1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144 
New RHA boss says fuel is the priority
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
CM COVER STORY JUST DAYS AFTER taking the reins as the new chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), Geoff Dunning has told CM he will make the trade association's "voice heard" when it comes to political lobbying.
With fuel duty campaign group TransAction reviewing the possibilities of protest action Mel duty hike incenses road transport industry', CM 30 April) and the Freight Transport Association continuing its Every Penny Counts campaign, Dunning insists that the major political issue the RHA faces is "fuel and fuel duty':
"We find it very frustrating that the government targets fuel duty on everything. We have to find a way of making sure the truck is treated differently to the car, be that through an essential user rebate, changing VAI' rates or a fuel-duty regulator."
Dunning has been joint chief executive of the RHA since I May and took sole charge following the retirement of Roger King on 21 May So far this year, the RHA has unveiled plans to consolidate backoffice staff at its Peterborough offices, resulting in 12 job losses in Weybridge, as well as revealing a £1.6m deficit and a £100,000 drop in membership subscriptions in 2008.
Dunning believes he has already made changes to make the RHA a more effective organisation" but they will not affect the service that members receive.
"My priority is to demonstrate to hauliers large and small that their membership has benefits that more than justify the fee."
• See CM next week for the full interview with Dunning.