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20th december 2012
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

CM editorial director Justin Stanton jumped at the opportunity to chair an RHA management meeting Words: Justin Stanton As fuel duty and fuel prices escalated and the recession really kicked in throughout 2008, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) came in for regular attacks from precisely the type of operators you would expect to be its staunchest and most active members.

CMs letters page featured frequent calls for the RHA to do something, show some backbone, etc. Whether the criticism was warranted or not is a moot point: so much s*** was thrown that it began to stick.

Cue Geoff Dunning's promotion to chief executive in summer 2009. His plan was clear: strengthen the RHA as an association, provide services that members actually need and, with those foundations, campaign effectively.

There have been numerous victories since then, not least the successes that the FairFuelUK campaign has had, which have improved the RHA's standing. Nevertheless, Dunning remains keen to highlight all the different ways in which the RHA helps its members and the industry. Thus, he approached me with a surprising proposal: "Justin, how would you like to run the RHA for a day?"

I jumped at the opportunity. We decided that the best way forward was for me to chair the board of management meeting on 31 October at Roadway House in Peterborough. My recollections of that day follow.

The day itself The meeting is due to kick off at 9am. I arrive at 8.20am. Already in the meeting room are: John Howells, southern and eastern director; Phil Flanders, Scotland and Northern Ireland director; and Steve Biddle, northern director. As the clock hands edge closer to 9am, so the others begin to appear: Nick Payne, Midlands and western director; Richard Ellithorne, operations director; Jack Semple, director of policy; Kate Gibbs, head of media relations; Dunning and his assistant Chris Seaton; and last, but by no means least, Sheikh Ali, the director of finance.

Dunning brings the meeting to order: the first point on the agenda is the five-year strategy. To function effectively, the board must have as clear a view as possible of the climate in which it will operate in the future.

The main points of the five-year outlook are these: • fewer operators running fewer vehicles; • more regulation; • more LHVs; • the trend towards maximising utilisation will continue; • the predicted driver shortage will kick in by 2017; • there'll be increasing volumes of domestic freight movement carried out under cabotage; • and the less than 3.5-tonne CV market will expand.

There then ensues an important debate about RHA membership: should the association chase quantity rather than quality, and should it set criteria for new members to meet?

While any operator can, in theory, join the RHA, membership is subject to approval by the regional councils (there are about four refusals a year). Also, membership ends if your business enters into an arrangement with creditors.

After everyone has had their say, it's agreed that the RHA's rules will be reviewed to give the board some discretion and that the code of conduct will also be reviewed. Dunning says: "The RHA should be there to help any operator who wants to be compliant and run a reputable business."

Next up, Flanders highlights concerns about the consistency of Transport Manager CPC marking. Head of training Steve Ellis is liaising with both the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport and the Freight Transport Association, and talking to CPC marking board OCR.

Ali then delivers the crucial finance report, noting that, despite a decline in membership numbers, the number of vehicles in membership is increasing.

Overall, the RHA is in fairly rude health — especially given the state of the economy. Ali then runs through the 2013 budget. He says that the combination of the revitalised legal services arm and a focus on recruiting new members should reverse the decline in membership numbers. The training business is expected to enjoy a substantial boost next year, which is necessary given that the RHA's costs will increase to cover building improvements and a 10% hike in postage fees.

The next two points on the agenda are handled by Semple. First, he notes that while membership is for a company, the engagement with the RHA is personal: so what happens when an MD of an RHA member retires? Semple proposes a form of personal membership for those who have retired. "They could be a resource for the RHA to tap into," he ventures.

The proposal is unanimously welcomed, and Ellithorne is tasked with turning it into reality.

Then Semple turns to the key part of his role: policy. Given the number of different bases he proceeds to cover, it sounds like he and his team are in and out of the corridors of power on an almost hourly basis, and it appears there's nary a government consultation that the RHA doesn't respond to.

He brings the board up to date on the latest discussions with the Treasury: both the fuel duty fight and the question of what happens to the net revenue raised by the proposed HGV Road User Levy (the RHA has suggested it should be used for the promotion of secure parking, as a top-up for Vosa's enforcement work, or as funds for training).

Semple reveals that he expects the consultation on the speed limit for LGVs on single-carriageway A-roads to go live soon [which it did just a week later — Ed].

He declares: "This may be the only chance we'll ever get [to raise the limit], so we need to mobilise members and their drivers." He wants to take members and their drivers to Westminster for a meeting with the minister he reasons that truck drivers who have witnessed and suffered at the hands of frustrated motorists' suicidal overtaking manoeuvres will provide compelling testimonies that will be hard to ignore.

Further debates Other discussions include those with Transport for London, which is keen to remain engaged with the freight transport industry in the aftermath of the Olympics; with Defra over clean air proposals; and with the DfT over cycle safety (another that has proved fruitful — the mandatory imposition of safety sensors was ruled out by the DfT, as reported in CM, 1 November).

Another highlight is the number of points being debated with Vosa and traffic commissioners (TCs), whether it be a detailed discussion with senior TC Beverley Bell on the statutory guidance issued at the end of 2011, or pushing for vehicle testing to be available for the private sector.

Semple asks the regional directors to request more evidence from members of the (in)consistency of Vosa enforcement, while Dunning reveals that the TCs have suggested that there should be discussion on an industry standard for compliance audits.

With the policy update done, we move on to member services with details from Dunning and Ellithorne. The latter reveals that 57 members, operating a total of 300 vehicles, have signed up to RHA Insure; he expects this service to be an effective member retention tool.

Dunning then reveals that the Carbon Trust has approached the RHA with proposals for spreading environmental best practice. After a debate, it is agreed that he should go back to the Carbon Trust to see if its ideas can be developed further.

Employment services manager Pete Butler then delivers a presentation on the development of RHA employment services. The scope is broad but useful: drink and drugs testing; HR health checks and seminars; and recruitment support.

The meeting closes with a review of plans for an overhaul of the RHA's IT and improving internal communication. • REFLECTIONS So what did I learn about the RHA? The board of management are all capable individuals, each committed to their responsibilities and members.

There were no obvious 'office politics': key points were debated but agreement was reached Cheated agreement' is one of Dunning's catchphrases, coined from chairing these meetings).

The day confirmed the many touch-points that the RHA has (with members and both central and local government); it was also instructive to be reminded of how involved the policy team is with all those that seek to regulate transport.

If you're a member, I have no doubt your stake is in safe hands. I don't expect my words will convince the nay-sayers that the RHA has a valid and vital role to play, but I can assure you there were no fat cats counting down to retirement or pay-offs lounging round the table.

The outlook for the economy remains tough and the board will need to continue to work hard to maintain and build on the RHA's foundations, while delivering the services and support its members need to survive.


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