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Stronger transport, stronger Britain
Page 22
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CM is teaming up with Vichelin to take the pulse of the industry and make diagnoses...
THIS WEEK sees the launch of the new Commercial Motor/Michelin Business Monitor — a unique business survey designed to take the temperature of the UK road haulage industry.
As most students of business tell us, a strong road transport sector is an indication of a strong economy. In the UK, where the reliance on road transport is greater than many other European countries, this sector must thrive.
Almost 50% of operators surveyed say that they have seen an improvement in business performance in the first half of the year compared with this time last year.
The main factors given for this were that demand for haulage has increased and training and better organisation within the firm has helped companies win contracts from their competitors.
Only 2% of operators said they have seen business performance get a lot worse.
The top three most significant challenges facing operators were, unsurprisingly, the rising cost of fuel (88%), driver issues (64%) and driver shortages (33%). Other factors affecting business performance were increased legislation and Continental competition.
Roy Ely from Roy S Ely Transport comments: "Drivers wages, the rising cost of fuel and the Working Time Directive are our biggest concerns.We haven't been given enough guidance from the government on the W'TD and have no idea how we should implement it in relation to UK drivers' hour laws."
Over 70% of operators surveyed said they were against the introduction of Lorry Road User Charging; most said this was because they felt they already pay too many taxes and charges. However, 14% of operators said that if congestion is significantly reduced it might be worth the cost — only 7% expect to pass the extra cost on to their customers.
Nearly a third (32%) of operators surveyed said that due to high prices in the UK such as fuel and road tax we are less competitive than our Continental counterparts; 29% of operators believe extra costs like the LRUC will reduce our competitiveness further.