It's the beginning of the end for us
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THE EXPANSION of the EU to the East will now allow a huge number of truck drivers from Bulgaria or Romania to ply their trade in the West, along with the Poles, Hungarians and Baltics. This mainly affects international freight, although the French domestic traffic is suffering financially too. On cross channel ferries or shuttles the majority of trucks bear eastern European plates.
Many Spanish companies now use eastern traction or drivers. Spain has 25% unemployment, yet has imported thousands of eastern European drivers. Why is all this happening? Cost, that's why. The French even have a generic term for them: "les low-cost camions de l'est" (the cheap trucks from the East).
This situation has been created and encouraged by EU politicians, by allowing new member states with low-wage economies unlimited access to western markets and, therefore, the legal exploitation of the drivers.
This European integration is championed by eurocrats to extend their powers, and is destroying the western European haulage industry. Truck drivers are first in line, fol- lowed by small, medium and large hauliers, support staff, dealers, truckstops, tyre suppli- ers, even magazines like CM, will all suffer reduced demand as the eastern invasion con- tinues. Yes, if you are reading this, be sure it will affect you. And the EU now wants to abol- ish cabotage limits. Several high-profile freight forwarders are supporting this change; grin- ning at the thought of increased profits by us- ing a truck-registered in Bucharest rather than Birmingham to perform cheap UK haulage. Simon Sargent Sargents Trucking Services