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An outsider's crystal vision
Page 26
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I AM PART of the Convoy 2000 drivers' team which takes a large convoy of trucks to Romania each year with humanitarian aid to help sick and disadvantaged children.
This year was a real eye opener for me regarding the charges against our trucks transiting European countries on their motorways. So much so that I am moved to write to you in support of our haulage companies in the UK.
I am a layperson who drives abroad once a year on our convoy. During our trip to Romania at the beginning of June 1 saw just one British truck on the outward journey and one on the way back. In years past I would see lots of UK trucks over there (we have convoyed for 10 years).
I realise that our hauliers are being priced out of the market with low rates, charges such as tolls on the motorways, truck bans at weekends etc, but in Britain all the foreign trucks coming here do not have to pay to use our motorways and they carry large fuel tanks enabling them to work here delivering and then return to the Continent to fill up on cheap fuel.
Unfortunately our drivers, unlike the foreign operators, have to pay through the nose here to keep their vehicles on the road.
It seems grossly unfair that our hauliers are slowly being squeezed out of the market by cheap competition from abroad.
The foreign truck drivers and operators pay nothing to enter our country. Our government needs to wake up and start to make the same charges for foreign lorries to use our motorways. The money should then be used to improve the conditions on our roads and safeguard British jobs. Christine Kirke Convoy 2000 Team