'Eight-hour day will hit rates'
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CUTS in productivity, increased operating costs and an inevitable rise in haulage rates will all result from the introduction of the eight-hour driving day under EEC legislation.
This claim was •made by Mr L. I. Payne, chairman of the RHA's West Midland area, at the annual dinner of the Coventry, Rugby and North Warwickshire sub-area last week.
He said that the reduction of permitted driving• hours would be the major concern of operators in the coming months. "It will mean a good deal of re-scheduling of vehicle operations with a reduction in productivity. The inevitable increase in operating costs would have to be passed on to the customer."
. Mr Payne found it difficult to understand the reasoning behind the move since no section of the industry had called for it. The regulation was simply a measure promulgated from Brussels to take care of the existing situation among the six original members, "One would have thought that the last thing required at this time was an increase in operational costs for bureaucratic reasons," he went on.
In these circumstances there was an overwhelming case for legislation to permit the use in the UK of 38 ton gross weight vehicles.. This would help keep down the overall costs of operation and reduce the total number of heavy vehicles needed to carry the same volume of goods.
Mr Payne also hit out at the other main points in the "rash of legislation now emanating from Brussels,"