UK logistics better equipped for snow this time round

Following the chaos caused by snow in recent winters, the country's ability to remain operational during periods of extreme weather appears to be stronger than ever, after this year's 'big freeze' resulted in minimal disruption to the UK's logistics and supply chain. This is according to Steve Agg, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), who has praised the organisation's members for their increased flexibility and development of contingency plans to help keep the country moving despite the snow. Much appears to have been learnt from the record breaking winters of 2009 and 2010, when freezing weather caused the country's transport networks to come to a standstill due to a lack of salt and grit, as well as other key equipment to clear snow off roads, railway lines and runways. Mr Agg says the county has come on in leaps and bounds since then, commenting: "Local authorities, I think, are doing a great job at the moment because they have the right amount of salt and grit in stock. They have got decent new equipment, and they appear to be using it." By keeping businesses functional during winter, logistics suppliers are becoming increasingly vital to the strength of the overall economy, which is why transport manager jobs are becoming highly valued within industry. Improvements to the rail network in particular seem to be having a huge impact on the nation's ability to keep its supply chain moving, as roads tend to become highly congested during heavy snowfall. Network Rail is now pledging a further £20 million for the construction of new railway stations in small towns across the UK, on top of the £37 billion which it plans to spend on track improvements and station modifications by 2020. The nation's ability to get as much freight as possible onto railway tracks is likely to play a vital role in removing heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from the roads, therefore enabling more efficient transportation of goods as well as reducing carbon emissions. Cast UK is one of the country's leading professional level logistics recruitment consultancies. Fill your next vacancy with us today!