The new London vehicle charges

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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

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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

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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.

Getting ready for Christmas?

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Getting ready for Christmas?

Did you know that our self-storage facilities are accessible to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?

That makes it easy if you are looking for somewhere to put the Christmas gifts!

In an age of smaller houses with less cupboard space, it is much more difficult to hide the Christmas presents from over-excited and impatient little ones.

It can be especially difficult if those gifts are large, such as that new bicycle your child has asked for.

What you can’t store

There are some items that for fire and other safety or hygiene reasons we cannot allow people to store in our units, for the sake of everyone who uses them.

They include:

Food and perishable goods unless they are securely packed. We don’t want to attract the interest of rats, mice or other organisms!

Birds, fish, animals and any other living creature.

Combustible or Flammable materials such as gas, paint, petrol, oil or cleaning solvents and compressed gases.

Explosives, firearms, weapons or ammunition.

Chemical, radioactive materials, biological agents, toxic waste, asbestos.

Any item which emits smells, odour or fumes.

Illegal substances, items or goods illegally obtained.

Storage for a short time can also be useful if you need to create space over the festive season for visiting friends and family. Just pack those ornaments and other stuff in boxes and put them in your self-store unit.

Why not call us to find out more about the costs, terms and conditions.

Self-storage to the rescue for winter and Christmas

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Self-storage to the rescue for winter and Christmas

The size of the average new-build UK home has reduced dramatically over the years and with it the space available for storage.

It is the same story with gardens, and at this time of year, when the weather is becoming colder and wetter, you may want to put the garden furniture under cover and perhaps also the lawnmower and other equipment.

Self-storage is a convenient and affordable solution for both these problems.

It will also soon be Christmas and you may need a place to store gifts away from impatient young people in order not to spoil the surprise of a new bicycle or other large gift.

Christmas is also a time when it is traditional for families to visit so the run-up to the festive season is a good time to de-clutter the house.

Again, if you need to make space for visitors but have items you may not use everyday and don’t want to get rid of altogether, self-storage is a useful option.

It is secure, dry and accessible when you need it, so why not give us a call to find out more about the cost and terms?

Possible benefits to the Haulage industry after leaving the EU?

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Possible benefits to the Haulage industry after leaving the EU?

It is not always possible for a haulage company to plan its work schedule ahead, so we need to be able to respond day by day to our customers’ needs.

Much of Ticks’ work is in collecting fresh food consignments from UK ports and delivering them quickly to our customers.

So the impact of any customs delays after Brexit is likely to be serious because if checks on consignments have to be carried out for every load, and this means waiting in queues then the supplies will be no longer fresh on delivery.

This is always assuming that the ports have the space and the extra manpower that will be needed to carry out the checks.

Then there is the issue of what to do about those “unaccompanied containers” which have been sealed and certificated at their origin and are then shipped across countries, loaded off trailers on one side of the Channel then onto a local haulier’s trailer on the other. This depends on all the countries through which the goods may have to pass accepting the same certification.

Registration of both trucks and drivers may also be affected, which may mean drivers not being to travel freely across borders.

However, these problems have all been well rehearsed by drivers, ports authorities and those bodies that represent the haulage industry, such as the RHA (Road Haulage Association) and the FTA (Freight Transport Association).

But is it possible there could be benefits for the Haulage Industry if it becomes more difficult to cross countries’ borders?

It may mean that European Haulage Companies will prefer not to send drivers all the way to the UK, resulting in increased business for UK-based hauliers picking up the goods and transporting them to their final destinations.

That may mean that there will be more job opportunities for UK citizens to join the haulage industry.

It may also mean that there will be fewer of the sometimes-huge continental trucks and trailers on UK roads, which may also bring improvements in traffic flows.

Obviously it is hard to predict what the consequences of Brexit will be without more detail on the final agreements, but given the expertise and responsiveness of the UK’s haulage industry and their ability to respond quickly to customer requirements, there may be more positive benefits than we are yet seeing discussed.

Safety and security is important in the haulage industry

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Paying attention to safety and security is important in the haulage industry

Transporting goods is not simply about getting consignments to and from their destinations on time.

A HGV is a large, heavy and therefore potentially lethal vehicle if not driven carefully, so in addition to ensuring that consignments are securely looked after, we also have to be mindful of the safety and security of all those who are on the roads when we are and also during loading and unloading at the depots.

So our lorries are checked regularly and kept in good, roadworthy condition. We also check our drivers’ licenses every six months, to ensure they are permitted and safe to drive and not a danger to other road users.

All our drivers are also fully trained on fork lift trucks, an important consideration when they are unloading in busy yards.

When it comes to the security of consignments from other countries, all shipments must have a CRM contract.  CMR stands for ‘Convention Relative au Contrat de Transport International de Marchandises par la Route’ it is the consignment note and it must specify the rights and obligations of all those involved: the shipper, the carrier and the addressee.

There are usually four copies of the CMR note, one of which travels with the consignment all the way to its destination and the information it must include is:

  • the date and place at which the CMR note has been completed
  • The name and address of sender, carrier(s) and consignee (the person to whom the goods are going)
  • A description of the goods and their method of packing – this should be acceptable to both consignor and consignee (however, for security reasons, you do not always want the carrier to be able to identify valuable goods)
  • the weight of the goods
  • any charges related to the goods, such as customs duties or carriage charges
  • instructions for customs and any other formalities such as dangerous goods information

In addition, we have to have special CMR insurance cover that enables us to carry cargo legally within European nations. While it is a legal requirement it also helps protect us in case of damage or loss or theft of the goods. 

All in all we do everything we can to make sure that not only are the goods we’re transporting are safe but also the people involved.

Did you know there’s a National Lorry Week?

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Did you know there’s a National Lorry Week?

This September marks the fourth year of an event that focuses on the haulage industry and in particular on the people who make sure we all get our food and other supplies on time.

Started by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) it runs this year from Saturday 15 September to Friday 21 September.

This year the RHA is encouraging members to visit schools, communities and colleges so that we can attract the next generation of workers into our industry because it has been estimated that by 2022 the industry will need to recruit 1.2 million more workers.

This includes not only drivers but also workshop technicians, warehouse operatives and management.

The Road Haulage Industry is the UK’s fifth largest sector, consisting of around 7,000 businesses, employing 2.5 million people and contributing an estimated £75 billion to the country’s economy.

According to the RHA Eighty-five per cent of everything we buy, eat, wear and use is moved by a UK-registered lorry.

You can visit the RHA website to find out about any events happening in your area and if you see us out and about on the road give us a wave or tweet #LoveTheLorry

Timing is crucial in freight transport

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Timing is crucial in freight transport

It is not only the supermarkets that rely on prompt delivery of fresh fruit and veg, much of it from overseas.

Many manufacturers no longer keep supplies in warehouses and also operate a “just in time” system in their production processes that depends heavily on the regular and prompt delivery of components to keep their production lines flowing smoothly.

So it is important that as a freight business Ticks Haulage can stick to customers’ schedules, something we take pride in achieving, no matter what time of day (or night).

However, we rely heavily on the efficiency of the ports from which we collect consignments.

In our experience it is the smaller container terminals that seem to perform best, with Harwich topping the list of the ones we regularly visit.

The port handles 400 lorries and trailers every morning, which includes approximately 150-180 accompanied trailers (ie with drivers) and another 200-plus unaccompanied trailers.

This includes the fresh produce from Holland, where the produce is picked, packed and loaded for delivery, dispatched for us to collect from the port and deliver to the customer, then the trailer is returned to the port for transport back to Holland for a new load, and all of it accomplished within 24 hours.

Immingham is another port from which we regularly pick up loads and again works very efficiently, partly because not every lorry has to be checked by Customs and Excise as used to be the case pre-EU.

There is no time for any breakdowns and so we also depend heavily on decent roads and smooth flowing traffic.  Most of the haulage work we do goes to the Midlands and North and in our experience the best road networks are around Birmingham.  Deliveries in the South and around London, on the other hand, can be a headache.  But we pride ourselves on always getting the job done on schedule.

In other news:  the storage side of the business has been growing fast with increasing numbers of small businesses using the facilities to store stock.  There has also been a lot of demand for the lorry loaded crane, particularly from building contractors, not only for lifting supplies onto the sites but also for shifting portable cabins and containers. 

If you need either of these services do please call us. We’re happy to help you.