We love a good predictive blog piece as much as the next person, so we’ve put together our top B2B courier delivery trends for 2020
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Walking navigation apps have become integral in today’s modern world. Couriers find them really useful for speeding up deliveries and ensuring their delivery targets are met. Whether it’s Google Maps or something else you use, they’re definitely handy to have.
Dashcams are becoming more sophisticated by the day, especially when you consider their humble beginnings; we’ve had a look at 3 of the most popular models on the market currently
We know how confusing some of our terminology is, so we’ve put together this handy glossary to help – give us a call on 0800 38 96 771 if you’d like to run through anything further!
Only three months to go until the new MOT changes come into force, on 20th May, 2018. Designed to make the test stricter, these changes are set to ensure the cars on our roads are safer than before. These will also ensure the MOT test adheres to the ‘EU Roadworthiness Package’, with closer scrutiny on the particulate filters of diesel cars and a new way of categorising faults; Minor, Major or Dangerous.
With autonomous & self-driving vehicles becoming more and more feasible, 2018 is set to be a huge year when it comes to more trials of these in cities across the world. With big brands including Ford, Toyota & Honda all vying to be the first to the finish line, what does this mean for the logistics industry?
The rise of apps has seen a large decline in sales of portable sat nav devices, as well as smaller usage of in-car sat nav systems, rendering them less desirable than in previous years. Have you seen this to be the case?
Are electric vans the future for courier companies – can they really be relied upon for urgent deliveries if there’s no charging point nearby!
As “crash for cash” scams continue to rise, so do the sales of dash cams – are they now an essential for drivers on today’s roads?
By all accounts, we’re fast moving into the future with the advent of 2 further sections of “smart motorway” being opened around Greater Manchester this year.
Stretches of both the M60 and M62 are currently undergoing works (said to cost around £208m), with the works on the M62 between Jcts’ 18-20 estimated to be complete in September. This will finally do away with the current 50MPH restriction that has been in place for the last 3 years, much to commuters’ relief. The works on the M60 from Jct 8-18 will then complete in early 2018, which will again ease congestion and frustration all round as the new technology takes the helm, although the speed cameras currently in place will continue to monitor the fluctuating speed limits set by the gantry signs.
What are Smart Motorways?
Smart motorways (also referred to as “managed” or “controlled” motorways, depending on whether a dynamic hard shoulder is available) use what they call Active Traffic Management (ATM) techniques to control the flow of traffic and aim to reduce both accidents and congestion by keeping a smoother flow using variable speed limits. These are shown on gantries above the lanes, per lane, and are set by the flow of the traffic in front – so if there are issues in front, the speed limits will reflect this and work in conjunction with warning gantries of queues ahead etc to try to keep flow constant, but in a calm and controlled fashion.
Smart motorway variable limits are monitored by speed cameras and those driving over the speed limit will be fined accordingly.
Speeding tickets
Of course, with variable speed limits comes the risk of speeding; whether accidental or on purpose, almost a million motorists on Britain’s roads are caught each year, and this figure will only increase as more speed cameras are installed on Smart motorways. The new speeding laws that came into force April 2017 could see motorists being fined over £2000 if they caught by speed cameras, as well as disqualification “in excess of 56 days”. In other words – respect the speed limit!
Do Smart Motorways really work?
Smart Motorways have been proven to keep traffic flow at an even pace and improve journey times – but they do come with their own host of problems for motorists should anything go wrong.
Some smart motorways use the hard shoulder as a live lane at peak times, so there is nowhere to pull over if you have a break down, or worse, if there is a fire or similar. This means a higher chance of an accident, but also more congestion as road users have nowhere to try and pass blocked lanes. The Met have been quoted as saying that the decision to drop the hard shoulder has resulted in “significant risks” to motorists, so it is definitely something to bear in mind should your journey take you onto a Smart motorway.
Current works
The M60 and M62 aren’t the only motorways undergoing Smart upgrades; sections of the M1, M3, M5, M6 and M90 are also currently undergoing construction. Large parts of the M1 are already live as Smart motorways, and there are over 236 miles of Smart motorway overall in England alone.
Have you travelled on a Smart motorway lately? Did you feel your journey was better as a result? Let us know in the comments!
