Scrap quotas, says FTA
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THE ROAD haulage quotas system should be scrapped at once, said Freight Transport Association international executive Dave Green.
Speaking to the FTA Nottingham and Derby divisions, Mr Green said that the restrictive system operated by some EEC member states was expensive for international traders, failed to achieve its objectives and should be scrapped immediately.
He said that the shortage of permits for operators meant additional costs, making road transport more expensive: "Secure, fast and direct service offering users economic rates means that road transport continues to be the dominant method of moving goods within the European Community.
"But the imposition of a restrictive quota system by some countries results in insufficient permits being available to meet the needs of operators, leading to additional costs and a distortion of the transport markets," he said.
This action protected established operators at the expense of newer innovative companies, he said. And there was no evidence that quotas were an effective method of protecting the railways.
"An exporter, faced with difficulties in finding a suitable haulier to carry his goods overseas, is more likely to use his own vehicles, not requiring quota permits, than to turn to railway services," he said.
The FTA's views were echoed by the House of Lords European Committee when it called for the abolition of the system, Mr Green pointed out. "The FTA believes that the abolition of quotas is of supreme importance if goods are to move freely within the Community."