Owner-drivel
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ineets the RHA
N HOGG is an owner-driver ier. There is nothing difit or special about him or his less.
)r 15 years he was one of many semi owner-drivers ing for the readymix concompanies — he used his chassis-cab and the cornsupplied the mixer barrel he work.
it 18 months ago John I decided he wanted to go it
entirely and after much ideration bought a new 2800 tractive unit. "It's I getting a new vehicle if ,ossibly can. It gives a good )ssion and attracts work,"
d me. He leases the vehicle at he avoided the large downpayrnent needed for ' deal. Trying general haulage for a time, John found that his customers were often rather slow to pay, and, remembering his monthly lease instalments, John thought it would be wise to get some regular contract work. "The rates may not be so good, but it does give me a regular income and the security which I must have in the early stages."
John has since bought a second new DAF 2800 and employs another driver to drive his first DAF. ("A big step, but I'm lucky in having a superb driver who takes such a pride in his vehicle.") Both vehicles are now working exclusively for a large haulage company, hauling Canadian newsprint paper out of Southampton docks to • newspaper printers in London and the North.
Speaking with John, he impressed me enormously with his thoroughness and the way he generally went about setting himself up in business as an owner-driver. For example, he formed himself into a limited company, J and D Transport (Aylesbury) Ltd.
"Even if the business had failed at least our house and personal possessions would be safe. And when I was looking for traffic whilst in general haulage I found that companies were more impressed When I said J and D Transport over the phone rather than saying I'm an owner-driver," he explained.
Another example of John's thoroughly professional' approach was that when he decided to go it alone he wanted to join a trade association so that he wasn't entirely on his own.
But, John Hogg is NOT in the Road Haulage Association. And nor are many other ownerdrivers. Why not? Do they need to join the RHA — or any other organisation for that matter? What can the RHA offer the owner-driver?
So, in order to get the owner-driver's view of the RHA — and the RHA's feelings about owner drivers — we introduced John Hogg to Eric Russell, secretary of the Road Haulage Association,
We met at the RHA headquarters in London. This is how the conversation went, after John had first made Eric Russell sit up by telling him that he had joined the Freight Transport Association!
Eric Russell: Why did you join the FTA? Did you realise that it doesn't purport to represent professional hauliers? The FTA represents the users of transport like the big manufacturers, and not really the haulier.
'John Hogg: The company I was working for in the readymix industry was an FTA member and recommended it. I've been a member for a year now and have no complaints. They've looked after me as regards keeping me up to date with all the laws and regulations in road haulage.
E.R.: But you can't sit at FTA council meetings, for instance, can you?
J.H.: But as an owner-driver I haven't got time to go to meetings anyway. pavid Wilcox: When you branched out on your own as an owner-driver, why did you feel that you needed to belong to an organisation, be it the RHA or the FTA?
J.H.: I wanted information. You know how the law changes in road haulage these days — drivers' hours, tachographs. CPCs and so on. If you're on the road most of the time it's difficult to keep up with everything. E.R.: But the RHA offers exactly the same sort of service and will keep you informed as well.
J.H.: When I applied for my operator's licence as an owner-driver with my own business nobody from the RHA contacted me and told me this. So I went on personal recommendation and joined the FTA.
E.R.: That's strange because our area secretaries reckon to contact every 0-licence applicant and tell them about the services we offer.
D.W.: Obviously, John slipped through your net. But perhaps you can tell us now what he should have been told then.
E.R.: Certainly. I understand John's desire for information, but having information is not the be all and end all of transport, is it? More importantly, the RHA actually represents your interests. When there are Government inquiries such as the Foster Report on operator licensing, the Price Commission or the current Armitage inquiry we put forward the views of the haulier and say this should be done or that should not be done in the opinion of the haulage industry. Don't you think that's important?
J.H. Yes, that's fair comment. was thinking more on a practical level, about what the RNA can give me personally rather than the industry as a whole. For instance, I get my log books and stationery from the FTA. And the FTA did, after all, fight with the RHA against the Windsor Cordon which affects me, being based in Aylesbury but working out of Southampton.
D.W.: Leaving the FTA aside for the moment, can we look at the RHA's attitude towards the owner-driver in particular. For instance, how many are RHA members?
J.H. We have 15,000 members altogether, of which about 20 per cent or 3000 of these can be called ownerdrivers. By this we mean that they drive their own vehicle. Many members own, say, three vehicles and drive one themselves. They are owner-drivers, but at the same time can be called employers or small operators. When does an owner driver become a small operator? It is quite impossible for us to differentiate between small, medium or large — they are all operators with the same interests and destinies. D.W..: Even the people who criticise or knock the RHA are very often using the Association in a way that is overlooked. I'm talking about the RHA Conditions of Carriage. Many hauliers use these and quote them as defining their level of liability and so on.
J.H.: Yes, I do. It's something I just took for granted. But rather than deliberately choosing them, they are quoted by the insurance company when you take out goods in transit insurance.
E.R.: The RHA has gone to the trouble and expense of preparing these conditions of carriage. We don't charge for them because we look upon them as part of the service we give members. We of course know that non-members also use them, but we think it is mora wrong that hauliers are quotii the conditions of an organit tion to which they don't ev belong. They were drawn up the expense of the membE through their subscriptions, why should this benefit nc members?
D.W.: So there, John, is a mo reason why perhaps you coi Join the RHA, since you a already, albeit unwitting' using one of their services. J.H.: Yes, that is a point. I neN really thought about the con lions of carriage.
E.R. Something else we try do at the RHA is represent t professional haulier to the pi lic at large. We try to make t lorry and the whole indus more socially acceptable to t public, pointing out the ab! lutely vital role the lorry plays the economy. The Road Tra, port Show at Brighton k October was a very go example.
J.H.: I think this importa Let's be honest, the public its is anti-road haulage. Maybe 1 RHA and FTA could wc together on something like t to present a united front. E.R.: We do liaise with the F on this subject. But it's an up task getting people to live SA the lorry and it's even more ficult getting them to love it! D.W.: John, you've alrea said that you felt the nee( join a trade associai when you )n your own. You wanted -mation. But do you think -y owner-driver should ssarily join an organisation? : Oh, yes! Most definitely. owner-driver who is dediI and has got an interest in DID must have some sort of rity behind him. It may be ight being on your own -1 things are going OK, but you hit problems you need thing to fall back on. For nce, you might need legal e if your vehicle is in an ent, or have a query about a-6°ns or a licensing or in;ce problem.
.: Did you consider joining ritish Association of Owner rs?
Yes, I had heard of it but n't really get any definite iation on it. And I know -iere are local owner-driver s. They seem very good in ising back loads. If I was general haulage work I probably join one so that I find back loads more eas Surely this is one way in the RHA could give some e help to owner-drivers? If 3ct as a clearing house it help provide back loads e commission that norgoesto a commercial g house could go towards ;ociation.
Ve are already involved to a certain extent. But I must say that the RHA was not formed to provide traffic for members. Most hauliers would resent our intervention in the traffic scene. But we do issue a guide of approved clearing houses which adhere to the RHA Code of Conduct. And we are experimenting with a system where we can advise members of the availability of return loads.
J.H.: Yes, that is helpful to an owner-driver. But this is new to me, I didn't know the RHA did this and I'm sure other owner drivers don't know either.
E.R. That's our failure to publicise ourselves properly, I'm afraid. I must also add that when the RHA learnt about the existence of the BAOD we did try to contact it and work out some arrangement so that it 'would have been affiliated or associated with us. The BAUD would have been geared up to find the traffic and the RHA would have been there to fulfil the representational role which needs a head office and a lot of administrative resources. But we failed to make any positive contact and nothing came of it. D.W.: If the impetus were still there, would you still consider integrating a separate ownerdriver association in to the RHA or perhaps set up another functional group exclusively for owner-drivers? E.R.: Frankly, no. I don't see a need for establishing something separate for owner-drivers in particular. We represent all operators no matter how large or small they may be, and, incidentally, irrespective of whether or not they are RHA members. When we make representations to the Government or local authorities we speak on behalf of all professional hauliers and not just our members. If all those who are entitled to join did so, it would reduce the cost of the whole operation.
J.H.: I can see now actually, why the RHA doesn't reckon to cater for the owner-driver separately. I would rather be a member of the RHA just like a big company, and not be classified separately as an owner-driver. And, anyway, I don't see myself being an owner-driver for ever.
E.R.: Exactly. We don't only treat the owner-driver equally as well as a larger company; we will usually tend to treat him slightly better. We know that the owner-driver hasn't got the resources that the big haulage companies have, so we try to give him extra attention. Our area secretaries usually bend over backwards to help the owner-driver.
J.H.: I'm glad to hear that because I think that owner-drivers are terrifically important. Most of the medium or even large haulage companies today started as a one man, one vehicle business. And with the ending of grandfather rights last year the new owner-driver has to sit and study for his Certificate of Professional Competence. So I think that in say, five years' time, there could be a shortage of them and the owner-driver might find himself very much in demand.
D.W.: How would you answer the owner-driver that says his strength lies in his freedom and because of this lack of allegiance to anybody can provide such good service? E.R.: Quite simply, I would ia that the RHA never forcea member to do anything. Unlik a union we do not dictate to du members, so that argument I i invalid. Joining the RI doesn't threaten that freed* We know that an owner-dri needs freedom and flexibility we know that he often surviv by giving a high degree of s r vice..
D.W.: So, in conclusion, yo are saying firstly that ownar drivers should join the RHA nio only for the practical reason such as the provision of infdr mation, but also because t RHA is the organisation which Iii
ct putting forward his interests arid representing his case at all lev s from local authority to Governmental matters. And, secondlii, you feel that the owner-drivor should be completely integrated into the RHA just as a normal haulage company and ncit segregated in any way.
E.R.: That's right. Its quitie wrong to differentiate betwee0 owner-drivers and the rest of the industry. No Government i0 going to recognise separate orlganisations for large, mediunii and small hauliers. It's far better for all of us to be represented bi41 one body, and that's the RHA.
The meeting ended with Eric Russell promising to write to John Hogg in order to make up for the lack of contact which should have been made 18 months ago. And a rather thoughtful John Hogg left, telling me that having learned a little more about the RHA it had gone up in his estimation quit dramatically.