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BIFA stalwart Paul Young retires


Consultation on next steps for more environmentally friendly haulage


The UK government has launched two consultations about the permanent introduction of longer and heavier HGVs on Britain’s roads. They follow a trial of longer semi-trailers (LST) that


has been under way for the past seven years, which has shown a saving of millions of miles, cutting emissions and boosting productivity. LSTs are longer, but not heavier, than conventional


HGVs and can carry an additional three rows of supermarket goods cages on each journey. Until last year, the vehicles involved in the trial have saved lorry drivers 33.5 million miles and 48,000 tonnes of CO2


–


equivalent to taking over 20,000 cars off the road. The results also show the trailers were involved in fewer


personal injury collisions compared with standard size HGVs. To respond to the consultation, which closes on


1 February 2021, go to: www.gov.uk/government/ news/consultation-on-next-steps-for-more- environmentally-friendly-haulage A second consultation, which closes on 4 January


2021, will consider proposals for a trial of slightly heavier HGVs. The proposals are for an increase of the maximum weight of some HGVs to 48 tonnes, allowing heavier containers to be transported directly to or from freight trains. Go to www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/heavier-intermodal-freight-trial to take part in this consultation.


‘Change of bank details’ scam is still a threat


BIFA has been advised that the ‘change in bank details’ scam is alive and well at the moment and may succeed in its attempts to defraud, owing to the large numbers of personnel still working remotely. As a reminder, the scam is simple, consisting of a forged


communication to a customer or supplier notifying a change of bank details for the payment of invoices or refunds due, in a crude attempt to divert monies to the scammer’s account.


Members are reminded to ensure


that procedures are in place to double-check any such


notifications via trusted independent methods (do not reply to an email received) before amending details or making any payments. Ensure that staff working


remotely follow the procedure and make rigorous checks on any such messages.


Paul Young has been associated with BIFA for well over 30 years, since the days of the Institute of Freight Forwarders but will be retiring from his role as BIFA Regional Consultant in the North & Midlands at the end of December 2020. When a forwarder, Paul served


on the Surface Freight Policy Group as a member, then vice- chair and then chair. Many years later, as our northern Regional Representative, Paul returned to the surface group as the manager to assist staff at the Secretariat. A stalwart in the northern


regional groups he runs, Paul has carved out a great reputation in Liverpool where he took over organising an already successful annual dinner and built upon it. Were it not for COVID-19, February 2021 would have seen him finally attend the event as a guest and leave in a blaze of glory. Always one to volunteer, we


will miss Paul’s enthusiasm. However, he says that recent months have shown him that there is life after BIFA and we hope that his retirement holiday booked for Cuba in January 2021 goes ahead.


By sea – Hague Visby rules (2 SDR): £2.15 per kg £715.80 per package


By road – CMR (8.33 SDR): £8.94 per kg


By air –Montreal Convention (22 SDR): £23.62 per kg


December 2020


By air –Warsaw Convention (17 SDR): £18.25 per kg


BIFA STC: (2 SDR): £2.15 per kg


(The SDR rate on 19 November 2020, according to the IMF website, was 1.0737)


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