RHA - The Challenge Ahead
Issue: Summer 2009
As I settle into the hot seat at the head of the RHA, I am under no illusion about the challenges that I and the association face. I take over at a demanding time, as operators feel the pinch of an economic downturn and we have a government that appears to be set against the haulage industry.
By Geoff Dunning - RHA's new CEO
In effect, the RHA operates in three separate ways: providing information, advice and guidance to our members; offering a range of commercial services, which generate revenue for the association; and representing the industry to Government and legislators.
It is important that hauliers can see how they really benefit from paying us for annual membership, so one of my highest priorities is increasing member support because it is that which justifies the membership fee. I want people to understand that if they join the RHA and use the advice and guidance available to them purely on the basis of the membership fee, then they will be able to make better business decisions than those who are not in membership. And I want to stress this applies to any type of operator. From the owner-operator to the large multinational, membership of the RHA should be synonymous with running a business that is more compliant, more efficient and more profitable.
The RHA will continue to improve its support for members, and I will certainly encourage the ongoing work of the association’s specialist groups. We will also offer competitive commercial services that are of real value to members and are of benefit to the RHA itself. This might be training for the Drivers’ CPC, legal expenses insurance through RHA LawPlan or our flexible and simple digital tachograph analysis service. It is my intention to get to a situation where RHA is a true ‘one-stop shop’ that provides for every member’s needs.
On the political front, like many of the members that I represent, I feel that the place of road transport in everyday life is largely misunderstood. If you are taking a pallet into a city or a piece of steel onto a construction site it has to be carried by road, so trucks are absolutely essential to the economy of an area, be it a village, a town, or a city. And there is the ongoing issue of fuel duty, and the real need to convince the treasury that diesel is an industrial fuel and should not be taxed in the same way as petrol. Surely the time has come for the Government to look seriously at separate rates of fuel duty, one for private motorists and one for essential users? Not only will this help create a more equitable system, it could also go some way to help stem the deluge of jobs being lost within the logistics sector and create a more level playing field against foreign competition.
Geoff Dunning is Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association.
For further information, vsisit: www.rha.uk.net
Published: 06/07/2009
