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It's a loaded question, but it had to be asked:
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"Would you recommend a career in road transport to either a son or daughter?"
Overall, just 27% said yes, while 62% responded negatively, and 11% said their son or daughter already worked in the industry.
Analysing the data reveals a not-unexpected sliding scale of responses: just 16% of hire-and-reward hauliers would recommend transport that figure more than doubled to 36% for logistics and contract distribution operators; and leaped again to 50% among own-account operators.
It was similar when the data was analysed by fleet size: just 22% of operators running one to 10 vehicles would recommend transport: that rose to 32% for 11 to 50 vehicles, and to 35% for 51 vehicles or more.
Inevitably, more telling than the raw data were the verbatim responses. An obvious theme emerged from these: transport was hard work for too little reward and respect. For example: • "A lot of stress for little reward and very little peace of mind."
• "I have been in transport since I left school and, to a certain extent, enjoy it, but, more and more, those who forget that without us they would have nothing are just making this industry harder to bear."
• "Both my kids are far too bright to consider the transport industry as a career."
But there were positives too; the theme here appeared to be that the victory was greater for the obstacles overcome. For example:
• "[Transport] gets in your blood. The sense of satisfaction in keeping customers, the tax man, and VOSA happy is immense."
• "We're providing an essential service to the economy and we should be proud of that."
• "It's exciting, fast-paced, volatile. I believe it will always be there."
Finally, we rather liked the following humorous statement as it says so much: "There is no government backing unlike the banking industry. I think I'll open my own bank."