The importance of the UK road haulage industry
> There are 100,000 goods vehicle operators in the UK
- > 99 per cent of goods vehicle operators are SMEs
- > The FSB currently has 1,695 small haulage firms amongst its membership
The state of the UK road haulage industry
> In the last year there has been a decrease of 12 per cent in heavy goods traffic
> Five times more lorry drivers are claiming out of work benefits than this time last year
> 70 per cent of goods vehicle operators have seen a downturn in business
The scale of cross Channel haulage
- > There are 400,000 lorries registered in the UK that travel to mainland Europe
- > 80 per cent of these vehicles use the Dover Straights
- > These vehicles carry 5.1 million tonnes of goods out of the UK
- > 6.1 million tonnes of goods are carried into the UK via the Dover Straights
Impact of blockades on UK road haulage industry
> The most recent blockade, which lasted four days in April 2009, cost each small firm an average of £800
> The diversion of commuter traffic and delay of deliveries amounts to £2 million for the UK economy
> The wider haulage industry loses £1 million for every day Calais is shut, in lost business and wasted time.
For more information contact Richard Hyslop on 020 7592 8103
Images above supplied by freefoto.com