TECHNICIAN TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT · 2019-04-26 · that the “apprenticeship levy” introduced two years ago will be helpful. In fact, as with almost everything this wretched

MAY|2019

TESTING TIMES AHEAD

TECHNICIAN TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

IN THIS ISSUE> What’s new at the Birmingham CV Show

> Joined-up thinking on apprenticeships

IN THIS ISSUE

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER > MAY 2019 3

EDITORIAL & DESIGN

Immediate Network Ltd 6 Wey Court, Mary Road, Guildford,Surrey GU1 4QU t: 01483 546500w: inl.co.ukw: cvengineer.com

EDITOR

Tim Blakemoret: 01428 605605e: [email protected]

ADVERTISING

Denise BlakemoreSubcriptions Managert: 01428 605605e: [email protected]

Tony GrevilleBusiness Development Director t: 01483 546500e: [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGEMENT Denise Blakemoret: 01428 605605e: [email protected]

Annual subscription (12 editions) £20 + vat (£24)

PUBLISHED BY

Immediate Network Ltd

MIND THE GAP, AND LET HIGH-QUALITY APPRENTICESHIPS HELP TO CLOSE IT

he skills gap in the motor retail sector is already critical. So says someone who knows a thing or two about the subject: Institute of the Motor Industry

(IMI) chief executive Steve Nash. He is talking mainly about the increasing difficulties facing car and van dealers in recruiting and retaining skilled workshop staff. The problem is probably even more acute in truck and bus workshops of all kinds, including independents and in-house operations as well as those run by franchised dealers, in many parts of the country. More and more evidence of the impact of this worsening commercial vehicle engineering skills shortage has been emerging recently, not least in our latest annual analysis of truck operating costs (Commercial Vehicle Engineer January) and in this month’s report on apprenticeships (page 18).

What is to be done about it? Government ministers would have you believe that the “apprenticeship levy” introduced two years ago will be helpful. In fact, as with almost everything this wretched government touches, this “levy” (scarcely more than a new business tax, in reality) has already done more harm than good. Far from encouraging growth in high-quality apprenticeships, as promised, the scheme actually has resulted in a plunge in their number. Excessive bureaucracy has put off many organisations. Firms too small to pay the new tax have seen their training subsidies cut. And a report last year from a centre-right think-tank showed that as many as 37% of people on apprenticeship schemes meeting the government’s new standards were on courses that failed to meet international definitions for this training.

Yet there is some good news. It is that commercial vehicle firms with established, high-quality apprenticeship schemes and some with new ones are side-stepping the government’s cack-handed meddling by redoubling their efforts to attract apprentices and to raise the profile of all their workshop staff (page 18). More power to their elbows. Let’s just hope that the message gets through, at last, to the many careers advisers who persistently fail to recognise the true value of commercial vehicle engineering.

Tim BlakemoreEditor

T

THE CAR EXPERT THE TRUCK EXPERT THE VAN EXPERT

http://inl.co.uk/

mailto:cvengineer.com?subject=

mailto:tim%40cvengineer.com?subject=

mailto:denise%40cvengineer.com?subject=

mailto:tony%40inl.co.uk?subject=

mailto:denise%40cvengineer.com?subject=

https://inl.co.uk/

https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/

https://thetruckexpert.co.uk/

https://thevanexpert.co.uk/

http://www.cvengineer.com/

4 MAY 2019 > COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER

14

6>> POINTS OF VIEW

Why safety training needs regular refreshment. Why cleaning solvents need to be treated with caution. Why Arval has some advice for you at the CV Show. Why the transport and logistics sector needs to improve cyber-security.

10>> NEWS

Gearing up globally for electrification and connectivity. ZF buys Wabco as Allison Transmission diversifies.

11>> NEWS

Former Daf Trucks boss to take the reins at Paccar.

CONTENTS


18

12>> NEWS

FleetCor Technologies is new R2C owner.

14> CV SHOW PREVIEW

Safety and sustainability to dominate CV Show agenda?

18>> CLASS ACTION

Forget the sensationalist nonsense talked by Alan Sugar and his cronies on an inexplicably popular tv show. Real apprenticeships in commercial vehicle engineering invariably lead to worthwhile, satisfying careers. Frustrated by the apparent inability of many careers advisers to grasp this, forward-looking employers are taking matters into their own hands. Tim Blakemore reports.

22>> NEWS FROM THE NORTH

Looking ahead to the 2019 Association for Public Service Excellence show in Aviemore.

23>> NEWS FROM THE NORTH

The Transport News Truck Advocate with words of wisdom on your legal questions.

27>> PEOPLE AND JOBS

Mark Nodder retires from Wrights Group. Kirk Freezer leaves Scania to join Iveco. John Jennings leaves Suez UK to join Boughton Engineering.10

CONTENTS


equesting refresher training for your staff can be seen as an insult. Are you suggesting that the job they have been

doing for the past year or more is not good enough? But every employee can benefit from effective refresher training.

The number of injuries at work in the UK over the past year is put as high as 621,000 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This figure alone should be motivation enough to consider regular safety training, especially in commercial vehicle workshops where the risks are inevitably high.

In almost every workplace there are people with established routines. Perhaps they have worked there for many years.

Perhaps they feel they work better if every day is carefully organised, with tasks always completed in the same set order.

But routines can lead to complacency and even laziness. When the work involves handling heavy machinery and potentially dangerous equipment falling into such habits is far from safe.

Refresher training can motivate people to find better, safer ways of working. Hidden problems with existing routines may be uncovered.

At a company like Daltons Wadkin, advances in heavy woodworking machinery technology are being introduced nearly every day.

Specialised refresher training courses are used to make employees aware not only of the safest procedures for handling

new machinery but also for kit they may have been working with for years.

Refresher training should be used more in every industry sector, I believe. As well as making workplaces safer, it also helps improve efficiency and productivity.

Alex DaltonManaging directorDaltons Wadkin

R

A REFRESHING APPROACH TO SAFETY TRAINING

POINTS OF VIEW

https://www.daltonswadkin.com/




ealth and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines on solvent handling in UK workplaces, including commercial vehicle

workshops, are routinely being flouted. I endorse the recent warning about associated health risks issued by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Karen McDonnell is occupational health and safety policy adviser at this organisation. Solvents can enter the body through breathing vapours and fumes, by coming into contact with skin, and as a result of contaminated work-clothes, she points out. Solvents can produce various medical effects, from eye irritation, through skin complaints such as dermatitis, to headaches, nausea and light-headedness. “RoSPA recommends keeping cleaning products containing toxic chemicals out of reach and ideally locked in a cupboard,” says Karen.

In our work at Safe Solvents we see poor solvent-handling practices all the time,

resulting from a lack of understanding of the dangers and poor knowledge of the health and safety guidelines. Solvents are all-too-often not locked away in a controlled area, and personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, goggles and face-shields, is either not being provided to employees or its use is not being enforced by employers.

With parts washing in particular, use of solvents is often non-core for the end-user and is therefore relegated to an afterthought. Little thought is given to employee-risk assessment, such as the potential for skin contact or adequate ventilation to control vapours.

Industry needs either to take handling and use of solvents much more seriously, or alternatively convert processes to safer, water-based solvents that do not pose the same threat to employees.

Tom SandsChief executiveSafe Solvents

I t is difficult to remember a time when operators had so many issues to face as they do at present. This

is why we have decided to focus on consultancy services at the Commercial Vehicle Show this year. We expect fuel diversity, waiting times for new van deliveries and clean air zones (CAZ) will be three of the top talking points.

Each is important in its own right, but collectively they represent a significant challenge to any fleet.

Fuel diversity, including electric LCV, encompasses several topics, from managing van range through to matching fuel choice to vehicle need.

Extended waiting times for delivery of new vans could cause problems for some businesses, not least when vehicles have to be kept in service for longer than planned.

Clean air zones, such as the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and Birmingham’s CAZ, have substantial operational implications for fleet operators.

Arval’s team of commercial vehicle consultants will be at the CV Show to advise on managing these issues.

LCV experts in our team are well equipped to help operators make informed decisions to ensure that their fleets are efficient and cost-effective.

Eddie ParkerCommercial vehicle consultantArval UK

RISKY SOLVENTS: FINDING SOLUTIONS

UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES

H

POINTS OF VIEW

https://www.safesolvents.co.uk/



https://www.arval.co.uk/




he industrial internet of things (IoT) presents immensely exciting possibilities for businesses across the transport

and logistics sector. But it also increases the risk that they will face cyber-security issues. At Inmarsat our research suggests that they are unprepared for these risks.

A network is only as secure as its weakest point, and with industrial IoT increasing the potential surface area for cyber-attacks, transport businesses must ensure that they harden every element of their IoT deployments. Without secure industrial IoT networks, businesses may leave themselves open to cyber-attacks designed to cripple transport and logistics infrastructure, ransomware or industrial espionage.

Truly secure industrial IoT deployments must have security built-in from the ground up. This must include secure access management, secure execution environments, enhanced data encryption, and smart validation and authentication between sensors, gateways, and the software orchestration platform.

As we have seen from the results of this study, not every transport business has the skills or technology capabilities to ensure an IoT solution is secure from end-to-end. Businesses need to collaborate with specialist providers who can offer a fully managed IoT service that considers security at every stage, from the edge sensors, to the gateways and orchestration platforms, to the connectivity and networks themselves.

Tara MacLachlan Industrial internet of things (IOT) vice-president Inmarsat Enterprise

T

HOW SECURE ARE YOUR CYBER-DEFENCES?

POINTS OF VIEW


GEARING UP GLOBALLY FOR ELECTRIFICATION AND CONNECTIVITY

n some of the clearest signs yet of the impact that changing technology is having on commercial vehicle component

manufacturers, far-reaching acquisition deals have been announced by both ZF and Allison Transmission, two of the biggest global truck and bus drivetrain suppliers.

ZF has agreed to buy Wabco, a global supplier of commercial vehicle braking control systems, for about £5.4 billion.

In two entirely separate deals, Allison Transmission acquired UK-based Vantage Power and AxleTech of the US.

Vantage Power specialises in electrified propulsion and connected technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

AxleTech produces axles and integrated electrified axle equipment for on- and off-highway heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

“Vantage Power’s entrepreneurial spirit and technological advancements complement our strategic priorities,” says Allison chief executive David Graziosi.

“Through this and other initiatives, we will continue to build upon our conventional and electric hybrid products today while differentiating ourselves in the electrification and fuel cell markets.

“AxleTech’s highly integrated solutions in the EV space complement our position

as a leading propulsion solutions provider. The talented individuals and products within AxleTech’s EV systems division will combine well with our current products expertise to create and provide unmatched propulsion solutions.”

The ZF/Wabco deal, still subject to approval by anti-trust authorities, comes four years after the German group acquired TRW Automotive, another big vehicle components supplier.

“We believe that, together with Wabco, ZF can form the world’s leading integrated systems provider for commercial vehicle technology,” says ZF chief executive Wolf-Henning Scheider.

“For ZF, the acquisition of a specialist and leader for commercial vehicle braking systems means adding a stable and growing business segment and enables our existing commercial vehicle division to expand its expertise in vehicle dynamics control.

“This will create the foundation for ZF to offer comprehensive systems for safe and automated mobility solutions for passengers and goods to our customers. This is also in the best interest of our owners.”

Jacques Esculier is Wabco chairman and chief executive. “Joining forces with highly respected ZF will create a leading global technology company well

positioned to capitalise on future demand for autonomous, efficient and connected commercial vehicles,” he says.

“We have a long history of successful collaboration to develop innovative technologies with ZF with both companies sharing an uncompromising drive for excellence, passion for innovation, and exceptional customer focus.”

Wabco (originally Westinghouse Air Brake Company) was founded by George Westinghouse, inventor of a steam train braking system, in 1869. About one third of Wabco’s sales revenue nowadays comes from braking systems.

ZF is majority-owned by Zeppelin Foundation, a private German family foundation, and the city of Friedrichshafen, its home town.

I

Allison Transmission: electric drive acquisitions.

NEWS


P accar, the 28,000-employee, US-based, global truck-making group with subsidiaries including Daf Trucks, Leyland Trucks, Kenworth and Peterbilt, is to have a

new chief executive from 1 July. He is Preston Feight, a former Daf Trucks boss, who has been elected by the group’s board of directors to fill the vacancy about to be created by Ron Armstrong’s retirement. He has been chief executive since April 2014 and has worked for Paccar for 25 years.

Feight, 51, is also a long-serving Paccar employee. He has a BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree in mechanical engineering from Northern Arizona University and a masters degree in engineering management from the University of Colorado. He worked for Allied Signal Aerospace and Ford Motor Company before joining Paccar 21 years ago. Feight was Kenworth chief engineer for four years until 2012, then assistant general manager, sales and marketing for three years before being promoted to general manager in January 2015.

He was Daf Trucks president, based at its Eindhoven, Netherlands head office, between April 2016 and last September, when he was succeeded by Harry Wolters.

Paccar’s annual turnover and net profit both hit record highs last year. “Paccar has an excellent record of outstanding financial performance and industry-leading commercial vehicles as well as innovative aftermarket parts and financial services,” says Feight. “Technology focus has positioned the company as a leader in advanced powertrains such as diesel, electric and hydrogen fuel cells as well as sophisticated driver assistance systems and truck connectivity. Paccar’s truck factories and distribution facilities are world-class with integrated manufacturing systems.”

Mark Pigott continues as the group’s executive chairman. “Preston Feight is an outstanding leader who has made significant contributions to Paccar’s excellent record of profitable growth and industry-leading products and services,” he says, and thanks Ron Armstrong for “five excellent years of outstanding leadership and strategic vision as chief executive officer.”

FORMER DAF TRUCKS BOSS TO TAKE THE REINS AT PACCAR

Peston Feight: Paccar boss from 1 July.

Kenworth, Daf and Peterbilit: all in the family.

NEWS


ne of the UK’s fastest-growing providers of computer software for vehicle maintenance and workshop management

is under new ownership following a takeover by a giant, multinational fuel card company. The platform developed by R2C Online, a Sheffield, West Yorkshire-based firm that started trading 16 years ago, is now reckoned to be in use at no fewer than 1,000 workshops in the UK. Last month R2C was acquired for an undisclosed sum by CH Jones Ltd, part of the huge, US-based FleetCor Technologies group, which trades as Keyfuels in the UK. The AllStar fuel cards business was sold by Arval (a subsidiary of the BNP Paribas bank) to FleetCor for £194 million just over seven years ago.

The R2C acquisition is intended to strengthen FleetCor’s presence in the UK truck and road transport market further, according to Keyfuels vice president Paul Holland. “This transaction complements our wider group’s offering of fleet and workshop management services,” he says. “We see strong synergies in offering new value-added products and services to Keyfuels, which supports over 130,000 hgv. We look forward to continuing R2C’s success.”

The Sheffield company was set up by Nick Walls, now managing director. “I am proud of everything we have achieved at R2C, from humble beginnings in 2003,” he says. “Bringing together our expertise with Keyfuels allows us to expand our reach and deliver even more value to our customers. With this backing, R2C will be able to accelerate development of new products and services, enter new markets and facilitate easy access to a wide range of complementary fleet products and services.”

Key advantage of the R2C platform often cited by fleet and workshop managers are ease of use, and compatibility between in-house and outsourced maintenance and repair operations. B I Halder & Son, a 24-truck mixed fleet operator based in East Yorkshire, is among them. The family-owned firm adopted the R2C platform in December 2017. Director Louise Halder is unstinting in her praise for it. “R2C has helped us big style,” she says. “Now all our defects are reported in real time, so we can plan our maintenance more effectively and optimise vehicle uptime. Plus, there’s no paperwork piles any more, which is bliss.”

The Halder fleet includes trucks from Daf, Scania and Volvo. Some

maintenance and repair work is done in-house, some contracted out.

“In the workshop, we’ve found jobs are no longer missed or duplicated as the job updates are always in front of the technicians,” says Halder. “All work carried out by Scania, for instance, can also be checked and followed up in real-time on the system, so we’re always on the same page with our external repairers too. We’ve seen savings of around 30 hours per month, but the biggest benefit by far is the peace of mind R2C provides. If DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) walked in today, we know everything is compliant and documented with a full digital audit trail on the platform.”

NEWS

O

FLEETCOR TECHNOLOGIES IS NEW R2C OWNER

B I Halder: one of many R2C users.


SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY TO DOMINATE SHOW AGENDA?

lternatives to diesel fuel, new van delivery times, and implications of the numerous new clean air zones (CAZ) being

introduced by UK local authorities at an accelerating pace. These are set to be among the main talking points at this year’s CV Show (at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre from 30 April to 2 May). That is the view of at least one seasoned commercial vehicle consultant, Arval UK’s Eddie Parker (page 7). His forecast may well turn out to be correct, but even before the show opens it is clear too that many of the transport engineers and fleet managers

planning their visits will have other topics on their minds as well, not least the blurring of long-established dividing lines between categories of suppliers. Time was, for instance, when the likes of Michelin and Goodyear were tyre manufacturers, plain and simple. Nowadays they, like nearly all their tyre-making rivals, are moving more and more into services, often related to telematics and by no means always directly related to black, circular things. Goodyear, by the way, is one of several big tyre manufacturers, including Bridgestone and Continental, that have decided not to take CV Show stand space this year. Hankook and Giti, on the other hand, will be there.

A

CV SHOW PREVIEW

Yokohama: first CV Show appearance for these van tyres.


Anyone looking for Michelin at the show need not be disappointed, however. They should head for the Road Haulage Association (RHA) stand, 5D20 in hall 5. For the second year in a row, part of the stand space taken by RHA (one of the three bodies behind the three-way partnership which owns this event) is being occupied by Michelin. This reflects, according to the tyre-maker, the “close working relationship between the two organisations”. Michelin sponsors the main RHA conference in April, plus various other regional conferences planned by the association for the rest of this year.

One product on display in the Michelin corner of the RHA stand this year is likely to attract attention aplenty from fleet engineers still concerned about the persistent threat of truck and bus wheel insecurity. It is a truck and trailer wheel security and tyre pressure management system (TPMS) which is claimed to be “the world’s first in-motion driver alert system for detecting onset of wheel-loss”. The system is designed and manufactured by Wheely-Safe and like its popular TPMS kit for cars and vans is now licensed to Michelin. But it is worth emphasising that this system works just as well with all brands of tyre and wheel.

Despite the absence of a Continental tyres display at this year’s show (the group’s VDO tachograph division will be there), comments made last month by Tony Stapleton, head of fleet sales at Conti’s UK and Irish Republic tyres operation, will doubtless still be striking a chord with many show visitors. Stapleton reckons that, despite various efforts over decades to solve the truck wheel security problem, there continue to be no fewer than 9,250 “wheel fixing defects” reported annually in the UK, of which 275 are complete wheel detachments. Corrosion and pitting of mating surfaces are often at the root of the problem, reckons Stapleton, echoing the findings of research a few years by some diligent fleet engineers.

A good example of how preconceived ideas about a company’s products and services are likely to be wide of the mark nowadays can be found in hall 5 on stand 5C90. This is occupied by BT Fleet Solutions, part of the British Telecommunications group but really having precious little to do with telecommunications. This division runs around 65 workshops and manages around 80,000 vehicles on behalf of its clients.

“BT Fleet Solutions brings together market-leading technology, a nationwide garage network, years of experience as an operator and field solutions from other BT businesses,” claims the company. Visit the stand to find out more about a new app for smartphones and tablet computers designed to take much of the hassle out of vehicle daily checks and accident management processes.

CV SHOW PREVIEW

BT Fleet Solutions: managing around 80,000 vehicles and happy to take on more at its 65 workshops.

Michelin: truck and trailer TPMS on the RHA stand.


CV SHOW PREVIEW

Carrier Transicold: first UK showing for HE19 trailer unit.

Fleet managers and commercial vehicle engineers in the controlled-temperature sector are under even more pressure than most to make their operations more efficient and more environmentally friendly. They will find plenty to keep them occupied at this event. Hultsteins is a Swedish manufacturer of transport refrigeration equipment with which few UK operators are familiar. That could be about to change now that it has teamed up with Cold Connect of Worcester to offer a range of “diesel-free” refrigeration systems. Four such systems will be on show in hall 3, on stand B64, two from Hultsteins and two from Cold Connect.

”Fuel saving and reliable solutions with reduced emissions are common denominators,” says Cold Connect director Stephen Maile. ”This has given both companies a unique position in a market where diesel-powered refrigeration units are increasingly questioned. We believe that the integration of Cold Connect with Hultsteins will further develop the stepping stone towards cleaner electric refrigeration, providing sustainable solutions well into the future.”

The two biggest transport refrigeration equipment suppliers, Carrier Transicold and Thermo King, have plenty to say too on the subject of sustainability.

Carrier Transicold’s Vector HE 19 trailer refrigeration system will be on display in the UK for the first time at this show. “This is a huge step forward for trailer refrigeration and the most important refrigeration unit to be launched by Carrier Transicold in the UK for a decade,” says Scott Dargan, boss of Carrier Transicold’s northern Europe division. “The new Vector HE 19 will deliver significant performance advantages for our customers in every area. We’ve combined existing, cutting-edge technology with a host of new features to help operators make a step-change improvement in fleet efficiency and sustainability.”

Over at Carrier’s arch-rival, Thermo King, Pauli Johannesen is general manager for truck, trailer and bus equipment in the group’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) division. He is confident that the latest line-up of Thermo King and Frigoblock reefers offered by this Ingersoll Rand group subsidiary will “meet the environmental sustainability objectives of customers and legislators determined to control exhaust emissions and limit noise in densely populated areas.” Systems worth a closer look on the Thermo King stand (B60 in hall 3) include the all-electric E200 unit for light commercial vehicles

up to 3.5 tonnes gvw, and the UT series “hybrid” prototype, combining a Thermo King diesel-powered refrigeration unit with a Frigoblock alternator and inverter. “Thermo King’s and Frigoblock’s zero-emission, all-electric and hybrid transport refrigeration systems have long served as transport refrigeration alternatives to diesel in low- and ultra-low emission zones,” says Johannesen. “This year in Birmingham we will introduce the latest additions to this portfolio, including new, prototype technologies, together with our customers from the retail and food service sectors.” But as if to underline that rumours of the death of the diesel engine continue to be greatly exaggerated, there will also be more conventional diesel-fuelled units on show on the Thermo King stand. “They have been modernised to run even more efficiently, consume less fuel and reduce emissions and noise,” claims Johannesen. “This future-proofs fleet owners’ operations by ensuring compliance with the latest EU regulations, including the new NRMM (non-road mobile machinery) stage V.”

Thermo King: new all-electric unit for vans.

Cold Connect and Hultsteins: teaming up in diesel-free refrigeration systems.


n acute and growing shortage of skilled commercial vehicle engineers in the UK is one of several reasons

behind a plethora of recent developments in apprenticeship and technician training and recruitment. Vehicle and trailer manufacturers such as Daf Trucks, Scania (Great Britain) and Tiger Trailers are

among those stepping up efforts to attract people to their apprenticeship schemes. So too is Ryder, one of the UK’s biggest commercial vehicle rental, contract hire and maintenance services operations. Ryder is seeking to recruit apprentices this year at no fewer than ten of its UK depots. Like Renault Trucks and Volvo Trucks, Ryder runs its long-established apprenticeship scheme in partnership

A

CLASS ACTIONForget the sensationalist nonsense talked by Alan Sugar and his cronies on an inexplicably popular tv show. Real apprenticeships in commercial vehicle engineering invariably lead to worthwhile, satisfying careers. Frustrated by the apparent inability of many careers advisers to grasp this, forward-looking employers are taking matter into their own hands. Tim Blakemore reports.

FEATURE

Ryder: looking for new apprentices.


with Stephenson College of Coalville, Leicestershire. Around 250 apprentices in all are understood to have successfully completed the Ryder/Stephenson scheme since it started in 1994, giving them Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) certificates in heavy vehicle maintenance and repair.

“We believe in investing in our people and the future of the commercial transport industry,” says Ryder’s human resources director Catherine Steel. “Our apprenticeship programme has been helping people into successful careers in the automotive industry for 25 years. Some of our apprentices have gone on to hold

senior management positions in Ryder, and their experience is invaluable in shaping our programme and mentoring the next generation of young engineers.”

Tiger Trailers was established less than five years ago by brothers John and Steven Cartwright after a falling out between them and other members of the family behind the long-established Cartwright trailer and truck body-making group of Altrincham, Cheshire. But one thing all Cartwright family members seem to agree on is the value of apprenticeships. Already there are 45 apprentices on the Tiger Trailers two- and four-year NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) courses in mechanical manufacturing engineering. Following the opening late last year of the company’s new purpose-built factory in Winsford, Cheshire, there are 15 additional apprenticeship vacancies to be filled by September. Applications opened on 1 April. “Skilled workers are at a premium,” says joint managing director

Steven Cartwright. “But that doesn’t mean skills can’t be taught. The transport industry talks often about a skills shortage. We saw a clear opportunity to address the issue, and it’s delivering results. Some of our very best people are ex-apprentices. The key ingredient with young people is enthusiasm. Our apprentice programme (run in partnership with neighbouring Warrington & Vale Royal College) channels that eagerness and produces highly motivated, skilled individuals, which I believe is absolutely fundamental to the success of the business.” Apprentices typically spend one day per week at the college, and four days on the Tiger Trailers shopfloor acquiring skills in areas such as fabrication, chassis assembly, air and electrical systems. “Our apprenticeship programme appeals primarily to school-leavers,” says Cartwright. “But increasingly older people are looking to re-train and embark on new career paths. We are very keen to engage with them.”

“We believe in investing in our people and the future of the commercial transport industry”

FEATURE

Tiger Trailers: joined-up thinking on apprentice training.


Scania (Great Britain) recognised long ago that encouraging older applicants to join its technician apprenticeship scheme often paid off handsomely and that seems unlikely to change under the new managing director, Martin Hay. He returned to the UK from Sweden last September to take over from Claes Jacobsson who moved in the opposite direction. Hay has worked for Scania for 28 years, including spells as managing director of what then was the Scantruck dealer group and later as a director of the south-east region. This experience surely will have left him in no doubt about the value of an effective, attractive apprenticeship scheme. But one thing Hay has wasted no time in changing is the provider of Scania apprentice training in the UK. Following a competitive tender, Scania (Great Britain) switched from Skillnet to Remit Group, a big Nottingham-based training firm, from this January. There are at present around 170 apprentices working in the Scania (Great Britain) dealer network, with 90 more expected to be recruited this summer.

“Apprenticeships represent a key investment for the future of Scania and the wider automotive industry,” says Hay. “We are delighted to have selected Remit Group as our new training provider and look forward to welcoming the next generation of apprentices into our dealer network.”

Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) boss Steve Nash has been one of the fiercest critics of the government’s infamous apprenticeship levy, introduced two years ago. But he offers a cautious welcome to changes to the scheme announced by chancellor Philip Hammond late last year, apparently in response to widespread condemnation of the practical effects of what continues to be seen by many as little more than a stealth tax.

“Widening access to the levy is excellent news,” says Nash. “For some time at the IMI we have been hearing from businesses that they believed the scope of the levy was too limited.”

This failing has been starkly underlined by a sharp decline in apprenticeship starts since the levy was introduced: the exact opposite of what the government claimed the levy was designed to achieve. There were 290,500 apprenticeship starts in the

first three quarters of the 2017/18 academic year, compared with 440,300 in 2016/17.

“Of course, it’s important to listen to business and address any barriers to apprenticeship take-up, but by 2020 the new reforms will be fully bedded in – wholesale change would therefore be a disaster,” says Nash. “The last thing businesses need is to have to start all over again. The IMI therefore urges government to stick with the new model already introduced and to focus its efforts on ensuring businesses fully understand how they can maximise the levy for the benefit of their organisation. The skills gap in the motor retail sector is already critical. Young blood is therefore vital as the rapid development of new technology related to electric, autonomous and connected vehicles changes the face of motoring, opening up a world of exciting new career opportunities.”

“Apprenticeships represent a key investment for the future of Scania and the wider

automotive industry”

FEATURE

Martin Hay: switching from Skillnet to Remit Group.

Scania’s Loughborough training centre: 90 new apprentices on the way.


The levy applies to any company with a total annual pay bill of more than £3 million. HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) takes 0.5% of this to fund the levy. One of the changes announced by Philip Hammond late last year is that employers in future will be allowed to transfer up to 25% of their apprenticeship levy-financed training fund to another organisation in their “supply chain”. This presumably will apply to vehicle manufacturers or big dealer groups wishing to encourage apprentice training by related, smaller operations. The IMI has long been calling for something of this kind. Mark Armitage is head of external quality and assessment services at the Hertfordshire-based institute. “With continued confusion surrounding the apprenticeship levy, whether you are a paying or non-paying business, it is important that organisations understand how they can best use the training funds to which they are entitled,” he says. “That is why the IMI is offering free expert advice to help organisations understand how they can invest their levy or co-investment, using this to enhance skillsets in their business. There is no question that apprentices deliver real value for businesses, as proved by a two-year IMI study. This found that apprentices typically generate an ROI (return on investment) of between 150 and 300%,

and usually generate profit within twelve or 24 months. Home-grown apprentice-trained technicians invariably outperform market-recruited technicians, and this can reduce long-term recruitment and training costs. Employers must build apprentices’ knowledge, skills and behaviours based on targets they want them to achieve, and this will help them see higher completion rates and a higher number of apprentices retained in their business.”

At Daf Trucks, the UK’s top-selling truck manufacturer, business services manager Adam Russell would surely say “amen” to all these IMI observations. He has just unveiled a nationwide technician recruitment campaign under a “join the winning team” banner. “One of our main goals is to shine a light on the important role technicians have within the wider transport industry,” says Russell. A more prosaic goal evidently is to help the independent Daf dealer network in the UK fill many vacancies for skilled workshop staff.

There are at present around 1,500 technicians working in the Daf dealer network in the UK, plus about 400 apprentices.

Five current and former Daf technicians have been enlisted by Russell to act as “ambassadors” in the recruitment campaign, starring in a video on Youtube and on a new page on Daf websites (www.daf.co.uk/technicians). One central aim of the campaign is to highlight something that careers advisers in schools and colleges generally fail to recognise all too often, the many excellent career paths to which a commercial vehicle technician apprenticeship can lead, including a wide range of service and parts management jobs.

“Join the winning team has wider implications for the industry,” says Russell. “I believe there is a wealth of talent in the UK which the truck industry can tap into. Our recruitment drive is just one way of shining a light on the wider issue of our industry’s skills shortage. We’ve always delivered a successful recruitment effort at Daf Trucks, due in part to our popular apprentice programme where there is a natural progression to full-time employment throughout the network.”

“I believe there is a wealth of talent in the UK which the truck industry can tap into”

FEATURE

IMI boss Steve Nash: motor retail skills gap is “already critical”.

Daf Trucks: purpose-built new train-ing centre at Haddenham.

https://www.daf.co.uk/en-gb/dealer-network/working-at-the-daf-dealer/become-a-daf-technician


GAINST the glorious backdrop of the Cairngorms, local government specialists in fleet, waste and grounds

services will gather from 14-18 May with the UK’s leading suppliers to debate the future of these services and to explore new and exciting innovations within the industry.

The annual APSE event features Scotland’s largest trade exhibition of its kind with over 110 stands, offering delegates a unique opportunity to question suppliers about their latest products and pricing.

However, Aviemore is far more than just an exhibition. The seminar, sponsored by Dennis Eagle and Terberg Matec UK, draws in a wide variety of highly influential and knowledgeable speakers; offering attendees an opportunity to network and bounce ideas around other members of local government.

There will be four discussion forums: Fleet advisory, Waste advisory, Parks advisory and Litter Managers Network, so that delegates can debate the latest challenges and opportunities in each sector.

The seminar will open with the keynote session: What does the future hold for neighbourhood services? This panel discussion will include APSE chief executive Paul O’Brien, depute chief executive of East Ayrshire Council Katie Kelly, and Cllr Archie Dryburgh of Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Drawing on APSE’s latest research – The new municipalism: Taking back

entrepreneurship - Paul will begin by looking at how more Scottish councils are benefiting from developing entrepreneurial approaches in order to manage ever tightening budgets.

Katie Kelly will provide a case study in how her council is helping to protect communities through a transformational approach to spending and Cllr Dryburgh will explore the ways in which the Borderlands are bringing economy, environment and low carbon together for the benefit of local communities.

Compliance and enforcement are top of the fleet agenda in Aviemore and Mags Simpson, head of policy for Scotland and

Aviemore remains one of Scotland’s most charming locations and APSE will once again return to the picturesque town to present the 2019 edition of Scotland’s annual local authorities seminar. In this preview part one, Transport News sets the scene…

LOOKING AHEAD TO AVIEMORE

A

Northern Ireland at the Freight Transport Association, will look at the questions that council directors should know the answers to regarding their transport operations and licence compliance.

She will be joined by network business manager Liz Warner and testing network manager John McKernan from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for an overview of the major changes to vehicle testing being implemented now and in the year ahead.

Overcoming the contamination challenge is arguably the most pressing issue currently facing local authority waste collection services, which is why APSE will be grappling with the issue at Aviemore. Emma Leask, consumer campaigns project manager at Zero Waste Scotland, will provide an update on the work they have undertaken to develop communications resources focused on reducing contamination.

Kenny Dalrymple, service lead for neighbourhood services at South Ayrshire Council, and Seamus Connolly, principal officer at Glasgow City Council, will then offer a local authority perspective on the issue of waste.

Kenny will chart his council’s progress in reducing contamination through its introduction of a ‘charter compliant’ waste service, whilst Seamus will talk delegates through Glasgow’s city centre commercial waste policy; the challenges of such a big project and the benefits achieved so far.

• APSE preview continues in the June issue of Transport News, out on 10 May.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH



NEWS FROM THE NORTH ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN

THE TRUCK ADVOCATEGRT is a transport and training organisation specialising in road transport legislation and regulation, offering a range of operator licence compliance services, advising on a number of issues, and operating across Scotland and the north of England.

In conjunction with Transport News, GRT presents this regular Q&A column dealing with compliance and legislation issues relating to road haulage. Readers who have any queries can call 0141 237 6950, visit www.grtconsultants.com or post questions on our Facebook page, @GRTConsultants.


We have received an application from a Polish driver. He has stated

on his employment application that his CPC is valid until June 2023 but it has been issued in Poland. His licence and tachograph card are also Poland issued. Is this suitable or would he have to exchange for UK licences?

Drivers are permitted to drive in the UK for up to 12 months on a foreign

licence before they must apply to exchange. You must ascertain how long the driver has been living in the UK to determine whether an exchange will be required now. The driver’s tachograph card remains valid and can still be used.

In order to check the validity of the driver’s CPC qualification, you must check the back of his driving licence. In column 12, there should be a list of numbers, for example, 95.29.10.2022.

Rather than issue separate cards, some European countries simply endorse driving licences with a ‘code 95’. The rest of the numbers in the example show the date that the qualification expires (in this case, 29 October 2022).

I am an owner driver and carry out international work. I have heard that

trailers must now be registered separately from vehicles but don’t know much about it. Is this dependent on the outcome of Brexit?

In short no, these regulations will be in force irrespective of the outcome

of Brexit. If there is a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, there may be even more documentation required for trailers being towed in Europe.

The new regulations require commercial trailers weighing over 750kg in gross weight to be registered. Note that this does not apply to hauliers who only operate in the UK and Ireland, it is only mandatory for international travel.

This means that trailers making international journeys will need to display their own separate registration plate. The driver must be able to present the trailer registration certificate to any foreign authority upon request.

It costs £26 to register a trailer and this can be done on the government website.

We have interviewed a potential new driver and discovered that he has a

conviction for using a ‘dangerous vehicle’ under Section 40 of the Road Traffic Act. He claims it was only because his load was not secure and that nothing had actually happened. Can you explain the legislation to me?

There are a number of ways the authorities can deal with insecure

loads. For offences at the lower end of the scale, the Construction & Use Regulations offence could be used where nuisance is caused, or likely to be caused, by a load falling or being blown from a vehicle or shifting whilst on the vehicle. The next level would be Section 40(a) of the Road Traffic Act; this creates an offence to use, cause or permit the use of a vehicle or trailer when the position/distribution of its load or the manner in which the load is secured means there is a danger of injury to any person.

In serious cases, a charge of dangerous driving could be brought where it was

deemed obvious to a careful and competent driver that using the vehicle in that condition would be dangerous.

It very much depends on the circumstances and the enforcement officers interpretation of the degree of danger, either potential or actual.

My transport manager has recently handed in his notice and has notified

the Central Licensing Office of his intention to resign. I have received a letter through from the Traffic Commissioner’s office, informing me that they are considering revoking my licence in the next 14 days unless I request a Public Inquiry. Can you advise on what to do?

Professional competence is a continuing and mandatory

requirement of holding a Standard type licence, and is only met when a suitably qualified transport manager has been approved on your licence by a Traffic Commissioner.

Where licensing staff have grounds to suspect that there is no transport manager in place, the operator will be notified and given a limited time (as you have in this case) to make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner.

Regulation (EC) 1071/2009, Annex 2 allows Traffic Commissioners discretion where it is found that no transport manager is in place. A grace period of up to six months can be given in order to replace a transport manager. The onus is on the operator however to provide a valid and convincing argument as to why the Traffic Commissioner should grant such a period.

You must respond to the letter received, explaining how you propose to fill the vacancy and how you are managing your compliance in the meantime.

You must request that the Traffic Commissioner considers offering you a grace period to make the necessary changes and explain why it is not possible to achieve within the original deadline.

Should you fail to respond to the letter within the stated time, the Traffic Commissioner can revoke your licence without the offer of a Public Inquiry.

A

A

A

Q

Q

Q

Q

A

https://en-gb.facebook.com/grtconsultants/


TruckScotSceneOriginally published in

A Volvo FM370 with a bit of a difference on this Vivier unit for Oban based shellfish export company, PDK Shellfish. Photo: Darren Green.

Aviemore based civil and environmental engineering specialists McGowan has put this New Generation DAF XF 6x4 530 Space Cab on the road. Photo: Darren Green.

Archie Johnstone’s new Bathgate based MAN TGS 32.420 sleeper cab complete with Durabrights, Aliweld body and full safetycamera system. Decals by OPG. Photo: Stuart McMillan.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH



Latest addition to the Whitelink Seafoods fleet at Fraserburgh is the second S650 to join the ranks. Photo: Alan Shearer.

Pair of tidy tippers: Scania R520 and MAN TGX from Ian Roger Transport at Stracathro Services. Photo: Grant Thomson.

Rose Field Salvage Ltd/D&S Forres Ltd MAN TGX XXL and Weightlifter scrap metal trailer on the A96 at Inverurie. Photo: David Halliday.

Island Duke is the latest addition to the smart Iain MacEachen fleet. Tidy Scania R580 XT with Houghton platinum decker. Photo: Alan Shearer.

Grants Ballindalloch Timber Haulage Ltd’s new MAN TGX 26.500 was supplied by Elgin Truck and Van Centre. It’s coupled up to a new timber trailer with enclosed crane cab and TireBoss all round. Photo: Darren Green.

Climbing over the A66 with ease on bulk tipper duties is A Campbell of Carstairs’ Scania Next Generation S650 V8, paintwork and graphics by Courtney and McMillan Ltd. Photo: Darren Green.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN



NEWS FROM THE NORTH

New addition to the Barclays of Portsoy fleet. It’s a DAF Euro 6 XF and Houghton decker at Stracathro Services. Photo: Alan Shearer.

One of a pair of new Volvo FH13 540 Globetrotter wagon and drag timber outfits for TSL Contractors Ltd. Photo: Ian Lawson.

Caught first day on the road on 1 March: A Volvo FH13 500 Globetrotter 6x2 mid lift, one of a pair for MacRitchie of Inverness. Photo: Ian Lawson.

BLS Truck & Van of Aberdeen supplied this new Mercedes Actros 2553 6x2 tag axle unit to Seafield Park Transport of Inverness. Photo: Ian Lawson.

Norscot Truck & Van Ltd, Aberdeen, supplied this new DAF LF road sweeper complete with Johnston dual sweep equipment to Denis McDonald Plant Ltd, Lonmay near Fraserburgh. Vehicle livery was completed by The Sign Company, Aberdeen.


PEOPLE

D aniel Holbein is in charge of MAN LCV sales in the UK

with effect from 1 April. He has been appointed head of van at MAN Truck & Bus UK, where he joins the board of directors and reports to managing director Thomas Hemmerich.

Mr Holbein has worked for MAN Truck & Bus (part of the Volkswagen group’s Traton division) at its Munich head office since 2011, latterly with responsibility for pricing in the truck sales operation. In his new job, he will run sales of the MAN TGE light commercial vehicle range (clones of the Volkswagen Crafter) in the UK.

“I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel will take on responsibility for the TGE range here in the UK and join the board of directors,” says Mr Hemmerich. “His knowledge of the brand, experience in sales, passion and drive will be invaluable.”

W


rights Group, one of the UK’s top manufacturers of full-size buses, is looking for a new chief executive following the

surprise resignation of Mark Nodder at the end of March.

Mr Nodder, 63, is understood to have decided to take early retirement after 21 years at the Ballymena, Northern Ireland-based group. He joined in 1998 what then was Robert Wright & Son (Coachworks) as head of aftersales. He is a lawyer by training and previous employers include aircraft manufacturer Bombardier and Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defence. Rapid promotion at Wrights soon took him to group sales director, responsible for expanding overseas sales in particular. He was appointed group managing director in 2006, becoming chairman and chief executive a few years later.

“The board of Wrights Group will always be grateful to Mark for his long and dedicated service,” says company co-founder Sir William Wright. “Together with the whole board, I wish Mark every success in his plans for the future.”

When Mr Nodder joined the company annual turnover was around £30 million. Nowadays it is closer to £200 million with the latest pre-tax profit around £11 million. But even though it is less dependent now on the UK bus and coach market, with about 20% of sales revenue coming from overseas, Wrights has been hit harder than most by plunging demand for new buses from UK operators.

Bus and coach registrations overall fell by nearly 6% last year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). But Wrights Group bus registrations are down by nearly 50% year-on-year. There were two rounds of redundancies at the Ballymena factory last year, with 95 jobs lost in February and about the same number announced in June.

There are now about 1,500 Wrights Group employees.

Mr Nodder’s retirement is described as “very sad” by Stephen Kelly, chief executive at Manufacturing Northern Ireland, an organisation representing companies based in the region.

“He is one of life’s gentlemen,” says Mr Kelly. “Mark has proven himself to be an extraordinary leader, not just in the Northern Ireland business community but globally in terms of his impact on Wrightbus. He’s taken it from a successful and important business into a really global leader in bus technology that passengers have been able to enjoy in cities right across the globe.”

William Wright’s son Jeff is understood to be heading Wrights Group temporarily until Mr Nodder’s successor is appointed. This will be “in the very near future”, according to a company statement.

Daniel Holbein

Wrights Group: jobs lost as UK bus sales plunge.

Mark Nodder

PEOPLE


irk Freezer has left Scania (Great Britain), where he was services sales director, to become heavy business line director at

Iveco’s UK and Irish Republic sales and marketing operation. Mr Freezer now reports to UK and Ireland business director Stuart Webster and takes on responsibility for sales of Iveco’s Eurocargo, Stralis and Trakker truck ranges.

Mr Webster has been doing this job himself, in addition to his wider management responsibilities at the CNH Industrial group’s UK division, since Nick Pemberton left the post in mid 2017. Mr Pemberton is now retail sales director at Guest Motors, a West Bromwich-based dealer group claiming, with its Guest Truck & Van and Sherwood Truck & Van divisions, to be Iveco’s biggest in the UK. There are also several Fiat Professional van dealer sites in the Guest group. Mr Pemberton is based at the Sherwood Truck & Van site at South Normanton, Derbyshire, close to the Sheffield, South Yorkshire region where his career began back in 1973 as an apprentice technician.

Mr Freezer worked for Scania in the UK for more than 15 years, joining the company as regional aftersales director in January 2004. Before that he had been in a similar post at Marshall Thermo King, a Cambridge-based company specialising in sakes and service of Thermo King transport refrigeration equipment made by the giant multinational Ingersoll Rand group.

One of the biggest challenges facing Mr Freezer in his new job at Iveco is finding a way to halt a persistent recent plunge in UK truck market share. In the twelve months to January 2019 the number of new Iveco trucks at six tonnes gvw and above registered in the UK was 3,066, according to statistics published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That is nearly 12% down on the total for 2017, in a market which fell overall by only a little over 4% (Commercial Vehicle Engineer February). Iveco’s share of the UK truck market fell from 7.7 to 7.1% between 2017 and 2018 and it has now been overtaken by MAN in the truck sales table.

Mr Freezer nevertheless seems convinced that a recent strong emphasis on gas engines could be a prelude to a recovery in Iveco truck sales here.

“The opportunity to join Iveco, the manufacturer leading the drive towards natural gas, was too good an opportunity to turn down,” he says. “The push for cleaner emission levels in cities is gathering pace, and I’m looking forward to working closely with our dealers as more customers begin making the transfer from diesel to gas engines.”

The Stralis NP 6x2 tractive unit, with a plated gross combination weight in the UK of 44 tonnes, went on sale here last year and is claimed to be the only three-axle tractor on the market to run on 100% liquefied natural gas (LNG), without the need for diesel or AdBlue. Volvo too offers a 460hp, 44-tonnes-gcw LNG-fuelled 6x2 tractor in its FH range but whereas the Iveco gas engine is spark-ignition (using spark plugs instead of injectors) the Volvo engine is in effect a conventional compression-ignition diesel engine able

to run on gas, with a tiny amount of diesel to help it along, courtesy of a novel, clever Delphi fuel injection system.

Mr Freezer is not pinning all his hopes on Iveco gas engines, however. He also sees potential for growing sales in the construction sector of the market with the recently revamped, diesel-engined Stralis X-Way range of multi-wheeled rigids, designed mainly for off-road work but with lower kerb weights and thus more payload potential than earlier Iveco tipper chassis.

“The potential for the Stralis X-Way is huge,” he says. “It was a big draw for me in accepting the role. The feedback the vehicle has been generating in the marketplace has been excellent. It’s given the dealer network a truck which can genuinely compete against the more established marques in this competitive area of the market. It’s one of those trucks that you want to have in your product range. It’s been incredibly well engineered and I’m going to be putting a lot of emphasis into getting our demonstrators into as many prospect fleets as we can.”

K

Stuart Webster Nick Pemberton

Kirk Freezer

PEOPLE


B oughton Engineering, a big West Midlands-based manufacturer of

specialised truck bodywork, has a new service and parts manager. He is John Jennings, a former regional fleet manager and fleet engineer at Suez UK.

Mr Jennings, 45, has extensive experience in road transport engineering. His career began as an apprentice at British Road Services in Yorkshire. He moved to Barlow Handling and then to the British Antarctic Survey, before joining an MAN dealership as workshop foreman.

Between 2010 and 2012, Mr Jennings was based at MAN’s head office in Munich, working as an after-sales specialist. He returned to the UK to join JCB as a service manager.

Mr Jennings became Suez UK’s north and central regions fleet engineer in 2016 and regional fleet manager in 2017.

In his new role, he reports to sales and marketing director Steve Price. “Boughton has been achieving record growth year on year, and sustaining that demands parallel progress in all aftermarket functions,” says Mr Price. “John Jennings’ background is fully complementary with our future plans and the expectations of our customers.”

“I look forward to building further on the good order in which my predecessor left Boughton’s service and parts operation and taking it forward to the next level,” says Mr Jennings. “Coming directly from fleet management roles with one of the sector’s major operators, I have a close understanding of what operators need and expect from their supply chains and the systems that are essential to supporting them.”

G raham Vidler starts work on 7 May as the new boss at the London head office of the

Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT), the main trade association for bus and coach operators in the UK. Mr Vidler has been appointed CPT chief executive, filling the vacancy resulting from the surprise resignation last August of Simon Posner. He had worked for CPT since 1995 and had been chief executive since 2006.

Mr Vidler has been director of external affairs at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association for the past five years. Previous jobs include director of communications at the National Employment Savings Trust; head of marketing at Aviva, an insurance company; head of policy at the Consumers Association; and policy adviser at the Association of British Insurers. After leaving the University of Kent with a degree in geography and sociology, Mr Vidler worked for seven years at the House of Commons as a researcher.

“Graham’s vast experience in external relations and communications and policy roles means he is ideally positioned to lead our trade association during these challenging and ever-changing times,” says CPT president Martin Dean. “I am confident that his appointment will further establish CPT as the organisation leading the debate

on the future of road transport and the ongoing contribution of bus and coach.”

Two other new recruits at CPT are Tom Brackenbury and Alison Edwards, external relations manager and policy and public affairs manager respectively, in a new external relations unit.

“I look forward to meeting CPT members across the UK to learn first-hand about the many challenges they face and the changing operational landscape which lies ahead,” says Mr Vidler. “There has never been a better time for bus and coach operators to join together and demonstrate the vital role they have to play in helping governments, local authorities and stakeholders meet our shared objectives - improving air quality, reducing road congestion and supporting the economic prosperity of our towns and high streets - while also continuing to provide a first-class service to passengers.”

John Jennings

Simon Posner

Graham Vidler

PEOPLE

Documents

TECHNICIAN TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT · 2019-04-26 · that the “apprenticeship levy” introduced two years ago will be helpful. In fact, as with almost everything this wretched