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The Petroleum Driver Passport is an excellent example of what government says is industry itself taking responsibility for setting and monitoring standards says Brian Worrall
Fuel Oil News spoke to Brian Worrall of the Downstream Oil Distribution Forum (DODF) which has been instrumental in driving forwards the new Petroleum Driver Passport (PDP) initiative
The DODF works with BP, GB Oils, Greenergy and Murco, logistics companies – DHL, Hoyer, Norbert Dentressangle, Suckling, Suttons, Turners and Wincanton, the Unite and URTU unions, several trade associations including UKPIA, FPS, the Downstream Fuel Association and the Tank Storage Association plus government and regulatory bodies and Sector Skills Councils.What was the background to the Petroleum Driver Passport initiative?
In 2011, the ACAS agreement between Unite and the major hauliers agreed that they would put together an industry body, the DODF, to act as a forum for health and safety issues within the industry. The PDP was born from the industry group that was put together, with all parties agreeing that the petroleum tanker driver sector needed a consistent level of training to a high standard across the whole industry. The DODF created the training standard that underpins the PDP and ensures no duplication with existing ADR training. Whilst there is a lot of good training practice in the industry already, there is no mechanism to ensure that the training standard is specified and adhered to, and this is what the PDP does.In addition to DODF, who was instrumental in setting up PDP?
DECC was the government department that ACAS requested take the lead in re-establishing the DODF, which had existed some six years prior. DECC enlisted the help of the two Sector Skills Councils in the industry, Skills for Logistics (haulage) and Cogent (downstream petroleum) to make this happen. The DODF has subsequently appointed Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to manage the scheme. SQA already manage the ADR programme in the UK.Is the industry receptive to another level of training?
For most operators in the industry, who already operate to a high standard, this standard will not necessarily require any more than they currently do, though it would help to identify any gaps against the defined training standard. Operators who do not have these standards already in place will need to do so, and they will be able to turn to training providers as well as their own resources to make this happen. We have devised the PDP to fit in with existing industry training. The PDP is on a 5-year renewal cycle, aligned to the driver’s ADR renewal date, and the annual refresher element is aligned to JAUPT and driver CPC; training which has to happen anyway. Importantly for such a hands-on role, the PDP has both classroom and practical elements. This initiative is the result of wide industry consultation and the detail of the scheme has been put together with representatives right across the sector, from industry associations through haulage and distributor companies to unions and to tanker drivers. We have taken into account comments we have received as we have developed the scheme and so we are confident that we have pitched PDP for the industry.How much will it cost an operator?
The costs are still being finalised – some of the cost is annual, some is incurred at the 5-year renewal point. To give some indication, the scheme costs will be in the region of £25 per driver per year. In addition to this, there may be training provider and/or assessor costs depending on how companies train and assess. For those who already train to the PDP standard, many of these costs will already be in the businessWhat are the key benefits of PDP?
The PDP sets a benchmark training standard to which everyone in the industry will train. As it has a practical as well as a classroom element, and a 5-year renewal cycle with an annual refresher element, it works well with existing industry training. It has been designed for the industry by the industry. It gives terminal operators, in exercising their duty of care, confidence that they are allowing rack access only to drivers who are fully trained. Drivers can have a confidence that they are fully trained to do what is an important and complex job and hauliers and distributors can point to an externally verified standard to which they are training their drivers. As far as government is concerned, this is an excellent example of what ministers refer to as a “better regulation” where industry itself takes responsibility for setting and monitoring standards. It will give the whole petroleum tanker driver sector a confidence that training is taking place to an externally verified standard and the PDP will help maintain standards across all operators into the future.
In front of the WP Racing Fuels and Lubricants truck – Darren Borras (l) and WP Group managing director, David Fairchild
With the motor racing season in full swing, FON looks at some of the key participants from within the fuel oil distribution industry
The WP Group has unveiled a new look for its motorsport division – WP Racing. New branding now encompasses the entire motorsport, automobile, corporate and circuit/venue aspect of racing in both the UK and across Europe.
“Combining quality of product with the highest level of trackside expertise and onsite fuel testing, WP Racing is rapidly becoming the name to be associated with this season and beyond,” said commercial director, Darren Borras.
Driven by the purchase of the already well-established Atol Fuel, the racing division began in 2008. “Brand exposure is a key benefit of our involvement with the sport. As the brand develops at a rapid pace, this area presents almost limitless opportunities,” added marketing coordinator, Harriet Phillips.Racing partnerships
The company is the official fuel and lubricant partner to some well-known European championships including British Formula 3, British GT and the Renault Clio Cup.
WP Group also partners race experience centres and high profile circuits including Donington Park Racing. A recent partnership agreement at Thruxton Motorsport Centre now sees the brands of WP Group and its operating divisions – WP Racing, Mobil Service Centre and WP Heating – displayed on the main grandstand, karting tracks and driving experience cars.On track with deliveries
Located just ten miles from Silverstone, Nolan Oils provides fuel and lubricants to many of the UK’s major motor sport companies including Formula 1 and British Super Bike teams.
“With our depot central for many teams, over time we’ve probably served most,” said owner and motor sport fan, Mark Nolan. “For 13 years, we supplied Mercedes GP at Brackley until they changed to air source heat pumps. We’ve also supplied the Silverstone circuit directly and many of the contractors based there throughout the racing season.
“We count many ex-racers among our customers; Jackie Stewart is probably our most regular domestic customer; although the other week we helped Red Bull team principal Christian Horner out when he’d been let down by his usual supplier. Current ones include Tim Harvey, British GT championship competitor and FI driver Mark Webber, who we saved from a cold house last year.”
Motor sport is an area Mark would like to develop: “These companies use large volumes of oil and lubricants and are very loyal customers. We talk most weeks and, with the volumes they use, we keep a keen eye on price. We never let them down – one missed delivery can mean thousands of pounds in disruption to production.”More entertaining in the FAST lane
Wishing to enter new markets, Shropshire-based Fuel Additive Science Technologies (FAST) is sponsoring Rob Austin, a driver in the British Touring Cars Championship.
Televised on ITV4, the 2013 season commenced at the end of March. In the line up, Rob’s car is one of only two with rear wheel drive and FAST’s cleverly placed and eye-catching logo ensures good exposure.
Chairman Bob Hall explained the thinking behind this sponsorship: “For us, it was a threefold decision. We wanted to continue to elevate our existing brand image, access new markets including professional garages and have the opportunity to entertain our customers.”
Celebrating 20 years in business, Jerry Cosgrave and Leon Byrne beside McConville Oil’s tanker
McConville Oil is run by Jerry Cosgrave who took over the business from his father-in-law Dermot McConville eight years ago in what was a very different operating time
“It was push, push, sell, sell and no-one worried about credit,” he says. In such busy times Jerry could have put another tanker on the road but now he is very glad that he did not opt for expansion. “I would be carrying significantly more overheads in a market where volumes have almost halved and there is little or no consumer confidence,” he told Irish correspondent, Aine Faherty.
McConville Oil operates just one tanker bought in 2007, which Jerry drives in addition to taking all the orders on the road, backed up by Leon Byrne, a part-time administrator in the office. In operation for 12 years, prior to Jerry’s acquisition McConville Oil had developed a reputation for reliability so he retained the name and secured a contract with Top Oil.
The bulk of business is done within a 12-mile radius of its Graiguenamanagh base in Co Kilkenny where domestic home heating oil is the main seller throughout the winter months. Over summer where once there was some road diesel business from construction accounts, Jerry now relies solely on the farming industry and might just work on the basis of a three-day week spread over five or six days. Although rewards are not massive, Dermot reports a good living which he is very happy with.
A few years ago tanks were installed in the yard and investment was made in a bottom loading skid. Now, while there are no capital spending projects in the pipeline, it is hoped that temperature compensation probes will be installed in his lorry before September. At a cost of €700 to fit, it could give a saving of €4,000 to €5,000 per year. In the future, Jerry also hopes to utilise a mobile fuel management system if a cost effective solution for the small operator is available; presently outlay for software would not be feasible.
Since January, like all oil distributors, he has adhered to strict revenue reporting guidelines on the movement of oil. Initially quite a challenge, Jerry now says that despite the extra paperwork involved, it enables him to keep a tighter control on stock movements. He does, however, remain to be convinced that this will meet its intended purpose, to grind fuel laundering practices to a halt.
As many quit giving people credit, Jerry still extends credit to his oldest customers as a form of goodwill for their continued custom. Burned by big players, he has entered into payback plans; one owing a large sum is repaying at the rate of €100 per month. “It’s better than fighting with them,” he says.
Jerry feels the future of oil is fairly secure, “especially in rural areas where gas is still not an option. Unless it becomes much more expensive, which I think is unlikely. “Most people would revert back to oil if it cost €1000 for 600 to 700 litres, which is about 20% cheaper than it currently is in Ireland. “And I think it could happen,” he says optimistically.
Four and a half stone lighter – the newly slimmed down Trevor and Andrew
Keeping busy
Eighteen months on from making its first deliveries of kerosene, the company has a real stronghold in the Wellington area of Somerset, is “very, very busy” and has grown considerably in size.
“We now have approximately 2,000 regular customers in the domestic, agricultural and commercial sectors,” said Trevor. “Although we operate within a 25 mile radius, encompassing west and south Somerset and east and north Devon, we are now trying to fine-tune it a little for ease and convenience. We have a good, loyal domestic base and pride ourselves on offering a good service.”
“We’re pretty much always on call and regularly have customers wandering in to the yard on Sundays wanting fuel. Our business cards say talk to us at any time but people assume this means we’re on site 24-7.”
Although Trevor and co-owner, Andrew Hewitt are happy to turn their hands to pretty much anything, they have found their own niche areas within the business. “I’m a bit more hands on and prefer being out on the road, making deliveries whilst Andrew’s happier in the depot doing the more administrative tasks,” explained Trevor.Family affair
It’s a real family affair for Trevor and Andrew. Trevor’s wife, Daryl, does the accounts whilst Andrew’s father, Keith, who is retired, is in charge of marketing and regularly pounds the streets, handing out leaflets. Although Trevor’s children are too young to join the business, his 12 year old son is already showing signs of having inherited his father’s entrepreneurial skills. “He’s a real wheeler dealer and has a good grip on cash flow,” Trevor joked. “Having children has had a positive effect on the business – it’s amazing how many sales we’ve had through word of mouth from scouts and cubs and various kids groups.”
In addition to family members, Monument also employs one full-time and one part-time (casual) driver and has a relief driver for when they need a little extra help.Equipment expansion
With three tankers on the books, Monument is looking to further expand the fleet. “We already have 18, 14 and 7 ½ tonne tankers but are on the lookout for another second hand 14 tonne tanker, so if anyone has one that they’d like to sell, please get in touch!!”
The company recently invested in an Alpeco loading arm for its gas oil. “It’s marvellous – it’s made a huge difference to operations.”
Although Trevor describes Monument as “an analogue rather than a digital business”, the company is looking to install some Cloud based software and expects to have Fuelsoft up and running by July 2013. The company also has a website and a Twitter account, “although we don’t tweet as much as we should,” added Trevor.Reaping the rewards
Setting up a company has also had another, rather unexpected effect. “We’ve lost four and a half stone between us,” beamed Trevor. “We’re working non-stop and eating much better than when we were working for other companies. Regular hotel trips and company meals meant that we piled on the pounds over the years.”
Liz asked Trevor what advice he had for anyone wanting to set up a fuel distribution business: “Don’t do it,” he laughed. “No seriously, be brutal with your overheads to keep them under control and be realistic with your cash flow predictions – it’s the heartbeat of the business. It’s also important to find a supplier that you can work with and luckily we have that with Inver Energy who has been very supportive. We’re working harder than we’ve ever done but we’re enjoying it! It’s like a very expensive business course – if we pass, we get to stay in business.”
Current perspectives
The recent (2011) OFT Off-Grid Energy Study assessed that approximately four million UK households were not connected to the gas grid, of which around 1.6 million use kerosene for domestic heating, representing 6% of the total heating fuel market. LPG use as domestic fuel accounted for a further circa 200,000 households. In comparison, natural gas is used by almost 20 million households and accounts for just over 80% of the heating fuel market.
In addition to its use in the domestic sector, there are estimated to be between 200,000 and 250,000 commercial heating oil users.
A snapshot of the trend in total UK domestic regular kerosene demand since the start of the millennium shows the following:
Source: DECC Energy Trends: Oil & oil products, Supply & use of petroleum products.
So, it appears that the market has moved from the range of 2.2-2.5 million tonnes/year (2.7 to 3.0 billion litres/year) to one of slightly under two million tonnes( 2.5 billion litres) in the past couple of years – although the exceptional, extended winter of 2013 is likely to result in this year’s total demand climbing back towards 2.2 million tonnes.
Against this backdrop, it was encouraging to learn that oil boiler sales were 22% higher in Q1 2013 vs. Q1 2012, and that overall 2012 sales were up on those in 2011.
What might the future hold?
To gauge future market prospects, we will consider a range of ‘what if’ possibilities, as a way of mapping out the boundaries that may define the future for the sector. To do this, an approach from probability and decision analysis will be used, which identifies three possible cases or scenarios:
→ best possible outcome, known as the P10 case- where there is only a 10% probability of things being better
→ an average outcome, known as the P50 case- where there is a 50% probability of things being better.
→ a worst possible outcome, known as the P90 case- where there is a 90% probability of things being better.
In looking at these possible outcomes, there are three underlying assumptions which are common to each case:
• that the requirements in the Code for Sustainable Homes will result in negligible new build potential for oil fired systems, so enabling little/no scope for market expansion.
• that B30K (bio kerosene) will not qualify for incentives under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), given that it comprises 70% fossil fuel and so could raise questions, at least from a PR standpoint, about the true credentials of the green agenda that underlies the scheme.
• that oil boilers will be capable of meeting the maximum permissible NOX emissions’ limit of 120 milligrams per kilowatt hour set by the EU for 2018.
The future state of the market is taken to be that in 2020, the key milestone date for achievement of the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions’ target and contribution of renewable energy sources.
Three possible scenarios for kerosene
Best Case (P10)
This is one where the sector, through initiatives such as Oilsave, is able to mount effective efforts, through promotion of improved fuel efficiencies of boilers, better insulation and lower emissions etc., that enable it to retain the lion’s share of its existing outlets. However, these fuel saving initiatives result in reductions in consumption, which are projected to average 3% per annum over 2013-2020.
From a starting point ( 2013), assumed to be circa 2.2 million tonnes ( 2.75 billion litres), this results in a decline of just over 420,000 tonnes (525 million litres) over the period, to a market of just under 1.8 million tonnes.
Average Case (P50)
This is one where the government’s various initiatives, such as the RHI and Green Deal etc., in pursuit of its green agenda, result in a measure of attrition of existing oil outlets. When coupled with the fuel reductions pursued by the sector in defence of its existing market, described above, this results in an average decline in oil use projected at 5% per annum over 2013-2020.
The reduction in this scenario amounts to 660,000 tonnes (830 million litres) to a market of just over 1.5 million tonnes.
Worst Case (P90)
This is a more extreme version of the previous case (P50), the key difference being that the government decides to pursue a much more aggressive/ ambitious approach to its green agenda and provides more generous and attractive incentives to encourage transfer from oil use.
As a result, consumption falls by 50% from its 2013 level i.e. by 1.1 million tonnes (1.4 billion litres), to a market of 1.1 million tonnes in 2020.
As already stated, these ‘what if’ scenarios represent no more than an attempt to map out what the future may hold for kerosene’s use as a heating fuel, generating a range of possible outcomes in terms of changes in demand and resulting market size. Their plausibility rests primarily in the exercise of being able to identify the boundaries that may define the market in 2020 – the future state. As the range is a substantial one, there is a higher likelihood that the market size will fall somewhere within the best/worst case scenarios for 2020.
Food for thought and, hopefully, opportunity to consider and adapt business models, as appropriate, to ensure the future viability and success of the heating oil sector – with the P50 type scenario providing a starting framework for planning purposes.
Comment on the above is invited to jane@fueloilnews.co.uk
Mick Smith, Suckling Transport
“Raising standards throughout the industry can only be a good thing, and by adding PDP to the ADR qualification, the driver will demonstrate their knowledge and skill by taking an assessment. The PDP is supported by the PDP training standard which all tanker operators will be able to use as a basis for driver training/development. The passport will be valid in line with ADR for a 5-year period with each driver subject to an annual refresher day and a written/practical assessment before it is issued.”
Spokesperson, Wincanton
“We will continue to support any initiative that seeks to improve skills and promote a more widespread adoption of professional standards across our industry. The PDP is a positive step in bringing the wider industry up to the same high standards of health & safety and training already provided by Wincanton and a number of other employers in our sector.”
Chris Dalton, Lateu Logistics
“I don’t believe anyone can be critical of any incentive that makes working safer for the employee or the general public at large. I would, however, add that the passport scheme has been driven by unions and larger companies who have in-house training schemes, derived in the first place by major oil companies when they operated fleets directly. Both parties have a vested interest in controlling the market!
“We must consider the smaller operators and local fuel distributors who don’t operate formal schemes. Some parties would argue that they operate unsafely, but these companies have not had a say in the PDP scheme. I’m sure the scheme will heighten the level of driver skill and awareness across the five identified sectors, which is a positive step, but beware the underlying intentions of interested parties.”
Anonymous
“It’s absolutely unnecessary and is purely political following the last union driven strike! This is the result of pure union politics and the outcome is simply reflecting what’s already done with petroleum delivery drivers other than the production of the new passport.”
Richard Green, DHL Supply Chain
“The PDP is designed to link with and enhance the ADR qualification, as well as to contribute to the requirement for Driver CPC hours. The passport is an industry training standard aimed at maintaining and raising the standards within the whole industry.
Share your opinion with liz@fueloilnews.co.uk.
Earlier this year, Par Petroleum took the FPS Depot of the Year title for a fifth time.
Road Tankers Northern (RTN) has opened a second factory in Barnsley.
Founded in 1991, RTN is growing steadily and has now expanded its Barnsley headquarters and built a new specialist manufacturing facility at nearby Birdwell. RTN, which counts Shell, DHL, Tesco and Morrisons among its customers, can now offer tankers to the chemical, pharmaceutical, dairy and brewery industries.
RTN, which also has factories in Birmingham, Sheffield and Northern Ireland, now has a share of around 80-90% of the UK petroleum semi-trailers market.
Positive news for UK manufacturing
“Foreign competition has dramatically reduced due to our expanding production which is very positive news for UK manufacturing,” said operations director Don Mckelvie. “We’re now supplying most of the fuel distribution companies and we supply all four major supermarkets.”
Owned by the NWT Group, which was founded by South Yorkshire-based businessmen Paul Wright and Frank Newell, RTN is recording year on year growth and is set to turnover £11.2m in 2013. The company has increased its workforce from 88 to126 in two years with a number of apprentices now learning specialist trades on both the tanker manufacture side and in RTN’s five bay-service and repair centre. RTN plans to recruit a further 15-20 staff this summer.
Regional support
RTN is supported by Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre (BBIC) through the Enterprising Barnsley programme with funding assistance from Barnsley Council. Additional support has been received from Barnsley Development Agency to access funding from the Regional Growth Fund.
“The growth of RTN has been exceptional in the past two years and we owe a debt of gratitude to Enterprising Barnsley and BBIC who have been pillars of support, particularly with regards to lean manufacturing and expansion,” added Don.
Kevin Steel, BBIC business development manager said: “RTN not only manufactures tankers to the highest quality, it’s also creating skilled jobs and training the next generation through its apprenticeship scheme. We are delighted to provide business support to RTN.”
www.rtnltd.co.uk
Royal warrant holder, Linton Fuel Oils recently took part in the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, the event, which took place from 11th-14th July, was an opportunity for royal warrant holders to showcase their business and its products and for the country to celebrate its ‘tradition, innovation and excellence.’
“We were obviously very proud to be involved in the Coronation Festival,” said Russell Mortimer, marketing manager. “Although it wasn’t very easy for Linton to display and demonstrate its products, we were very pleased to take part in the hub area, where we were able to have a display.”
Following the recent acquisition by World Fuel Services, both the previous owners and directors of Linton, along with members of the World Fuel Services management team attended an evening gala. Several other members of staff attended the Coronation Festival in the day time.
www.coronationfestival.com
According to DCC plc’s interim management statement, its energy division is trading ‘significantly ahead of both the prior year and budget’.
Backed by an encouraging performance in the first quarter of 2013, due to colder than normal weather conditions which drove up demand for kerosene and LPG, DCC now expects operating profits to be 15%, 3% ahead of last year.
According to Investors Intelligence, DCC ‘has experienced some impressive growth figures since the beginning of last year, ranging from a share price of 1467p to a 52-week high figure of 2725p’. “We can expect the uptrend demonstrated by DCC to continue with signals that further deals could be on the cards.”
During the first quarter, DCC Energy completed the planned integration of the former BP LPG business in Britain with DCC’s existing LPG distribution business and of the former Total oil distribution business in Britain with its existing oil distribution business.
The Interim Management Statement released last Friday also stated that ‘the group remains in a very strong financial position to pursue a range of development opportunities.’
The group also operates in the IT, healthcare, environmental services and food & beverage sectors,
www.dcc.ie
Another Royal Warrant holder, Worcester, Bosch Group has honoured this week’s royal birth by creating a one-off baby blue boiler.
BOILER SALES FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR ARE UP 23% ON 2012 – A VERY WELCOME OUTCOME FOR KEROSENE DISTRIBUTORS, BOILER MANUFACTURERS AND INSTALLERS
Following on from last winter’s heating season which saw a welcome improvement in boiler sales, this positive trend continued into the spring with oil boiler sales up over 23% on the same quarter in 2012 – the best results for 5 years.
The results underline the continued consumer confidence in oil heating following the cold winter. It is likely that many new boilers have been bought as distress purchases, with homeowners preferring to simply replace their old boiler – which no doubt gave many years of reliable, trouble free service – with a new condensing model.
Sales of gas condensing boilers have also seen significant sales increases.
www.oftec.org
The Basingstoke to Paris team in Airport Energy sponsored shirts
A little saddle sore with a strained Achilles and very tired after his ‘little cycling challenge,’ Airport Energy’s operations manager Craig Heggie got back to work.
Every couple of years Craig sets himself a ‘crazy challenge’ to raise money for the Sebastian’s Action Trust. “It’s an amazing charity that I and some of you have supported since 2006,” said Craig. http://sebastiansactiontrust.org/about_us/our_film.php.
Earlier this month, a team of 10 set out to cycle 700 miles from Basingstoke to Paris and back again in just 5 days. Craig’s bike was fitted with a tracker so supporters, friends and family could follow the team’s progress live online. Using social media to best advantage, the team had a Facebook page and could also be viewed on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oSoXOI3TkY.
“The whole week became a bigger challenge then we expected,” Craig told Fuel Oil News. “We had everything thrown at us – head winds, an 8 mile hill, 15 punctures, two broken spokes, thunder and rain.”
Seven out of the 10 completed the challenge in 4 days, 13 hours and 40 minutes with a average of 140 miles a day and to 15 hours a day in the saddle.
“On the plus side cycling down the Champs Elysées from the Arc de Triomphe was an amazing experience and, to date we’ve raised just over £9000, so a massive thanks to all those who supported us.
“If anyone wishes to personally sponsor me post event, please follow the link to my just giving page http://www.justgiving.com/CraigB2P2B
Corrib Oil once again sponsored the annual Tour de Lough Corrib in Connemara with money raised beating last year’s €50,000.
Organised by the heart and stroke charity Croi, this year’s event raised €72,405 for the West of Ireland’s Cardiac Foundation. The event, which is in its 18th year, has been sponsored by Corrib Oil since its inception.
This year saw over 900 cyclists taking part, including cycling legend Sean Kelly who once again completed the tour and rallied his fellow cyclists who followed a 27.5 or 75 mile route.
From its strategically located depot network, Corrib Oil delivers heating oil to Counties Cavan, Clare, Galway, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath in a modern fleet of over 60 fuel tankers.
www.corriboil.com
Over 14 tonnes of toxic waste was removed from farm buildings at the end of June after the discovery of a diesel laundering plant in Co Armagh.
Officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), assisted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, dismantled the plant, which was capable of producing nearly five million litres of illicit fuel a year, evading over £3 million in excise duty and VAT.
Pat Curtis, HMRC National Oils Co-ordinator, commented: “Every illegal laundering operation typically generates tonnes of toxic waste, which involves significant environmental and safety issues. As taxpayers and local ratepayers, not only are we missing out on the stolen tax going into the pockets of the criminals, we are also paying the substantial clean up and disposal costs.”
Mr Curtis highlighted to consumers and wholesalers that buying illicit fuel only services to fund crime and supports and encourages dangerous activities within communities. “The only winners are the criminals,” he said before urging anyone with information fuel misuse in their area to contact free telephone hotline on 0800 59 5000 and contribute to the fight against this type of criminality.
Pumps, tanks and equipment were removed from the site and a forensic investigation and enquiries into the illegal operation there are underway.
www.hmrc.gov.uk/nircto
Volvo has teamed up with Gasrec
Volvo Trucks has teamed up with biofuel supplier Gasrec to help business customers cut haulage costs and reduce carbon emissions.
Gasrec is Europe’s largest supplier of Bio-LNG; a blend of liquefied natural gas and liquid biomethane (LBM). Volvo Trucks is the first truck manufacturer in the world to produce trucks tailored to run on renewable liquid and gaseous fuels. When substituted for diesel, Bio-LNG can cut fuel costs and CO2 by around 20%.