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WAR OF WORDS
Page 5
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• The road haulage industry is facing a credibility crisis. While operators are busy getting on with the job of transporting over 80% of the nation's goods, public opinion is slowly being hardened against it.
Public opinion is formed in various ways. Sometimes minds can be made up as a result of a single major event, like a bad accident. But usually the process is more subtle: a newspaper story here, a government decision there — it all adds up to the fact that the average person doesn't like heavy trucks, is oblivious of their value to the community, and is happy to accept anything against the haulage industry that the opinion-formers throw out.
The choice is clear. Either the industry fights for its rights, Or faces the consequence of its "crisis, what crisis?" mentality.
Thankfully someone is prepared to fight. Last Sunday Transfrigoroute, the high-profile trade association for reefer operators, started filming a video which, in the words of chairman Graham Eames, will show exactly how much time, effort and money his members are putting into the safe transportation of frozen and chilled foods. It won't be easy to convince the general public. Even Eames reckons that the process will be a mammoth task, especially as it's only a matter of time before another food-scare story hits the front page of the tabloid papers. But as he says: "Some of us have got to take a stand."
The completed video will be made available to big stores, small shops, drivers, warehousemen. . . indeed anybody who wants to find out more about how the goods in the freezer cabinets actually got there. Commercial Motor's advice to Transfrigoroute is, don't stop there. Send a copy to every NIP, particularly to those who have in the past gone out of their way to attack road transport. Send copies to schools, local authorities, health executive committees. Then for good measure send them to Friends of the Earth, Transport 2000, the Association of County Councils, the London Lorry Ban Unit . . for once let them all see for themselves exactly how professional the UK road haulage industry is and how much we all rely upon it in our daily lives.
Transfrigoroute is setting an example that all the trade associations should follow. For too long the road transport industry has been misrepresented, unfairly castigated, and maligned. It's a battle for hearts and minds that we must take seriously.