TV show bashes lorry
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ROAD TRANSPORT is a heavily subsidised rag-bag industry which is artificially cheap and will cost the British taxpayer £66m in 1984 That controversial claim was expressed on the BBC 2 television programme Brass Tacks by its presenter Eric Robson, on Wednesday, writes IAIN SHERRIFF.
The programme opened up in typical fairy tale parlance, "Once upon a time" and continued in Brothers Grimm style for almost 60 minutes. Barely one aspect of road freight transport was spared from castigation by the talkative Mr Robson who delivered much of the commentary with one hand on the wheel of a 32.5 tonne Mercedes driving on motorway. He spent a disproportionate part of the driving time looking down the camera.
In what appeared to be a speeded up film, 32's and 38 tonne vehicles were seen speeding through Team in Staffordshire and Eastry in Kent. There were inevitable interviews with distressed villagers and shots of horrific crashes involving hgv and congested roads.
Allegations against the Department of Transport and successive Governments were made as well. According to Mr Robson civil servants are biased towards road transport because they are dependant on the industry for their salaries and pensions. Legislation favours road transport because "the ETA wine and dine DTp officials at a restaurant close to the office."
Kellogs and Heinz were considered "daft" because they had sited distribution depots in the north of England and had become road dependant.
It would come as a surprise to many to learn that Britain's owner-drivers set the standards and the rates for the rest of the industry. It would anger many of the owner-drivers to learn that they persistently over load, break the hours Regulations, and evade the law by using CB radio.