Haulage: all good fun — or is it?
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I WAS INCENSED by Irene Coates's remarks (CMJanuary 23) regarding hauliers and operators. There are enough laws and regulations for these men to comply with, without these sort of remarks of — quote "butch and macho men who buy and drive lorries to scare and terrify pedestrians," unquote — being made.
Can you imagine someone going to a commercial dealer and buying a lorry (which is greatly expensive) to chase pedestrians down the road?
Perhaps she should realise that most of the commodities in her home are delivered to her local shops and warehouses by these "butch and macho" drivers. These so-called maniacs are driving through the night, often in bad weather conditions (and certainly they have had atrocious weather during the last month, for which they deserve a medal) to get goods tc their destination for Mrs Coates and her fellow compatriots.
What about the drivers who were stranded recently during the snow, ice and freezing fog; did they do this for fun? No, Mrs Coates, they do it for a living and to give a valuable service to the community.
We haulirs, in Lincolnshire especially, specialise in produce, and these drivers get FRESH produce from the farms to the UK markets, sometimes within 12 hours of it leaving the farms. It's alright for someone to go into a shop or supermarket and buy cauliflowers, a tin of peas or any other items, but perhaps they should realise what lies behind getting the product there in the first place.
This service is something the railways cannot do, so there is no competition in that field.
General goods, while in a different class, are also transported through the night to arrive at warehouses and shops in the early morning, whether they are situated in cities, towns and elsewhere.
So stop knocking road haulage, Mrs Coates, and give praise where it's due.
HAZEL E. COLLIER Co-director R. Collier Ltd Boston, Lincs