Rates Increase Warning By RHA Chairman
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AWARNING about road haulage rates came from the national chairman of the Road Haulage Association, Mr. A. R. Butt, at the annual dinner of the RHA Western area in Bristol on Friday. Hauliers could not run their businesses in the way demanded of them unless the revenue they received was at least adequate, said Mr. Butt.
He went on: "It is a certain fact that hauliers are finding it extremely difficult to balance their budget at present. We have been faced with ever-increasing costs which are outside our control, and also the tendency for wages in transport undertakings to be brought more into line with industry generally.
"While we would . like to absorb these costs by increased productivity, we are in the unfortunate position in the main that increasing our productivity is very difficult indeed in the present circumstances.
"The vehicles cannot be much larger, or the speeds much higher, and increased costs outside our control will, I am afraid, have to be met—and very soon now—with increased rates.
"We have absorbed so much in the past that there is virtually no margin left to absorb more."
Mr. Butt also made a strong attack on the proposed Channel tunnel. He said it would be an expensive anachronism with many serious disadvantages, even before it was completed. The money which was to be spent on it should be used for transport projects designed to help the export drive; projects such as the Hovercraft and improving approaches to ports which were rollon/roll-off terminals.
The RHA chairman also expressed a hope that one of the guests that evening (Mr. J. Ft. C. Samuel-Gibbon, Western Licensing Authority) would use his influence with the Ministry to support the RHA suggestion that vehicle examiners should be provided with a defects report as well as the GV9 form, so that the word "prohibition" could be reserved for the immediate GV9.