Spreading the word...
Page 8
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In just under a month, hauliers from East Anglia are to meet MPs in the House of Commons to explain the impact of recent fuel price rises (see page 12). Ralph Morton and his colleagues are to be congratulated on this initiative. For too long the industry has been accusing politicians of ignorance about its plight without really doing much more than wave a few banners in their faces.
While CM understands the depth of feeling that has led to such protests, a long-term campaign to educate politicians and public about the industry's problems surely stands a better chance of making a difference—particularly in view of the poor support for the protests to date. It now remains to be seen how many other hauliers around the country will follow the East Anglian group's lead and just what the trade associations can do to help.
CM will soon be showing you how to make sure your MPs know what's going on in the industry, with a guide to getting hold of them and on what to say when you do. As the Morton group has shown, it's interesting to see how quickly a meeting with MPs can be set up when the right buttons are pressed—a curious counterpoint to the slow progress being made by the Transport Forum.
• Firm but fair. That's surely the only way to respond to the £6,000 penalty imposed on Edward Williams for fitting a device enabling him to falsify tacho records. Hauliers prepared to operate outside the law need to be hit hard if they are to be effectively discouraged from such blatant and premeditated actions. It's good to see that in one case, at least, the fine fits the crime.