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ISSUE 2 2011


ROAD UPDATE ByBox eyes Europe


In-night distribution and field services solutions specialist ByBox is eyeing expansion into other European markets, but it probably won’t happen this year, said chief executive Stuart Miller. Instead the company will spend the next few months extending its existing operation in Benelux to offer full national coverage by increasing the network from the current 16 to around 35 drop box locations. It also aims to improve the profitability of


its first continental operation in France, started about four years ago and now operating from over 100 locations in the Paris region.


However, the company has now learned how to get into new territories profitably, says Miller.


Germany is one obvious target, but the dominance of Deutsche Post and Packstation could make it hard to break into, Miller admitted. Other


possibilities include Scandinavia and possibly the US and Australasia – perhaps through a franchising arrangement. ByBox delivers parts overnight by 8am to its network of drop boxes or by 10am to customer’s sites. By offering total transparency of stock through its Thinventory system, users can substantially reduce stockholding and warehousing costs – for example by eliminating the expense of


unused stocks of parts sitting in engineers’ vans. It can also offer a service for companies needing to deliver parts to the UK from centralised European warehouses. Pick-ups can be as late as 19.00 from locations such as Eindhoven, Munich and Antwerp with delivery by 8am early the following morning. ByBox uses fast vans and chartered air capacity to deliver into its main UK hub in Coventry.


CMR notes could go electronic soon


Electronic consignment notes for international road transport could be a real possibility, says the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).


In a statement on 9 March, it said that governments are adapting traditional legal instruments to new technologies by implementing “e-governance” solutions. On


7 March, Lithuania became


the fifth State to ratify the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) concerning the Electronic Consignment Note – or e-CMR. It may not be the snappiest title, and the event may have gone largely unnoticed, but it means that the protocol will now come


advertisement Get ahead with the Tunnel Since opening in 1994


Eurotunnel has become known for its fast, flexible and reliable service, carrying over 265 million passengers and more than 16 million trucks. It has become the gateway between the UK and continental Europe and, if you need to travel fast and clean, it is the only way to go. Eurotunnel continues to implement time-saving developments with the launch of a new website, improved access to the terminals, slick vehicle identification systems at Check-in and the advantage of the tried and tested speed, ease and reliability, that has always set the service apart from the competition, adding up to a package that is hard to beat.


The Eurotunnel Freight Shuttle service runs every ten minutes at peak times, adapting its timetable to meet customer demand. One of the fastest Check– in systems in the transport industry helps drivers pass through


its terminals the minimum fuss. with Using


the online booking systems (www.eurotunnelfreight. com) couldn’t be easier, the pre-booked trucks are then recognised by registration identification software at


Check-in and fast-tracked through to the next available Shuttle. Eurotunnel’s online services account holders can


create their own


e-tickets, follow their vehicle movements on the terminals, view the terminal traffic status and next departure timetable and manage their invoices when it suits them. Truck drivers can also quickly access the online services from their cab, using their mobile phone.


Reinforced perimeter security and enclosed parking make the Eurotunnel terminals the safest place for your trucks and drivers. Increased safety checks in place throughout the terminals ensure that fire risks are identified and managed before boarding, whilst inside the Tunnel lessons have been learnt from the fire on a truck in 2008. A brand new, state of the art fire suppression system has been tested and is being installed. Together with an education campaign for drivers, this will prevent a future truck fire from putting the Tunnel out of service. By the end of the year four 870m long suppression stations (called SAFE stations) will be installed and operational. In the event of a fire the Shuttle


will be driven to one of these and the passengers and crew evacuated into the safety of the service tunnel whilst the SAFE station localises the seat of the fire and douses it with a dense high pressure water mist: effectively containing it before the fire-fighters even arrive. This will allow a much faster service recovery. In today’s world, with oil supply more uncertain than ever and with widespread political instability and rising prices, keeping an eye on fuel-efficient ways to move goods around is vital. Not only is a Eurotunnel crossing more carbon efficient than a ferry (20 times less carbon emission per truck crossing), but it also crosses closer to London and can thereby save hundreds of kilometres per year of fuel and truck wear and tear and hours of driver time. Eurotunnel has helpfully added a “Carbon Counter” to its website to help calculate the savings that can be made using an environmentally- friendly Shuttle compared to travelling by ferry.


C M J CM MJ CJ CMJ N


For further information, please


contact the Freight


Commercial team on 0870 850 0721 or visit www. eurotunnelfreight.com.


into force on 5 June. Discussions about the e-CMR have been going on for 14 years. This will in turn establish the legal framework and standards for electronically recording and storing consignment note data. As well as the consignment note, any demand, declaration, instruction, request, reservation or other communication relating to the performance of


a contract of carriage to which the CMR Convention applies, may be carried out by electronic communication.


The CMR agreement, of which the Protocol is part, regulates the contracts for the transport of goods by road and dates back to 1956. UNECE hopes that all the current 53 contracting


parties


will adhere to the new e-CMR protocol.


Palletways launches 133x170_FBJ_Eurotunnel.pdf 18/03/2011 15:47:57


German domestic network Palletways is continuing the expansion of its domestic operations in Europe with a new nationwide service in Germany. The €5m network will be centred on a 7,000 sq metre hub in Homberg and will start operation in early May 2011. It joins existing networks in Benelux, Italy, Portugal, Spain, UK and Ireland. The Group’s pan- European network also services France and Denmark.


Development of the German network also forms part of Palletways’ strategy to open up new business opportunities in Eastern Europe.


The German hub will have capacity for up to 6,000 pallets per night and there will be about 35 depots across Germany. There will initially be about 30 employees at the hub and at the new operation’s commercial offices in Dusseldorf.


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