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GIVE US A CHANCE TO COMPETE

1st March 2007, Page 10
1st March 2007
Page 10
Page 10, 1st March 2007 — GIVE US A CHANCE TO COMPETE
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The market share of UK international hauliers has dropped to just 25.4%, with fierce competition growing from the French, Germans, Dutch and EU accession states in particular. It's not a great picture but it is at least one we are familiar with. And while we may not be able to halt the inexorable tide of foreign competition, we can perhaps throw some breakers up against its competitive advantage.

Road pricing should, if implemented properly, at least put a significant price on travelling trunk routes a price that foreign operators have never before paid.

The EU is also trying, yet again, to harmonise diesel taxes throughout Europe. While this probably won't lower the prohibitive taxes paid in the UK, it might at least reduce foreign operators' advantage of cheap diesel which makes it so profitable for them to deliver here.

We should not forget that the price of diesel use is not only financial but environmental. The government claims that it wants to protect our precious fuel resources and lower our carbon footprint by encouraging economical usage. High fuel duty may be punitive for industry, but it does support this argument. However if we are incentivised to watch every drop, it makes little sense to allow foreign operators to run trucks on UK roads without the same potent reminder of the resources they are burning and the air they are polluting.

Finally, every operator in this country is Licensed. We know who they are and we hold them accountable for every decision and action they take. The more foreign operators running on our soil, the more pressing the argument that we should know who they are. lf we need to, we should be able to summon maintenance records and tachograph information.

This would not be unfairit is no more than we require of our own operators in the name of road safety. The only injustice is in allowing two standards to flourish.

least put a significant price on travelling trunk routes"

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Organisations: European Union

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