Elite Worldwide reckons it is the UK’s first carbon neutral courier and is urging others to take a similar approach. Since going carbon neutral last year, Elite Worldwide has planted around 1,000 trees, offsetting its annual carbon emissions. Managing director Mark Dean said Elite would continue to plant trees each year while reducing its carbon footprint. “There is no doubt about it, we are facing global warming. Transport is a big polluter, probably one of the biggest polluters.”
Elite releases some 220 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year. The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management measured the pollutants from Elite and gave it advice on how to neutralise the effects.
Over the past fifteen months, interest has risen and Elite is starting to see commercial benefits as more customers show their interest. Last month, the company delivered saplings to 100 companies across the South East, promoting a carbon neutral business.
Bibby Distribution’s driver development manager, Brian Riddle and regional driver trainer, Dave Smith, have both spent two weeks training health service drivers in Kenya, where Riddle and Smith spent three days training and one day assessing ambulance drivers. By the end of the two weeks, they had taught 23 drivers how to teach and assess other drivers. The pair conducted some classroom training, but focused on practical instruction, with sample lessons and assessments. Smith said: “Our assessing route took us through the town centre and I witnessed five accidents in two hours. Camels in the road and potholes big enough to swallow the front of a car are just a couple of the hazards that we had to deal with.”
Coolload, the freight matching service for the UK and European temperature-controlled transport industry, welcomed some of its members as their guests at the annual Transfrigoroute UK Golf Day. Held at the Park Hill Golf Club in Leicestershire, the day was hosted by Transfrigoroute UK, the industry’s trade association. Coolload.com also sponsored competitions for the closest shot to the flag and the longest drive.
Huddersfield transport company and Palletways member The Pink Link has teamed up with model giants Corgi to produce a replica of one of its vehicles complete with bright pink tractor unit and uniquely liveried trailer. The ‘Mighty Terrier’ truck was named in honour of The Pink Link’s local football team, Huddersfield Town FC, following a local ‘Name the Truck’ competition, which attracted keen interest from Terriers fans.
The Logistics College North West has launched a new initiative to encourage women living in the region to consider a career in the logistics industry. “Women on the Move” has been set up with funding from the European Social Fund and hopes to register 330 women within two years.
It said: “The logistics industry is the fifth largest industry in the UK. It employ’s more than 1.7 million people with an average salary of £22,000. But with only nine per cent of the total workforce being female, the industry eagerly awaits new female recruits to help meet a shortfall in skills.”
The college is offering women the chance to train in a number of supply chain roles including; customer service, management and team leadership. The scheme is currently operating in Cumbria and will soon be expanding to Preston, Lancaster, Manchester and Cheshire.
