It’s Friday, so you know what that means by now. We’ve scoured the web and found this video, it’s one of those one’s where you know you shouldn’t laugh but just can’t help it!

Seriously though, we hope he was alright!

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and Department for Transport (DfT) have just launched a new database which details the fuel consumption of vans on the UK market.

The free service allows transport operators a facility to search and compare vans on the market and made an informed decision.

Vans make up about 15% of road transport emissions in the UK and these are rising at the highest rate of any road vehicle. If everybody buying a new van bought the most fuel efficient model in its class the average buyer could save up to 17% on both CO₂ emissions and fuel costs.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:

“It’s important to help motoring consumers make the right choice, both for themselves and for the environment.

“This database is good news for van buyers – it gives them access to emissions and fuel consumption information that could well shape the van they choose, as well as enable them to cut emissions and save money.

“At a time when the Government is working hard to create a stable financial environment to encourage long-term investment in the motoring industry this tool is also good news for van producers by stimulating interest and demand in the models they make.”

We think the database is a fantastic move forward. We understand that it is going to be some time until electric vans and more environmentally friendly fuels are available on the market in mass-scale. So, in the mean time, by giving transport operators easy, free access to the facts in a way which allows for easy comparison will help not only the environment but also profit.

We have been following the LDV Vans saga here at Shiply for some time. Unfortunately today, it looks like despite an attempted rescue bid, LDV have gone into administration.

Administrators will be appointed to run LDV, aiming either to save it as a going operation or selling off its assets.

LDV said: “The directors of LDV Group have been forced to reapply for administration to protect the assets of the business.

“This is due to the fact that essential funds required to maintain the business and workforce as a going concern are not being made available.”

The news is really bad for the firms 850+ employees and of course it’s suppliers.

Now, I’m sure that we’ve all had bad first days at jobs. However, this driver from Burnham can’t have had much worse luck.

Police spokeswoman Cath Foster said: “The lorry was involved in an accident as it delivered tarmac to Worston Road. Fortunately, the driver who was stuck in the cab was not injured and was released unharmed.”

An eyewitness at the scene said: “It was the driver’s first day on the job, so he was left rather embarrassed by the whole episode.”

To make matters worse, he’s now a bit of a youtube star!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7SWnc-fbTQ]

As you will no doubt have noticed, there are now up to 3 shipments at the top of the shipment search results pages which are orange and very prominent!

These are the new featured shipments. Featured shipments are a great way for users to increase the exposure of their shipment listings on Shiply, attract more bids and ultimately a lower price.

Featured shipments are displayed randomly to ensure fairness and are shown on relevant searches only. These include all locations, category searches, along a route and local.

With hundreds of new shipments being uploaded to Shiply everyday and several thousand live, it is increasingly important to make sure your shipment gets the attention is deserves.

As a launch special, we have priced these featured listings at just £4.99 across all categories. However, this low price is limited, so do take advantage while you can!

The Mayor Of London, Boris Johnson had what he describes as a near-miss with a lorry whilst scoping out some new bicycle routes in London.

As the lorry overtook Boris, the back door pinged open and hooked the windscreen of a parked car, dragging it some distance before coming to an abrupt stop.

Here is the CCTV footage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/external/player.swf

It’s Friday, and instead of our weekly video pick, we’ve gone with something a bit more interactive!

Have fun, and comment below to tell everyone how well you got on! We’ve not got above 20 here in the office. So, I’m sure you all can do better!

(Use the left and right arrow keys to steer your lorry.)

Department for Transport official figures have been released showing that there has been a drop of some 12% of HGV’s on the road since quarter 1 2008.

The RHA has been speaking with BBC about the severity of the drop off and it’s knock on effects on the industry as a whole.

The number of lorry drivers looking for work has increased five-fold in the last year and the RHA says that the industry is losing more jobs quicker than any other sector.

As to be expected in a recession, the fall-off is closely related to a fall in consumers demand, especially in car manufacturing and general goods like furniture.

Simply, fewer goods are being bought and so less are being imported, reducing the need for logistics.

This time last year, there were some 3,000 lorry drivers claiming unemployment benefits. Today, that number has jumped to over 15,000.

The RHA told the BBC that unlike other industries where diversification is often the key to survival in a downturn. Haulage and logistics suffer from a lack of options in this respect and so feel the pinch that much harder.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the poor safety standards of foreign HGV drivers on Britain’s roads. Most notably the much-publicised case of the foreign driver using a laptop for directions whilst driving.

According to the Department for Transport:

Up to 30 people a year die in collisions with left-hand drive trucks from abroad, often as a result of ‘sideswiping’ where the vehicles pull out to overtake unaware of a car on their blind side.

10% of such accidents result in the smaller car being written off, while the average damage bill is £1,872.

Department for Transport have attempted to solve the problem by distributing some 200,000 magnifying mirrors to foreign lorry drivers over the past year.

However, according to Accident Exchange, the number of overseas trucks at fault in collisions has gone up 10 per cent in the 12 months to the end of February.

Lorries registered abroad are involved in about 9,000 accidents each year.

Shockingly, almost 1/2 of the accidents on the M25 are caused by foreign drivers, representing some 25% of all accidents across the UK.

What makes matters worse, is that many of these drivers leave the scene of the accident without stopping or leave false details.

The biggest culprits are truckers from Poland, according to Department of Transport statistics last updated at the end of 2007, followed by those from the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Hungary.

Michael Killoury, managing director of Accident Exchange, said: “Non-existing policies, difficulty contacting foreign insurance companies, drivers pulling off without leaving details are all reasons cited for why motorists are likely to be unsuccessful in recovering damages from foreign-registered HGVs.”