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Page 9
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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Barry Proctor offers some simple rules that might help more recruits to the industry survive — but he's not confident that desperate rate, cutting hauliers will listen...
If you'll pardon me for a few minutes I'm going to act like the wise old man I know my staff consider me to be, and offer a pearl of wisdom for anyone considering a career in the haulage industry Here it is: "Don't bother." Unless, that is, you are 100% committed. Otherwise you're going to be more harm than good to the rest of us. Allow me to explain. In transport there are three golden rules we should all follow: 1. Agree a fuel formula with your customers. This way you're insulated from those tricky little fuel price rises that we've all come to know and love.
2. Do your sums. Work out your running cost vs your earnings very carefully. That way you won't be tempted to cut your rates to get work, hurting other hauliers, when times get hard.
3. If the rate isn't right, don't do the work. You never know, if we all stick together then customers might finally be prepared to offer decent rates. Crazy idea eh?
Of course, those rules aren't going to solve all our problems but they might prevent so many early casualties in this business. If people who've been in the game for 20 years have turned their noses up at a poorly paid contract, what makes you think that you'll do any better? (OK, some hauliers who've been running for years could do with a kick up the behind, but you take my point.) This is prompted by the recent fuel protests, or what passed for them, and the observations of a friend in the industry, He reckons we're suffering from overcapacity. Thanks to a downturn in the economy there's simply less goods to be shifted, so hauliers are cutting their own throats to get work.
As he puts it: "Sit them round the table and they'll all agree, but as soon as the customer comes along they all break ranks and stab each other in the back."
Solidarity— it's not just for the Poles you know.
Barry Proctor owns Barry Proctor Services of Sloke-on-Trent