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di After several years working for Dutch and Belgian

10th August 2000, Page 50
10th August 2000
Page 50
Page 50, 10th August 2000 — di After several years working for Dutch and Belgian
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

companies operating both within and outside the UK I knew—long before any British companies "flagged our—where in Europe it was best to own a truck.

The snag for a British firm is that, to do it properly, you have to live on the Continent. I tried to persuade my father to move his transport business there, but his argument z against it was always the 0 0 same: we are English and 0 -1 all of our family and friends are English too.

IS I returned to the UK to work for my father who, after

replacing his 1988 Foden with a 1995 Seddon Atkinson last 0.2 October, decided that we might do just a little better working E together. For years I had wanted to work with my father in our

own company and because of this I was prepared to accept the 2200 per week drop in earnings.

In February this year we put the old truck back into service and set about the task of moving about 600 tonnes of corn from the farms to the mills each week. We were providing the Treasury with more than £1000 a week in fuel taxes alone—twice what the French government takes from its hauliers.

When the old truck was due to be taxed on lAugust we decided it was pointless. As much as I want to work with my dad I cannot justify us paying such a high price for the privilege. We will not "run bent" or on illegal fuel just to remain competitive, and we are too far north to travel to France or Belgium to refuel.

In June I launched a campaign to fight against the punitive taxation with which the Government is crucifying our industry and to call for equal road charges for all European vehicles. After a minimum 12-hour day I was—at my own cost—writing, faxing and e-mailing hauliers all over the UK for support. I pointed out what I and everybody else in the industry knows to be true: • Continental hauliers are free to use our roads without any cost restrictions and with the advantage of cheaper fuel; • They are taking over the UK market and their lower costs have a direct impact on UK haulage rates; • Desperate British hauliers are often driven to exceed drivers' hours limits in order to stay in business; and • Many cut corners on maintenance to reduce costs. I told my fellow hauliers that this cannot be allowed to continue.

Our industry is essential to the British economy—we work for everyone—and we have to come together in a united front to flex our muscles and sort out the job. I was preaching to the converted. Almost everyone I spoke to said they would be involved.

So I organised the rolling blockade of Dover. Support started flooding in after publicity in CM, and !joined forces with Len Johnson, chairman of the Hauliers and Farmers Alliance. Meanwhile, I started researching the opportunities for taking action against the British government in the European Court.

But on lAugust, the day of the blockade, there were many more press vehicles than hauliers in Dover. The support they—no, you—had all promised was nowhere to be seen.

Len Johnson and the HFA are going to continue fighting for you. I ask you to support them in both the five-day convoy starting on 25 September and in the HFA's European Court action against the Government over fuel duty. I would just like to thank the generous handful who bothered to turn up at Dover: I wish you all the best of luck for the future.


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