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Forcing the pace
Page 29
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Is the Ministry of Transport intent on squeezing the road goods industry until it squeaks? That is the assumption which could be drawn from the latest pronouncement by a respected senior MoT engineer. Before operators' licensing is even laid down in final regulations, let alone in existence, he is talking of the increasingly tough standards which operators will be expected to meet. From what we know of the situation the initial requirements are quite onerous enough and are certainly expected to have the desired effect of raising vehicle and operating standards.
Already, as reported this week, hauliers in one area have told the Licensing Authority that the prospects are too daunting, and they are getting out of the business. Of course, we've all heard that tune before from small hauliers, and yet they have soldiered on. But this time the situation is unprecedented in road transport, and even efficient, well-organized operators are finding the weight and extent of legislation almost stiffing. To talk of yet higher standards at this moment is to risk taking the heart out of those who are striving in a responsible way to improve their fleets.
Let's get the first stage over, and see how both the industry and the authorities measure up, before talking about turning the screw even harder.
Break this blockade
Two weeks ago in CM, 'Janus' drew attention to the blockade by quota which threatened by British operators because of the restrictive limits contained in the latest bilateral transport agreements. Now the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association have revealed their own concern, and the widespread support which they are seeking in order to have the shackles loosened. This is a battle which must be won—not simply in the interests of transport operators, though they will be the most directly and severely affected, but also because British export trade in important markets is involved.
Britain's negotiators have been hampered in their work by our weak bargaining position as an offshore island which few Continentals need to cross to deliver goods. By contrast, UK operators must needs pass through France, and often Germany too, to reach their destinations. Even where transit permits are needed less often, the situation is serious; the FTA points out that the Italian quota falls very far short of what is already known to be necessary for British operators next year.
The international and industrial bodies whose aid has been sought will, we hope, give their support in the strongest possible terms at the highest level. And we urge our own Government to regard this potential blockage as serious enough to justify political pressures extending beyond the transport field.
Hot seat
The NUR's attempt to secure a closed shop throughout National Carriers Ltd. presents an unwelcome problem not only for NCL but, by implication, for the National Freight Corporation as a whole. Some might say that NFC have only themselves to blame, for apparently hoping that the sleeping dog would continue to lie if everyone tip-toe'd past. Comparability between ex-road and ex-rail staffs, and the assimilation of wages, are problems which the NFC has inherited because of political decisions about how State transport should be organized.
Inter-union horse-trading may be the only practical, if not very commendable, solution. But it looks as though the dog is waking up.