planning ahead
Uncertainty about the future and planning ahead
Time is pressing for small businesses as the uncertainty about the terms of leaving the EU continues.
Uncertainty is the last thing any business needs, especially if they are part of a supply chain across Europe and they need to ensure there will be no interruption to their business activity.
Making sure they have a continuous supply of raw materials, components and products, depending on the nature of their business, is crucial.
Yet the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) estimates that the majority of its members have as yet made no preparations or plans to deal with possible disruption to their supplies.
While larger companies have lost patience and already commissioned warehouse space or actually building additional storage, this is not really an option for the small business.
However, there is a solution for those who need additional storage space and that is our self-store facility.
There are a few limitations on what you can store for obvious safety reasons.
You cannot store food and perishable goods that could attract rodents or bacteria, for example, unless they are very securely packaged.
Similarly, you cannot store anything that could be a fire or chemical pollution hazard, so no flammable liquids such as gas, paint, petrol, oil or cleaning solvents and compressed gases and no chemical or radioactive materials.
There is space available in our self-storage facility, which is accessible 24/7 and secure, so if you need to ensure that your small business has the supplies it needs to continue operating, why not give us a call.