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Bosses warn: ED is industry death knell
Page 8
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• by Jennifer Ball An alarming 17% of fleet managers have warned that their firms will go out of business when the Working Time Directive is introduced in 2005.
The shocking figure is revealed in this year's Lex Transfleet Report which says that more than half of the companies surveyed believe it will nave a negative impact on business and profits.
In addition the survey shows 7hat 40% of truck drivers will
quit the industry over the next five years due to poor working conditions. While drivers like the freedom of the job they detest the congestion, poor pay, unsociable hours and the lack of respect that they get from other road users, says the report.
Its findings mirror those of previous studies suggesting that the industry will be short of 80,000 HGV drivers by 2007.
Already more than 71% of fleet managers say they are concerned about staff shortages, with more than half having difficulties in recruiting drivers.
Fears were also raised over worsening congestion, with 86% of respondents believing that jams will get worse over the next 10 years, despite the government's 10-year transport plan.
Almost half of fleet managers said that they have already been forced to change routes, with 44% forced into changing delivery times because of gridlock.
Lex Transfleet MD David Smith says: "Operators which struggle to pass on increased costs to customers have been cutting costs for a long while now, to the point that some have gone bust and others are hanging on by a thread. Operators simply can't win. It's time the government accelerated its support of the industry which is the lifeblood of the UK economy,"