Grim future for agric hauliers
Page 4
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MANY of the hauliers specialising in agricultural transport could go out of business this winter unless the economy picks up.
This grim warning was sounded this week by Mr J. B. Hempsall, vice-chairman of the Road Haulage Association's agricultural group.
He told CM that the generally poor harvests throughout the country, particularly the disastrous grain crop, would have a "severe impact" on operators after Christmas.
Mr Hempsall, managing director of Hempsall Transport, Newark, said that his company was reasonably busy at the moment, but that he was not happy about the prospects from late February onwards.
Grain has by far the biggest share of the agricultural haulage market. Although the work is seasonal there is usually enough work to keep hauliers going as farmers gradually sell off their crops to the mills.
But this year the yields have been cut in half in the worst hit areas—and that means big trouble for the operators.
"Quite simply, the stuff is not there for us to carry and we estimate that our own business could be down by as much as 50 per cent," said Mr Hempsall.
"This problem is aggravated by the fact that the farmer will have that much less cash to spend and will be reducing the amount of, for example, fertiliser, he would normally use. And again we suffer because we would cart the fertiliser."
Mr Hempsall said that once all the available grain was sold off by the farmers, and that is likely to be fairly quickly since the need the cash, then work would just dry up until the harvest in August 1976.
"Almost inevitably things are going to be bad, and business will be significantly down. The choice is either to cut back the fleet or look for other business in the general haulage sector." Economic recovery would help the agricultural men since they might be able to pick up some of the extra general work. "Unless the economy takes an upturn by May or June then a lot of hauliers are going to be in trouble."
One of Kent's largest agricultural hauliers, Henley Transport Ltd, of Paddock Wood, also see problems ahead.
Mr J. Henley, managing director, told CM his company would be busy up until Christmas. "But after that we don't like the look of things at all and business will certainly not be rosy for at least six months."
He said that he knew of a "fair number" of hauliers who had already gone out of business and he had been compelled to cut his 60-strong fleet by six vehicles.
Now see page 51 for a full breakdown of the position. THERE were some red faces in BRS Parcels Ltd and in the parent National Freight Cor poration last week when a Tory MP, Mr Robert Adley (Christchurch and Lymington), revealed in a speech that a change of name for the company was in the pipeline.
Mr Adley declared : "From the information I have the change will mean repainting the new name on all their vehicles, the redrafting and possibly renegotiating of contracts and 'other changes in documentation. It is difficult to believe that with the country's economy in the state it is that up to £3 millions could be spent in this way at such a time."
It is a fact that the staff of BRS Parcels Ltd were recently advised that a change of name was under discussion and that, if and when a decision was reached, they would be advised. At such a time, a general announcement to the Press would be indicated.