AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

LETTER OF THE WEEK

27th September 2012
Page 16
Page 16, 27th September 2012 — LETTER OF THE WEEK
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Price rise will take its toll on hard-pressed hauliers

I READ WITH astonishment that the Department for Transport (DfT) is increasing the Dartford crossing tolls by a staggering 35% from October this year. For hauliers such as ourselves who use the route daily it will mean an extra increase in costs of approximately £6,760 per annum. This will be nothing in comparison to some larger hauliers, but is still very damaging at a time when everyone is looking for savings, not increases, in costs.

As always, the haulier will have to dig deep and ind the additional cost but, with long delays and aged technology, what are we getting for this extra cost for the rest of 2012 and 2013? We pay now for work the DfT will carry out to improve services to the transport industry in 2014 – when they will charge us even more – how does that work? The DfT knows it has people who have no alternative to using the crossing.

Again, it’s another cost we the haulier will struggle to pass on, but no one gives that a second thought.

This increase will have a massive knock-on effect on the UK transport industry. Does anyone in government care, or are we just going to be continually used as a cash cow until there isn’t any more transport industry to destroy?

Kevin Hopper MD, Brian Yeardley Continental


comments powered by Disqus