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It's time to stand up and do your bit to help our industry find its voice
Page 14
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I WAS LISTENING to the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 on 25 September with a feeling of impending doom, waiting for his interview with Lord Adonis the transport minister.
Statements such as: "There is plenty of free parking at the services for lorries',' and "There may be a local problem with parking around Dover" showed how industry representation has failed to effectively communicate with the people who control and legislate our industry.
Lord Adonis did argue against a call for banning HGVs without permits from the motorway network during the weekends, and, on road safety, Lord Adonis did make reference to non-UK based HGVs running illegally in the UK. Unfortunately, no mention was made of the high standards and high enforcement regime that UKbased companies adhere to.
This lamentable state of affairs, where nobody outside our industry realises how important the road transport industry is to the economy, or the high standards to which we work, is a collective failure. Our industry representation (all of them, including the unions) have failed to make the case for the UK transport industry, but so too has every 0-licence holder, transport manager, traffic clerk and driver.
A General Election is coming, but don't expect the industry representatives to put your point of view to the new decision-makers unless you are prepared to do your bit as well.
Write to your MP, attend a local surgery, pester you MEP and, above all, demand your industry representative — whoever they may be — to put across your point of view. You should treat your industry representative like a customer with an overdue account. You have paid your dues and you now want the service you have paid for.
In just a few short weeks Joanna Lumley turned around government policy, had party leaders agreeing with her and even door-stepped a government minister forcing him into a U-turn.
What has our industry achieved in 2009? Oh, yes, increased costs and more regulation.
Martin Barnes Via email.