Cartmarking, year-Z brand for next-generation clean air freight vehicle in City of London

Logistics Skills Alliance took warehouse and storage as their focus for their entry to the prestigious 2018 Carmen Cartmarking event in Guildhall Yard, City of London, with a fork truck and an apprentice driver.

Next-generation skills on next-generation clean-air technology in the heart of the City of London with over 500 guests in a 'who’s who' of best-practice transport logistics.

TfL commissioner, Mike Brown congratulated Carmen apprentice Caitland on a perfectly driven zero-emission vehicle for Cartmarking 2018.

The Carmen Livery Cartmarking is the oldest ceremony of vehicle taxation in the world. Each year the Lord Mayor of London brand-marks working vehicles to identify they are authorised to ply for trade in the City of London.

2018 marker was the letter Z, a ceremony pre-dating number plates, tax discs and MOTs in a tradition over 500 years old. The Z marker means the vehicle can ply trade between the wharfs of the Thames and the businesses of the City of London.

LSA chairman Carl Lomas was at the gates of Guildhall Yard to pay five shillings for the entry of Carmen apprentice Caitland. The zero emission Lithium-Ion Yale fork was truck provided by Briggs.

Leigh Edgley of Briggs commented,

This is the very latest and cleanest technology for zero emission, a great machine to showcase clean air solutions in side the Transport for London clean air zone.’

Caitland is an apprentice to the Carmen livery with Stephen Britt, Anchor Storage. She holds a level two warehouse and storage qualification.

She has just completed her RTITB fork truck refresh certificate at LSA, West Thames College Feltham Logistics Skills Centre where she commutes between Heathrow and London in the logistics hot-spot zone of Southern England.

Caitland's impressions of the kit?

The battery controllers and code entry start systems on the new Yale truck are great features; the lift controllers are super-smooth and really easy to use. Loved the auto-stop no handbrake, Guildhall Yard is covered in sand for the event but the wheel grip remained excellent - this is my favourite truck so far.

RTITB boss, Laura Nelson commented,

Well done Caitland, a great result, the fork truck expertly driven on the sand-covered cobbles of Guildhall Yard, including negotiating real road traffic on the London Wall entry zone. I am proud to report RTITB has a long standing relationship with LSA, West Thames College and I congratulate the team who delivered, it’s a great credit to see apprentice Caitland at this level of the sector, she is showcasing diversity and skill for the next generation workforce in the warehouse. Well done Caitland

West Thames college principal, Tracy Aust was at the ceremony and praised the steps Caitland had taken on her apprenticeship towards logistics.

Warehouse & Storage is a levy-funded qualification route, it provides a sound step on the stairway for road transport to enter a sector rich in jobs and secure in future logistics across the UK.

Warehouse & Storage sits inside the levy with funding available to deliver our next generation logistics workforce.