Let's share our difficulties
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Soon we will all know what the Chancellor has in store for us in his Budget next week. If the press has got the right "leaks", there seems a strong possibility that road fuel will rise by around 25p per gallon.
Our industry needs to address this possibility. We have asked in the past for essential-user discounts without success and it looks unlikely we will get any help in the future. So we must cover extra costs by increasing rates (very difficult in the current market) or there must be even greater efficiency.
Everybody is in fear of losing work to competitors, but I think sooner or later, using computer technology and possibly the internet, there needs to be a "computer bank" where spare or potentially spare traffic can be input and made available to users of such a system. This should produce better results for those with work, those seeking work, and for our industry's customers.
Some safeguards (codes of conduct) would need to be put in place. But cutting empty running coupled with other cost-cutting initiatives seems our only hope—one initiative which comes to mind is the need to encourage customers (with a discount?) to make use of our services during relatively quiet times, eg Mondays.
I suppose that any way forward will need to come from the big players, but will they do it? What do other readers think?
Robin G Rook, Stowmathet, Suffolk.