Brake, the road safety charity, has produced a guidance report, driver advice sheet and high-impact poster aimed at tackling drink and drug driving at work. Produced in association with Dtec, Brake’s resources are being launched as a new law against drug driving comes into force (2 March 2015).

The law is being strongly welcomed by Brake, which has been campaigning for it alongside families bereaved by drug driving. The law will make it a criminal offence to drive with drugs in your body in England and Wales, removing the need to prove impairment and making it much easier to prosecute drug drivers.

The new law has specified zero-tolerance limits for a range of illegal drugs, and will be enforced with the aid of roadside screening devices. Those found guilty will face a maximum six month jail sentence, £5,000 fine, and automatic 12 month driving ban.

When it comes to getting urgent medical care to some of the remotest places in the British Isles, only a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle will do. That’s the conclusion NHS Highland Estates came to when it chose to add seven new Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to its fleet. 

NHS Highland Estates covers over 10,000 square miles of rugged mountain terrain and is responsible for maintaining healthcare facilities throughout remote Scottish regions. With the requirement to complete urgent journeys on some of the most challenging roads in the UK, the organisation places exceptionally high demands on its fleet of commercial vehicles.

CLOCS – Construction Logistics & Cycle Safety – demonstrated the successful results of the first two years of the industry-led initiative at its bi-annual progress event at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London yesterday and announced its plans to further increase the reach of the programme nationwide in the coming year.

The event incorporated three aspects: a display of safety-optimised vehicles developed in partnership with CLOCS, a seminar programme and an exhibition of safer driving aids from a selection of suppliers which can help operators meet the CLOCS Standard. The vehicle fleet display included the new low-entry high-vision Mercedes-Benz Econic tipper – a high-vision tipper designed for construction industry use – and vehicles from DAF Trucks, Scania, Volvo and MAN with higher-vision options, incorporating lower cabs and additional glass for improved driver vision.

The National Association of Bodyshops (NAB) and the Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association Limited (VBRA), will stand united to take on the challenges in the body repair sector.

The plan is to promote a single authoritative voice to take on the ever increasing challenges faced by the bodyshop sector, in the aftermath of the recent investigation into the Private Motor Insurance Market by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles come to the rescue of companies and individuals on a daily basis. However, thanks to an incredible engineering project commissioned by East Midlands Ambulance Service, those who find themselves in need of medical help in areas that conventional vehicles can’t reach can expect to see a special Volkswagen Amarok ambulance coming to their aid.

A wave of chargepoints to support the fast-growing popularity of plug-in vehicles will be installed across the UK after the government set out £32 million of infrastructure support up to 2020.

Homes, hospitals, train stations and A-roads will be some of the locations for further chargepoints to maintain Britain’s position as a global leader in this cutting-edge technology.

The support compliments the fast-growing popularity of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) with grant claims rising 4 fold in 2014 compared to the previous year as take-up of plug-in car grants continues to rise.

While other manufacturers scrabble to bring to market trucks adapted to work in urban environments, the Mercedes-Benz Econic has been demonstrating the solution for the past 16 years.

Purpose-designed from scratch to combine versatility, ergonomics and safety like no other commercial vehicle, the Econic is quite simply in a class of its own.

It features a unique low-entry cab which, coupled with the outstanding quality that comes as standard from Mercedes-Benz, allows the vehicle to offer operators in busy city centres exactly what they need: efficiency, safety, environmental compatibility and comfort.

Following its official unveiling in December, Hyundai Motor UK has revealed the pricing and specification of the New i30 range including, for the first time, the i30 Turbo.

Priced from £15,195, the range starts with the i30 S, replacing the outgoing ‘Classic’ model, with standard equipment including; keyless entry, USB and AUX connections, Bluetooth® connectivity with steering wheel remote control, and air conditioning. Based on the i30 S, the SE is available with additional features such as 16” alloy wheels (subject to variant), auto cruise control with speed limiter, drivers electric lumbar support, rear parking sensors, leather steering wheel and gear knob. Prices for the i30 SE start at £16,495. Additionally, the SE Nav derivative will offer satellite navigation with rear view camera.

The Plug-in Vehicle tool from The Energy Saving Trust provides customised advice for organisations so they can understand where and how plug-in vehicles will work within their fleet, where to recharge on the routes most commonly taken, and what first steps they can take to adopt the electric vehicles.

There are multiple benefits to using plug-in vehicles, including lower taxes, reduced running costs and grants to help with purchase. Once visitors to the Plug-in Vehicle tool website have answered a few simple questions they will receive a report that provides detailed advice on the feasibility of adopting plug-in vehicles into their fleet.

Work on a substantial upgrade of Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2) as part of plans by the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) to improve cycling safety in the capital is now underway.

The upgrade, which received 90% support in consultation, will deliver a world-class fully and semi-segregated cycle route between Aldgate and Bow Roundabout. Eleven pioneering cycle-priority junctions will also be installed, including at Aldgate East, Mile End and Whitechapel.

Haulage industry leaders will meet HM Treasury today (Friday 20 February) to set out why government funding for firms to train lorry drivers is essential and appropriate.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) said in a joint statement ahead of the meeting: “The UK is facing a growing, structural shortage of lorry drivers. The clear message from our members is that the Chancellor should be concerned about the impact that this will have, increasingly, on the economy as a whole. It will damage what is an essential service industry and it will hold back growth.

“We calculate that we are 45,000 drivers short now. At least 40,000 will leave the industry over the next two years and yet we are only training at the rate of 17,000 a year.

“We welcome Chancellor Osborne’s invitation to discuss what urgent measures the government might take.

“The government has asked the industry to develop proposals for Trailblazer apprenticeship funding for new lorry drivers, which it is doing. But that scheme will not go live until September 2017. The industry – and the UK economy - needs a simple, nationally available, readily accessible, funding stream for companies to bridge that gap. We have asked for a scheme that is time-limited for two years.

“That way we can address what is a highly damaging skills shortage and also reduce the industry’s need to source its workforce from outside the UK.

"The Chancellor has a golden opportunity to fund transformational change in a vital British industry – and we will be pressing that case very firmly today.”

DVLA warns the public of an email scam that asks drivers to verify their driving licence and vehicle tax details via an online link

The email, which wrongly claims to have been sent from DVLA, appears to be an attempt to trick drivers into providing personal details. DVLA has not sent out an email asking customers to update or verify their details.

DVLA is aware that some members of the public have received these emails and it strongly advises anyone who receives one of these or any similar email, to ignore it and not to follow the instructions given.

The government, led by Cabinet Office’s Government Digital Service (GDS), will continue to investigate reports of organisations which may be actively misleading users about their services or acting illegally, taking swift action when necessary. By using the online driving licence or vehicle taxtransactions on GOV.UK you can be sure that you are dealing directly withDVLA.

The 2015 FIAT Doblò has been launched to the UK media at a special event staged in the Midlands. The new fourth-generation FIAT Doblò features a fresh exterior design, improved engine performance for key models and a new "EcoJet" version engineered to lower fuel consumption and reduce running costs even further. The new Doblò is also the first vehicle to wear the full “FIAT Professional” logo on its tailgate, a signature which will appear on all new FIAT Professional commercial vehicles from now on.

Suzuki GB PLC has announced some minor changes to the Swift and S-Cross ranges for the Spring as well as the introduction of a new Swift derivative; the SZ4 five door 4x4 with Dualjet engine.

This new model replaces the outgoing SZ4 4x4 and offers improved fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions and a lower VED band too, moving from Band D (£110) to Band C (£30), helping to lower cost of ownership by £80 per year. 

The SZ4 Dualjet 4x4 has CO2 emissions of just 111g/km and an EC Combined fuel consumption figure of 58.8mpg, representing a 15g/km reduction and 7.5 mpg improvement versus the outgoing SZ4 4x4 model.

The CV Show has just launched its own official YouTube channel promoting the event and its exhibitors’ activities. Subscribe to the new channel by visiting https://www.youtube.com/TheCVShowTV. The Show will publish its own videos as well as sharing those from exhibitors.

The CV Show has also made available the first of six weekly newsletters, which will be published every Thursday in the run-up to the hotly anticipated Commercial Vehicle Show, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 14-16 April.

‘Relay Ready to Run’ is the new name for Citroën’s successful range of Relay ready-bodied vehicles*. The New Relay Ready to Run range includes high-specification, competitively priced tippers, dropsides and Luton vans, which are available from stock via Citroën’s Business Centre network and other large Citroën dealers. The Relay Ready to Run range is included in the Citroën LCV price list and has a full 2 year unlimited mileage/3 year 100,000 mile factory warranty, covering all elements of the chassis cab and the body conversion.