TRUCKING INDUSTRY * UK - Small-medium hauliers most at risk of insolvency

London,EN,UK -Road Transport, by Joanna Bourke -13 May 2011: -- More than half of logistics firms had to cut costs during the first quarter after a sluggish start to the year, according to new research by Bibby Financial Services... Bibby, in its latest quarterly business index, said this placed SMEs within the sector at significant risk of bankruptcy, despite revenue growth in March... The Bibby index, which measures the average monthly turnover of 3,000 Bibby business customers from a range of industries, shows that the warehousing and distribution sector had an average score of 99.9 in the three months to 31 March (with a score of more than 100 regarded as strong). This was an improvement on the 90.3 reported in Q1 2010... Of the logistics firms tracked, 59% admitted they were having to cut costs to prepare for future economic challenges, while 45% confirmed they were doing worse than a year ago. The gloomy outlook comes despite 41% saying they had seen an increase in the number of new contract wins... (Photo from dehavillandfleet)

* UK - Dawson Rentals takes 100 MAN TGM rigids

Milton Keynes,Buckinghamshire,UK --Road Transport, by Christopher Walton -16 May 2011: -- Dawson Rentals has taken delivery of 100 MAN TGM rigids for its expanding fleet of refrigerated and ambient trucks... The Milton Keynes-based rental firm has acquired some 150 of rigid MANs in the past 12 months, on top of 250 MAN tractor units taken on over the same period. MAN now accounts for one fifth of the Dawson fleet...  (Photo from autoevolution: MAN TGL 10 Tonne Rigid)

* UK - Warburtons orders more dual-fuel Mercs

Bolton,UK -Road Transport, by Kevin Swallow -5 May 2011:  --  Bread maker Warburtons continues its commitment to alternative fuels with six dual-fuel Mercedes-Benz Axor 1840 tractor units joining the fleet...  The Hardstaff Group convert the engines to run on diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). A fifth of the 100-strong tractor fleet is powered by CNG. The new trucks, part of a 800-strong national fleet, will haul between Warburtons' 14 bakeries and 13 satellite depots on double-shifts, seven days a week covering more than 160,000km a year. The group has also added five 13-tonne Atego 1318 rigids operating from Wednesbury, West Midlands, and two Sprinter 313CDI vans...  (image from trucklocator: MERCEDES-BENZ AXOR 1840 4X2 TRACTOR UNITS)