The award was sponsored by Transport for London and highlights the considerable work that Cemex has done since 2004. Judges commented: “Cemex’s ambition is to become a beacon and really make a difference in helping to make Britain’s roads safer for vulnerable road users. Extensive investment and stakeholder engagement has returned impressive results on all these initiatives.”
The initiatives have covered all areas of the transport business - driver training, additional safety features on their large goods vehicles (LGVs) and a comprehensive education programme working with cyclists to highlight the dangers about LGVs. A key aspect has also been working with industry bodies to help achieve a national standard of safety features on vehicles and increase the awareness of the issues involved.
“We have to share the limited road space and increasingly have an appreciation and respect for everyone’s needs on the roads. As a business we need to get building materials to construction sites to build homes, roads, hospitals etc, and cyclists and pedestrians need to get to work and go about their business. A large lorry and a cyclist do not make a harmonious mix!
“We are delighted to have won this award and receive recognition of the work that we have done,” said Dave Hart, director Cemex Logistics.
Innovations in safety features such as additional mirrors, proximity sensors and cameras have been added where appropriate to Cemex vehicles, and been selected on evidence-based research that show a guaranteed benefit.
The latest innovation looks at the vehicle as a whole and has produced a redesign to a standard tipper vehicle. Cemex is about to add a new Econic aggregate tipper to its London fleet. Working with Mercedes Benz, the new vehicle provides up to 90% additional visibility while still carrying 20 tonnes of aggregates and has been successfully trialled in the London urban delivery environment.
Cemex colleagues have encouraged around 7,000 cyclists since 2010 to get into the cab of one of its tipper vehicles and learn about the potential blind areas around an LGV. These events are known as Exchanging Places and Cemex has taken part in over 40 events throughout the country.
But with the latest safety features on trucks and working with cyclists, a key aspect of the company’s success is driver training and engagement. Every driver receives a minimum of three training sessions a year. All 92 drivers in the London Readymix business have taken part in the Safe Urban Driving course and this programme is being rolled out nationally amongst the Logistics drivers, who drive cement tankers and aggregate tippers, as part of their driver CPC programme.
The Safe Urban Driving course gives drivers the knowledge, skills and defensive driving techniques to deal with the challenges of driving in a busy urban environment. It includes drivers getting on bikes to see the road from the cyclist’s perspective.
