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Tarmac cuts slag rates
Page 7
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I A number of owner-drivers who work for tarmac are questioning what the future holds Mer the quarry giant slashed its rates for the econcl time in eight months.
A dozen operators working for South Wales)ased Tarmac Western have seen their rates Aummet by nearly 30% since July 2001. The first ::ut took the rate from 24.46/tonne to 23.50; in he past few weeks Tarmac has slashed the rate )y another 30p to 23.20/tonne.
The company says it was forced to review ts rates after haulage work dried up when :3orus ceased heavy steel production at its .lanwern plant. The latest cut, however, is due o payment terms agreed with CMI and Marine xi a contract to move slag. The slag is deliv ered wet but Civil and Marine pays a rate-pertonne based on dried quantities, One owner-driver blasts: "It's us that's paying the price for this... but their attitude is either you dolt or we get someone else to do it."
Many of the owner-drivers are tied into finance deals on their artics. The driver CM spoke to adds: 'I'm up to my neck in it [finance debts) and it's getting frightening. We're only making 297 a load and 242 of that is diesel, let alone the finance and maintenance."
Tarmac Western MD Timothy Hall claims that the cut in rates is the only way to keep the owner-drivers' scheme going: "I don't see what more we can do. It's all about sustainability," Hall says there will be no further cuts.