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On the margin
Page 14
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Heroism and hearsay
Take a stroll with us through the little side roads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange.
It's surprising what an organisation's employees will put themselves through in the name of commerce, but there were some truly epic accounts of heroism demonstrated at last week's CMTesters Choice awards. Undaunted by the blizzard conditions, the dawn of a new ice age, woolly mammoths roaming the earth (insert your own over-reaction to snow here), the minibus driver provided by lveco braved the blizzards numerous times in the service of his employers.
But in a move that went above and beyond the call of duty, the undaunted chauffeur walked three miles through the freezing, arctic wasteland of Oxfordshire after his taxi slid off the road, just so he could drive the great and good back to their hotel. We salute you, sir.
You can't fault the Freight Transport Association for its keenness, particularly that of its redoubtable press officers, toiling away behind the scenes all unrecognised and unrewarded.
So keen are they, in fact, that as soon as an issue raises its head, we in the media can look forward to the comforting beep from our computers as fresh FTA press releases flutter into our in-boxes like a flock of homing pigeons.
Name virtually any transport-related issue (and to be honest, anything else doing the rounds in the press that they think has a transport angle which reminds us, where is the FrAs response to the Hutton Report?) and you can guarantee that there'll be a crisp, new release winging your way before you can even draw breath.
Of course, having the fastest finger on the computer's 'send' key can have its disadvantagespremature congratulation as it were as was the case last week when a typical release (lots of self-congratulatory flannel, a refusal to use a definite article before their name) came our way praising the M6 Toll's decision to out its charges for two-axle trucks.
Half an hour later, another missive from the extremely red-faced press office seems there'd been some dreadful misunderstanding and... er... the story had more holes than a tramp's socks. Too keen by half, we reckon.