'This is confrontation year', says RHA chairman
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P. H. R. TURNER CHARTS COURSE FOR HAULIERS AND PROPOSES JUNIOR ASSOCIATION
TH the Bill to give effect to the Government's White Paper on transport policy due in the summer, the future shape of the road haulage industry will be known and all the Association's energy—which is the energy of its members—will be needed to combat any provision harmful to the country's trade, says Mr. P. H. R. Turner, national chairman of the Road Haulage Association, in a New Year message to members.
All the Association's imagination and experience will, he says, be needed rapidly to prepare practical alternative plans to those of the Government which threaten to constrict road transport and replace its flexibility by "a rigid, paralysing structure".
Hauliers, he declares, have had to spend too much time in looking over their shoulders, safeguarding their rights against :he aspirations of politicians. Says Mr. Turner: "Now confrontation year has arrived and the order for 1967 is 'eyes 'ront'".
The national chairman reports that the RHA, rFic and BR have in principle accepted the idea if establishing a joint company for the transport )f sundries and smalls by road and rail. In this, :he RHA has initiated a large-scale scheme )ffering great advantages over the White Paper roposals for co-ordinating parcels and Mr. furner says he is sure that, with the goodhill of the Government, it could supply an :fficient and economic service for trade and ndustry.
lie envisages this as only the first of a series )f joint enterprises, each specializing in a parti:ular kind of traffic.
Given an assurance that the railways could rovide reliable, fast trunk transport at economic .ates and accept their traffic on sub-contract, nany hauliers would doubtless be glad to rid hemselves of the problems of running long .oad hauls. says Mr. Turner.
But it is Logical, in view of what Sir Stanley taymond has said, that the railways should cease to canvass for door-to-door traffic. Also, the task of making the railway workers see sense about Freightliner terminals is a high priority for the Government in 1967.
Turning to the possibilities of co-operation within the haulage industry, Mr. Turner suggests that one aspect of this might be achieved by a co-operative group of hauliers subscribing the capital to buy containers and set up a pool of them which would ensure them a firm stake and a recognized position in a new and rapidly growing business.
A junior RHA?
The national chairman puts forward a new plan for development of haulage management and says he would welcome comments from members.
Saying that he is particularly concerned with the training of young executives preparing to take over the management of haulage businesses, possibly from their fathers, Mr. Turner says he would like to set an organization set up to cater for their special needs. It might perhaps be called the Junior Road Haulage Association. after the style of the Junior Chambers of Commerce, or the Young Hauliers' Association. on the model of a certain political organization.
Its title is unimportant, he feels, but it has a vital part to play in the industry: its first function would he to train young executives to the standard needed to control a haulage business and its secondary role would be to introduce them to Association work and train them to take over the management from senior RHA members.
He visualizes that the junior association would meet several times a year, perhaps holding weekend seminars to be addressed by experts on subjects such as accountancy and computer techniques as well as more general aspects of operation. There might well be visits to haulage depots and other transport installations—and not only in Britain.
The association would have its own committee and would be supervised by a board of governors—perhaps elected by the RIM national council. The mechanics of the project, says Mr. Turner, would have to be worked out in detail— not forgetting the finance aspect.
Primrose sets up , braking advice panel
TO HELP operators understand the C and U braking regulations and advise them on raising braking performance to the necessary level, Primrose Group Sales has established an advisory panel consisting of Mr. G. Whitwell Harper, projects director, Mr. Eric Chadwick, chief engineer. and Mr. J. A. Moran, brake application engineer. The panel will also advise on plating regulations.
The panel is prepared to address associations or even meetings of engineers and executives of the larger transport companies.
NEW SCOTTISH FIRM
A NEW Scottish transport company, Braid Transport Ltd., has been formed by Diverse), (UK) Ltd. and Thomas Henderson and Co. Ltd., of Glasgow. On its board are Mr. H. W. Cross, chairman, Mr. A. E. Preston, Mr. J. Pearson, Mr. C. B. Henderson and Mr. J. Halley, managing director. Braid will deliver Diversey and Deosan industrial chemicals with its own fleet and its services will also be available to other manufacturers.
LOOY Change: The LDOY round at Ruislip will now be on May 21, not May 28 as formerly announced,