ive the public irry facts
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kNY of the ordinary smaller uliers appreciate the dertaking by Peter Fry, MP, to lom I have written, to address a forthcoming Commercial Dtor-Fleet Management Inference in London on nlightening the public".
Any real action so far has been conspicuous by its absence. The urgent need was summed up by CM's lain Sherriff: " . . What is required is a massive and effective publicity campaign mounted by all interested parties. It should start now, not with a few snipers' shots, but with a broadside that will reverberate around the nation" .. .
My introduction to road transport was during school holidays, as "foot-plate boy" with an uncle on seven-ton steam Sentinels when many people in rural areas sincerely believed the new mode would have drastic effects on unborn livestock, on poultry and on the countryside.
The simple need of those days, to inform the public and to gain and hold its interest and sympathy, has been allowed to grow unabated into the present far-reaching somewhat onesided propaganda front.
For several years I have been a member (and Herts area secretary) of the National Owner Drivers Association UK, whose main office is at Broad Green, Wellingborough, in Mr Fry's constituency. Now, after a lifetime as haulier physically concerned with water/air/overland transport in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and the UK, "getting off the road" enables time for literary work to be added to practical operating experience.
A well-founded booklet formed part of York Trailers Ltd " . . . If you've got it — a truck brought it ... " publicity campaign of several years ago. Whilst there is little success in going it alone, a start had to be made somewhere and York Trailers have now given permission for the information in their publication to be used as required.
Work is therefore going ahead to assemble the latest facts and other material giving the industry's side of the story.
My current line of thought is to: a. Produce and publish a book.
b. Arrange a short fact-finding visit to West Germany's Bundesverband des Deutschen Guterfernverkehrs — BDF to study their successful on-going publicity campaign.
c. Prepare an overall factual case, then approach the interested UK bodies, such as trade press, RHA, FTA, SMMT, shipping, etc., and later the media with a view towards the combined and CO -ordinated promotion/funding of a continuous nationwide programme, Whilst the economics of any excercise are of paramount importance, a one-off attempt does not meet requirements and any combined campaign must be seen to come from the vehicle operators' side of the industry. The question therefore arises as to the effectiveness of a combined one-voice sort of DIY programme by the various • haulage bodies themselves compared with the cost of a fullscale involvement with the advertising experts.
By the way, these are my opinions and not necessarily those of NODAUK.
JOHAN RICHARDS St Albans Herts