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44 TONNES OF HOT AIR - FOE CYMRU BLAST HAULAGE ASSOCIATION ON FUEL PROTESTS

Friends of the Earth Cymru have condemned the Road Haulage Association (RHA) for gross exaggeration which helped fuel public outrage during the recent fuel crisis. The group point out that the much publicised 'threat' to British hauliers from foreign operators tanked up on cheaper foreign diesel is exceedingly small according to a revealing House of Commons Transport Sub-Committee report (1).

FOE Cymru say that even this small disparity could be neutralised by the 'vignette' or road use levy not diesel price cuts. FOE Cymru say that their views support and reiterate the recent (August 2000) conclusions of the Commons Transport Committee on the road haulage association. The Committee found that just 0.06% of domestic haulage is conducted by foreign operators, and that only three cases of UK hauliers losing business to overseas competition were substantiated.

The RHA had to concede that the threat from foreign hauliers was a future possibility not an actuality. Both the Committee, the RHA and indeed FOE support the introduction of the Eurovignette road use levy to level even the small national differences in overall road-freight taxation. The environmentalists also support the Transport Committee's conclusion that UK diesel duties should not be lowered as HGV's do not yet pay all their environmental and social costs (2), but some proportionate reductions in VED should be made if and when the Eurovignette levy is introduced. FOE says that overcapacity in the haulage market is the painful problem and some Government package to help marginal operators to leave the industry should be drawn up.

Neil Crumpton, transport spokesperson for FOE Cymru and member of the Welsh Transport Forum chaired by Environment Secretary Sue Essex said:

"We condemn the RHA and those hauliers who have inflamed public feeling recently by grossly exaggerating the so called threat to British truckers posed by foreign hauliers using cheaper diesel. The RHA's brazen and uncaring attitude, in the teeth of a damming rejection of their claims by the Commons Transport Committee needs to be publicly exposed before any Phase 2 fuel protests."

"It is overcapacity in the cut-throat haulage industry not foreign competition that is the root problem and the solutions lay outside subsidising diesel fuel."

The Committee also found that in 1998/99 no less than 37% of HGV's failed their initial roadworthiness tests, 13% still failed after retesting, and 22% received prohibition notices after roadside checks. FOE Cymru are appalled by this safety record and point out that this is probably why HGV's have a relatively high injury rate compared with cars yet revenues raised from road-freight do not even cover road injury costs to the health service (2).

Notes

1) House of Commons Transport Sub-Committee 15th Report on 'The Road Haulage Industry' (reported in ENDS Report August 2000 page 28).

2) DETR NERA Report (July 2000 Press Released Sept 2000) on track, environmental and other costs of HGV's.