10 says that,


Issue 3 2014 Freight Business Journal


Russia TIR ban set to reach Finland border


Russia’s Federal Customs Service plans to extend its progressive ban on TIR documents to the Finnish- Russian border, a major conduit for trade between the EU and Russia, the International Road Transport Union reports. So far, the bans on individual


offices accepting TIR have not affected the busy border crossing with Finland, one of the main corridors to and from the wider European Union. It


according to


information it had received, TIR Carnets will no longer be accepted in the North-West region at Torfyanovka Customs office as of 21 April. The Customs service had originally planned to withraw TIR from the station on 20 March but this had been delayed for legal reasons, said an IRU spokeswoman. As of 14 April, TIR carnets


were still being accepted at this border-crossing point, as well as at the remaining ones where TIR operations have not yet been restricted, namely the Vyborg, Karelia and Murmansk customs


offices. In the absence of the TIR


service, transport operators travelling between Europe and Russia would have to purchase additional national guarantees. The IRU therefore strongly advises all transport operators driving to, from and across Russia, to use the IRU Recommendations for TIR Carnet Holders in case TIR Carnets are illegally refused by Russian Customs officers. IRU says that the move is in direct


violation of the TIR Convention, as well as several Court decisions in Russia itself. It also defies instructions from the Russian Government taken in relation to TIR in the past few months and is “another worrying sign for the business climate in Russia.” The IRU is currently in


discussions with various Russian Ministries at all levels to quickly resolve the situation. The Russian customs service has


been progressively withdrawing the TIR guarantee service from crossing points between its


territory and neighbouring


countries, in a dispute over alleged unpaid duties by the country’s TIR issuing authority. However, the IRU disputes this version of events. Later, at a press briefing in Moscow, the IRU warned of the potential damage to the Russian economy due to the restrictions at Russian borders. It said that the situation was encouraging capital flight and deterring foreign investors. The IRU also presented the preliminary results of economic studies which showed that road transport operators are now paying up to 93,000 roubles ($2,574) per vehicle for mandatory additional national guarantees. The IRU General Assembly


agreed on 4 April to make every effort to work with the Russian authorities to fully reinstate TIR in Russia. However it added that the IRU Presidential Executive should be given the authority to decide at any time to completely withdraw TIR guarantee coverage in Russia should this become necessary in the future.


MEPs put off longer truck vote again


The European Parliamnent rejected a Commission proposal to allow the cross-border operation of trucks up to 25 metres long and 60 tonnes on 15 April. They instead asked the European Commission to produce a report by 2016, and present a legislative proposal if necessary. The move was welcomed by


the pressure group, Freight on Rail whose manager, Philippa Edmunds, said: “Mega trucks


would result in more road fatalities, road congestion pollution and road damage as well as undermining rail freight. European bureaucrats have not evaluated the impacts and cost to society of this policy, contrary to European rules.” She also criticised Conservative


MEPs who voted against the ban, saying that it contradicted UK Government policy and sent out mixed signals. Meanwhile, the European


Parliament’s Transport Committee has voted through measures that will allow more aerodynamic lorry design with reduced blind spots, crumple zone and pedestrian safety features. They are expected to become mandatory on new lorries by 2022, but manufacturers will be free to introduce them before this time. The UK’s Campaign for Better


Transport said it could signal the end for “brick-shaped lorries”.


///NEWS Dachser opens new Midlands hub


Dachser UK, has opened its new integrated


logistics centre and


UK headquarters at Brackmills Business Park, Northampton. The 16 acre site includes a 178,000sq ſt purpose-built


facility and will


enhance cross-docking and contract logistics capabilities. UK managing director Nick


Lowe said the move to the new premises was completed on 24 March and the first shipments had already been handled successfully.


Simarco extends coverage with Staffs buy


Essex-headquartered freight company Simarco is to buy Staffordshire-based forwarder IFB, for an undisclosed sum as part of its expansion programme. Simarco founder and managing


director, Simon Reed, said the acquisition would help improve UK coverage: “Whereas we have a greater presence across the south of England, IFB is stronger in the Midlands and the North. Together, we can deliver a more complete and more efficient coverage of the entire country.”


He added that the deal “allows


two established, award-winning companies with a similar approach to doing business to complement one another and fully realise their combined potential. Just like Simarco, IFB has a capable and fully- committed staff and places great emphasis on customer service.” All three IFB directors will the business -


remain with


managing director Steve Shepley and financial director Ray Harrison will be directors and fellow director Peter Boyd will continue to advise


the board. The company identity will also be retained. Simarco says that its turnover


has risen by just over 10% during the last financial year and the acquisition of IFB takes the Simarco group’s combined turnover to more than £35 million. The Midlands firm was founded


30 years ago and offers groupage and full load services into Europe, plus air and ocean freight, courier services and warehousing at its 45,000 sq ſt facility in Stoke-on- Trent.


FTA supports foreign truck levy


The Freight Transport Association said it welcomed the introduction of the HGV Road User Levy in the UK on 1 April. A time-based charge of up to £1,000 a year or £10 a day will apply to lorries weighing more than 12 tonnes, and means that foreign-registered lorries will have to pay to travel on UK roads, as UK vehicles already have to do to do in many European countries. FTA has continuously called


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for the introduction of charging, provided that the overall level of taxes and charges on UK hauliers do not increase significantly. It had previously stated that the levy would partly address the


competitive differences between British registered operators and foreign-registered vehicles. In introducing the new levy on 1


April, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “The HGV levy will provide a massive boost for the UK haulage industry. It will create a level playing field across Europe, giving UK firms a much better opportunity to win business.” FTA director of policy Karen Dee


said that, as far as she was aware, introduction of the levy had gone smoothly. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) – the successor to the Driving Standards Agency and Vehicle and Operator


Services Agency - was properly targeting vehicles and some fixed penalty notices had been levied on on non-compliant operators. There had been some some


concerns that the message about the new levy had not been getting through to foreign truckers. For UK operators, vehicle


excise duty rates will be reduced accordingly to keep the overall tax bills neutral for the majority of hauliers but the new levy could add as much as £1,000 per year to a foreign driver’s bill, generally paid online through an HGV Levy Payment Portal (operated by Northgate Public Services.


TruckPol is back


TruckPol, the joint industry and and haulage industry partnership dedicated to fighting freight crime, is to reopen following sponsorship and support from the National Business Crime Solution (NBCS). TruckPol was


shut down in


March 2012 aſter the Home Office withdrew funding.


NBCS will launch a freight and


logistics crime desk that will work with local constabularies to help identify key hot spots and criminal trends through centralised and collective data sharing. The NBCS is underpinned by a


live information and intelligence- sharing platform. Registered


users can submit their business crime data into the system and this information is then collated, analysed and disseminated to other


members


participating locally,


business regionally,


nationally or by sector. Contact Catherine.bowen@ nationalbusinesscrimesolution.com


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