Haulien'permit misery
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• Haulage companies suffering from a lack of international journey permits have been telling Commercial Motor about their problems.
B Brown Transport of Oxford, has been awarded 92 French permits for 1987 against only 41 Italian permits — despite the fact that most of its business is to Italy, The company, which specialises in transporting furniture to and from the Continent, says the current permit situation is "ridiculous".
"We've been running to Italy for 20 years now and we never have enough permits. We complain regularly to IRFO (the International Road Freight Office) in Newcastle but nothing changes."
Brown refuses to go on the black market to obtain sufficient bilateral permits.
Garrard Transport of Oxford has been given 12 Italian permits this year The company, which runs regularly to Greece and Italy, describes the system as "hopeless".
J .1 Adam Haulage of Polegate in East Sussex says it has been "battling persistently and unsuccessfully for 12 years to obtain West German permits."
According to the firm's general manager James Hardisty, we were beginning to think we were the only UK haulier unable to obtain these permits. We are still being told after 12 years of campaigning that the only two ways of getting permits are by using the road/rail system or 'back-loading co-operation' permits."
German rail costs reduce J J Adam's profitability, and giving German hauliers back-loads takes work off the company's books it could usefully do itself, says Hardisty, Bob Duffy, the Road Haulage Association's international affairs executive, says that the permit situation is not in dire straits at the moment. "If there is a shortage of permits, we have had few reports of goods being halted," he says. "The goods usually get through," Duffy thinks that the degree of shortage gets exaggerated because hauliers frequently tender for a contract they will not win, though they like to have the necessary permits when they tender just in case.
11 If you are experiencing difficulties obtaining international journey permits please write to: The Editor, Commercial Motor, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey.