Shiply Blog

Funny moving accident

2010-03-12T11:01:00.005Z

We hope that none of the removal companies who use Shiply employ similar staff to these two!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

The billionaire trucker

2010-03-09T16:07:00.000Z

Lindsay Fox is probably one of the most famous truck drivers in the world, as he's made a fortune being a trucker. Fox, 72, dropped out of school when he was 16 and started his trucker's career.

Lindsay Fox is the 10th richest man in Austrlia

Now he's worth $1.5 billion and ranks No. 10 amongst Australia's 40 Richest Men. Fox's company Linfox operates in different industries with Linfox Logistics being the biggest division with 5,000 truck drivers.

Last year, amid the global economic downturn, it was estimated that Linfox made about $100 million profit. Not only famous for building an empire from trucking jobs, Fox has also been running a safety campaign for several years to reduce haulage accidents.

Lindsay Fox also owns Melbourne's second and third biggest airports and Armaguard, a cash-transport business with $3 billion revenue in 2009.

When being asked why he's been so successful, Fox said: "It's a people business. Personal relationships are always the key to good business. You can buy networking, you can't buy friendships."

How truck drivers drift

2010-03-05T11:22:00.005Z

We bet you've seen Rally Car drivers drift many times as that's what they do for a living.

But a truck driver? Let's check this out.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Shiply win £40,000 in Shell Springboard Competition

2010-03-03T16:10:00.011Z

Shiply were last night delighted to have achieved the runner up spot in this year's Shell Springboard competition. Out of 6 national finalists and hundreds of entrants, Shiply came in second to HiMag Solutions who innovated a planar transformer which could dramatically increase energy efficiency in electrical devices across the world.

The Shell Springboard programme has awarded over £1.6 million to 43 UK-based small businesses and this year celebrates its fifth anniversary. Eight companies have been given no-strings awards of £40,000 each at regional events in February. HiMag Solutions impressed the UK final judging panel, and out of the 6 UK finalists came top to gain the further title of Shell Springboard UK winner. The judging panel comprised Tom Delay of the Carbon Trust, Lord Oxburgh, Ben Goldsmith of Wheb Ventures and Dr Douglas Parr, Chief Scientist, Greenpeace.

James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK, said: “Over the last five years, through Shell Springboard we have provided £1.6 million to a broad range of cutting edge low-carbon projects, from turning waste distillery fumes into biodiesel, to recycling dead leaves into fuel. The winners are great examples of low carbon innovation. I wish this year’s winner, HiMag Solutions, and all the finalists every success

A Duck In A Truck!

2010-02-19T17:54:00.002Z

Ok, we've posted a few weird videos before on a Friday - but a duck in a truck? really?

have a great weekend all!

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

New feature - feedback reply

2010-02-16T16:51:00.003Z

Every story has two sides and this is especially true with feedback left on Shiply. The customer isn't always right and vice verca. So, we now offer the ability for our members to reply to feedback received and for this to be displayed immediately underneath the feedback in question.

If you wish to make use of this new feature, just follow these steps:

1) Log in
2) Navigate to your profile page
3) Click on the reply link to the feedback in question
4) Type out your reply

It's as easy as that, your reply is there for all to see. It cannot be edited, so please be careful with what you write just as per normal feedback. It is always a better idea to take the higher ground and simply state the facts of a transaction than get down and dirty or make personal remarks. After all, this is your public profile and people pay a lot of attention to it, whether that is analysing whether to accept your bid or analysing whether to bid.

We hope you enjoy this new tool

Improved Messaging Functionality

2010-02-15T12:50:00.001Z

As no doubt many of you will have seen, we have made some improvements to the "my messages" section of your "My Shiply" section for transport providers.

You will notice that not only is it all much faster generally but also we have tidied up the display to limit just 20 messages at a time and sort by columns. You will also now get an alert of received new messages when you login or indeed no matter what page of the Shiply site you are on (top right of pages):

We hope these new features and improved performance will really help you with managing your Shiply account day to day. Please feel free to drop us any feedback, we really appreciate it.

The Great Lego Haul

2010-02-10T12:35:00.007Z

Lorry drivers carrying known valuable goods in their trucks are most likely to be very alert to the risk that carrying such valuables brings.

However, one unlucky trucker and his HGV fell not victim to robbers who were after high-end consumer electronics or a truckload full of antiques. The unlikely stolen goods in a robbery in Northamptonshire last week were ...

Lego bricks!

As a child most of us probably wondered what we would do with a truckload full of Lego. Maybe something like this?

Don't trust the Sat-Nav!

2010-02-08T15:29:00.005Z

Sat-Navs can provide a welcome help for any lorry driver navigating through unknown territory. However, it pays not to trust the friendly Sat-Nav voice too much as the following pictures show:

Two HGV drivers followed the recommendations of their navigation system and consequently found themselves stuck in narrow roads, unable to maneuver. These two incidents happened in Cumbria and Falmouth, funnily enough on the same day. It even is the second incident at the same place in Cumbria within two weeks.

Wedding Surprise for HGV Driver

2010-02-03T15:39:00.006Z

When newly-wed HGV driver Andy Seller was waiting for his bride Jenny to arrive at their wedding reception in York, he probably was expecting a white stretch limousine or horse-drawn carriage.

Instead, much to the surprise of Andy and passers-by, Jenny arrived in a Scania Lorry - decorated with Siberian tigers!

Still, quite a fitting entrance: Andy proposed to Jenny inside his own lorry last year and Jenny currently aims at becoming a lorry driver herself.

Shiply founder named BT Essence of the Entrepreneur by Peter Jones

2010-01-28T10:01:00.006Z

Shiply founder, Robert Matthams (pictured below), was last night named as Most Outstanding Entrepreneur and overall BT Essence of The Entrepreneur 2009. Amongst hundreds of entries and 20 finalists, Shiply were awarded a £10,000 cash prize and photo shoot from world renowned photographer Rankin:

The award itself was presented by Peter Jones from Dragon's Den at the oxo gallery on London's South Bank. He said: "I wish I had known about Shiply before it was so successful, as I would certainly have been looking to invest!".

The Rankin exhibition featuring all 20 of the competitions finalists will run for a period of one month at the oxo gallery until 28th February 2009. You can also see all of the photos from the finalists online here.

Once again, we want to thank all of our members for their support with Shiply over the past 18 months and we look forward to bringing much more success to the transport industry in the time to come.

Trucker and daughter reunited after 50 years thanks to Facebook

2010-01-26T12:54:00.012Z

With the help of Facebook, Frances Simpson has found her father Tony Macnauton, a retired trucker after nearly 50 years. The last time Frances saw Tony was when she was three. After that her parents split and Tony went away.

Tony and Frances' emotional reunion after 50 years

Frances has spent years trying to trace her dad without success. A friend then researched her family tree as a birthday present and Frances was surprised to know that she had a half sister Kim Macnauton.

She then looked Kim up on Facebook, sent her a message and got replied just a bit later: "Do you want to talk to dad? He's next to me."

Frances, of Market Drayton, Shrops, said: "I couldn't believe it. I started talking to him and we haven't stopped since."

Frances then organised an emotional reunion with her dad and introduced him to the family he never knew he had.

Tony said: "Even though we lost touch I never forgot Frances. I always dreamed of us being reunited. I don't know what cloud I'm on."

At Shiply we were all very happy for Tony and Frances when hearing this story. It clearly shows what a good job Facebook does in helping people reunite with old friends and family.

By the way, we just re-launched our very own Facebook fan page, feel free to come and join as a fan at:

http://www.facebook.com/shiply

Nature home delivery service

2010-01-22T11:14:00.005Z

It seems that humans are not the only creature using home delivery service...

These lions are too!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Trucker rescues unconscious driver from burning car

2010-01-21T12:28:00.005Z

A trucker was hailed a hero after jumping to a burning car to save a driver's life yesterday.

Jim Corrigan was doing his normal daily run when he saw the car accident near Coatbridge, Lanarkshire. The brave lorry driver then grabbed a heavy hammer from his cab to smash the windscreen of the crashed car. He then pulled the unconscious driver out of the car safely just before the engine exploded like what you might see in Holywood action movies.

One driver sho witnessed the amazing rescue said: "This lorry driver appeared from nowhere. He smashed the glass and was in the car in no time. You could see the flames. It was an incredibly dangerous thing to do. But it was also a very brave thing."

Former miner Jim, of Moodiesburn near Glasgow said: "There were others who had stopped and were trying to help. I just happened to have something to hand which could shatter the glass."

What a brave man he is! Unfortunately we haven't got Jim's picture to show you yet, we will upload it straight away once we get it.

A trucker and his £600 sausage

2010-01-20T12:04:00.001Z

David Highham, of Irlam, Manchester, had to pay more than £600 after he was seen throwing a sausage out of his cab window.

The lorry driver was caught in the act by environmental officials throwing the half finished sausage at Ainley Top roundabout in West Yorkshire.

David was given a fixed penalty notice of £75 but failed to pay and was later found guilty in court due to his absence.

Eventually, he was fined £175 plus £429 court costs and £15 victim surcharge, totalling £619.

So there's a lesson for all of us: never waste a banger!

Haiti disaster and the importance of logistics

2010-01-18T15:20:00.005Z

The emergency response to the Haiti earthquake disaster has shown how critical logistics is in recovery missions. Haulage and courier companies are the key to the emergency responses with their global network of delivery service channels which are probably greater than the military's capability.

DHL, for instance, has a "Disaster Response Team" who are working in Haiti to advise on logistics management with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Other courier firms such as TNT and UPS are also providing teams to the UN's World Food Programme.

DHL & other courier companies are helping to deliver emergency packages to Haiti

As many main roads have been heavily damaged during the earthquake, getting the emergency supplies to Haiti remote areas is highly challenging. However, courier companies are trying their best to make sure people get food and medical packages.

And although there has been a great focus on emergency supply shipments in the last few days, strong transportation services will still be important to Haiti recovery with the massive amount of re-construction now required to get the country back on it's feet.

The super van that makes you want to go camping

2010-01-16T09:00:00.000Z

From the outside, this £350,000 vehicle might look like a prison van but inside interior really shows why it's called the Rolls-Royce of motor homes.

The super van from the outside

Globecruiser is made by Austrian firm Action Mobil with "the best components and materials that have been tried and tested", said spokesman Stephen Wirths.

From the inside, Globecruiser is totally a luxury vehicle, with hot water onboard, latest chic fittings, a proper porcelain toilet and five star dining room.

Globecruiser's 5 start dining room

This luxury van is obviously not for everyone but if you are a camping fan, it might well be in your shopping list for this summer, if you've got £350k lying about that is!

Bike couriers help monitor air pollution

2010-01-14T09:00:00.001Z

Bike couriers by their very nature are already very environmentally friendly. However, in Cambridge, they are contributing even more! This time by monitoring pollution levels.

The system, developed by Eiman Kanjo, a computer scientist at Cambridge University hooks together wireless pollution sensors and sends the data from mobile phones to her research lab.

A bike courier monitoring air pollution

Air-pollution sensors and GPS units are carried inside storage bins on the couriers' bikes and with help from custom software, the phones continuously report the air quality and location back to servers in Eiman's lab.

This study is part of MESSAGE, a U.K project which aims at developing new ways to collect air pollution data using sensors on vehicles and people.

UK Couriers - The unsung heroes

2010-01-12T12:49:00.006Z

UK couriers have been praised as the "unsung heroes" by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) for their efforts in maintaining deliveries to different parts of the UK.

With the extreme weather conditions in the past few days, many flights, train services have been delayed and cancelled. This leads to slow deliveries to many parts of the country.

However, despite the cold weather, heavy snow and icy roads, UK courier companies still battle through to make sure supermarkets have food to sell, factories stay busy and businesses keep clogging along.

Heavy snow can't stop couriers from delivering goods

To ensure deliveries are on time, many haulage companies have had to use additional drivers and vehicles.

RHA spokesperson Kate Gibbs said: "This is an industry that works tremendously hard come rain, shine or snow. We have just been through a year that for many members has been financially clipping. Yet UK haulage companies are still delivering the UK economy."

We know that many couriers on Shiply have had to battle through the snow to deliver shipments so thank you all for your great efforts through these extreme weather conditions!

The truck that helps you brave the snow

2010-01-08T13:02:00.005Z

With the snow expected to last until the end of this month, this might be the traffic solution for us!

Enjoy and have a great weekend! Stay safe if you are on the road!

UK haulage companies face increased cash reserves requirements

2010-01-06T11:36:00.008Z

The Department of Transport has recently declared that any haulage companies operating for hire and reward under normal licenses must now have 30% more cash reserves compared to former requirement. This is to comply with EU requirements.

From 1/1/2010, a freight haulier is required to show cash reserves of £8,100 for the first vehicle in the fleet and £4,500 for each subsequent vehicle, compared to £6,200 and £3,400 previously. This is due to the devaluation of the pound against the Euro over the last year.

The Pound has devalued strongly against the Euro in the last year

Road Haulage Association Chief Executive Geoff Dunning commented: "This increase represents one of the biggest bombshells ever to hit UK transport operators. In the current economic climate, an increase of any kind will have a detrimental effect; this substantial hike could have a catastrophic effect on our industry."

We believe this increase in cash reserve requirement will be a challenge to many hauliers on Shiply we are really interested in your opinions about this.

Cold weather shows no sign of stopping

2010-01-05T12:22:00.006Z

The cold weather is showing no sign of letting up throughout the UK with the Met Office projecting plummeting temperatures to be the theme of next week.

The cold weather is expected to continue over the coming week

Daytime temperatures are expected to drop to around 3 degrees on average and there will be heavy snow and black ice in some parts of the country.

The big freeze has continued to cause problems to motorists including courier companies throughout the UK as the weather conditions make it much harder to travel. Many trucks and lorries have been stranded due to motorways being shut down by accidents.

So if you are on the road today, please drive very carefully and keep up-to-date with the latest weather forecast. Don't forget to check out our Top driving tips in harsh winter conditions blog post also!

Shiply 100,000th shipment listed!

2010-01-04T13:44:00.004Z

On New Year's Day of 2010, Shiply achieved a new milestone: 100,000 shipments listed on our site since launch in just June 2008.

We want to extend our gratitude to our members, both transport providers and users for helping us reach this milestone. A Very Happy New Year To You All!

How did you spend your Christmas?

2009-12-29T10:51:00.006Z

Christmas is normally the time of year when family members gather together.

Christmas is traditionally a family occasion

However, we believe many very dedicated couriers and delivery drivers on Shiply worked through Christmas Day, delivering those last minute Christmas items - making lots of people very happy (just like Santa Claus).

We are really interested to know how you spent your Christmas. So please share your stories with us below!

M20 turned to a giant lorry park due to heavy snow

2009-12-22T10:47:00.008Z

The heavy snow over the last few days has created huge delays for lorry drivers trying to leave the UK.

Lorries, trucks and HGVs wanting to cross the English Channel from the Port of Dover were asked to park on the coast bound carriageway due to the bad weather. This has turned the M20 into a giant lorry park.

Heavy snow has caused substantial delays on the M20

Andy Pearson shared his thoughts: "What a way to start the Christmas week - I have to go all the way to Hungary and I thought I would be back to my family in Rochdale for Christmas. Now it doesn't look as though I'll leave England by then."

In early hours of Monday the M20 was re-opened after the backlog of traffic was cleared. Ferry services from Dover also resumed but were still subject to delays.

We hope that not so many couriers & haulage companies on Shiply were affected by this but if you were, please share your stories, we believe everybody is interested to know.