Princess praises RHA
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Princess Royal addresses RHA's annual lunch in its 60th anniversary year
Speaking at the RHA annual lunch on October 5, HRH Princess Anne the
Princess Royal praised the association’s members for the time and
effort they dedicated to contributing to the road transport debate. She
highlighted the need to ‘educate and work with other road users’ and
stressed the need for the public to recognise the fact that everything
material in our lives travelled on a truck at some time.
Recognising the efforts the association and its members have made to adapting to technological changes, she went on to thank the association for the work it has done over the past 60 years. Concluding, the princess said: ‘No doubt you will repeat the success of the last 60 years over the next 60. It has been a pleasure to join you today and we wish you congratulations on what you have achieved.’
More than 380 people attended the lunch, held at the Savoy Hotel. Speaking to the assembled industry members, the RHA national chairman Willie Oliver had a clear message for government and the association’s critics. He said: ‘It seems the foreign operator is not a problem any longer. That we positively welcome the growing tide of EU trucks undercutting our own hauliers. Can I ask Gordon Brown – if it was an urgent problem in 2001, why is it not more so now? Sadly I don’t expect an answer.
‘May I also remind him of his words of September 13 at the TUC conference when he said that at the centre of his agenda was the central importance of manufacturing in the UK. Road haulage is the life blood of UK plc. Without it nothing moves and an overtaxed and therefore uncompetitive road haulage industry does not help UK manufacturing.
‘Can I also remind government that in his keynote speech to the Labour Party conference last Tuesday the PM said that results for government were only achieved through perseverance. Can I take this opportunity to let his government ministers know I also believe in perseverance and the RHA will not be going away.’
Continuing, Oliver said: ‘So in order to press this case and that of fuel prices generally, we have joined forces with the FTA and established the Burns Inquiry into freight taxes. Already 140,000 questionnaires have been distributed and meetings held up and down the country.
‘I congratulate the RHA and in particular our regional director in Scotland on petitioning successfully for an inquiry into the state of freight movement in Scotland. This is to include all aspects and issues facing hauliers from fuel prices to working time and foreign competition. This only adds strength to the Burns Inquiry as we develop this second line of approach to government to drive home the plight our industry is in.
‘To those that say the RHA does nothing … I say this … the RHA does everything.’
Addressing the way big retailers penalise hauliers, he said: ‘Hauliers must get the rate for the job. We cannot absorb these increases and survive. I know this is easier for some than others.
‘Big PLCs should not play one operator off against another. Nor for that matter should operators do the same among themselves. I deplore the actions of some businesses that simply will not meet with operators to discuss higher rates.
‘Where the RHA gets evidence of this we will take it up at the highest level,’ he warned.
‘I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the Burns Inquiry or any proposed solution, but I do want to emphasise that our industry is in as severe a crisis as it has faced in our 60-year history.
‘We need price stability of our raw material, we need an open but a fair marketplace, and we need to re-establish a relationship with our customer base borne out of mutual respect and understanding … and equally I believe it is vital that we maintain an ongoing relationship and dialogue with government,’ he added.
‘Despite all of this there remains a deep-rooted pride in the work we do. Government may initiate inquiries into the future role of transport and logistics, and we will be playing our part in Sir Rod Eddington’s study, but whatever the outcome of evolutionary change, the hire-and-reward haulier will still be the mainstay of the country’s goods transport,’ he concluded.
Recognising the efforts the association and its members have made to adapting to technological changes, she went on to thank the association for the work it has done over the past 60 years. Concluding, the princess said: ‘No doubt you will repeat the success of the last 60 years over the next 60. It has been a pleasure to join you today and we wish you congratulations on what you have achieved.’
More than 380 people attended the lunch, held at the Savoy Hotel. Speaking to the assembled industry members, the RHA national chairman Willie Oliver had a clear message for government and the association’s critics. He said: ‘It seems the foreign operator is not a problem any longer. That we positively welcome the growing tide of EU trucks undercutting our own hauliers. Can I ask Gordon Brown – if it was an urgent problem in 2001, why is it not more so now? Sadly I don’t expect an answer.
‘May I also remind him of his words of September 13 at the TUC conference when he said that at the centre of his agenda was the central importance of manufacturing in the UK. Road haulage is the life blood of UK plc. Without it nothing moves and an overtaxed and therefore uncompetitive road haulage industry does not help UK manufacturing.
‘Can I also remind government that in his keynote speech to the Labour Party conference last Tuesday the PM said that results for government were only achieved through perseverance. Can I take this opportunity to let his government ministers know I also believe in perseverance and the RHA will not be going away.’
Continuing, Oliver said: ‘So in order to press this case and that of fuel prices generally, we have joined forces with the FTA and established the Burns Inquiry into freight taxes. Already 140,000 questionnaires have been distributed and meetings held up and down the country.
‘I congratulate the RHA and in particular our regional director in Scotland on petitioning successfully for an inquiry into the state of freight movement in Scotland. This is to include all aspects and issues facing hauliers from fuel prices to working time and foreign competition. This only adds strength to the Burns Inquiry as we develop this second line of approach to government to drive home the plight our industry is in.
‘To those that say the RHA does nothing … I say this … the RHA does everything.’
Addressing the way big retailers penalise hauliers, he said: ‘Hauliers must get the rate for the job. We cannot absorb these increases and survive. I know this is easier for some than others.
‘Big PLCs should not play one operator off against another. Nor for that matter should operators do the same among themselves. I deplore the actions of some businesses that simply will not meet with operators to discuss higher rates.
‘Where the RHA gets evidence of this we will take it up at the highest level,’ he warned.
‘I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the Burns Inquiry or any proposed solution, but I do want to emphasise that our industry is in as severe a crisis as it has faced in our 60-year history.
‘We need price stability of our raw material, we need an open but a fair marketplace, and we need to re-establish a relationship with our customer base borne out of mutual respect and understanding … and equally I believe it is vital that we maintain an ongoing relationship and dialogue with government,’ he added.
‘Despite all of this there remains a deep-rooted pride in the work we do. Government may initiate inquiries into the future role of transport and logistics, and we will be playing our part in Sir Rod Eddington’s study, but whatever the outcome of evolutionary change, the hire-and-reward haulier will still be the mainstay of the country’s goods transport,’ he concluded.
