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Let me reassure your correspondent W. J. Houston (CM, June 16) that State-owned transport is a major customer of the British motor industry. For example in 1 977 the National Freight Corporation (which owns the companies he mentions) acquired 3,068 vehicles and all but 182 of these were of British manufacture. This was clearly stated in the NFC's annual report, as is customary, When NEC companies obtain foreign vehicles from time to time, they do so for good reasons. One is that some customers specify the make of vehicle they wish us to employ on contract, and this is particularly the case where a vehicle manufacturer is the contract customer; for example National Carriers, mentioned by Mr Houston as using some Fiat vehicles, has a contract to distribute Fiat spares in Britain.
Then there are cases where no suitable UK vehicle is available for a specific requirement. This is the situation with the MAN model operated by Pickfords Heavy Haulage, another example quoted by your correspondent. British manufacturers have largely equipped Pickfords but on this occasion, though approached, did not have a vehicle of the required specification. Nevertheless Pickfords have been continuing discussions with the usual UK suppliers on the way this spec might be met in future.
Finally, as the largest road freight operator in Western Europe, the Corporation considers it prudent to evaluate both British and foreign trucks in operational service. As readers of CM know, its findings are made available to the transport industry at large, through the trade press. This is increasingly relevant as international transport increases in the European Economic Community, of whit Britain has chosen to be a member.
But the fact remains that NEC companies are overwhelmingly British equipped and continue to purchase preponderantly UK-built fleet replacements year by year.
BRIAN COTTEE, Head of Communication services, NFC, London W1 .