Displaying items by tag: Trucks

India: Adani Cement has published its plans for the closure of two integrated cement plants in Himachal Pradesh. The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported the plants as ACC's 4.4Mt/yr Gagal cement plant in Bilaspur District and Ambuja Cements' 1.6Mt/yr Darlaghat cement plant in Solan District. The management of the Gagal cement plant said that losses ensuing from high operating costs, including transport costs, are the reason behind the decision to shut down that plant. ACC employs 1000 company staff and contractors at the site, and an additional 4000 truck drivers in its cement despatch operations. 3500 truck drivers also work in delivering cement from the Darlaghat cement plant. The Gagal cement plant alone reportedly despatches 5000t/day of cement for the Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab markets.

The Bilaspur District Truck Operators' Society said "The transport sector of Bilaspur is heavily dependent upon the Gagal cement plant. It's the source of livelihood for thousands of people, including operators, drivers and conductors. This decision should be reconsidered in the interest of the people." It added "Most roadside restaurants and mechanics' shops will also lose business. We never thought that this plant could ever stop functioning. It has been part of our landscape and economy for decades now."

Israel: Cemex subsidiary ReadyMix Industries has placed a new order with transport safety technology supplier SaverOne 2014. The ready-mix concrete producer ordered a further 25 mobile phone control units for its truck fleet. The units are cloud-enabled and run off a mobile app which blocks drivers from using phones when their vehicle is in motion. The smart system can detect when a truck is stopped and differentiate between driver and passenger, enabling access when needed. Users can integrate their fleet's units with existing logistics management systems.

ReadyMix Industries completed a successful trial of SaverOne 2014's system earlier in 2022.

South Korea: The government ordered 2500 cement truck drivers to return to work on 29 November 2022. The Korea Herald newspaper has reported that drivers in the sector who continue their strike will be subject to criminal sanctions of up to three years in prison or a US$22,600 fine, and will have their truck driving licences suspended. The government explained that the order is justified due to cement truck drivers' failure to present 'good cause' for the industrial action.

President Yoon Suk-Yeol said "Taking the livelihoods of ordinary people and the national economy hostage to look out for their own needs is not justifiable."

Cement truck drivers make up 35% of a total 7080 truck drivers from 200 companies across the South Korean economy participating in the strike, which began on 24 November 2022.

South Korea: Cement producers say that an on-going truck drivers' strike will force them to suspend production from 5 December 2022 if it continues for another week. Yonhap English News has reported that Industry Minister Lee Chang-Yang spoke to industry representatives on a visit to Asia Cement's Jecheon cement plant in Chunbuk. The cost of missed deliveries after four full days of the strike on 28 November 2022 was US$34.6m.

South Korea: A nationwide truck drivers strike caused 200,000t of cement to remain undelivered from plants on its first day on 24 November 2022, according to the Korean Cement Association. Yonhap English News has reported that the disruption continued unchanged on 25 November 2022.

South Korea: Truck drivers went on strike across South Korea on 24 November 2022. Reuters News has reported that the drivers demand that a government pay scheme be made permanent and extended to drivers in all sectors. A previous eight-day strike in June 2022 cost the South Korean cement industry US$79.8m. The Korean Cement Association said that most customers do not have cement in inventory beyond three days' supply, and will begin to run out from 27 November 2022.

Nigeria: The government of Kogi State ordered Dangote Cement to shut down its Obajana cement plant within 48 hours on 13 October 2022. Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello also ordered the release of impounded Dangote Cement trucks across the state.

Bello thanked Kogi residents for their “resoluteness in the ownership impasse between Dangote Group and the state government.” He added, "While the state government recognises the right of the citizens to peaceful protest, as we witnessed across the state yesterday, we urge people to remain civil and law abiding and to give room for constitutionalism. Breakdown of law and order will not be in the interest of anyone."

Lorry drivers blocked the Abuja - Lokoja road in protest against the closure on 14 October 2022, according to the Advocate newspaper. Meanwhile, a gang has raided the plant, destroying property and shot firearms at the 27 employees who remained on site.

UK: Cemex has bought 10 Volvo 460 8x4 tipper trucks for use at its Angerstein Wharf aggregates depot in Greenwich. From there, the trucks will deliver sand and aggregates all around London. The trucks’ bodies are made of lightweight aluminium, and they conform to Euro 6 emissions standards. This corresponds to 80% NO_x emissions reduction and 50% particulate emissions reduction compared to Euro 5 standards.

Cemex UK fleet engineering manager Nigel Ponton said “The addition of these new trucks to our fleet will enable us to better meet customer demand, safely and efficiently. Safety is the number one focus whenever we add new trucks to our operation and these Volvos tick every box in that respect.” Ponton continued “These trucks will all be working in busy streets across London so it’s imperative we provide our drivers with the best tools possible to do the job and help protect any vulnerable road users. Moreover, thanks to the improved fuel efficiencies and enhanced payload these new Volvos are the most sustainable vehicles we’ve ever had and will help decarbonise our delivery footprint.”

Canada: Lafarge Canada has installed its first electric vehicle charging stations at its Kent Avenue ready-mix concrete batching plant in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company’s Vancouver team built the four stations with US$39,200 in funding from Lafarge Canada and US$15,700 in funding from BC Hydro’s CleanBC Go Electric Vehicle charger rebate programme. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that the company plans to establish 96 further stations at 30 sites in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It says that the electric vehicle charging network will enable it to eliminate 188t of CO₂ emissions by 2028.

Lafarge Western Canada chief executive officer Brad Kohl said "We are thrilled that Western Canada has opened the first electric vehicle charging stations to kick-start this exciting effort planned across our Canada operations to advance our goal of net-zero as part of our environmental commitments."

Tanzania: Dangote Cement says that the use of gas generators in its Mtwara cement plant’s equipment and lorries has reduced fuel costs by 45% over the 15-month period since its transition in March 2021. The Citizen newspaper has reported that company recorded total savings over the period up to 30 June 2022. The producer plans to establish a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in Dar es Salaam. Its operations remain 70% reliant on rental vehicles that run on oil.