Will the Government Try and grab more cash from Couriers and the Road Transport Industry?

This coming budget has got to be one of the most trickiest for any chancellor in UK history, weeks before an election, in an economy balancing on a knife edge, for a government that's run out of cash?

It will be interesting to see what wins, the vote winning policies, or the change to rake in some extra cash.  Any budget that doesn't put forward plans to reduce debt and cut costs will be seen a irresponsible.  And any budget that hits personal tax rates, and the pennies in the pocket is sure to be an election loser.  The Conservatives still maintain the need to cut spending quicker, and many economists and the labour government warn that doing such will be the quickest route to a double dip recession.  The new buzz word for 2010.

So, it is likely that the government will seek to raise cash in the quiest ways possible.  And Fuel tax is always an obvious candidate, particularly when fuel prices are lower than the public have been used to.  But the Road Transport industry, the hauliers, and couriers are the ones that will bear the brunt of this, extra costs for an already struggling industry.  In the 2009 budget the government sneakily raised fuel duty and disguised it with a cut in VAT, a tactic that kept the public sweet whilst the haulage and road transport industry, and the couriers, were simply left with a higher fuel costs.  Here at boxby, we believe that cutting VAT again isn't a current option, but Fuel Duty as always remains a vunerable target.

Hauliers and Couriers see more rises in M6 Toll Charges

The Popular M6 toll road was opened 7 years ago as the solution to the congestion on the M6 motorway, however, the sixth increase in toll charges in 7 years means that lorries, van driver, hauliers and transport companies are being driven off the road, leaving it empty for the affulent car drivers.  Unlike most other toll roads in the UK, couriers are penalised most, as rarely the M6 Toll road prices vans at the same price as an HGV, despite the huge differential in carrying weights and loads.

The M6 toll charge is now £10 for vans and HGV's and £5 for a car.  Effectively driving all the hauliers and couriers back onto the already congested M6.

Walsall Liberal Democrat Councillor Ian Shires said on his blog: “The M6 Toll was originally given the title of Birmingham’s Northern Relief Road and was supposed to relieve pressure on the M6 as it winds its way through the Birmingham conurbation. It has never achieved its aims.  It is fast becoming a private road for the rich. The latest price increase will drive more and more ordinary motorist and the few truck drivers onto alternative routes.”

Here at Boxby, we completely agree.  The hauliers, couriers and road transport businesses in the UK provide an essential service, yet are penalised unnecessarily by schemes such as this.

Boxby - Free Work for Couriers

Boxby has so many jobs coming in now that we need more couriers, and so for a limited time, the courier registration for boxby is now completely free.  Free registration means that couriers can quote for as many jobs as they want, unlimited numbers of quotes, on unlimited courier and delivery jobs.  Unlike other courier websites, every job on boxby is real and active, we automatically delete all jobs after 10 days to protect the integrity of our jobs listings, and to ensure that you're time isn't wasted quoting for jobs no longer required.

We don't take any job fees, we don't take deposits from customers, we don't take any fees from you.  Pure and simply, you quote a price, and you get paid that price.  Simple as that.  No deductions, no subscriptions, no fees to view data, no fees to submit quotes.  Its all, really, totally free.

Boxby is growing rapidly, and we need more couriers on board to cover the increasing amount of courier work going through the website.  Boxby's customers need couriers all over the UK. those that work locally, and those that run longer trips.  Our customers are flexible on timings so you can pick the jobs that fit in with the delivery schedules and courier routes that you already have planned. 

Boxby is the perfect source for top up courier work.  Registration is free, so join today and start quoting.

Oil Crunch to follow the Credit Crunch - Governments urged to take action Now!

About a year ago, Boxby first raised the issues that ALL uk businesses, no matter how small, need to prepare for future Oil Price rises, (See; Is your business still viable is the price of oil doubles) and look at how their business could cope with oil, petrol and diesel prices potentially double those that they are currently paying.

The Oil price spikes of 2008 were quickly forgotten in the recession of 2009, however, none of the underlying causes for that price spike have been addressed, or changed, the only reason the oil price dropped was the recession, with importantly falling demand for oil from China, India, and  Saudi.  But China in back in the fast lane, with double digit growth anticipated.  And that puts rising oil prices back on the Agenda.

Richard Branson yesterday urged to Government to sit up and take action on oil prices, and that this issue needs to be one met with a cross department strategy, focusing on the users and consumer of oil, along with the production and supply. 

The risk for the UK is one that will impact all businesses and all consumers.  As an Island nation we are dependent upon virtually everything we consume or use in business being delivered, and that always involve the consumption of oil, in one form or another.

Local Council blames Delivery Drivers for unsafe High Street.  Boxby blames the local council.

Local Newspapers report that Glastonbury Council are blaming delivery drivers for unsafe and congested high streets.  But here at Boxby we think that this is simply a case of bashing the delivery drivers, the people highlighting the pre-existing problems, not the people causing the problems.

The councillors claim that the drivers parking up to make deliveries to the local high street stores cause congestion and road safety issues.  But what are the drivers doing?  Simply delivering to the shops the products and stock that the shops need.  As all couriers, delivery drivers and anyone involved in the industry knows, schedules are too tight for any sightseeing or shopping, and drivers are parked up delivering for the minimum amount of time possible.

Instead of bashing the delivery drivers, Boxby suggests that the Town Council examines closely how it expects shops to sell without any stock deliveries.  And how it expects those deliveries to be made if it issues tickets left right and centre to any parking van, or even better, by pedestrianising the high street.  This is a classic case of short sightedness, and the type of approach to such problems that generates empty high streets and closed stores.

Why does the council not examine ways of re-routing non essential traffic?  Or perhaps invest some money into widening the road, and making it safer?  Perhaps it could build some loading bays where essential delivery traffic can park up and deliver safely.  Eitherway, knee jerk reactions to make deliveries harder doesn't seem a very good way to protect and encourage local high street businesses during a recession.

City Sprint courier firm expands delivery operations in the South East

Courier firm CitySprint purchases the operations of delivery firm Post Haste, expanding the citysprint operations in the South East, Dundee and Swindon.  A CitySprint spokeswoman says: "The acquisition represents a continued commitment to a bold, yet realistic, growth strategy."  Citysprint, who specialise in Next day deliveries and same day courier deliveries, expects to boost group turnover by around 6% through this acquisition.

P&O Announces End of Bilbao-Portsmouth Ferry Route

We just wanted to let you know of a change that will be taking place to P&O Ferries routes this year.  P&O Ferries has given notice that is it proposing to withdraw from the Portsmouth-Bilbao route at the end of September 2010, when the charter of the ship it uses for the service, the Pride of Bilbao, comes to an end.

The service will operate as scheduled up to and including the Bilbao-Portsmouth departure on Monday 27th September 2010 and any bookings up to this date will be unaffected.

Any customers with bookings beyond this date will be contacted as soon as possible.

Please click on this link for the official update from P&O Ferries

Here at Boxby we know that many of you use this route frequently for your courier trips down to southern Europe, it is a route that will be much missed.

HMR&C Warm Farmers to Check their Diesel before clearing snow.

We hear every day about the shortage of grit and salt, and the local councils' inability to grit the rural and minor roads, you would therefore think that the government would be behind the very many farmers who use their own vehicles and resources to help keep local and rural roads open and clear.

But sadly no.  HMR&C use this an oppportunity to remind farmers of the rules for using certain types of diesel for the individual stages of gritting and clearing roads.    Apparently, Farmers can use the Red Diesel to clear access but not to clear a local road that doesn't give access to their property.  They can use Red Diesel to grit roads within their property, but not outside of their boundaries.  They can use Red Diesel if gritting using a vehicle specifically designed for snow gritting, but not if they do so using a tractor and trailer.

These rules seem to completely go against goodwill of the countries many farmers many of whom have a very strong community spirit, and who spend significant amounts of time, money and effort in helping out their local communities, the very local communities that the local councils have left snowbound.  It's a shame to see that instead of the VAT man giving these guys a slap on the back for their generous community spirit, he is instead giving them a slap on the wrists for not checking the contents of their diesel tank first.

Home Delivery Network (HDN) has announced a deal to buy DHL's UK parcel operations as it looks to capitalise on the boom in deliveries from internet shopping.

The deal, which was for an undisclosed sum, will create a business with more than £600 million in annual sales.  Merseyside-based HDN said it would retain all 4,700 staff employed by DHL Domestic.

DHL Domestic, which is DHL's UK parcel arm largely specialising in deliveries between businesses, will also transfer over its 71 service centres, a headquarters in Heathrow and five hubs in Hatfield, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and the Midlands.

Business-to-business delivery firms have been branching out into the consumer delivery sector as the recession hits the business market hard. Royal Mail has also been expanding its parcel business in an attempt to focus away from the declining letters market.

DHL said it decided to offload the business, which accounts for around 9% of its UK workforce, to exit the "highly competitive" UK parcel market, adding it would instead focus on its international parcel business and remaining UK brands.  HDN chief executive Brian Gaunt said the acquisition "provides greater security to people within both organisations".

It will initially retain the DHL Domestic brand after the deal completes, which is due by the end of the first quarter.

HDN boasts a client list including many major UK retailers, such as Argos Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

DHL Domestic largely operates in the business-to-business market, although it also makes consumer deliveries. It was bought by DHL five years ago from Securicor.

Britains Longest Super-HGV too long for the road

Yesterday Denby Transport took the longest every road vehicle out of its yard for it's maiden trip, only to be promptly arrested within yards of the gate.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article6939601.ece

The lorry, too large to reverse, had its first road trip of one mile, the length between the depot gate and the roundabout where it could turn around, undertaken with a police escort, as the police ruled that the lorry was too big for the UK's roads.

Confusion has arisen because current legislation on the maximum size of lorries relates specifically to weights rather than dimensions, and so it is unclear under the current rules as the whether the lorry is or isn't allowed.  Denby took the lorry on the road yesterday to force a legal decision.

The fact that the lorry is unable to reverse safely is probably a major reason not to make it road legal, in its current form.  Although the advantages of these lorries are clear, that there would be cost savings, and less vehicles on the roads, the lorries are basically only of use as long as they stick to major trunk roads.  Agreed that most of the supermarkets in the UK have been moving their distribution hubs to major motorway side locations, but there are still very man major manufacturers that are based in factories and using warehouses that are still in towns and built up locations.  If the lorry is unable to reverse easily then the roads within the M25 will be a major issue for it.  What happens when the motorways are closed and the lorries diverted off through towns and even villages.

The super lorry does tick a lot of the boxes needed for modern UK distribution, here at boxby we feel that the fact that it is currently unsuitable is as much a failing of the UK governments and councils to provide a road network able to cope with the 21st century needs.