,..And now the shocking
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he Road Haulage Associaton's ational council, at a meeting 1st week, discussed the annuncement (CM November 25) at from January 1, 1978, nless a vehicle is fitted with nd is using a fully operational ichograph, then the drivers' )ur of duty finishes when he as driven 450km (281 miles). I understand that a statement be issued later — and that it :ill spell out to hauliers' cus)mers what the implications be.
Intimation of the intent to pply this EEC legislation was lade earlier this year in CM. So :e should all have been ready. re you surprised when I tell Du that one trade association — not the RHA — has had a go at me privately for our Editorial, which said: "The surprise element in this issue is that operators are shocked at the news"?
The RHA attitude this week, is, I think, eminently fair. "There is great concern'," I was told, "but like Christmas we knew it was coming. It's just
surprising how quickly Christmas comes round.
These attitudes in Britain are found interesting on the Continent. I have been reading this week the Overseas Digest of the International Transport Journal, which has a page and a half of report and fair commentary on the RHA's annual conference. ''British road transport industry harbours what can only be described as a fear of what the EEC transport policy might bring to the no longer orderly world of the island kingdom. Coming from a country which has now been a member of this Community for almost four years, this is still rather surprising,'' comments the ITJ.
It also says that EEC Director-General Raymond Le Goy gave the conference a crystal clear exposé of the purpose and aim of the EEC transport policy. But, it adds, at the same time one might have thought that this key branch of a member State's econorty would have heard these arguments before entering the Community.