Aerodynamic lorries

Given its unavoidable size and weight, a fully sized lorry is not exactly the most aerodynamic of vehicles. Much like how winglets for planes reduce wind resistance, the “TrailerTail” by ATDynamics is attached at the back of the lorry, making the lorry more aerodynamic.

Comprised of an unassuming plastic composite and metal tubing, the TrailerTail reportedly reduces fuel consumption by 6 percent! Could we see more and more lorries sporting drag reducing modifications in the future?

Facebook catches fraudster

After making a fraudulent claim for £1million as a result of a road collision, ex-lorry driver, Graham Loveday was embarrassingly caught red handed after posting photos on Facebook. Mr Loveday claimed that he was unable to return to his job in the transport industry after his collision, stating “going into a car fills me with dread.” However the lure of a holiday in Italy meant Mr Loveday gave up his wheelchair to drive the 2000 mile journey with his wife.

Insurance firm Acromas’s lawyer told a judge: “He told a solicitor he had travelled by plane and was taken in a wheelchair.”

Judge Sir Anthony May said: “Mr Loveday had given a bit of a show of staggering from his seat to give evidence and pretending not to remember things.”

Mr. Loveday was found guilty for lying 14 times in court papers and sentenced for nine months of jail time.

Swimming with the sat nav

An Austrian woman has proven that some of us might just be a little too dependant on the sat nav when it comes to driving. Typing in Lake Grundlsee into her sat nav, Petra Lang, took the directions to the lake all too literally.

After driving through undergrowth Ms Lang finally made it to the lake, albeit head first. “She insisted the sat nav system was to blame,” one rescuer explained. “She said she typed in that she wanted to go to the lake – but got closer than she intended.”

Luckily Ms Lang was able to escape and fire fighters removed the van from the lake.

The truck of milk and honey

All manner of substances and animals have spilled from trucks and vans on roads, whether its pigs, paint or horses. However, the worst has just happened in Idaho, USA, when a truck crashed on a motorway and released 14 million bees into the wild.

The bees swarmed to create a massive black cloud and a slick of honey spilled onto the road, taking a day to remove. The loss of bees equates to a loss of around $400,000 as each bee is said to be worth 3 cents.

Fire Chief Kenny Strandberg worried about another problem, “I am worried about the bears coming down now — the grizzly bears,” he said.

 

Biggest fraud in US postal history

$16 million, that’s the amount of money which Neal Lim, a businessman in Houston, USA was requested to pay in what prosecutors called the biggest postage fraud in history.

US Postage Stamp Millions of stamps have been printed under Lim’s fraud scheme

Mr. Lim, 50, was convicted in February of using counterfeit postage meter machines during the last 4 years to defraud the Post Office. Lim owned one of the biggest mail sorting businesses in Houston: Gulf Coast Presort and the Mail Processing Center.

Prosecutors said: “Profits from Lim’s scheme represent the largest counterfeit postage loss in the history of the U.S. Postal Service and the greatest breach of security features of postage meter machines.”

Haulage firms to consider mergers?

The financial specialist Grant Thornton and Barclay’s Corporate have conducted research that indicates that small to mid size logistic firms should consider mergers in an increasingly competitive, international sector.

Corporate finance director at Grant Thornton Philip Bird said some companies will have little choice but to secure investment from abroad. A considerable 52 percent of the top 50 British haulage companies have been shown to be under foreign ownership already

“Many medium-sized logistics firms need to consider mergers or acquisitions to avoid being squeezed out by major operators offering economies of scale or niche players offering tailor-made solutions,” he remarked.

“The ability to increase margins and invest in vehicles suggests that operators have understood the importance of maintaining a firm grip on their cost base as well as there being a degree of buoyancy in core markets, which also helps to explain the growing interest in M&A within the sector.”

Fuel efficiency is being held in higher regard by the transport industry from the top players to the smaller logistics firms. Whilst the transport industry has had no option but to adapt to the changing climate, those who work within it feel the Government should do more. 82 percent believe the Government are not doing enough and should help the transport industry with a cap or reduction in fuel duty.