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Simpler Export Documents:

24th December 1965
Page 40
Page 40, 24th December 1965 — Simpler Export Documents:
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

BECAUSE road transport is a service industry it is essential that it should at all times co-operate with its customers to a larger extent than many other industries. A distinction here, compared with manufacturing industries, is that such co-operation is necessary even during the process of "manufacturing" the service road transport provides.

Whilst the necessity of closest attention being paid by an operator to the customer's requirements in respect of the load to be carried is virtually self-evident there are opportunities and indeed a mutual need for co-operation in other respects. One of these is in respect of documentation.

For general haulage and parcel work where a variety of consignments are carried for a large number of customers in small lots it would be normal practice for the necessary documentation to be solely that devised by the operator.

But there is an increasing tendency in road haulage for work to be undertaken on contract. As a result both the amount and relatively long-duration of such traffic justifies the service provided to be tailor-made to meet the specific requirements. Once again in addition to the major requirements of types of vehicles, documentation can be mutually arranged so as to avoid duplication of both the customer's and carrier's records.

Daily Routine

Although this is daily routine for many operators the very repetitiveness of such documentation tends to belie the extent to which road transport operators are actually participating in the customer's own daily routine. This trend is developed a stage further when export traffic is being handled. Moreover the substantial growth in rollon/roll-off ferry services and other forms of exporting by road transport has heightened the need for hauliers and C-licence operators to become familiar with the necessary export documentation. As a result both the Road Haulage Association and the Traders Road Transport Association have provided—and still provide—valuable guidance to their members as to the official documentation necessary when sending vehicles abroad.

Booklet Published

A further step towards directly assisting exporters and, in turn, the carriers involved in the movement of export traffic, was taken earlier this month by the Board of Trade with its publication of a booklet entitled "Simpler Export Documents ". Whilst primarily intended for export, knowledge of its contents would be of assistance to operators handling this type of traffic.

The Board of Trade recognises at the outset that the amount of existing export paperwork is dictated by the requirements of governments and of commerce and industry involving duplication of efforts and a considerable expenditure of time and money. A committee was set up early in February, 1962, to consider this problem. In particular it set out to devise a system whereby details


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