Postcomm today began consulting on how the recently agreed European Directive on postal services should be implemented in the UK and, in particular its impact on the UK licensing regime. The Directive reduces the part of the postal market that can be reserved to national monopoly postal operators from 350 grams to post weighing less than 100g from 1 January 2003 and 50g from 1 January 2006.
Read MoreToday’s is a tricky row to hoe. There are, I fear, many among you who, in about 800 words’ time, will be hurtling to your own keyboards and dashing off fulminating letters, faxes, and e-mails to the Editor, imploring him to lose not a moment in putting my P45 in the post. You will do this in the name of patriotism. And because you are patriots, you will loyally accept that precious few of your letters, faxes, and e-mails will get to him, and that, should he act on your imploring, my P45 will not reach me for some months, if at all, with the result that I shall continue to churn out my weekly column in complete ignorance – so no change there – until such time as he sends a couple of Wapping heavies round to break my typing-finger.
Read MoreMeachers Group has won a five-year warehousing and freight forwarding contract from P&O Cruises to provide 1,200sq metres of purpose-built storage and manage a complete service from supply of passenger amenity packs to container shipments.
Read MoreLDV, the Birmingham-based specialist van manufacturer, has landed a major order worth pounds 4 million from national parcel company Business Express, it was confirmed yesterday.
Based at Drews Lane, it will supply Business Express with 200 3.5 tonne Convoy hi-loaders, boosting the parcel firm’s carrying capacity.
LDV has worked closely with Business Express for a number of years, formerly supplying the company with its Pilot range of vans.
However, a huge increase in Business Express’ third-party business has resulted in greater volumes of parcels being carried.
The company has a nationwide network of 33 depots, stretching from Lands End to the highlands of Scotland. It currently operates a 2,000-strong delivery fleet with 4,000 personnel, providing a home delivery service to its parent company, Littlewoods Retail Group.
The collapse of Consolidated Freightways gives other struggling trucking companies an opportunity to gain market share and raise prices at a time of soft demand.
Shares of several large rivals made double-digit percentage gains as investors bet they would pick up much of the business left behind by Vancouver, Wash.-based Consolidated, which abruptly shut down Tuesday.
“This is a sea change for our industry,” said Bill Zollars, chief executive of Overland Park, Kan.-based Yellow Corp.
Yellow is among the biggest players now vying for business once belonging to Consolidated, which had $2 billion in revenue in 2001 and controlled about 15 percent of the domestic long-haul market.
EXEL TO ACQUIRE POWER LOGISTICS OPERATIONS
Read MoreThe State Council has suspended certification requirements for express operators working on the mainland, but carriers are viewing the move as temporary and subject to change.
The council shelved a mandatory “entrustment” demand that would have forced China Post competitors – domestic and foreign – to charge more than the state carrier for transporting parcels more than 500 grams.
The mainland’s highest body did not set a new deadline for the certification.
An industry executive said: “The council released a memo stopping enforcement of entrustment requirements with immediate effect until next year’s company registration in April.
“We don’t think the suspension is open-ended; we expect new announcements. But things as they sit now effectively make the State Post Bureau the regulator of international freight forwarders and express operators.”
In a memo to the State Post Bureau on July 4, the council set a definition for private letters – delivery items the bureau considers to be in its exclusive domain.
The State Council has suspended certification requirements for express operators working on the mainland, but carriers are viewing the move as temporary and subject to change.
The council shelved a mandatory “entrustment” demand that would have forced China Post competitors – domestic and foreign – to charge more than the state carrier for transporting parcels more than 500 grams.
The mainland’s highest body did not set a new deadline for the certification.
An industry executive said: “The council released a memo stopping enforcement of entrustment requirements with immediate effect until next year’s company registration in April.
“We don’t think the suspension is open-ended; we expect new announcements. But things as they sit now effectively make the State Post Bureau the regulator of international freight forwarders and express operators.”
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