“Official Stats Confirm our Worst Fears,” Says Road Haulage Association

LONDON - Today’s grim figures from the Department of Transport come as no surprise to the Road Haulage Association. Although the figures are provisional, they show a decrease of 3.5 per cent in overall traffic levels between the first quarters of 2008 and 2009 with a 12 percent decline in heavy goods traffic - that’s a further 5 per cent decrease on the 7 per cent announced the end of last year.

A survey of RHA members carried out at the end of January this year has shown that 70 per cent had seen a downturn in business of at least 10 per cent against January 2008; there was clear expectation of further pressure on rates and little expectation of an upturn in 2009.

“The road haulage sector is a valuable barometer for the economy as a whole,” said RHA Head of Communications Kate Gibbs. “It reflects and reacts to economic trends more quickly than other sectors of industry. When the first green shoots do eventually appear, we will be the first to know.”

“UK hauliers operate within tighter margins and have more cost constraints that virtually any other sector of British industry yet despite the rises in fuel duty, the increased competition from foreign operators and ever increasing legislative burden, they still manage to deliver daily life to the rest of the population. It is time they were given incentives for doing an excellent job rather than being penalised for quite simply trying to make ends meet. Government MUST recognise them as one of the UK’s biggest assets and not as an easy touch as seems to be the case at present.”

UK transport operators in general and RHA members in particular have long prided themselves on running efficient, cost effective transport operations. It is time that those at Westminster recognised the key role they play within our economy. When this Government came to power 12 years ago, Mr Blair’s election ‘anthem’ was ‘Things can only get better’. Sadly, for the majority of hauliers, things cannot get much worse.

Road Haulage Association - more than you think

www.rha.uk.net

Source: Road Haulage Association

For more details, contact RHA Head of Communications, Kate Gibbs on Tel: +44(0)1932-838917, Mob: +44(0)7979-531451