More permit agony
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• Readers are continuing to to write to Commercial Motor about their permit difficulties. The letters have a common theme — frustration and disbelief in the face of permit shortages for countries such as West Germany and Italy.
0 A & H Transport of Alton in Hampshire says: "We operate one vehicle, specialising in transporting perishable goods. We have managed to obtain an adequate allocation of French and German permits through the use of self-help schemes, and an allocation of Spanish permits which can be stretched using non-quota permits when transporting perishable goods.
Our efforts to obtain Italian permits, however, have so far been unsuccessful. There are no Italian self-help schemes and no non-quota permits for perishable goods. Italy's roadrail system is also unsuitable for the loads we carry.
I have begged and pleaded with IRFO in Newcastle many times, without success. We are worried that we will lose customers.
Not only are we cut off from Italy, Greece is also difficult. We are unwilling to buy permits on the black market because we prefer to invest our profits in reliable equipment to do the job well, and not on items that we should have to buy.
I hope that enough hauliers write to Commercial Motor to get something done about the situation." H H Williamson.
EJ Loane Transport of Kesh, County Fermanagh says: "As a haulier running 12 tractors and 20 reefer trailers we are frustrated that we cannot maintain an adequate supply of permits when our competitors just across the border in the Republic of Ire land have no problems getting enough. We have to refuse work.
We are continually pressing IRK) and have made submissions to our local MP, but over the past five years we have had little or no response." B Loane. H Young Transport of Eastleigh, Hampshire, says: "We have experienced the frustration of having work offered to us on a regular basis, and at a reasonable rate, only to fall foul of the IRFO.
"We have found it totally impossible to be even considered for permits to West Germany. We have not attempted to even ask for Italian permits, as we are aware that there will be a similar result.
"We are often told by the IRFO that special consideration is given to operators who make use of the railway as an alternative to the road. Yet, having pointed out that we have our own rail sidings as an integral part of our operations, and that we use the sidings to receive and dispatch regular consigments all over Europe, it would appear that we are no nearer being considered for allocation than any other operator.
The entire permit system is nothing short of a farce. Successive Governments have failed dismally to obtain a fair deal for UK operators." H Young. Li Pulleyn Transport of Reading in Berkshire says: "We have been involved in international transport for 11 years and we have constantly struggled to gain permits for France, West Germany, Italy and Spain.
Despite repeated requests to IRFO, we have managed to build up a reasonable quota of French permits, but we are struggling to gain West German, Italian and Spanish general quota permits. Most of our quota has been built up by buying permits from another haulier through IRFO.
Spanish permits are now impossible to get, even though we had a small quota of 13 permits two years ago. They were taken away from us because we were running refrigerated and therefore nonpermit loads. However, now that we have non-refrigerated laods to take to Spain for one of our main customers and we cannot get permits, it appers that we were duped.
The continued frustration we suffer from a lack of permits makes us lose heart. No wonder our performance as a nation is mediocre.
We are ready to expand but we are hand-tied by the EEC, the Department of Transport and IRFO. We are made to look inefficient by a bureaucratic and political debacle created by those who cannot get us the right number of permits." R Z Nedoma.
• If you are experiencing problems getting bi-lateral international journey permits, please write to us NOW, telling us about your difficulties. The address is: The Editor, Commercial Motor, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.