Minimum rates needed — now!
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-HERE is a lot of rubbish spoken ibout who is to blame for this ecession. Some people claim t's the PM's fault others say it's Jorman Fowler's fault, and here are those who shout it's he licensing willy-nilly free-forill attitude.
The so-called clever ones ioint at the owner-drivers. I'm ed up to the teeth with these leople who are now living in ilasshouses, because in the last aw months it has been proved hat the owner-driver is the last ine to blame; he has suffered lore than anybody.
Even the chairman of the RHA yes in the land of dreamers; he epeatedly states that each :perator must set his own rates y his own costings. Just how in lod's name does he think we lake our rates? Off the handiest ingo card? It's time he faced up 3 the reality of the times. Very ?.w operators are making a real rot it,
I don't claim to be able to reolve our present problems, but will try to do the best I can, long with the Thames Valley Iwner-Drivers Association, the lational Owner-Drivers Associaon, and the BAOD, to try every venue open to us, to get a linimum operating rate for veryone in the transport indusy.
A lot of hauliers keep saying lat your association has no ?.eth, or won't do anything for ou. Well, here is one associaon and group of operators who ?fuse to let the grass grow uner their vehicles, or refuse to ut their rates.
The owner-driver side of our idustry is about 48 per cent, it's p to the rest of you as well as le owner-driver to get it toether, and if you don't join us in is fight within two years you ,on't have a transport industry only the NFC, NC, BRS, Wilnson and Carryfast, who have )untless millions of pounds to
spend in making themselves even stronger.
The Office of Fair Trading • told me I would be breaking the law if I did manage to fix a minimum rate between ourselves and someone else. So I will now re-direct my attentions and requests to the one person who has got the position and rank to implement these badly needed minimum rates (not standard rates) — our very own Transport Minister, Norman Fowler.
It would take some time to draft a rough outline on any type of rates, and to get most of us to agree on them. It would have to take into consideration the different type of service offered by each company, and so on, but it has got to be done whether we like it or not.
It's not a battle of politics but a battle of survival.
The recession has seen off a lot of cowboys, but it's also making a lot of good hard working and long standing operators into cowboys; it's the only way left open to some of them so they can stay alive.
If you are an owner-driver or if you can see the reality of what I've said, show your support and write either to myself, or direct to Mr Fowler, or come along to one of our monthly meetings, held at 5pm-7pm on the first Saturday of each month in The Community Centre, Farnham Road, Slough, Berkshire.
You see we haven't forgotten why we were formed; we charge £25 per member per annum, and we have many amenities, including cheap diesel, big discounts on tyres, and two 24-hour breakdown services, and have just opened up our own warehouse and depot.
Manufacturers know that we can offer them the best type of service, as we call on such a vast selection of .different size vehicles, and we get jobs done right away.
We all sign a code of conduct and stick to it and we don't cut each other's throats.
KEITH HENDERSON Chairman Thames Valley Owner-Drivers Association 156 Lowfield Road Reading, Berkshire