JUNE 2021 Motorway safety


We have all, I am sure, been guilty of an occasional breach of the law when driving. But there is a big difference between a moment’s lapse in concentration and knowingly overloading a van before setting off, or driving a vehicle with bald tyres or an unsecured load. Spending a day with Warwickshire Police this


month, both on-board the Operation Tramline DAF truck and in the car park of Corley Services on the M6, was a sobering experience. There are plenty of comments in online forums about how the police are ‘always picking on truck and van drivers’ or how we are an ‘easy target’. But, if we as van users didn’t continue to break the law in large numbers, perhaps the attention of the authorities would turn elsewhere. While a van driver may not know the exact


weight of every parcel or box that is loaded into the back, anyone can see when a long wheelbase Sprinter is almost dragging its exhaust along the ground. One of the 3.5-tonne vans that Warwickshire Police put over the weigh scales was running at 4.8-tonnes! That’s not slightly overweight, it is lethally overloaded. Imagine trying to brake suddenly from the inevitable 60 or 70mph, or to swerve to avoid an obstruction, with that in the back. There are, thankfully, many van fl eets and


LCV owner drivers who do follow the rules. They regularly check their vehicles, they keep them maintained and road legal and they know what they are putting in the back. Here at VanUser, we celebrate those owners and operators, who promote best practise and who put van drivers in the best possible light. As one of the offi cers in the Operation Tramline


truck said: “The best possible day for us, would be if we didn’t catch anyone.” I think we can all echo that sentiment.


Dan Gilkes, editor


INTERVIEW


10 Flexibility built in to van leasing launch


CONTACTS


Editor Dan Gilkes 07802 751473 dangilkes1@mac.com


Editorial assistant Jade Soanes 01502 725840 jade.soanes@micropress.co.uk


Design and production Mark Shreeve 01502 725839 mark.shreeve@micropress.co.uk


Advertising executive Laura Munnings 01502 725866 laura.munnings@micropress.co.uk


Published by Countrywide Publications, Fountain Way, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6DH 01502 725800 www.vanuser.co.uk


Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd PREVIEW: ITT HUB


13 A showcase for innovation in transport


10 16


Contents NEWS


4 Supply chain shortages will cause delays


DPD rolls out Project Breathe in major cities FORS udates van training


6 VW and Argo AI trial autonomous driving


Birmingham Clean Air Zone launches


Pricing announced for e-Boxer and e-Relay


Volta expands EV range


8 Vauxhall expands EV line with Movano-e


Toyota extends warranty offer 8 ROAD TO ZER0


19 Proace leads electric charge for Toyota


20 Vivaro-e Hydrogen to join Vauxhall's electric line


Mahle Poertrain moves into hydrogen


Long term test: Training to transition


ROAD TEST 22 Isuzu Grafter tipper


CONVERSIONS


24 Ford pilots COVID-19 vaccination Transit


Scammell Commercial adds to municipal leasing fleet


MGroup first with Transporter conversion


ROAD TEST 29 Citroën Berlingo Crew


ROAD TEST 30 Ford Transit Connect Active


JUNE 2021 •VANUSER 3


FLEET MANAGEMENT: SAFETY


16 Coordinated approach to improve safety on major roads network


19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32