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ROADS TAKEN

22nd November 2007
Page 58
Page 58, 22nd November 2007 — ROADS TAKEN
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Haulage, Bleak

VVe spoke to half a dozen leading figures in road transport about how

they became involved in the industry — and what advice they would give to newcomers. David Harris reports.

Haulage is hard graft. Profit margins are slim, hours are long, red tape lengthens every year and the UK industry abours under what it sees as criminally high 'uel tax. Add in competition from foreign iauliers that have cheaper fuel and operate mder a less rigorous legislative regime and :hings can seem pretty bleak.

But not bleak enough to put off many mthusiastic new entrants to the business, or wen those who have been in it for years. Ask my of the leading figures in the haulage ndustry whether they would do it all over again and the answer is almost certain to be yes. Haulage might have lost some of the romance of the open road it had 50 years ago — if only because the roads are much more congested—but it is still a career that many in the business have no regrets about entering.

Diversity of backgrounds

We asked six leading figures how they came to be where they are today.The diversity of backgrounds is marked.They include a former army Corporal who rose to run a big Somerset haulier, a man who as a lad dreamed of being a rugby international and now finds himself heading the biggest freight trade organisation, a former MP who has found himself returning to the transport business after leaving Parliament, and a leading female haulier who chose a career in haulage above staying at home with her small children.

It's a mixed and impressive bunch. And the themes running through the advice they give to those who wish to get on in the industry are unsurprising: work hard, choose the right company to work for and don't let a setback set you back.That, and wish for a lot of luck. •

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