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FERRYMAN?
commiEN'ir According to Abraham Lincoln: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time." President Lincoln's words have a special significance for the ferry companies who face being sued by British international road hauliers after ganging up to raise a 10% freight levy. For once the European Commission has got it right, although one has to ask why it took it two years to decide that the surcharges are unlawful. If our own Office of Fair Trading had the same powers as the Commission to deal with anti-competitive activities the case needn't have gone to Brussels and could have been resolved sooner. When the surcharges were first levied, in 1992, the Road Haulage and Freight Transport Associations went as far as they could to denounce them, short of accusing the ferry companies of operating a cartel. Considering the implications of the dreaded "C" word, and the UK libel laws, they probably went as far as they could. After all those denials it now looks like the named ferry companies did work together on an anti-competitive basis when they all imposed a 10% surcharge following a devaluation of the pound. But the row isn't over yet. The Ferry companies may appeal against the EC's decision, which means that even more time will be lost as lawyers and bureaucrats slug it out. If the Commission is proved right, however, UK international operators will want to pursue them for compensation. As Lincoln no doubt knew, you can fool the people some of the time—but when they find out they're going to want to get even.
Next week, due to increasing costs, we've had to raise the price of Commercial Motor by 5p. But we don't take your loyally lightly and, like every good haulier, we're determined to offer the best deal for your money. That's why in next week's issue your El .20p will bring you the first UK test of Hino's new tipper; a free pull-out wallchart on HGV braking regs; Part 1 of the first ever guide to UK public weighbridges; and a look at the latest ADR regs. And that's in addition to our usual mix of the news and features that will help keep you profitable, professional and legal. We think you'll find it's worth the extra shilling.