Fixed rates not rewarding RHA told
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THE EFFECT OF compulsory rates for international haulage has been disappointing to Belgian operators, the international functional group of the Road Haulage Association was told at its recent 'meeting in London.
Mr E. Hains, of P and 0 Road Services Ltd, had asked the speaker on EEC transport developments, Mr J. van Stappen of the Belgian Institute of Road Transport, whether EEC membership had improved the stability of Belgian haulage. He also wanted to know whether, as reported, the basis of the Belgian licensing system was to be changed.
Mr van Stappen said that tariffication had been a disappointment for Belgian hauliers, partly because of the lack of application and enforcement in some countries, so that no true harmonisation had been achieved. The forked tariffs had not influenced revenue as much as the market pressures of supply and demand or the decisions of individual managements.
He confirmed that the Belgian government was studying the possibility of changing the licensing regulations, but was running into complex problems. At present hauliers were granted capacity licences on the basis of their annual turnover and the figure of 40,000 Belgian francs per tonne capacity With the passage of •time, become a purely nominal figure. Profitability had been suggested as a better yardstick than turnover, but it was proving too difficult to find a readily applicable method of measuring profitability in this context. It seemed more likely that the turnover figure would be adjusted and linked to a new index of vehicle capacity and annual mileage covered.