ESSENTIAL SERVICE As a nation, Great Britain has become very
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anti-HGV: but why? I seem to recall that last year during the fuel crisis the whole of the country ground to a halt and again I ask, why? Well, let me tell you.
While the majority of HGVs were involved in the fuel blockade deliveries were scarce at supermarkets, hospitals, service stations and even pubs, leaving the public possibly unable to purchase their groceries, petrol or prescriptions, or to travel to hospital.
But if it wasn't for HGVs, how would medical equipment get to hospitals or groceries to supermarkets? Vans do not have the capacity to hold the volume of products we require.
By all means let the public continue to moan and groan, but people should remember this: if things are carried by ship and train, just exactly how do you expect goods to then get to shelves or behind the bar at the local? Would they be prepared to drive to the docks or train stations, often miles out of the way, to collect their goods? Of course rot.
Tell people to be realistic. If they would just look around their homes, at their sofas, TVs, cookers, fridge-freezers and beds, they might realise that these were all delivered to the stores via HGVs. And the majority were then delivered to front doors by a lorry of some description. But people conveniently forget this fact.
Instead of giving truckers grief, we must tell people to use their brains. Tell them to slow down to the correct speed, not to fly off slip roads in front of HGVs, and to get in lane early. This would avoid HGVs having to brake sharply and possibly jack-knifing or overturning.
And this would mean that there wouldn't be the mile-long tail-backs while the devastation is cleared away.
So where would the nation be without HGVs? I rest my case!
IMss Brown,
Brampton, Cambs.