Are Return Loads Fair?
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THE problem of the return load is one of tho most difficult facing the haulage industry. Where a vehicle has to make a long journey and is not required to return with empties, or where no special arrangements have been made to keep it loaded in each direction, there is a strong temptation for rates to be cut to provide a return just sufficient to cover the running costs of the trip back.
Efforts are being made to reduce the evil effects of this practice, but it is still carried on to a considerable extent, and is probably one of the prime factors in reducing the general level of haulage rates. .
It is not always appreciated by operators that the encouragement of this policy constitutes a twoedged sword, for the rate for a return load in one direction may easily become the standard to which a haulier is expected to adhere when making an outward trip. It is only human nature for a trader who has had his goods carried at a low figure on one occasion to expect to be treated in the same manner at another time.
The subject is one that demands ventilation and close analysis, and we would appreciate the comments of experiencgd readers as to whether the practice of carrying back loads at low rates is a fair or an unfair practice.