On January 12th 2024, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) announced its new manifesto, “Driving Growth, delivering for the country”, outlining the support that the haulage industry desperately needs. As an RHA member and active campaigner for improved facilities for the lorry drivers keeping goods moving across the country, William Gilder gives his thoughts in the below statement.
Read the full RHA manifesto here: https://www.rha.uk.net/News/News-Blogs-and-Press-Releases/press-releases/detail/rha-launches-2024-haulage-manifesto-to-support-economic-growth
It is hugely encouraging to see the challenges faced by haulage highlighted in the RHA’s Delivering Growth for the Country manifesto and the steps that are needed, if we are to continue providing the service that the country expects from us, outlined in clear actions.
As someone who has spent years campaigning extensively for a greater number of safe and secure facilities for drivers, I wholly support the RHA’s recommendations for investment in our infrastructure, particularly surrounding the need to reform the National Planning Policy Framework to reassert the economic importance of better parking provisions nationwide.
However, these recommendations need to be understood by policymakers at both a regional and national level, and I would welcome the opportunity to hold discussions with the driver facilities taskforce referenced in the manifesto and outline how we at William Gilder Group can aid with a blueprint for improving truckstops nationwide, using our proven model for success in place at Teddington Hands, Gloucestershire.
The fact that more than 5000 incidents of crime were reported last year speaks volumes. This is an issue that has long been underappreciated by multiple governments and which cannot continue to be unaddressed. Our drivers deserve better.
As a member of the RHA, on behalf of the William Gilder Group, I would like to reiterate my support for the manifesto, and look forward to working alongside my fellow members to deliver an optimistic future for our industry and our country as a whole.
