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Seize the chance to educate the public
Page 17
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WHILE WATCHING the BBC News Breakfast programme (4 November), there was an interesting item where, with the aid of NYK Logistics, it followed a standard 400. shipping container on its travels for a year.
It was exported with a load of Scotch whisky and, having circled the globe, finally returned loaded with consumable goods.
The point of the. exercise was to show `Joe Public' that containerisation and modern shipping methods dictate the way we make, buy and sell goods in these modem times, and the huge choice and availability from around the world this form of transport has opened up.
Unfortunately, as usual, they stopped short
of explaining how these goods were moved to and from the ports and to their points of sale.
Is this finally a golden opportunity for our trade associations to give up preaching to the converted, latch onto the BBC news item, and come up with some high-profile publicity targeting 'Joe Public: It could be a chance to show how hard pressed operators wrestle on a daily basis witt ever increasing costs, excessively complicate( legislation and depressed rates, and yet, despit( all this, still manage to deliver the goods.
The associations should also point out tha hard-pressed drivers are, in fact. responsibl( and skilled people. and not the second-clas citizens they are often treated as.
Mike Davies Via email