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Quite a lot actually. Especially if you don’t want one of these ugly tumours on your lungs. If you are a courier, trucker or delivery driver, read through the information below, and tell me what you think.

An up to date article in News Inferno was very interesting reading and informative…

Recent research suggests  that lung cancer risks are higher among trucking industry workers because of diesel fume exposure.  According to a new study published in the January issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, workers in the trucking industry with an estimated 20 years on the job have an elevated risk of lung cancer with each increasing year of work due to their diesel fume exposure.

A lot of drivers are career drivers. They start in their 20s and still drive until they are retired, some often continuing part time during retirement. For many, driving for a living is something they really enjoy.

The article goes on to say -

Scientists have long known that diesel fumes might play a role in the development of lung cancer.  According to a report on SFgate.com, diesel fumes consist of a toxic stew of about 400 chemicals, including benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide and lead.  Breathing large amounts of diesel fumes could cause respiratory diseases, and people with asthma, heart disease and emphysema can worsen if exposed to the exhaust. Long-term exposure leads to chronic obstructive lung disease as well as lung cancer.

So, it’s the long term exposure that does the damage. The longer you drive, the more chance you have of getting it. A case control study was done back in 1990 and the report says at the end..

Overall, our results suggest that diesel truck drivers have an excess risk of lung cancer compared to other teamsters in jobs outside the trucking industry. However, our findings were not uniformly consistent and our data have many limitations, the most important of which is the lack of data on exposure to diesel fumes.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

In the US, the EPA have been making big inroads into reducing the danger. A tough task considering most areas of the US and the Uk are urbanised so diesel fumes are in every breath we take. As much as 25% of the breath we take in highly urbanised areas, more if there is a port nearby and the diesel fumes from the ships engines are in the air.

Early in 2001, the EPA issued landmark standards to clean up dirty diesel trucks and buses, comparable to the advent of the catalytic converter on cars several decades ago. When the standards take full effect in 2007, they are expected to reduce emissions from trucks and buses by more than 90 percent, the equivalent of taking 13 million of the nation’s 14 million trucks and buses off the roads.

Source: ENS

The article from the ENS website goes on to outline the effort from the Bush administration. It  also clearly higlights the failings in the US - emissions trading programs. So rather than clean up their act the worst polluters get to trade credits with cleaner, greener companies. I cannot see how this would work myself, and seems like a fraudulent way of dealing with the issue.

In addition to concluding that diesel fumes likely cause lung cancer, the EPA found that diesel exhaust triggers asthma and other respiratory effects, calling the fumes “a chronic respiratory hazard to humans.” Based on animal testing and studies of people in jobs with high exposures, the fumes were shown to be carcinogenic, or cancer causing.

The agency did not attempt to quantify the cancer risk from exposure to diesel emissions, though the report notes that the risk is likely to be higher for people who regularly work with or around diesel engines. But even everyday exposure to background levels of diesel fumes probably puts people at risk, the EPA said.

What can an employer do to limit diesel fumes for their drivers? Is there an efficient way of filtering the exhaust fumes so that the carcinogens are contained?

My thoughts on this are two fold, is this coming to light now to try and encourage people to buy environmentally vehicles? Is it diesel that is doing the evil deed? Why isn’t it coal fires, petrol or another type of fuel? Or is it the sad fact that all of these contribute to it, and its our delivery drivers that are taking home the tumours.

For excellent information and research on cancer, more information can be found on the pharma strategy blog written by Sally Church.

Sarah

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With the ‘market softening’ for some time now, Fords in Southhampton are cutting back their shifts in the Transit factory from two a day to one a day.

Over the next three months the plant will be closed for 20 days as well.

This is a tough blow to Fords employees who have been working hard to fulfil their current orders. At least the workers have some employment, even if they are not earning as much. The Southampton plant employs 1100 people. If those were made redundant, what would that do to their local economy?

There are plans in place to halve the production of Transits over the next three years, which is a blow to couriers everywhere. The Transit is the backbone of our industry, along with the Mercedes Sprinter.

For many people the recession is something ‘made worse by the media’,  just reading some of the news reports you would think that it has been happening the last few months. Most couriers will tell you its been happening for the last year, production has slowed across the board. There are less goods to move.

It’s time for us all to sharpen our business practices. There are no government handouts to SMEs that are not loans.

Kevin

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Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the two people that assaulted a Northhamptonshire delivery driver must have been very hungry indeed.

A driver was assaulted and robbed of his fast food as he carried out a delivery in Northamptonshire.

The 24-year-old was walking towards a property with three bags of food for delivery at around 6.30pm on Saturday when he was approached by two men, who assaulted him and stole the food.

Source: Northampton Chronicle

Freight crime always goes up when the economy is down or struggling. It now seems delivery drivers as well as lorry drivers are now affected. Now is the time to be looking at manned guarding or keyholder response companies. The cost of a security service to protect the goods will be far cheaper than the insurance premiums associated with broken in warehouses etc.

Although I am not sure what local takeaways can do to protect their delivery drivers.

Kevin

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Wincanton, the logistics company has admitted that they will most likely lose around 875 members of staff in the spring of 2009.

There has been much speculation that with retail ‘not doing do well’, that the hardest hit would be Wincanton and DHL. The service that seems most affected is Wincanton’s chilled service arm, and this affects the depots in Trafford Park and Gloucester. GMB the union is fighting for the jobs on behalf of its members.

DHL has confirmed there will be job losses in the Borders, Scotland when it closes it’s depot in Galashiels. Last year they laid off 9500 people in the US in particularly Ohio. Okay, its 19 jobs here, but its a far smaller community and it will have an equally devasting affect just like the job losses in Ohio did.

A company spokesman stated the plans for the Galashiels site were “subject to consultation”.

“Wherever possible we will always endeavour to retain employees in the business and we will look for suitable re-employment options,” he said.

“This proposal is essential for maintaining a strong operation with the right framework to enable DHL Express to keep its market-leading position in line with rapidly changing customer needs.”

DHL confirmed back in November it is to reduce operating costs associated with DHL Express by discontinuing domestic-only air and ground products in the US on January 30, 2009.

Things are certainly getting tougher,  with much speculation going on about which courier/logistics firm will be next.

Kevin

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It helps if you know and have tea with a crown prince or two

I was quite surprised to read this, that a magistrate has listened and acted upon things. In the present climate I have found the law to be harsh on motorists and lenient on burglary, robbery etc. With things getting tougher, it makes sense to be lenient to someone who is actually keeping people in work.

A COURIER company boss who delivers for a world-renowned architect and said he sipped tea with the Crown Prince of Monaco has successfully had a driving ban reduced.

Appealing at Exeter Crown Court, Simon Potterton claimed the Crown Prosecution Service had not delivered on a behind-the-scenes plea bargain when he was told he would only be given a six-month driving ban.

Instead magistrates at Newton Abbot slapped an 18-month disqualification on Potterton who claimed he drove over 150,000 miles a year across Europe.

Potterton told the court: “If I am banned for 18 months I will have to close my business and put eight people out of work.

“I have delivered architectural models for Sir Norman Foster and sipped tea with the Crown Prince in Monaco.”  ‘Plea bargain’ courier firm boss has driving ban cut

What do you think? Is leniency a good thing in this case?

Kevin

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Seriously how much for delivery?… $42 million dollars if it was a Nasa space shuttle. Nasa are planning on selling their old ’stock’ delivery  / shipping and handling is $42 million dollars.

Why so much? Moving a wide, heavy load is expensive.  A fully loaded shuttle can take up to three hours to move one mile.  Now in this instance it will not be carrying the fuel so it should be able to move that bit faster. Banksmen and other technical and non technical support is also required. You cannot just throw a shuttle on the back of a lorry and hope!  There will need to be police escorts and co-ordination with the highways agencies etc. It could be split down and sent by road and air but most likely it would be shipped.

If you can afford to buy one, I am sure the delivery charges are not a problem the good news is decommissioning fees are also included!The Most Expensive Delivery in The World?

What would you say if Nasa called and ask YOU to deliver a shuttle?

Kevin

Delivering big, awkward, bulky items but most certainly NOT space shuttles

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They says the UK is ten years behind America, so how long before this happens here? or does it already?

Police spokesman Atunaisa Sokomuri said drug dealers had found a new means of transporting their stash.

He said when police raided the homes, they found that parcels were all packed and ready to be sent through local courier companies to the Northern Division.

He said the 44 parcels confiscated from the vehicle were hidden there to be taken by a courier company.

“The courier companies are not aware of what is sent through their services and so we are investigating this case,” he said.

Source: Dealers send drugs by courier - Fiji Times Online

As a courier it is essential you know what you are delivering, and that you can legally deliver. Certain items cannot be delivered.

• Hazardous materials / Biotech waste
• Other items that are similarly dangerous
• Live animals cannot be shipped via a courier delivery service.
• Deceased animals are bio-harzadous and can be shipped by specially trained companies
• Illegal drugs

There are other items too, so check with the customer first before you commit yourself to delivery. If in doubt, don’t take the booking.

Sarah

Complete courier start up guides for freelance couriers

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I have just been reading this article from the Bournemouth Echo about a delivery driver and his off hand delivery manner. This is a first class example of a delivery gone bad, what’s more its in the local paper for all to see.

A PARCEL marked fragile was “shot-putted over a six foot fence” by a specialist delivery company, according to the furious man who received it.

Guy Penwarden, 50, of Churchill Road, Parkstone, said he only realised he’d had a delivery from City Link after going to investigate an “almighty crash”.

He told the Daily Echo he saw a delivery van heading off down the road, then discovered the battered parcel at the base of the fence.

He said: “Despite the fact that all surfaces were marked fragile, it had clearly been shot-putted over the fence, and had smashed on the driveway.”

Fortunately the contents were not a priceless gift, but tins of organic dog food for his pet Bruno, which arrived dented.

He said: “It is all replaceable, but it makes me wonder how many other parcels are getting destroyed by City Link.”

He added: “I think it’s disgusting. Had it been a computer or something it would have been ruined.”

He also questioned if the delivery driver had looked before dropping the 20lb parcel over the fence into the garden where his dog plays.

Source: ‘Delivery man flung parcel like shot-put’ From Bournemouth Echo

I do wonder if the larger companies actually give their drivers some customer service training and explain just because they may not be in when the delivery takes place, it doesn’t give them the right to be less than professional with a parcel.

What exactly does driver training entail? Do large companies only focus on the driving aspect and not the delivery aspect? Safe and green driving practices are good but if you have to redeliver a damaged parcel then it’s not exactly effective.

Kevin

Thinking about freelance courier work?

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I have just been reading this fascinating article in the Guardian about the Pope’s Courier. On average Thaddeus Kühnel does 150,000 miles to collect and deliver gifts from the Pope. This year he has collected his favourite German Sweetmeats (a carload full!) and a footwarmer.

With the Vatican issuing guidelines regarding environmental issues and encouraging their congregation to be greener, I felt they could have been a bit greener themselves. They could have used the secure postal systems to deliver his items. Looking at it in more detail, I realise the safest, most secure option for him would have been a dedicated courier which is exactly what he used

When security is of the utmost importance a dedicated courier is the very best option, I hope that Thaddeus Kühnel has his vehicle tracked in case of hijack and remembers to secure his vehicle everytime he leaves it. I am sure he uses up to date software to plan his routes - so that they are the most efficient .

I also hope that Mr Kühnel has changed his vehicle since this article was published, as he could now become a target.

Infallible Christmas gifts: Pope’s courier reveals secrets | World news | The Guardian

Kühnel drove from the pope’s home state of Bavaria to the Vatican yesterday to personally deliver this year’s boot-load of food, as well as five Christmas trees that were strapped to the roof of his car.

Lebkuchen honey and spice biscuits, stollen German Christmas cake, and chocolate were among the treats, Kühnel told German media. Of the trees, which came from the pope’s home town, Marktl am Inn, Kühnel said: “One is for the Pope’s living room, and two are for private chapels.”

Butchers in Marktl am Inn began selling Ratzinger sausages in his honour when he became pope in 2005.

There was also a present from the pope’s brother, Georg, 84, a retired priest. Kühnel would not reveal what it was, but said “usually they give each other practical things, like wristwatches and electric foot-warmers”.

Kühnel said he had already clocked up around 250,000km 150,000 miles in his car, delivering goods to the pope that he had personally requested, along with presents from his old friends, staff and distant relatives. “I deliver all the things he misses about Bavaria, including fruit nectar, Bavarian sausages from his favourite restaurant, advent wreaths and German sweets. He has a very sweet tooth,” Kühnel said.

“The first thing I brought to Rome, in my car, was a paschal candle, as well as some fruit from Adelholzen and mineral water. He likes the Christmas cookies that women from Bavarian parishes bake at home as well as those made at certain monasteries. He also likes the chocolates made in Aachen.”

I hope he has also insured his car for business use!

It’s not easy being a courier, but a happy customer makes it all worthwhile, but please have a word about the mileage… 150k is a lot of miles for one person to drive safely in a year.

Merry Christmas

Kevin & Sarah Arrow

Just popped over to Nigel Graingers blog to see what he had been up to. He has an excellent series of Fleet Risk Challenges for Santa, very festive..ho ho ho

He also has a great checklist for winter driving, so of it is quoted here….

I was sat in the office yesterday and as the afternoon progressed it got darker and more gloomy. The rain started to come in horizontally against the window and this mornings blog was born.

It is the time of the year that the car repair industry looks forward to, the onset of winter. The nights draw in and the weather turns wetter drivers tend to have more collisions. There are many reasons for this, the greasy damp roads, the change in light, the leaves on the road surface and the change in the properties of the tyres.

In line with previous articles on this forum not only do we raise the awareness of the problems, but we will offer some solutions as well.

The top of the list of things for you to do is take a trip to your local car dealer for a winter safety check. You could also do it yourself. You need to check your Tyres including the spare, Lights, Oil, Water/Antifreeze, Screenwash and Wipers. These are things you can easily check.

Tyres - You need to check the tread depth, tyre pressure you may need the handbook for this bit and the general condition of the tyre. I recommend that you have no less than 2mm of tread on your tyres. You should check your tyres every month.

Lights - Take the time to check all of your lights on your vehicle. You should also invest in a spare bulb set too. Remember that your lights are there to ensure you are seen rather than to see where you are going in most cases. You should check your lights every week.

The Winter Driving Season Cometh | Fleet Risk Consultants

Drive safely

regards

Kevin

Self Employed courier ebooks

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