'We need a stronger transport body to get our message across'
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Eddie Stobart intends to base approximately 50 vehicles outside the UK later this year. This is to take advantage of cheaper operating costs. But I find it is sad even to think about taking registered vehicles out of the UK economy and basing them on foreign soil.
I went to the House of Commons just before Christmas to meet London Transport Minister Glenda Jackson, and I came away From that meeting feeling more disheartened than before I went, My message was not just to talk about Eddie Stobart, but the UK transport industry as a whole. The message from me to Glenda Jackson was a common-sense message. I informed her that more and more hauliers would be registering vehicles on the Continent and filling their fuel tanks with cheaper fuel bought abroad before returning to the UK, and that every European haulier working in the UK arrives with enough fuel to run to his destination in this country and back home to the Continent. The result of this is that these hauliers are putting no money whatsoever into the UK economy. In my view, if the Chancellor reduced tax on fuel for hauliers to the same level as some other countries within the EU, they would not lose but rather gain as there would be no incentive for our Continental counterparts to come into the country with full fuel tanks. They would buy fuel in the UK and put money into our economy. Instead of the present situation we should be travelling out of the UK with full tanks of fuel and arriving back with empty ones which we would refill over here. Surely this would have a major impact on our economy. This to me is simple common sense. Glenda Jackson suggested that if it makes commercial sense to Eddie Stobart or any other transport company to register vehicles in other countries, then go ahead and do so. She kept turning the conversation to rail and seems to think that rail Freight would take a lot of trucks off the road. But even if rail were used to full capacity, the move would make little difference—around 5%— to traffic congestion. I then asked the minister where the Government would get its taxes from and how the UK economy would work. It appeared not to matter to her as that was not her department. My opinion is that hauliers need to lobby Parliament more intensively. We need a stronger transport body to get our message across and I am prepared to spend a lot of my time in the future to do as much as I can to protect UK hauliers who in effect protect UK industry. soon hope to be putting my views to some representatives in the House of Lords but all hauliers can do their bit by writing to their own MPs,
• If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane or fax your views (up to 600 words) to Nicky Clarke on 0181 652 8912.