News

The row between the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and pressure group Transaction 2007 has intensified this week after the RHA issued a call to "put up or shut up" and sent out an email poll requesting members' views on protest action. But the association's motives are already being questioned. Mike Presneill, Transaction 2007 founder, says the email poll will show views that are unrepresentative of the industry. He says a week is not enough time to poll the entire membership and gauge opinion,  and that even if the poll shows little support for action "that still wouldn't be the feeling of the [entire] industry".

RHA chief executive Roger King rejects this, saying the issue is not something people will mull over. He concedes that at a meeting of the Southern and Eastern region on 14 November "a core of members did exhibit some angst about the need to get some action underway. This [poll] is 'put up or shut up' - let's find out what the appetite [for action] is."

Around 1,700 members in the Northern region were polled two weeks ago and 4,000 in the Southern and Eastern region received theirs last week. The poll asks whether members support action with the intention to "select a possible date when hauliers should drive trucks into selected cities/towns demonstrating concern over the fuel price issue".

It then asks how many vehicles they would commit, and stresses that "consid-erable" support from the membership is needed if any action is to take place. Members  in the Scottish and Midlands and Western areas may be polled later this week. But director of policy Jack Semple says calls for a protest drew "little support" at the latest Midlands and Western regional meeting. The RHA has given members until next Monday to respond and will consider the results at its next board meeting on 29 November. "[But] this exercise [the email] is taking time out from what we should be doing - talking to the government," says King.