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
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
Strong pound yields rich permit harvest
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE RISING POUND has brought British hauliers big increases in French haulage permits and the lifting of restrictions on own-account work in France.
Transport Minister Norman Fowler announced this week that the French Government has conceded increases from 43,500 to 51,500 general quota permits and has raised the cooperation quota from 13,000 to 18,500.
The French have also lifted the requirement for ownaccount vehicles to have permits.
In his announcement Mr Fowler says that the increases are the result of meetings of the Anglo-French Joint Committee on Road Transport and it is thought that the rising pound has made journeys to Britain more attractive for French hauliers, making the French Government more willing to give extra permits.
During previous negotiations the French have maintained that until French hauliers are taking a 50 per :ent share of the trade between the two countries they would not allow a substantial increase in the number of French permits.
Now that Sterling is aronger against the French ranc, French hauliers are 'inding that journeys to 3ritain are becoming profitible and it is thought that the :rade has reached the point where French hauliers are arrying a substantial proporIon of goods.
It is also expected that in )ecember the International toad Freight Office in New:astle will announce that 3ritain has not used all its ,rench permits — this could nean that the quota of permits or 1980 might be as much as i0 per cent greater than this rear.
Department of Transport igures for the rises in permits ire 42 per cent co-operation [uota rise and 18 per cent for he general quota.
In addition to the quota rise or 1980, IRFO is to make .vailable 3000 supplementary iermits for the remainder of 979 under the general quota nd an extra 1000 under the co-operation quota and for these operators should write to the IRFO at Westgate House, Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
And until the end of the year when permits are no longer necessary, own-account operators may also apply for these permits.
But after the relaxation of restrictions on own-account traffic those operators will have to carry a special document similar to that already needed for Austria and West Germany.
The Department of Transport says that the details of the liberalisation have still to be worked out — but this has not prevented an enthusiastic welcome for the news.
One haulier told CM: "It's not the end of permits — but it's certainly a step in the right direction."