• A Department of Transport cabotage survey indicates that the
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"cabotage penetration rate of foreign operators in the UK" is just 0.06%—a figure which some British hauliers are bound to question.
The survey, carried out earlier this year by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB), targeted 1,019 drivers of foreign-registered trucks at the Ashford Services Truckstop as they left the UK.
Only 3% said they had carried out cabotage work while in the UK; most of these had only picked up a single consignment.
However, some UK operators will question the integrity of the data. The BMRB report states that some Eastern European drivers were "somewhat vague" about the work that they had done in Britain (although these accounted for less than 3% of those sampled).
The report also admits that "only a few drivers interviewed had their journey documentation with them in the rest area".
While the Road Haulage Association had some input at the early stages of the survey, national chairman John Bridge remains sceptical about the results. He claims the sample should have been broader and says: "it doesn't reflect the reality of what is happening day-in and day-out—even members of the general public remark on how many foreign trucks are on the roads these days."
On a typical day at Ipswich docks up to 27% of domestic loads are carried by foreignregistered vehicles, he adds.