Brexit and Platooning are among the major talking points within the industry at the moment. The former subject is full of negatives, the latter rather more positive, but everyone has an opinion and whether we see either progress to reality is another question.
On Brexit, hauliers and their trade associations have expressed reservations after the government said in its new position paper that it does not want any border posts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – that would be, they say, an absolute disaster. We trust the government will get it right, and early indications suggest they just might.
On Platooning, the government has revealed it is making £8.1 million available to fund a trial; for the uninitated, platooning works by linking a series of trucks travelling along a motorway through the latest driving systems, meaning operators can move large quantities of goods at
consistent speeds, lowering fuel consumption and C02 emissions.
As the FTA says, it is imperative that government now moves plans forward quickly and efficiently to enable the logistics sector to plan effectively for the future. The sooner the trial takes place, the sooner the UK logistics industry, which represents 11% of the UK’s non-financial business economy, can know if this will be the right route for the future, says Christopher Snelling, FTA’s Head of National Policy, and we agree.
That aside, our industry has experienced a lot of positive developments across most sectors, as you see in this issue, and it is also good to know that the public is on our side! A new survey found that 92% of those questioned recognise the role lorries play in the smooth running of everyday life, as indeed, do shipping and every other aspect of the transport and logistics sectors – and talking of which, all their sterling work will be suitably rewarded at our Export & Freight Transport & Logistics Awards at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. You can read all about who won what and why in our next bumper special issue!
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download the Sep-Oct 2017 issue of Export and Freight Magazine.
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