1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208 
I* LETTER OF THE WEEK
Page 22
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Should we be following our wallets or following our hearts?
HAVING BEEN a small haulier for about 25 years, my husband and I have followed all the rules and regulations and managed to keep our heads above water.
We started from nothing and now own our yard outright, which has a workshop and some storage space. We also rent parking for HGVs as an 0-licence centre.
We have invested in low-emission trucks, so we are able to go in and out of London without incurring lines. But now we find out we will have to send our drivers on a CPC training course at a cost of around £1 ,500 plus loss of earnings.
And as for the fuel increases, who knows where that's going to end...
The point is shall we continue in the hope that things will improve and we don't go broke? Or should we just sell the yard to a developer and go off around the world — then we'd really have something to talk about in our old age. Is it worth carrying on doing something we enjoy? What will you do to help, Mr Brown? Linda Frood Alexander M Frood Haulage