Owner-drivers slammed • Road Haulage Assocation director-general Steven Norris has
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slammed owner-drivers as "unprofessional" after RHA employees struggled to contact them as part of a telemarketing campaign.
Speaking at last week's Agricon '98 conference, Norris said it's amazing that single operators do not have answerphones or mobile phones. "It is incredible that in an industry which is struggling there is such a lack of professionalism," he said. "I despair of it."
Norris is concerned that if potential customers see a single operator's truck on the road and wish to contact him they will struggle in the same way.
"This obviously affects their profits but then they complain to Chancellor Gordon Brown when they are having trouble with their margins," he said.
Norris also criticised some of his members for being "very bad negotiators" when talking to customers about rates. "Many just walk away from negotiations with inadequate margins," he said. "They need to be better organised."