The Freight on Rail Group seems determined to stop the introduction of longer, heavier trucks. A few weeks ago, it issued a press statement criticising the idea. Today it has had a letter published in the The Times strongly arguing against it.

What is odd is that the letter starts by saying that later this month the Transport Secretary will receive a report on these vehicles. That is true, there is a full investigation being undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory and Heriott-Watt University.

So why criticise the idea now, before the Freight on Rail Group has head the facts from this report? Can it be that they are so prejudiced against the idea that they don’t want to hear the considered report by the experts?

By making such comments before they have read the report, puts their whole credibility into serious doubt and leaves them open to the accusation that they are just prejudiced against anything to do with road transport.

You can see the letter on line and I have sent a letter in reply to The Times.

Letter in reply

Sir,
Why doesn’t Philippa Edmunds of the Freight on Rail wait until the review of longer heavier trucks is published before criticising the idea? (Letters October 8). Extensive work has been carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory and Heriot-Watt University on these vehicles. Across Europe, Governments are looking at these vehicles as a way to reduce the number of trucks on the road. The Freight on Rail Group should wait until they have read the report coming to a conclusion. Criticising the idea now, just makes them sound prejudiced.

Andrew Brown