Speaking at an Action Counters Terrorism corporate event for the road transport industry held on October 27 at the Met Police’s New Scotland Yard headquarters, Dawber went on to explain the tactics used by organised crime gangs to target and steal high value goods from trucks – even while they are on the move.

One gang from West Yorkshire specialised in stealing from trailers and making fictious collections of fully loaded trailers while another from Essex would commit crimes typically on weekday nights across the South East.

A common technique used by gangs is jump-up theft, where thieves follow supermarket trucks and steal cigarettes and tobacco from the rear doors when the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at a delivery.

The most audacious crimes, which came to Dawber’s initially disbelieving attention in 2020, are known as Romanian roll overs. Here several cars or vans will box in a truck driving on a motorway or dual carriageway while a thief balanced on the bonnet of a following car will angle grind away the rear door locks, climb into the trailer and pass goods back to the car. There were six such incidents in 2022 which Dawber described as “like something out of James Bond”.

Organised crime gangs do not need to strike it lucky or rely on tip offs to target trucks carrying high value goods, he pointed out.

“These gangs are not opportunists,” he said. “They understand the supply chain because they are often from a freight background.

“They know which hauliers carry what goods and where drivers take their rest breaks.”

Typical patterns identified by thieves include Scotch whisky being trunked to Avonmouth for export where drivers will often take their breaks on the M6 southbound motorway services, high tech gadgets imported through the southern container ports will be trunked north on the M1 and A14 while tyres imported through Felixstowe will follow a similar route to DCs in the Midlands. Foreign trucks northbound on Mondays and Tuesdays will often be full of high value imported goods.

“There are also seasonal trends, with garden products and summer fashion garments being stolen in April and May and pallets of toys such as Lego stolen in September and October,” said Dawber. “Games consoles and alcohol are also being shipped at this time of year.”

Theft by slashing curtains had been thought to be largely opportunist, but this is “so wide of the mark” he went on. In what are termed side-by-side thefts, an 18-tonne curtainsider will pull alongside the target trailer in a lorry park and a gang inside the truck will quickly slash the curtains and transfer the goods before anyone realises what is happening. £2m of fashion goods were stolen in this way from Watford Gap services in August last year.

“Thieves don’t hold up banks with sawn-off shotguns any more,” said Dawber. “Cargo theft is low risk and high reward and the penalties for theft from motor vehicles are much lower than for robbery.”
The good news is that hijacking vehicles with threats or actual violence to drivers is relatively rare, with only 31 recorded incidents in 2022.

NaVCIS is entirely funded by the road freight transport industry and Dawber urged operators to become sponsors to ensure the unit – which almost closed due to lack of support in 2021 – keeps going. The unit sends out regular bulletins warning of potential threats to sponsors and has developed an app which is free to download to help operators and drivers reduce the risk of being targeted.

For more information email freight@navcis.police.uk

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Profits also grew; pre-tax profit was up 4.1% to £5m, compared to £4.8m in 2022.

Operating profit was also £5m, a 4% increase on the previous year.

The network said it had made significant progress during the trading period on the key elements of its strategy; gross profit percentage increased to 75.3% from 74.4%, net profit increased 0.3% to 35.4% and its liquidity ratio during the year was 2.07, compared to 1.81 in the previous year.

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In a review of its business UPN said the company’s position was satisfactory and it was optimistic for the future: “The company continues to grow in respect of the number of pallets moved on a nightly basis,” UPN said.

“The company will continue to develop its internal systems and IT infrastructure in the coming year which will maintain UPN’s position as a market leader within the pallet sector.”

This summer, the network said its presence in the east of England had strengthened after members in the region enjoyed significant expansion.

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Thames Valley Police said it undertook regular patrols, along with the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) across Bracknell, West Berkshire and Wokingham areas to check whether lorry drivers were breaking the law.

The force said it was an offence to drive a vehicle through a restricted area where the vehicle exceeds the weight limit imposed, unless delivering or collecting items within the weight restriction.

The cases appearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court in October were: An HGV driver of an 18-tonne vehicle travelling through a 7.5-tonne weight restriction on a bridge over the river Thames on the B478 in Sonning. The driver was found guilty and fined £198 and ordered to pay £180 costs.

The driver of an 18-tonne MAN travelling through a 7.5-tonne weight restriction on Mill Lane in Newbury. The driver pleaded guilty and was fined £115 and ordered to pay costs of £180.

A driver of a 32-tonne truck travelling through a weight restriction on Langley Hill in Tilehurst pleaded guilty and was fined £666 with £180 costs.

The driver of a 12-tonne truck was observed by a PPP road traffic enforcement officer breaching a weight restriction on Church Road in Aldermaston and was fined £146 with £180 costs.

An 18-tonne MAN was seen breaching the 7.5-tonne weight limit on the Skew Bridge in Basildon and the driver was fined £224 with £180 costs.

The driver of a 26-tonne Renault HGV breached an 18-tonne weight restriction either side of Streatley Farm near the village of Streatley and was fined £187 and ordered to pay £180 costs.

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No slaughter of cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry will take place for five days from Monday (30 October) across the whole of NI as veterinary staff walk out of ports in a row over pay.

The BMPA said the strike will immediately spark three major issues: animal welfare, farmers unable to sell livestock and the widespread disruption of supply chains.

Nick Allen, BMPA CEO, said: “This is a particular worry as we enter the busiest period of the year in the run up to Christmas when our members are preparing festive products like hams and pigs-in-blankets for the Christmas market.”

The group said it could also prove sensitive for the UK government, which is currently working on an agreement with the DUP over the Windsor Framework.

Strike action could expose the scale of border checks that are still needed to get food from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland – even through the new ‘green lane’ – and will demonstrate that the Irish Sea border has not been removed.

Nichola Mallon, Logistics UK’s head of trade and devolved policy, said the supply chain was complex and could not be “turned on and off like a tap”: “Given the volume of food moving from GB to NI via the red lane, next week’s planned industrial action by NI vets and meat inspectors could be highly disruptive to businesses and consumers,” she said.

“It is essential that negotiations continue and every effort is made locally and by the UK government to put in place contingency arrangements that minimise the impact on NI businesses and consumers.”
In a statement, NI’s department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs said there was the potential for “significant disruption” next week.

“If there is no resolution to the current pay dispute, the industrial action is likely to present issues in relation to animal health and welfare, public health and continuity of agri-food supply chains,” it said.

“The department very much hopes that a resolution to the current position on NI civil service pay can be found as soon as possible.”

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The Delivering Decarbonisation conference takes place on 21 November at America Square Conference Centre in London and is designed to give delegates the knowledge and information required to plan their business strategy.

There will be a series of panel discussions and keynote speeches and Logistics UK said the line-up included Lord Callanan, minister for energy, efficiency and green finance; Dr Russell Fowler, senior manager at National Grid; Malcolm Wilkinson, head of energy at National Highways and Alan McKinnon, professor of logistics.

Topics include how to approach decarbonisation of HGV operations in the UK, how the government is supporting businesses, views from the OEMs, creating an EV adoption strategy and the infrastructure required for HGV decarbonisation.

Michelle Gardner, deputy director of policy at Logistics UK said: “The logistics industry is undergoing profound changes and is becoming increasingly complex as we strive for decarbonisation.

“In recognition of the significance of this transformation, we are delighted to host Delivering Decarbonisation, an essential conference – that proved to be extremely popular last year – for senior logistics leaders and decarbonisation experts.”

The event is £199 + VAT for Logistics UK members and £239 + VAT for non-members.
More information on the event can be found at: www.logistics.org.uk/deliveringdecarbonisation

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Transport & Environment (T&E) said that despite the government announcing £200m of funding for truck decarbonisation projects, it paled into insignificance compared to EU progress.

It said the UK had plenty of ambition but was lacking in action, citing an EU-wide law that ensured by 2025 there would be charging stations for HGVs every 60km along the core network in Europe and every 100km on larger, more comprehensive roads.

Complete network coverage is expected by 2030.

T&E added that the EU was also introducing standards that enabled truck makers to ramp up production of zero-emission trucks.

It compared HGV CO2 emissions from UK HGVs in 1990 and in 2021 and said there had been barely any decrease.

“The UK is in real danger of losing any competitive edge it has on truck decarbonisation”, said Richard Hebditch, T&E UK director.

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“It’s vital that the UK stays in the race as there is a flourishing industry behind e-HGV production, charging and battery supply that the UK could tap into.

“The government seems to be tiptoeing around major issues when it comes to transport decarbonisation and HGVs are a major opportunity, it would be silly and short-sighted to continue to pay them such little attention.”

The thinktank’s comments came as research by BP found that despite the majority of fleet managers believing decarbonisation was a positive move for their business, there remained significant concerns about the availability of alternative fuels and charging infrastructure.

BP said over half (53%) of HGV fleet managers said they had already begun their journeys to net zero but the same proportion questioned whether there would be enough renewable diesel to cater for demand.

A further 42% said they had concerns around recharging electric trucks during long-haul journeys.

Adrian Brabazon, head of UK fleet solutions at BP, says: “It’s encouraging to see that many HGV fleet managers are feeling positive about decarbonisation.

“At BP with our integrated approach and strong presence in traditional fuels, EV charging, and bioenergy, we are planning to develop a network of dedicated hubs for HGVs that will offer a selection of fuelling options, as well as better facilities for drivers.”

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The donation from the Benefact Group helps charities make a difference and Transaid joined more than 900 others all vying for a share of the award pot.

Winning projects were selected against four criteria, including impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

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Transaid said it would use the award to fund additional training for its professional driver training project in Ghana, where the demand for HGV drivers is increasing rapidly, as an estimated 98% of all cargo transiting the country is transported by road.

It added that some 7,000 people are killed in road traffic collisions in Ghana every year.

Jason Finch, programmes support manager at Transaid, said: “Our focus remains on upskilling local driver trainers in accordance with a newly developed HGV driver training standard – which will benefit hundreds of new and existing professional drivers, as well as improve the safety of thousands of other road users and roadside communities they interact with each year.”

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The 55 attendees of the truck maker’s graduation day celebration were told by Heiko Selzam how he had once been in their shoes, having begun his career 27 years ago with an internship at parent firm Daimler Benz.

“This is a people business,” Selzam said.

“We rely on you to take us forward, and to help deliver the services that our customers depend on.”

Jessica Heppenstall, a 22-year-old graduate, said her obsession with vehicles and engines began when she was eight: “After leaving college I took a job in a local independent garage, but joining the Mercedes-Benz apprenticeship programme opened up a path to a career with better qualifications, higher earning potential and support for continued development,” she said.

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Lee Lousvet, 20, said he had wanted to be a mechanic since he was very young and had previously been involved in ‘banger’ racing: “I was delighted to win a place as a Mercedes-Benz apprentice straight from school at 16 years old,” he said.

“I much prefer working on trucks – compared to a cramped car engine bay there’s so much more room to manoeuvre!

“Now I’ve reached this stage I definitely want to stay with Mercedes-Benz. My next goal is to increase my knowledge and experience so I can gain the higher qualifications to become a diagnostic technician, then to keep learning and developing to go as far as I can.”

An industry-wide shortage of heavy vehicle technicians has been raised by trade associations, manufacturers and hauliers as a serious problem that needed to be urgently addressed.

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The deal, which would have enabled Tevva to scale up its production in the UK, European and US markets, fell through earlier this month when ElectraMeccanica announced it had terminated the agreement.

Tevva described the decision as abrupt and said it was “deeply disappointed” that it had no opportunity to respond to the company’s claims before it went public.

It said it had re-engaged with investors and public companies looking to merge with the electric vehicle builder.

Referring to the collapse of the deal, Tevva said it had given “full and open access at every point in the process to ElectraMeccanica’s advisors and management, with full financial due diligence prior to signing the definitive agreement and senior members of the ElectraMeccanica executive team in residence for many weeks at Tevva’s UK facility.”

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It added: “Tevva strongly refutes the basis under which the planned merger was terminated, with no regard to the agreement termination protocol, and will be seeking recourse through due legal process.

“Tevva will shortly go public on its rebuttal of the ElectraMeccanica claims via the company’s advisors.

“The termination of the deal has galvanised the entire Tevva team and board and the company has immediately laid down plans to regroup from this event and emerge even stronger.”

The company said it had restructured its leadership team, with former director David Roberts assuming the role of CEO and Ken Scott becoming MD, under the chairmanship of Ian Harnett.

ElectraMeccanica previously said the agreement with Tevva was terminated following “a unanimous decision of ElectraMeccanica’s board of directors based on additional information that came to light following execution of the arrangement agreement.”

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The committee is also demanding an end to the exemption of garbage, construction and small urban trucks from EU emission targets and that trailer manufacturers deliver a 12.5% cut in trailer emission performance by 2030.

While Britain is no longer in the EU, these targets will still impact UK fleet operators because most trucks used in the UK are manufactured in Europe.

MEPs voted for targets to cut the average emissions of new freight trucks by 45% in 2030 and 90% in 2040. For 2035 they called for a 70% target, higher than the 65% proposed by the Commission. They also said the standards should be extended to cover the 20% of heavy-duty vehicle sales which the Commission has proposed to exempt, such as garbage and construction trucks and small trucks designed for city deliveries.

Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager at green think tank Transport and Environment (T&E), said: "MEPs have doubled down on the environment ministers’ support for the draft targets, except they don’t want a fifth of polluting trucks to escape regulation.

"A broad consensus is clearly emerging between lawmakers that these targets are the minimum needed for the truck sector to decarbonise.”

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The MEPs said trailer manufacturers should improve the emissions performance of truck trailers by 12.5% in 2030 – a slightly weaker target than proposed by the Commission.

A separate target for trailers helps reduce the energy required to pull the trailer, ensuring zero-emission trucks can drive even further.

The environment committee followed the Commission and environment ministers in rejecting loopholes for trucks running on e-fuels and biofuels.

Most biofuels are unsustainable and e-fuels are regarded as a last option, only needed for sectors with no other options to decarbonise such as aviation and shipping.

T&E pointed to research which shows synthetic fuels would increase the total cost of ownership (TCO) of trucks by as much as 50%, even when produced in the most optimistic conditions. It also pointed out that these fuels still emit toxic air pollutants harmful to human health.

Unterlohner said: “Lawmakers have again rejected the oil industry’s attempts to waterdown the truck climate targets.

"A loophole for biofuels and e-fuels would ensure as many fossil powered trucks as possible enter the fleet over the coming decades and keep up demand for fossil fuels.

"We call on the Parliament plenary to keep the door closed to these Frankenstein fuels.”

The EU Parliament will decide its position on the CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles when it meets in plenary on 21 or 22 November.

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