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Time to crack down on foreigners
Page 26
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1TOTALLY agree with your comments about foreign hauliers ( CM 5 August). cannot understand why operators travelling to the Continent from this country have sat back and let the foreigners take over.1 just can't fathom why you haven't protested or blockaded the ports as the French would do, or even lobbied the government forcibly.
I recently travelled up from Spain and saw only three UK trucks on the entire trip from Spain to Calais. From Dover to the M25 every truck was foreign except for four supermarket vehicles.
Rather than waiting until 2008 to introduce the Lorry Road User Charge why can't the government slap a levy on every vehicle to enter the UK, perhaps collected by the ferry companies in the same way the tax is collected by airlines? The implementation costs would be low and it could be put in operation quickly, thus levelling the playing field. So hauliers, get to grips with the situation, otherwise they will be taking over domestic trade as well and you'll be left with A Foreign trucks are pouring into the UK no business at all (and worse still 1 won't be building any more truck bodies).
There's also the separate, yet related issue, of the police being unable to fine foreign drivers. Compare this to the situation on the Continent:I was travelling through France in June in my car and was stopped twice in one day for speeding. The first was between Orange and Narbonne the officer said it was a €90 fine, although this was later cancelled.The next confrontation was near Chalon-suir-Marne.This officer fined me €180.1asked if I could pay by credit card, cheque or sterling.A curt "Nonwas the reply and I was despatched to Chalon to find a cash machine leaving my wife and licence behind. I returned to find my wife sweltering in 32°C heat outside a locked police station with instructions to take the cash to another station 25km away. 1 did think "Stuff this" but my wife pointed out that they still had my licence,so we had to go back.After one-and-a-half hours filling in forms I was free to go. If new legislation goes through I hope OM police will adopt the same policy on the French!
Derek Jones Derek Jones Bodywork Kettering, Northants