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A whole new ballgame
Page 24
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• "Moving with the Times" was the theme for this year's Road Haulage Association annual conference in Orlando, Florida. For most guest speakers, including the European Commission director of Inland Transport, Roldolfos Papaioannou this meant looking at 1992, the looming labour shortage and the environment.
RHA director-general Bryan Colley used the conference as a launching pad for the association's Green code of practice, which is now being drawn up.
"With two and a quarter nillion people voting for the Greens in the European elections," he said "we cannot ignore the pressures on politicians and industry on this issue. We have to be seen taking a lead in constructive action to protect the environment as far as the industry is concerned, otherwise we will have regulations imposed on us."
Robert Ferris, vice-president of the American Trucking Associations also warned operators they would have to adapt as manufacturers set new standards with engines and emissions — and this would lead to more expensive vehicles and diesel.
Because of the growing importance of environmental issues, many speakers insisted that hauliers would have to look more carefully at combined road/rail operations. Papaioannou told RIIA dele
/ ASS OCI AT ION
gates that the EC was looking at ways of moving more freight onto the railways. Proposals currently under consideration include tax exemption for vehicles used on road/rail operations: lower rates of tax for multi-model containers and Government subsidies to lower the price of rail transport.
Alan Fox, director of commercial operations at Iveco Ford, urged hauliers not to be frightened of transporting more goods by rail. "A rise in railfreight could help UK hauliers," he said. "Local hauliers could not do better than to take a management stake in road/rail depots."
Many speakers and delegates also voiced concern over projected labour shortages.
Colley said operators must make training and recruiting major priorities in their businesses. "In the year 2000 the civilian labour force in Great Britian is projected to be one million higher than the mid-1988 figures of 27.6 million, However, almost all of the projected increase is accounted for by women who are expected to make up 44% of the total labour force by the end of the century.
"The message from these figures is clear — competition in the market place is going to increase and for the road haul age industry, which is hardly a nine-to-five existence offering high standards of employee comfort, this can spell trouble," said Colley. 'The removal of the training levy could hardly have come at a worse time because many companies will cease to do any training. . . and thus poaching will increase. Poaching in a limited market spells cost."
Robert Ferris urged hauliers to consider recruiting more women and minorities as drivers, and several delegates in the open forum asked operators to send young transport employees to join the MA's Young Executive Section.
"The YES is part of training," said Tom Llewellyn of Econofreight. "They are the future employers and managers of this industry. They are the long-term future, and every employers should have at least one member of staff in YES."
Better image
To attract more young people into the industry and to help operators take environmentally-friendly steps, several speakers said more must be done to improve the haulage industry's image. "We really do have an image problem," Colley acknowledged. "Even those in authority refer to 'juggernauts', and most of the public blame the HGV for the problem of congestion . . . I fear we are never going to get people to love the lorry, but I suggest that we may have to run even faster to stand still with the environmental issues increasingly in importance.
'The high driving standards of the majority of HGV drivers are prejudiced by the reckless and uncaring minority," he said, "and 1 suggest employers must look more closely at the driving standards of their employees and seek out those who constantly speed."
Ferris said the UK transport industry should consider rut fling similiar schemes to the American Trucking Associations to help the image of hauliers, such as driver roac shows promoting road safet; students and radion stations Another cause of major a cern for operators was 1992 and the approach of the Sink European Market (SEM). Papaioannou said that the Ei forecasts a 33% rise in the volume of goods transport it Europe between 1985 and 2000, which would present 1 hauliers with a new opportui to boost their market share. But there were many proble yet to be resolved by the Ei before transport became uni fled under the SEM, he stre sed, especially the harmonis tion of drivers hours' rules, ADR regulations and road ta which were still a long way One option for road tax hr monisation under considerati by the EC is "territoriality" said. This would allow baulk to pay different tax in every country, to pay for the use ( each country's infrastructure Papaioannou urged the RI to consider publishing rate a dexes to help smaller hauliei Finally, several speakers said more pressure must be put on the Government to combat the increasing problE of congestion. Fox called for wider motorways — especia the Ml, M6 and M25 — mo crawler lanes, and for dual c riageway standards to be rer ised. He predicted that anotl six million vehicles would be British roads in the next few years, and said if those extri six million drove nose-to-tail, the Government would need build the equivalent of at lea; 35 more M25s.
Colley promised the RHA would make the battle agaim congestion one of its top pric ties for 1990: "We must ensure the Government actuall puts up the money to meet i promises," he said. "When y consider that they now cone( £17 billion a year from road I ers, and spend only 25% on the roads, there is little exci. not to find the extra E6 billio. over 10 years.
by Tanya Cordrey