'Lorries are generally regarded as a tiresome irritant'
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,B ritish newspapers had a field day reporting the French lorry
blockades. They were unanimous in their vilification and condemnation of the French drivers. Yet, in France, opinion polls showed that the drivers had the support of 60% of their countrymen. This would indicate that the drivers had a fair presentation of their case in the French media — allowing people to make up their own minds on the justice of the action taken.
If a similar situation occurred here would UK hauliers receive a fair crack of the whip from the British media? It seems doubtful. Most of the reporting on lorries is at best negative, at worst it is biased, distorted and discriminating.
This kind of misinformation continually being disseminated leads to a prejudiced view in the public mind, with lorries generally regarded as a tiresome irritant on our roads.
I have to admit that until eight years ago this was a view I shared. This changed when my son became an HGV driver and I acquired a new understanding. For the first time I became aware of the importance of the haulage industry to our economy. I had never realised how dependent factories, farms, chemical plants, brewers, builders and supermarkets are on road transport.
Another revelation was the discovery of the mass of rules and regulations that each haulier must understand and try to adhere to, together with his personal responsibility for the safe carriage and delivery of his load.
Eight years on and now with two sons in road haulage, I am only too aware that in spite of the vital and responsible job that he does the lorry driver is regarded as a second-class citizen. While the media still offers the same old mixture of ill-informed criticism and negative reporting, public perception is unlikely to change.
So what can be done about it? Well, each of us can only do what we can. In my case this means writing to newspapers to put the record straight whenever I see erroneous or damaging reports on lorries or road haulage matters. I attend public meetings concerned with road traffic in order to defend our industry against the more outrageous accusations. I recently wrote to a county surveyor about a council document in which some routes used by lorries were referred to as ``rat runs". I told him that I felt this term was denigrating and that its use should be discouraged. I received from him an apology "to all lorry drivers" and an assurance that this term would no longer be used.
These are small victories and cannot compare with the massive public relations exercise that the industry needs. However, it is better to do something than nothing so I intend to keep chipping away at the wall of ignorance and hostility that hides the truth. And the truth is that the British haulage industry is competent, efficient and essential. Britain could not function without it. y 0 If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane.