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NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE?
Page 3
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So that was 2006. Hard conditions, hard graft and, for some, hard luck, Looking back over this year it diff icuq to see how conditions have improved for UK road transport, at least on the ground. We've seen extensive lobbying of government following the Burns Inquiry and the determination of the Road Haulage Task Force. But what have we won? In principle the government has taken on messages about cabotage and the effect of unfair competition on UK tradebut that didn't stop it slapping on more fuel duty This government's policy has never been to throw money at the industry: it believes in the leg up, not handout approach which would once have been considered a Conservative policy statement. But it has put money into education and training; Freight Best Practice has much to offer, but unfortunately seems doomed to preach to the converted. Those operators who seek out best practice are not those most in need of help. Many would argue that the government would be better incentivising new technologies: not least Euro-5. But perhaps we should face facts: those operators prepared to invest in the future and who prove most adaptable to difficult conditions will survive 2007. If you can't see past the sticker price to the fuel savings a modern truck could bring, if you can't see that you need to get your guys plugged in to digital tachographs, if you can't see that driver training could reduce your costs, perhaps you should be in an industry with looser margins and more reason for blind optimism.
"The roads will become safer again as digital tachographs stop hours abuses"
One of the more positive stories to come out of 2036 has to be enforcement. We are closer than ever to cracking down on dodgy foreign operators and penalising the cowboys. There is still work to be done, but the tools are coming together. And the roads will become safer again as digitachs stop hours abuses that were previously undetectable.
As 2006 ends we'd like to pay tribute to all those fantastic firms that fell to fuel duty and rising costs. But we'd also like to salute the successes. To all of you, from the biggest f irms to those owner-drivers who fiercely told us "we will survive" happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.