Mercedes-Benz spotlight Enterprise Flex-E-Rent spotlight Commercial Fleet Van & Truck preview How Steve Bridge Why a holistic approach to Exhibitors, workshops, demos, wants to be ‘the fleet management enables learning: everything you need best for service’ Enterprise to say ‘yes’ to know about major new show Official Media Partner CommercialHELPING FLEETS RUN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE VAN & TRUCK OPERATIONSFleet August 2016 £5 where sold Wrings Transport Running a safe transport fleet How Stuart Wring used technology and driver incentives to reduce his fleet incident rate Toyota Hilux Fiat Fullback Euro 6 Ford Transit Citroën Berlingo Business support... Head online for news, Guarantee your next issue... Email subscriptions@ Follow us... Debate the hot topics on our commercialfleet.org running cost data, best practice, fleet profiles email.commercialfleet.co.uk to register today Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook sites adRocket FP_COMFLEET_7214159NISid2448449.pgs 29.07.2016 12:35 Inside this issue Welcome Fleets are caught in the crossfire in the war of words between FTA and FORS on accreditation schemes (page 11). Competition can be good but, in this case, having rival standards which are requested by different Fleet spotlight: organisations could result 16 Wrings Transport in companies having to invest in both in order to tender for business. TfL has stated that fleets Supplier spotlight: can have either standard EnterpriseEnterprise Flex-E-RentFlex-E-Rent 21 in order to meet its road risk requirements but, at the moment, FORS holds the upper hand when it comes to non-TfL contracts. FTA hopes to make headway on Insight: these soon. So how did we get into 49 Managing accidents this situation? FTA members have been calling for the association to act ever since TfL divested of FORS to a community partnership which resulted in major increases in cost due to a new pricing structure. It’s those members, who are in charge of some of Driven: Toyota Hilux the UK’s biggest fleets, 60 which are behind the launch of FTA Truck 4 I Truckmakers operated 12 I SMMT Conference 29 I Commercial Fleet Excellence. price fixing cartel for 14 years Technology brings radical changes to CVs. Van and Truck preview FTA says its scheme is Europe’s biggest truck manufacturers Free event includes new model exhibitions, compatible with FORS colluded at events to arrange list pricings. 14 I FTA compliance and Q & A workshops, demos and networking. bronze, which FORS Queries answered, regulations explained. disputes. Ultimately, 6 I Calls for national used 49 I Insight: Managing though, it has TfL’s green van grading scheme 16 I Fleet spotlight: accidents light, which will be good Key parties develop their own Wring Transport Although road accidents are in decline, enough for many fleets standards to fill the void. Installing dash cams ‘best thing we ever did’. fleets need to do more to reduce them. We that operate in London. look at prevention and damage limitation. 8 I Cost of ownership ‘top 21 I Supplier spotlight: factor’ for new VW Crafter Enterprise Flex-E-Rent 57 I Insight: Remarketing Payload and on-road times also important The company that likes to say ‘yes’. June sales figures plummet, leading to for new LCV’s potential customers. concerns over stability of the market. 24 I Manufacturer spotlight: 11 I FTA asked to quit FORS Mercedes-Benz Vans 60-65 I Driven: Toyota Hilux, Stephen Briers, over competing schemes A focus on aftersales will help to deliver Fiat Fullback, Ford Euro 6 editor-in-chief, Van and Truck Excellence prompt schism. a target of 100% customer retention. engines, Citroën Berlingo Commercial Fleet Complaints:p Bauer Consumer Media Limited is a member of the Independentp Press Standards Organisationg (www.ipso.co.uk)p and endeavours to respondp to and resolve youry concerns quickly.qy Our Editorial Complaints Policy (including full details of how to contact us about editorial complaints and IPSO’sIPSO’s contactcontact details)details) cancan bebe foundfound atat www.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk.www.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk. OurOur emailemail addressaddress forfor editorialeditorial complaintscomplaints coveredcovered byby thethe EditorialEditorial ComplaintsComplaints PolicyPolicy isis [email protected]@bauermedia.co.uk. commercialfleet.org August 2016 3 News insight: Price fixing Europe’s biggest truckmakers operated cartel for 14 years, finds EC investigation Only 10% of Commercial Fleet poll respondents think compensation will be forthcoming By Gareth Roberts ruck manufacturers could face claims for compensation from commercial fleet operators £2.45bn No 90% Yes 10% short-changed by the price fixing scandal. Total of fines handed to The Road Haulage Association (RHA) told truckmakers for price fixing Commercial Fleett there was widespread anger among its members and it intends to pursue claims on their behalf. Do you think truck TRichard Burnett, chief executive of the RHA, said: “They manufacturers have made it clear that they feel aggrieved at the news of a Fine implicated in the truck pricing cartel and are looking to us to represent them. price fixing scandal “The Association’s board of directors, comprising mem- breakdown will compensate ber-elected individuals from RHA member companies, met operators? to discuss the European Commission’s £2.5 billion fine. Their Daimler – £844m (€1bn) Source: commercialfleet.org unanimous decision was that the Association should Volvo/Renault – £561m progress compensation claims on behalf of its members.” (€670m) However, just 10% of respondents to a Commercial Fleet poll said they thought compensation would be forthcoming. DAF – £630m (€752m) An investigation carried out by the European Commission Iveco – £414m (€494m) found that MAN, DAF, Daimler, Iveco and Volvo Trucks, which also owns Renault Trucks, had operated a cartel for 14 years, from 1997 to 2011 (commercialfleet.org, July 20). million vehicles over the period. The £2.45bn fine therefore Proceedings against Scania are still ongoing, but DAF, represents around £711 per vehicle. Daimler, Iveco and Volvo/Renault must now settle their share It would have been bigger if it wasn’t for the Commission of a £2.45bn fine – the biggest for a cartel in the Commis- giving the truckmakers a 10% reduction for admitting they sion’s history and twice as much the previous highest of had operated a cartel. In addition, MAN was granted immu- £1.1bn issued in 2012 to the makers of TV and computer nity after it alerted the authorities to the cartel’s existence monitor tubes. and in doing so become a key witness in the investigation. Commissioner for competition Margrethe Vestager said: The Commission said MAN would have faced a potential “It is not acceptable that MAN, Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Iveco fine of £1bn if it hadn’t turned whistleblower, because fines and DAF, which together account for around nine out of every were based on market share, vehicle sales and revenues. 10 medium and heavy trucks produced in Europe, were part A spokesman for the truck manufacturer told Commercial of a cartel instead of competing with each other.” Fleet: “The MAN code of conduct includes a clear belief in Excluding trucks sold by Scania and MAN, and trucks free and fair competition. The company does not tolerate any under six tonnes, the companies fined sold an estimated 3.5 unfair business practices or illegal conduct.” Clandestine meetings held at trade fairs to collude on ‘gross list’ pricing EU officials raided the offices of Europe’s biggest MAN, Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Iveco and DAF for medium and heavy trucks to comply with truckmakers in 2011, kicking off an antitrust covered the same topics, namely the respective the increasingly strict European emissions investigation that led to last week’s record fine. gross list price increases, timing for the standards (from Euro III through to the currently MAN had lifted the lid on a price fixing cartel introduction of new emissions technologies and applicable Euro VI). and was to become the European Commission’s the passing on to customers of the costs for They also agreed to pass on to customers the star witness. the emissions technologies. costs for the emissions technologies required to Investigators discovered that, between 1997 and The Commission’s decision relates specifically comply with the emissions standards. 2004, meetings were held at senior manager level, to the market for the manufacturing of medium However, the Commission did not reveal any sometimes at the margins of trade fairs or other (weighing between six to 16 tonnes) and heavy links between this cartel and allegations or events. This was complemented by phone trucks (weighing more than 16 tonnes). practices on circumventing the anti-pollution conversations. It discovered truckmakers were coordinating system of certain vehicles, in other words the From 2004 onwards, the cartel was organised prices at ‘gross list’ level for medium and use of so-called defeat devices. via the truck producers’ German subsidiaries, with heavy trucks in the European Economic Area Richard Burnett, chief executive of the RHA, said: participants generally exchanging information (EEA). The gross list price level relates to “It is reassuring to have confirmation that there electronically. the factory price of trucks, as set by each was no cheating in terms of the Euro emission Over a 14-year period – up until their offices manufacturer. In addition, they colluded on the testing process, but that is of little comfort in were raided in 2011 – the discussions between timing of the introduction of emission technologies terms of the price fixing.” 4 August 2016 commercialfleet.org “It is reassuring to have confirmation that there was no cheating in terms of the Euro-emission testing process, but that is of little comfort in terms of the price fixing” Richard Burnett, RHA ManufacturersManufacturers hadhad colludedcolluded onon trucktruck pricpricin g and in passing Only Daimler, which was fined £844m – the highest fine oonn tthehe ccostsosts ooff ccomplyingomplying wwithith sstrictertricter eemissionmission rrules.ules.