We don’t think many man and van outfits will want to try this in a hurry!
Have a great weekend everyone!
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Author: Anthony Marriage
A lucky New Year
Whilst Britain is concerned over the year of austerity and increasing taxes, one Chinese truck driver has reason to thank the heavens this New Year. The lucky driver escaped a fall of 200ft after his truck went over the side of a bridge in Qinghai province.
Flipped upside down the truck miraculously dangled by the side the bridge, allowing rescuers to pull the man to safety. An onlooker said,”If the lorry had fallen, they’d have plummeted too,”
It has been reported that the truck avoided falling over the side of the bridge by the unlikely combination of a punctured tyre and some torn sheet metal.
Merry Christmas from Shiply!
Tis the season to be jolly! Christmas is fast approaching which can only mean one thing, the original and best courier is about to embark on his worldwide shipping route. Santa’s hats off to all the transporter’s working extra hard over the holidays to make all their deliveries in time for Christmas.
Whether you get the presents you put on your list or not, we hope everyone gets to see their friends and family, eat far too much and be merry!
We’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone who uses Shiply a very merry Christmas!
Dirty is the new clean
The humble dustbin lorry has had a green make-over for a new initiative in Paris. A collaboration between PVI and Dow Koham, the “Hopper” will debut in the Paris suburb of Courbevoie. An extra eleven electric dustbin lorries will reportedly hit Parisian streets in the new year.
The downside of most electric vehicles is that performance can be lacking. However, the company claims that the Hopper’s performance is on par with it’s diesel counterparts. Dow Kokam, the company that created the battery packs, stated: “Electrification of all powertrain elements of the trucks and the mechanical elements for collecting refuse bins allow for significantly reduced noise pollution, zero local emissions and no idling during inactive periods.” It is claimed that one Hopper will save 130 tons of co2 in a year.
It is certainly one of the largest electric utility vehicles in operation and will likely thrive on pre-planned routes in built up, urban areas. It’s no slouch either, able to pick up 16 tons of rubbish before needing a recharge, which can be carried out during a lunch break or shift change.
The Hopper is a sign of the ever increasing demand for green alternatives in transport. What would you say to a Hopper in the UK?
Royal Mail – snowed under?
The Royal Mail will continue its ongoing battle with adverse weather conditions this week. In the pivotal run up to Christmas day, the Royal Mail has promised to deliver to 2 million homes by carrying out additional evening rounds this week. Since last week Royal Mail has ramped up the number of rounds and they expect to spend at least 20 million in additional costs. It has hired 3,000 temporary staff, including 500 professional HGV drivers, and 250 extra large lorries.
Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail, stated, “we are planning up to a total of 14,000 – weather permitting – additional delivery rounds on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening.
“We have had postmen and women on the streets for the last two Sundays in a row. Royal Mail is committed to doing everything possible to deliver letters, cards and parcels on behalf of its customers.”
Rounds that were planned for the weekend were hit by heavy snowfall across the UK meaning thousands could be left disappointed come Christmas day. Earlier this month online sales skyrocketed due to the freezing weather. However, with the return of a cold snap those same deliveries are struggling to be made on time. Amazon’s UK website admitted “adverse weather is impacting our deliveries across the country”.
Only in America…
This is what happens when you own a truck and have a lot of spare time!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Abramovich gets an early Christmas present
Four years after it was first commissioned, The Eclipse has been presented to its owner, Roman Abramovich. The Chelsea Football Club owner took delivery of the now world’s largest yacht. The Eclipse sits atop a short list of elite yachts, dubbed “mega-yachts.”
Whilst most of us will be content with Christmas dinner and a cracker or two, the Russian billionaire has the opportunity to truly let his hair down if he so chooses over the holiday period. Costing more than £300 million, The mega-yacht, which is believed to have space for 30 guests and 75 crew members, also includes a personal submarine, a 16m swimming pool which converts into a dance floor, two helipads and interior design by world-renowed architect Terrence Disdale.
A lump of coal for Christmas shoppers?
Santa may be able to deliver all the world’s presents in one night but for the rest of us, delivery may be less than smooth over the holiday period. Shopping online for presents will potentially be a gamble over the next week, as the end to the recent mild weather is just around the corner. Delivery companies across England have suggested that the British public should be wary when ordering online.
Experts have predicted that the arctic blast is on course to return abruptly this Thursday. Neil Saunders, of shopping analysts Verdict, said: ‘If we see the same sort of thing over the next couple of weeks that could be quite disastrous for retailers because consumers are running out of time to buy things.’
Scotland has faced the worst of the recent icy conditions, with their transport industry taking a big blow during the recent weeks. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Boots and Asda have all told their customer’s that they will no longer be delivering non-food items to Scotland and some parts of Northern England.
The winter weather is also creating a stir amongst bookies as to whether we will see a white Christmas, with odds falling across the UK. Jonathan Powell of Positive Weather Solutions likes his chances. He said: “It’s going to happen. Our models are showing we will see a white Christmas. The most likely places to have one are Scotland, north-east England, the east coast, the south-east and London.”
BBC News interviews Shiply MD
Shiply Managing Director Robert Matthams was asked by the BBC to talk about the recent bad weather in context to the transport industry.
Appearing on BBC News 24, Robert was asked to what extent have transport providers been hit by the recent cold snap.
Snow news day
The topic of snow and ice has been unavoidable this week, with the recent bad weather having a knock on effect on the public’s seasonal spending habits. Rather than battling the weather on the high street, more people than ever decided to go online. Yesterday, dubbed “Mega Monday,” was the busiest day on record for online shopping in the UK. Selfridges reported its online sales increased 50 per cent last week, while John Lewis said sales through its website were up 62.2 per cent. Agitation however will surely set in if Christmas deliveries can not be made on time.
With a warning of a mid-December snow fall, shoppers are being warned by the Road Haulage Association there is a “real possibility” that presents will not arrive in time for Christmas. Kate Gibbs, the Association’s spokesman, said: “Road haulage operators will be doing their absolute best to make sure that its business as usual this winter but if the snow returns with the same ferocity as last week it is inevitable we will see delayed deliveries over the Christmas period.”
Whilst England and Wales weather has improved for the most part, Scotland has faced consistent heavy snowfall over the weekend, leaving its transport industry in chaos.