1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136 
.et's get ogether
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
VAS interested to read RHA airman John Silbermann's aws, as reported in CM A/ember 3. While many mer-drivers will agree with me of his views, there are my who feel that he proached the problem from wrong end.
The owner-driver cannot. pose whether to be proprietor driver', he must be both, at all les. It would be wrong for ler hauliers or for the trades ions to think of him as cutce opposition on the grounds it "he pays no wages and has overheads".
The owner-driver must pay roself more than an employed ver, to cover both holidays I sickness or accident. His ming costs may well be far her because he cannot obtain discounts available to fleet ners on essentials he has to chase, including the truck :If.
He does, as Mr Silbermann rs, have the option of aching himself to a "mother 1" company who will find his traffic and sell him some his essential supplies. But ne hens are greedier than ers, and many owner-drivers re lived to regret having put their eggs under one hen.
s indeed was one of the main sons for the formation of the tish Association of Owner vers.
-Iowever, few of the BAOD mbers had been given the e, or the detailed informa1, to weighing the advanes or disadvantages of cornunder the RHA banner, ing the negotiations between BAOD and the RHA, t was unfortunate that at the e of these negotiations, two he principal elected officers he RHA were connected with wanies that had long been arded in the minds of many
"small operators as beingless than generous in their dealings with their sub-contractors.
The answer, taken again. from Mr Silbermann's own words, is for the formation of more local owner-driver associations. These bodies are completely autonomous, and manage to police their members very effectively, thus ensuring that every card-carrying member is properly licensed, properly insured and complying with a code of conduct far more stringent than any RHA member has ever been required to sign. Where they can set up their own freight offices, as limited companies, they have access to fleet discounts, and to the advantages of professional management representation to customers and to suppliers.
If all RHA members with work to sub-contract to ownerdrivers were to use only bona fide members of a local ownerdrivers association, affiliated to BAOD, then they would know that it was in the hands of a professional.
Even better in areas with an owner-driver freight office, would be to channel all dealings through them, because this means only one call, no matter how many vehicles required.
The Thames Valley OwnerDrivers Freight Services Ltd, by whom I am employed, was formed by members of the Thames Valley Owner Drivers Association entirely with their own capital. In our first year we have achieved a considerable turnover, yet we have received no complaints from neighbouring hauliers of rate cutting or customer stealing. Indeed we have frequently sub-contracted our work overload to local RHA members.
This company has, itself, joined the RHA and takes an active part at sub-area level. Several of our members are themselves members of the RHA, but we have some who are still fundamentally opposed to the RHA and we have to respect their views.
I am sure that when more areas have opened these freight offices, they will re-vitalise the BAOD. Commercial cooperation between areas will _cement over all old cracks and strengthen the whole structure.
This industry has long been too divided, while our mutual enemies pick us off, one by one. Let the RHA try helping the owner-drivers, without trying to swallow them whole; and let us all pull together to fight the anti-lorry brigade, not each other.
DAVID J. RAMER, General Manager, Thames Valley OwnerDrivers Freight Services Ltd, Bedfont, Middlesex