COWBOYS IN GLASS HOUSES
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• It does not seem to ring true: 71.4% of hauliers do not think that the law is strong enough to deter cowboy operators — but they nearly all complain that the industry is hopelessly overregulated, and that the authorities hound them from pillar to post.
Is it a case of people living in glass houses and throwing stones, or just plain self-delusion? Hauliers presume that they are innocent until proven guilty: "My firm is not a cowboy firm", they will always tell you, "but old Fred round the corner has been a dodgy operator for years."
Our survey underlines just how responsible the average trucker is, and how he or she would genuinely like to see the transport industry brush up its image. The majority want tougher enforcement, due diligence allowed as a valid defence against overloading and vehicles impounded if the operator is found guilty of breaking the law. Even more of them believe that foreign operators are treated fairly by the courts.
Perhaps some form of self-policing is the answer. Freight Transport Association boss Garry Turvey is adamant that compulsory trade association membership would be a bad thing, and most of the companies we contacted in our survey thought that any changes to the law must be designed so as to ensure complete impartiality.
Certainly the suggestion that RHA and FTA advisors could help train police and traffic examiners and give experienced advice to the Department of Transport on how the law works in practice is worth considering. But any move towards a radical deregulation of the system could be disastrous.
The Licensing Authorities are getting tougher, witness Metropolitan LA Ronnie Ashford who revoked three licences just before Christmas. Their role should be enhanced and their powers made more concrete and punitive. LAs like John Mervyn Pugh keep their ears to the ground, and monitor how well their policies work on persistent offenders. The LAs know the industry and form a useful bridge between the Whitehall legislators and the operator.
One thing is for sure; hauliers want to see the huge tax revenues they generate for the Government put to better use. More, and not less, of the surplus money they push into the state's coffers every year should be used to police the haulage industry, and to corral the cowboys.