Time to look elsewhere?
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A divisive set of concessions indeed, whether by accident or design. But concessions there certainly were in last week's pre-Budget statement, and more than most dared hope for.
Whether they will truly amount to the 8p/lit Lord Macdonald refers to ir his exclusive interview with CM (see left) may not be clear for some time, but even if they do, they are most certainly not enough to level the playing field for hard-pressed UK hauliers facing stiff competition frorr overseas competitors who will still pay around 22p/lit less than us for every drop of diesel.
It's a particular shame that some of the measures announced don't take immediate effect. Take the Brit Disc scheme, for instance. It will be up to two years before that actually comes tc pass: how many more hauliers will go bust in that time, we wonder?
It's hardly surprising, then, that some hauliers are still behind further protest action. But while the latest concessions would probably never have been won without the action in September, the value of further protest is debatable; not least because in the aftermath of one set of concessions, the chances of more being granted are almost zero. And public support for hauliers, which was so important in September, has also been eroded by Brown's measures which, to the untrained ear, sound more substantial than they actually are.
So while further direct action may serve to let off steam, the key issue for hauliers now is to make sure they hang on to the small concessions that have been made and negotiate for more next time around.
Now, more than ever, hauliers must fight hard to protect their rates and ensure that the small gains we have won stay firmly where they belong.