Tachos hit us worst
Page 26
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THERE HAS been a lot of publicity recently about the tachograph, but no one seems interested in how it is going to affect "the little man".
I, like many others am a selfemployed owner driver trying hard to earn myself an honest living. Everything seems to be against us — the rising cost of fuel, parts and general running costs not to mention the price of replacing a vehicle. The price of the latter has increased so much over the past years that we have great difficulty in purchasing second-hand lorries — new ones are completely out of reach: dreams to us.
Now the tachograph!
There is the expense of purchasing, installing and check ups, which am led to believe mean a day each month off with a total loss of earnings plus a charge for the privilege. Do the authorities realise that to a great number of us this is the last straw and will put us among the ranks of the unemployed as we just cannot afford to carry on?
I, like many more, do my entire business within a 25-mile radius and therefore cannot honestly see what advantage to anyone — least of all ourselves — this machine will be. Surely, just for once, someone in authority can understand our plight and exempt at least short-distance runners from this plan, don't suppose for one minute that anyone will take any notice of our plea; our views are just dismissed as being unimportant simply because we are "The Little Men".
G. S. CAM PION North Wingfield, Chesterfield.