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Sean Clarke, managing director of independent truck dealer Ml Commercials,
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finds that while the single European market might be all about free trade, it seems to be littered with barriers when it comes to importing trucks from the Continent..
• To sound off about a road transport issue write to Patric Cunnane (patric.cunnane* rbi.co.uk) or fax your views (up to 600 words) to tacky Clarke on 020 8652 8912.
lir ImhaaivnelainudstEruertouprneewdhferroemi wa tahsreoeo-vdinagy tvoi sbitutyo my
I first called in to my friendly Iveco dealer in Holland to order 10 new Iveco 8018 7.5-tonne chassis with sleeper cabs and 4.8m wheelbases, and 10 Iveco 35C13 and 35C11 vans. I was armed with my copy of Commercial Motorcontaining lveco's statement: "There is no edict from Iveco that says its Continental dealers must not sell to independent importers in the UK."
Did this statement from Iveco help me in any way? Not a bit. I was told that the Iveco factory would not accept orders for right
hand-drive vehicles of this specification for Holland. This is because they know these trucks are going to the UK via Holland and they do not want this to happen. [ reminded them of what the European Commission said in the same article but this did not make any difference.
The same thing happened with tractive units and multi-wheeler from Volvo in Belgium and Oaf in Holland. The Daf dealer in Holland said he was still waiting to deliver five sleeper-cab FL 451803 whic my company ordered six months ago. They are now five weeks !at It was only last month that DaimlerChrysler was fined €70m by the European Commission for not supplying cars from one EU country to another EU country and controlling the price. You wouk think that such massive penalties would bring about some change, but there's no sign of any yet.
am only a small player in a big commercial truck world but I have, through bringing trucks into the UK direct from Continental Europe, effectively driven down the price of the vehicle to the end user. Forthat, the manufacturers consider me someone who is best avoided. Their actions cannot possibly be justified.
What the manufacturers are doing to my company and me is wrong and against the spirit of the law of Europe, but what can I ck I could go to court but I am told I would need about 250,000 to get the ball rolling and would have to wait six years for a decision. Tha is too long and too costly, and I have not started buying trucks in Europe in order to end up in court.
I believe I deserve compensation for all the profit I have lost through not being able to supply chassis, but how will i get this?
The manufacturers close ranks and do not tell the truth when aske questions about buying trucks in Europe.
The time has come for customers in the UK to take control by nc ordering trucks direct from the main dealers. If they order their trucks through independent dealers like Ml, they can sit back and see the prices tumble. The manufacturers have had it their own way for too long. It's time for a change,