Bigger road slice
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• Latest figures from the EEC show that road transport now accounts for 46.2% by weight of all freight movements in the Community — the largest share ever held by road transport.
According to a new EEC report, Europa Transport — Market Developments: "Road transport is maintaining a remarkably strong growth and proves once again that this mode of transport can adapt itself more easily to market conditions."
In the first quarter of 1986 freight movements in the Community rose by 3%, but freight movements by road transport rose by 4%, to reach 49.7 million tonnes. By contrast, freight movements by rail fell by 4%.
Britain's share of the growing Community road freight market was disappointing, however. In the first quarter of this year Britain exported 1,444,000 tonnes of freight by road, an increase of 0.1%, and imported 2,030,000 tonnes, a fall of 2.2%.
The report shows that British hauliers' total costs (when expressed in national currencies) have risen more than those of most other EEC hauliers. Between January 1982 and January 1986, hauliers total costs rose by 26.3% in Britain, by 6% in Germany, by 7.8% in the Netherlands, and 33.6% in France.
Over the same period, wage costs increased by 23.6% in the UK, by 13.5% in Germany, by 15.3% in the Netherlands, and by 46.8% in France.
Fuel costs actually rose by a greater degree in Britain than in any of our major European competitors. The mice of diesel rose by 34.7% in Britain over the period, while it actualy fell in price in Germany (down 6.3%), and the Netherlands (down 10%).
Only France experienced an increase comparable to Britain's, with a 22.6% rise over the period.