Faime Puha beak...
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For those of us in the haulage business with substantial interests in serving the building industry, the outlook appears even more grim than in some of the other sectors of transport servicing.
Prepared amidst a background of reports of redundancies in architectural practices, liquidations of building contracting companies lack of future workload for civil engineering contractors, and closure of yet more building materials works units, recently revised forecasts by the National Council of Building Material Producers, underlines the industry's lack of optimism about prospects for the next three years.
Construction output at constant prices in 1978 is expected to be 20 per cent below 1973 levels. Value of all work, including repair, maintenance and improvement sectors is expected to fall by 2.5 per cent this year, followed by further declines of 3 pc in 1977 and 1,5 in 1978.
Sectors in which the largest declines are expected in 77/78 are the housebuilding and other public works sectors.
In fact hopes of increases in output from the appallingly low levels are pinned on new and maintenance work for the private industrial sector and on home improvement work. The forecasts were prepared in October.
As a contractor, who perhaps unwisely, has devoted rather too much attention to the requirements of the building industry in the past, I do have fears for the future, but I believe there are many fellow operators who have operated similarly. With nearly 50 years in the industry, I can say "Oh yes, I've seen it all before-. Indeed, I have in varying measures, but never, a'part from wartime conditions has the situation been quite as grim as the future looks.
Previously, there has usually been some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, and usually, within a reasonable period of time. Never do I recollect such a bleak long-term outlook on this front as before. I wish I could offer a panacea, but frankly I am perplexed to a point of near distraction.
When some years ago one of my major competitors started to phase-out haulage and to get into builders merchanting I thought he was mad. Today, his transport fleet of tractors and trailers has almost disappeared and in place of them he runs a fleet of tippers, and a few small flats serving his merchant business.
That side of his business is not what it is, but compared with me he's laughing all the way to the bank at present. We could not all effect such drastic changes at anytime. Good luck to the farsighted.
For many of us, there are vehicles for which at present the volume of available work is insufficient, and short of a miracle, the situation looks like deteriorating.
The forecasts of the experts in the building and building materials industries frighten me. because experts are usually right, and further, because for once my in-built optimistic mind cannot see even a pinpoint of light at the end of the tunnel N. G. BREEZE,
Southend