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TRUCK CRIME PAYS-AND ONLY WE CAN MAKE THAT CHANGE...
Page 10
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It's fair to say the relationship between the police and the road transport industry has always been an uneasy one, built largely on misunderstanding and mutual distrust on both parts. Anyone who's ever been pulled or had their trucks pulled by the constabulary will be well aware of the holier-than-thou and heavy-handed approach traffic police can be all too guilty of, while police officers will no doubt point to the grubby activities some involved in the sector get up to.
However, our attendance at last week's TruckPol conference (see page 30) rammed home the point that the road transport sector and the police can no longer sit on either side of a very big fence. Hijackings, kidnaps and truck thefts are a clear example of the all-too-familiar high crime levels in the industry, which by our conservative reckoning means seven operators a day, every day, are victims of truck-related crime. The message from the police is simple: 'We can help you, if you are prepared to help us'. An unholy alliance? Maybe, but unless the industry is prepared to work more closely with the police then truck crime will remain at the bottom of the Home Office's priority list.
"Unless we work with the policemtnick crime will remain bottom of the list"
We were as surprised as the rest of the industry when Rover announced it was entering the van sector earlier this year. Not since the days of the eminently forgettable Maestro van has the UK manufacturer graced the light CV sector, but when you're under pressure to maximise production volumes and exploit any market niche then needs must. We've now managed to get our hands on the new Rover Commerce and on page 40 we put it to the test. OK, it's just a Rover 25 car with the rear windows blanked out, but our test team has been pleasantly surprised with its performance. Ford launches its new Fiesta van in October —we'll be interested to see how it stacks up against the impressive Commerce.
As part of our improvements in new-look Commercial Motorwe're introducing a new question and answer service this week. We've assembled a high-powered team of experts to answer your legal queries through the pages of the magazine on anything from the Working Time Directive to speeding fines, Send in your questions to: Patric Cunnane, Legal Editor, Commercial Motor, Quadrant House, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS or e-mail patric.cunnane@rbi.co.uk