Norman conquest?
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The French haulage environment is generally similar to ours but there are several key differences, including the price of fuel. Jean-Louis Wahart (below), general secretary of the Rouen-based regional office of the Fidiration Nationale des Transpotteurs Routiers (FNTR), the French equivalent of the DIA, admits fuel prices are 10-15% lower there but claims French companies aren't much better off as they face higher costs in other areas. Employment costs, for example, typically amount to 40% of total operating costs; fuel is just 15%. So we shouldn't fear the French on this basis, he says.
Other problems faced by the french include the Working Time Directive, rising motorway tolls and the threat of cabotage by Spanish hauliers.
Just as in Britain, haulier numbers are falling, and many who remain are lucky to achieve al% profit.