P LETTER OF THE WEEK
Page 16
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Where are the family names?
POWER PLAYERS. WHAT A great series. The unveiling of the 2009 Power Players list has been fascinating, and has made the usual bleak mid-winter a little more bearable for those of us who don't take three weeks off work at Christmas.
I write this with the two top names still to be released. On the assumption the Freight Transport Association's James Hookham is one of them, the proof of its attraction is that I cannot guess who the other is.
The only depressing aspect of the list is the low number of actual truck operators it contains. Less than one-third of the 20 Power Players actually operate trucks. The vast majority sit on the periphery of the industry, dictating how it behaves and conducts itself. What does that say about our industry? Forty years ago, when I First came into the road haulage industry, the Power Players list would have been dominated by owners of large family businesses.
Yes, much like the ranchers of the 'old West; their power was largely regional, but I am sure many will remember, in the SouthEast for example, Frank Harris, RJB Neale, Robin Draper, David Woodcock and Charlie Brain. Their surnames tell you the company they represented. There are a few modernday counterparts, but family businesses have all but disappeared in their truest form.
Where on this year's list are the knowledgeable guys in the industry, who compete every day against a bombardment of legislation and increasingly demanding customers? Like Nick Graham. Carl Olufsen, Graham Rennie, Peter Staines or John Waters.
These are the guys who go out to bat against the Warne-like balls (and I use that word in its widest context) delivered by most of the names on the 2009 Power Players list, and, through their ability, show us in the industry how the game should be played.
Peter Lamer Managing director Suckling Transport
Ed's note: By now, you should know who made the top two positions — and James Hookham wasn't one of them. We understand your reasoning, but the appearance of FTA cheif executive Theo de Pencier in 13th was representative of all FTA staff.