AGGRESSIVE ATTITUDE • It was with pleasure and confusion that I read your "Comment" column (CM 19-25 January).
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All the positive and favourable comments you made about associations and their membership relate very closely to everything Transfrigoroute has been doing and saying for some years now.
With our aggressive attitude to standards, we are naturally very selective regarding members. However we are quick to recognise those potential members who may not yet meet our minimum standards but are enthusiastic enough to be guided, encouraged and raised to a level in keeping with their peers. My confusion arose in reading about the Road Haulage Association's new probationary period. You say this has some sense and is positive, but it can really be regarded only as a sideways move.
Is the RHA saying that, once the probationary period is successfully completed then membership is guaranteed for as long as required? Why does it not have continuous review of its members and standards? It is pointless to have a probationary period if the member can be dismissed shortly afterwards for infringing rules, standards and so on, and equally pointless and destructive to allow members to have indefinite membership after surviving the probationary period.
At Transfrigoroute, members know from the outset that their peers are continually working with them and watching the quality of equipment and standards of operation.
While members recognise that membership carries a certain prestige, which they can use to sell their company and services, they fully understand that if they were to be seen to be dismissed from the association this could have disastrous repercussions on their image. To the credit of our members, this has not yet happened_
We are very pleased that the FTA and RHA are now following our lead and talking positively about codes of conduct for members. For some years we have had one designed to control but encourage members to greater heights of professionalism.
Graham K C Eames, Chairman, Transfrigoroute (UK), Spalding, Lincolnshire.