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Why won't they listen to us?
Page 10
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This week has been knee deep in news stories about one thing. "Higher fuel prices making it impossible for them to make a living"... "[Hauliers] already having used up their reserves are yet unable to pass the costs on to their customers"... "it's the most serious situation we've faced in 20 years"... Yes, of course, these quotes all refer to the pressure imposed on operators by exorbitant cost of fuel. But the curious thing is none of them is talking about the UK. This week truckers in Canada have refused to move shipments from the port of Vancouver because they can no longer make a living. As shops across the country have begun to run out of stock a mediator has proposed a deal including an immediate increase in haulage rates, a deferred increase and a fuel surcharge. The truckers are thinking about it. Their fuel, by the way, costs about 50p/lit.
Then there are the Irish. They pay 69p/lit which, according to the Irish Road Haulage Association, is not sustainable. It's demanding a 14p/lit rebate on fuel duty. And let's not forget the Hungarians, who claim they can neither work nor compete as fuel costs rise by 10%. They come closest to our costs — and our sympathies — paying 73p/lit.
Meanwhile the UK our road transport industry staggers along, paying an average 89p/lit for its diesel. And listen to the raging calm. It's time for our transport associations to drag themselves up off the mat and start fighting for a practical solution to this problem. Not something that will take five years to discuss and implement but something simple and immediate that will keep the industry alive long enough to reap the benefits of a more sophisticated charging scheme.
This week's Yardstick shows 75% of operators want a practical charging scheme which will share the burden and cut costs. And our Investigation examines the extraordinary efficiency with which the UK road transport industry operates, including successful hauliers who are scraping by on a profit margin of 0.5%.
Road transport operators all over the world are saying: "Give us essential support or lose an essential service."
"They come closest to our costs, paying 73p/lit..."
And none has an argument as strong, or a need as acute, as our own.