News
LM2 launch new website!
And here it is! We hope that it’ll prove useful to you and you’ll visit it regularly to keep up to date with the services we offer and to contact us for quotations. Also, through our news page, we hope to keep you up to date with issues that affect the UK transport industry and the efficient movement of your goods. We’ll keep you up to date with any regulatory changes that you need to know about as well as occasionally bringing you the lighter side of the industry.
Marine Insurance
After two and a half years of being barred from offering insurance on your goods by the FSA, the freight industry are now able to do so again. We owe a debt of thanks to a group of insurance brokers, freight bodies and removers associations for convincing HM Treasury that we weren’t actively selling insurance. The Treasury have relented and as of 20th July 2007 we can now insure your goods for every movement. On our links page you’ll see a link to our dedicated insurance website. On there you’ll be able to register, get a quote and have your goods insured. We’ll be able to charge you on your freight invoice and provide you with peace of mind once more.
Postal strikes
The next round of postal strikes are due to start on 25th of July and will be rolling disruption for two weeks. This will create a backlog of deliveries and any shipping documents, invoices, cheques etc will be affected by the action. The knock on effect may well be that it could create a bottleneck on airfreight and road services. Post is priority freight out of the UK and the increased volumes could put space at a premium on some routes. We’ll keep you up to date with developments.
Treated pallets needed for USA.
In addition to Australia and New Zealand the USA are now insisting that any wooden pallets imported in to the States have to be treated. The thinking behind it is really quite sensible, none of the countries involved want the bugs that we have in this country in theirs. Unfortunately, this incurs costs for UK shippers as we have to export goods on specially treated pallets, the pallets have to be certified and marked as treated. The fines for non compliance can be quite high so it’s worth the extra money at this end.
Air traffic control funnies
Urban legends or real? You decide!
Allegedly the German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They, it is alleged, not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven." The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark,... and I didn't land."
A military pilot called for a priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit peaked." Air Traffic Control told the fighter pilot that he was number two, behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down. "Ah," the fighter pilot remarked, "The dreaded seven-engine approach."
A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down. San Jose Tower noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the Guadalupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport."
"TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees."
"Centre, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"
Control tower to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 239: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the little Fokker in sight."
Allegedly, while taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727. An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!" Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?" US Air 2771: "Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded. Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"
