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Stand and deliver?
Page 28
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The CM news team examines the substantial cost
of road congestion and its effect on the industry
A,though it's often said that congestion costs every industry, transport is arguably the only sector that is consistently affected during the course of its daily activities. Most operators have vehicles stuck in interminable queues at least once a week, and if you have to deal with the M25 then it's more likely to be a daily occurrence.
The results include late deliveries, irate customers, wasted fuel and lost drivers hours. Then there's the stress for everyone concerned.from the drivers to the traffic planners and. ultimately, to you. The bottom line is that congestion costs you money. According to the Freight Transport Association, if congestion continues to grow at the predicted rate,by 2010 a 10-truck operator will be paying an additional £80,000 a year.
Anecdotal evidence collected by CM suggests that figure isn't too far from the truth. Operators are already running more trucks because of constant traffic queues. Take Nick Verrall, managing director of Maidstone-based Shakespeare Transport. His is a relatively small operation but,asVerrall observes: "I run a 20-vehicle fleet yet without the congestion, I could run one less truck. That would save me somewhere in the region of £65000£70,000 a year."
The Confederation of British Industry also waded into the debate this week. It published the results of a survey which shows that the majority of business chiefs questioned view the UK's transport infrastructure as poor or very poor. Few think that the government's 10-year transport plan will be able to deliver the necessary improvements.
Here, we look at operators' views on the current state of the roads and their solutions to the issue. We also take a look at the current thinking from the policy makers as to how they'd solve the crisis. •