Fewer trucks go abroad
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THE NUMBER OF UK-registered trucks heading to mainland Europe is still falling.
The Department for Transport report Road Goods Vehicles Travelling to Mainland Europe Q3 shows that between July and September 687,900 HGVs travelled to the Continent: up 2% on the previous quarter and a 6% increase over the same period in 2003.However,UKregistered vehicles accounted for just 24% of that figure, compared with 26% a year ago.
The Freight Transport Association takes an upbeat view of the figures: it concentrates on the growth in overall volume and says this is the second consecutive quarter's growth.
FTA spokesman Geoff Dossetter adds: "Importantly, it is the first time since 1999 that growth has been recorded for a sustained period of six months which hopefully suggests that the long decline in the fortunes of our home based international transport industry has come to an end.
"Trade is up and our industry is recovering in terms of the numbers of journeys, if not market share. This has to be good news."