Importance of road transport
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A reader asks for supporting evidence as to the importance of the road transport industry and in particular the proportion of freight moved by road and the numbers of workers employed in the industry.
Statistics given in the White Paper on Transport Policy emphasize the dominance of road transport in the movement of goods in the UK. In 1965, out of a total of 1.742m, tons moved, 1,430m. tons {82 per cent) went by road. Even when expressed on the basis of ton-miles, the road share was 60 per cent as compared with the rail share of 23 per cent. Significantly, coastal shipping was more than two-thirds the rail share, namely 16 per cent.
Any statistics giving the number of employees in any particular industry must be treated with caution as inevitably there can be overlapping, with the result that the totals for the several industries when added together can give a figure greater than the total number of people employed in the country.
But with this qualification, it is estimated that road haulage Aand B-licence operation) employs 251.000 and C-licence operation 875,000 workers. There are a further 260,000 drivers, conductors and other staff concerned in p.s.v. operation. If to these totals are added those employed in motor manufacture, sales and maintenance, together with workers in road construction and maintenance, a grand total of 2,596,000 workers in road transport is obtained for 1965. This compares with a figure of 1,880,000 for 1955.