1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184 
Peaceful but resolute
Page 6
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
fuel protests are back
As fuel prices continue to escalate the first truckers' protest has hit the road — and CM was the only road transport magazine on the spot.
ALMOST 250 TRUCKS took part in a peaceful fuel demo last weekend, supporting a protest convoy through South Wales and into the centre of Cardiff.
Other protests around the country had been called off following a government pledge to "review" the proposed 2p/lit increase in fuel duty scheduled for the autumn. But the organisers of the Welsh demo felt they had not received concrete enough assurances that the increase would not happen and decided to press ahead. About 40 trucks set out from Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire and headed east along the M4, being joined by numerous other vehicles along the way, before leaving the motorway at J33 where their ranks were swelled by
70 trucks that had rallied at Cardiff West services.
Organiser Martin Palmer says: "I think it was a tremendous success. All the motorway bridges on the way into Cardiff were packed with people showing their support."
Trucks from two of South Wales' largest operators — Owens Road Services and Mansel Davies — were present, with several from the medium-sized fleets of NR Evans and John T Evans. John Evans, who runs John T Evans, was there driving one of his firm's artics. He explains: "I didn't want to leave it to the usual suspects and the owner-drivers when we will benefit just as much from any changes forced through by this protest.
"I think we are over-taxed as an industry and they can't keep squeezing and squeezing us. We have to cope with lower and lower margins every year and we have nowhere else to go for extra money because our customers are under severe price constraints. We are all working for ever larger companies who have more clout and will not tolerate price increases."
Stephen Davies is MD of Maunsel Davies, which runs 150 trucks. "We were there to show support for the smaller hauliers and to support any legal protest," he says. "The underlying rate of duty on diesel is what we object to."
The atmosphere at the demo was calm but the protesters are obviously resolute in their determination to win a fairer deal over fuel tax.
The atmosphere at the demo was calm but the protesters are obviously resolute in their determination to win a fairer deal over fuel tax.
Richard Jones from Pontypridd showed the depth of his feelings by sending along 20 of his 50 vehicles.
But he says the success of any protest rests with the public: "I think the public are behind us at the moment. It's a shame though that they don't fully understand the problems that hauliers have — if they could run a truck for five days and then see the fuel bill at the end of it they might begin to comprehend." Jones, whose firm spe
cialises in hauling steel, bricks and concrete, is one of many operators who is unable to pass on price increases: "If anything we are being asked to reduce rates," he says. Environmental pressure group Greenpeace attempted its own small demonstration at Cardiff West MSA, but it was dwarfed by the trucks massed in the parking area. However, Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale offered an olive branch to the demonstrators when he said it could support the introduction
of an essential user rebate on fuel provided the industry needed it.
"The government should address the issue through this method rather than an across-theboard cut in fuel duty which would only serve to encourage car use and benefit the likes of Tesco who don't need the help," he adds.
The protest also underlined the sharp divisions in policy between the trade associations, with the RHA giving the convoy its support as part of its on-going battle to get "fair play on fuel" with the FTA maintaining its no-demo policy.An FTA spokesman explains: "Taking over 200 trucks into a city centre on a busy shopping day is a highrisk strategy in terms of upsetting the general public."