• Newcomers to the road transport industry face fierce competition
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as well as a financial and legal maze, so they need all the help they can get. With this in mind, Commercial Motor has joined forces with the Road Haulage Association to produce a concise but comprehensive guide to getting started as an operator.
The idea was born during talks between CM and the RHA about the standard of professionalism of people involved in the industry: "Everyone, including the RHA, is quick to criticise the shortcomings of those in the industry who get it wrong on some of the most basic aspects of haulage regulations and management," says RHA director general Bryan Colley.
The CM/RHA Starter Pack has been produced to counter criticism that the industry is not doing enough to ensure a better level of competence in new entrants. "Newcomers can be vulnerable because, lets face it, in terms of
knowledge the CPC really only gives a veneer rather than the depth which comes only with experience," says Colley.
DEVELOPMENT We believe that what is needed at this stage in the development of a haulier's business is a simple, quick-reference guide which directs him or her to the essential haulage management information in intelligent, non-legal language," he adds.
The CM/RHA Starter Pack covers 10 areas of knowledge which are vital for today's professional haulier. Each information card deals with a single subject in a concise and easy-to-read form. Topics covered include business finance, licensing, insurance, truck finance and maintenance as well as speed limiters and tachographs. Advice is also given on the best way to buy fuel and how to get the best out of your truck's livery. Each card
contains contact numbers and addresses of organisations that can provide further information and help on each topic and a glossary explains legal terms used in the transport industry.
The pack is seen as the first single easy-to-read reference source which can be used by would-be hauliers or those who have just gained their 0-licence. It was launched in London this week by Roads and Traffic Minister Kenneth Carlisle.
Initially 1,200 packs will be sent to new-entrant hauliers with fewer than five vehicles. They will also be on sale through Traffic Area Offices, RHA district offices and through the pages of Commercial Motor.
"This pack has two targets," says Commercial Motor editor Brian Weatherley_ "The first is those who have just been granted their licence. It supplements what they have learned in the CPC to provide them with a ready reference and simple reminder of what they promised to do when they agreed to be a professional haulier. The second is people who are thinking of applying for an 0-licence for the first time".
INFORMATION
Each of the information cards is sponsored by companies which are either directly involved in, or have close links with, the subjects covered. The sponsors were also able to give expert advice during the preparation of each card's text. "We have been delighted with the support we have gained from people within the industry," says Weatherley. "The likes of Leyland Daf, NFC, Goodyear and Lucas Kienzle have backed the project — not only because they see it as a potential sales platform, but more importantly they are prepared to sponsor the education of fledgling road hauliers. For all those people who say the industry should be doing more to ensure a better level of professionalism this is the first step: it is designed to help new operators become more professional and stay legal."
Any move to boost professionalism within the road haulage industry is welcomed by Rob McHugh of Owner Operators UK. He estimates that about a quarter of owner-drivers entering the industry will go bust within the first year, and cites lack of business training as the main factor in those failures.
"Most of the people who are new into the industry have not got the faintest idea of what they are getting into," says McHugh. "There is not enough of the right sort of help for the prospective haulier. The Licensing Authorities could do an awful lot more to ensure that a person is getting involved in the haulage industry for the right reasons and has the business."
Owner Operators UK represents about 2,500 members nationwide, and McHugh says he is seeing stark evidence of the squeeze on rates and business. The association does not support credit accounts on its breakdown service without direct debit authorisations, but on last month's direct debit run 22% was returned unpaid.
"These people just have not got the money," he says. "Perhaps they themselves have not been paid, and this situation is getting worse. For as long as you have owner-drivers coming into the business who do not know what they are doing, who do not know what their vehicle costs are, and do not know whether they are getting a good rate or not, these problems will continue. I am all for encouraging people to enter the business as long as that encouragement is tempered with a realistic assessment of what the real world is like. Only this will weed out the men from the boys."
The Starter Pack aims to go some way toward addressing the problems facing people such as McHugh's members. The RHA estimates that more than 75% of all existing 0-licence holders can be classed as small operators, and there is a well documented demand for more information and help on a wide variety of topics, particularly business and legal matters.
Until now there has been no single source of reference available to would-be hauliers and first-time licence holders: as a result many operators have had no option but to gain their knowledge through practical experience. That, says Colley, can be an extremely painful process: "That's what the CM/RHA Starter Pack is all about," he concludes, "helping those who need help and pointing them in the direction of financial as well as road safety."
by Paul Newman