SELF JUDGEMENT
Page 5
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• When enough people want something to change for the better, they have a habit of changing it. Certainly the latest moves towards selective membership within the Road Haulage Association is a clear signal that operators are prepared to grasp the nettle of self-regulation.
The basic idea of selective membership is a sound one. By raising the perceived level of competence and quality within a trade association, people will be inclined to take it more seriously — and that goes for politicians as well as prospective members. To repeat the truism uttered by the chairman of the RHA's Essex sub-district, an association "is only as good as its members". (For the record, in next week's CM we will be publishing an exclusive survey revealing exactly what hauliers think of trade associations).
The concept of a probationary period is also sensible. After all, most of us have undergone some kind of probationary period during our lives whether as an employee or as a company providing a service.
Before rushing to embrace the theory of selective membership, however, it should be remembered that any entry standard set for a prospective member of any organisation must be an attainable one. To place it too high is to ultimately encourage exclusivity, create resentment and eventually leave an organisation that represents a minority.
The majority of hauliers in this country are small, often familyrun concerns, with limited resources. If they are to be encouraged to join a trade association, and consequently raise their standards by doing so, they must be carefully nurtured. They should be judged by their peers, not their superiors.
The highly-laudable moves towards self-regulation must result in a strong, but above all else truly representative, cross-section of the road haulage industry, keen to raise the standards of others as well as their own. Trade Associations must not become exclusive clubs.