Lean times for Scottish hauliers
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from a special correspondent • Scottish hauliers report a steady downward trend of traffic arising from the continuing decline in manufacturing and distributing activity in the industrial areas.
The present proposals to close down shipbuilding on Upper Clyde are an example of what has become a snowballing reduction of work within this Central Scotland belt. A further factor in the situation is the increasing volume of competitive capacity at reduced price levels from operators released from other work. from rural area operators now seeking alternative work and from large concerns whose own work has been dislocated.
Operations are becoming increasingly uneconomic for many concerns and lay-offs of vehicles have been taking place; very high costs of labour have made many jobs quite ruinous, especially where dock delays are involved, and up to three days are
consumed on jobs which have to be abandoned in the end. Warning has been given privately by many of the larger operators that a very lean time lies ahead and that closures could well become general.