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IRHA promises action on `cowboy firms'
Page 6
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• Irish junior transport minister Dr Jim McDaid has promised to crack down on phoenix companies as part of a wideranging attack on cowboy hauliers.
Speaking at the Irish Road Haulage Association annual conference last weekend, McDaid said the Department of Transport would be considering further sanctions against phoenix firms such as revocation and suspension. In a conciliatory speech to industry, McDaid said the government would also be using all rts powers to tackle the problem of illegal operation. On a practical level 'the highest fines possible" would be imposed on illegal operators and on consignors. This follows complaints that current fines are so small that they do nothing to deter the cowboys. The introduction of new licence discs for the transport industry would also help identify who was running outside the law, added McDaid. He also called on operators to report illegal operators to the relevant authorities.
The new president of the IRHA, Eamonn Morrissey, warned McDaid that the government should pay more than lip service" to the plight of the road haulage industry.