The RHA and Kent County Council (KCC) are both separately calling on the government to act, following the Channel disruption caused last week by the French fishermens' two-day blockade.
According to Freight Transport Association (FTA) calculations, the cost to the
haulage industry of the strike action is £1m perday, based on a cost of £40 per truck for every hour it sits idle in a queue of around 40,000 trucks -the average daily throughput for Dover.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) says there needs to be an efficient early warning system in place along with measures to keep the key trade routes open during such disputes.
RHA head of international affairs Peter Cullum argues that when Eurotunnel was threatened, "the French government said it would secure it". He adds: "We cannot understand why the ports are not protected in the same way."
The RHA has asked the Department for Business, Enterprise &Regulatory Reform for early talks to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile, KCC has launched it's 'enough is enough' campaign to put pressure on the UK government to seek compensation from the French government over the strike action. KCC says it will work with P&O Ferries,
LD Lines and other affected businesses.
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