Express logistics - final mile - Inst of Couriers round table masterclass

Carl Lomas opened a standing room only event for the Institute of Couriers - IOC round table full house - City of London Alderman Alison Gowman welcomed final mile to the guildhall, City of London for a round table Master class in Express Logistics. For inst of couriers fellows it was a network and natter with an agenda to deliver for. Rich in sector knowledge, by top experts in the field.

Hydrogen trucks, EV derogation, drones and diesel values all at the table today. Melanie Stancliffe update on Deliveroo Supreme Court decision, impact of a labour govt. Parcel theft direct from the Home Office. DCI Ruth Tissington leading the team on serious crime in parcels. 4.25t EV and alternative fuel, van derogation rules by DFT Abdul Chowdhury. Royal Mail delivered drone project details and Chris Floyd asked you to check your danger spots on commercial vehicles.

Alderman Alison Gowman, City of London corporation welcomed IOC fellows to the City of London corporations Guildhall for 6th Feb Inst of Couriers Heads of Industry round- table. Packed full house, standing room only, not an inch left at the table, as the giant turnout was treated to a magic agenda covering everything express. Fellows in strength from nationals, alongside regional courier companies in harmony of knowledge from worker status to future fuel values. Yi Liu from Bath University and Rena Rani from LSA took an opportunity to ask academic questions on future vision for logistics.

A network and natter to remember. IOC chair Carl Lomas did his traditional round table of introductions that asked the tough questions impacting sector this quarter. Competitive market, turnover, volumes, minimum wage, AI, EV, recruitment and retention, legislation, govt change, all featured in what was a network and natter to remember.

The first fellows round table of 2024 was hosted by City of London Corporation at Guildhall in the City of London. The first of the year roundtable did not disappoint. Free lunch for network and natter that was a who’s who of express logistics which included an informal exchange of knowledge skills and behaviour. IOC board members present included Paul Sainthouse and David Stringer Lamarre, David spoke equality and female inclusion to the express logistics sector.

It was an agenda rich in operator questions. Home Office on security in parcel- Abdul Chowdhury DfT on 4.25t EV derogation, spoke alternative fuel vehicle beyond EV regulations. Dr David Telford spoke UK built HVS hydrogen trucks with electric drive train and 600km range to run from depot to depot. Melanie Stancliffe updated on latest Deliveroo Supreme Court decisions which provided the unions view and what may lie ahead in a govt change for worker status and minimum wage conditions. Microlise, Richard Thorpe and James Duffey spoke Flare, Urban safety intelligence. Future oil values by Callum MacPherson Investec, detailed crude tankers that had always been too large to take the Suez route. But smaller refined fuel ships were discussed separately. IOC Road Safety group chair Chris Floyd reviewed the true value and cost of traffic accidents and asked for collaborative data on the dots of impacts for HGVs trunking.

IOC CEO, Dr Tracey Worth chaired the speakers with a final round up from external guest Detective Chief Inspector Ruth Tissington.

We take a look at two of the Agenda Headlines delivered Feb 6th

More key note summaries are on the IOC web

DFT 4.25t derogation for EV vans

Mr Abdul Chowdhury, DFT Head of Vehicle Policy, Office for Zero Emission Vehicles

Abdul explained UK’s decarbonisation and clean air objectives, with the Government looking at everything from HGV to e-scooters, and that by 2035 all new cars and vans must be zero emissions at the tailpipe. Electric vans are at an earlier phase of the transition compared to electric cars. Key considerations for vans include range, especially due to additional factors such as payload, and as such Government is taking forward several measures on charge infrastructure. Focus of today’s discussion is on additional regulatory support for the van market, and specifically on driving licence. A standard (Category B) driving licence allows you to drive up to 3.5t, with a derogation since 2018 allowing drivers to drive up to 4.25t for alternatively fuelled vehicles, to accommodate the extra weight of the powertrain (e.g. battery). This derogation is subject to some conditions: 5 hours of additional training; no towing allowance; and only applies to good vans. To further support the electric van transition, Government has announced it will remove these three conditions and tighten the scope from alternatively fuelled to zero emission only. Further details can be found here and the changes will come into effect after the legislation goes through Parliament later this year. An exemption for 4.25tn vehicles also exists for operator licencing rules and the Government is looking at the regulatory weight thresholds for these vehicles in other areas: MOT; drivers hours / tachographs; and speed limiters.

Melanie Stancliffe – Worker Status update – post Deliveroo Supreme Court

Melanie Stancliffe raised the recent Supreme Court decisions on Deliveroo. ‘The unions wanted to represent all riders, the key issue was could the unions show the ridders were workers.’ Melanie reflected on the way Deliveroo dealt with worker status, substitutes, PAYE and insurance. Melanie explained these riders were not workers and there was no employment was found. The Key point was that a rider having a genuine and unfettered right to get a substitute to do the work was fatal to them being a worker. If we do have a Labour govt there will be a change to one category called “worker”. They will likely remove zero-hour contracts and likely looking at pay gap reporting. Melanie continued, changes to holiday pay on April 6th is coming. Looking at substitution, recent case on a dentist, using a locum, the court said if the individual has to check the registration or if they have been sacked by the employer before, that then is personal service so the individual is a worker.

Take a look at more detail on the Inst of Couriers web at www.ioc.uk.com