The new coalition government has recently released its coalition agreement programme but what does this mean for the people working within the commercial transportation industry?

In order to ‘Get Britain Moving’ again it seems that the transport industry should be paramount on the list of government priorities. Without this industry thousands of business’ across the UK would fail as they would not be able to get vital products to their customers. This is one of the reasons why the government sees the transport industry as ‘essential for a dynamic and entrepreneurial economy’. Even though the transport sector is instrumental in the running of businesses in the country it is a carbon rich industry and must face changes if the planet is to be in a habitable state for years to come. This may lead to uncomfortable ‘tougher emission standards’ for the transport industry, but is a small price to pay for the future generations of this country. The new agenda is not all negative however, as the government will be setting up a green investment bank, which gives people money to start up new green initiatives in their field. Maybe the way we transport goods now will be replaced by new and more efficient energy consuming vehicles in the future that will build on the framework of deliveries we are currently using.

For many in the transport industry the Conservative party manifesto was a breath of fresh air as it was committed to the ‘fair fuel stabiliser’ which would monitor the cost of fuel and save transport business’ thousands every year. As the party did not make an overall majority some of their flagship policies have had to be compromised and if recent reports are to be believed the fair fuel tax is said to be one of the casualties of the con-lib pact. It has not been announced as a policy in the coalition agreement or the queens speech but has not yet been completely ruled out by the treasury. As this is the case it is now a matter for the economy and for the emergency budget of new chancellor George Osborne. His spokesperson has been quoted as saying that ‘it’s not in the document, but we are not ruling out the idea’. Subsequently we must wait until the emergency budget is released on the 22^nd June to find out the full impact of the recession. Is there any money left in the pot to help out the transport industry by reliving the unfair taxes that labour have put on the price of fuel. On the one hand the ‘fair fuel tax stabiliser’ would have been important for haulage businesses as it would mean that the cost of transporting goods would be lower and smaller courier businesses would not suffer a large rise in fuel prices. This said it is an idealistic tax and if this country is in as much of a state financially that has recently been mentioned then maybe the money for lowering fuel taxes is not available and public sector initiatives such as the NHS should take precedence over private sector businesses.

The coalition government does not spell purely uncertain times for the industry however as they are proposing the ‘introduction of a new system of HGV road user charging to ensure a fairer arrangement for UK hauliers’. This means that a fairer road taxing system will be introduced and UK hauliers will have to pay the same rates as foreign hauliers, as currently foreign hauliers do not have to pay the same taxes in the UK. This will mean that a more competitive environment will be created in the UK as the UK companies will have a more level playing field in which to compete with the foreign hauliers for jobs. In the end only time will tell how the coalition will really effect the transport industry starting with the milestone of June 22^nd and George Osborne’s budget. Until this date it remains unclear as to the governments commitment to the transport industry but from reading the manifestos it seems that only the budget deficit will be holding the government back.

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I’m having a mid-life crisis (a youthful one, obviously) and as such (long story short) I’m ‘downshifting’ ¹ to minimise aspects of my life to the max: cost of living; work-induced stress; my carbon-footprint, you name it (well, as much as is possible in an urban life-setting and with a mortgage to pay)!  So imagine my surprise when, in pursuit of pocket and planet-friendly resources, I found that the suppliers of certain products on my hit-list were predominantly reliant upon Royal Mail or national courier services in order to ensure that they can fulfil their promise to customers of speedy delivery.  But how does this fit in with these companies’ green ethos and with my reasons for buying in the first place?

Well, as the post-man who trudged up the hill to hand-deliver my soap pods can vouch, Royal Mail’s final leg (!) is eco-friendly, but is the rest of the journey as environmentally cost-effective? To some extent, at least in the UK, it would appear so:  Royal Mail do publish their comprehensive environment policy² and clearly, as a national company, they are always going to be ‘in the area’ at some point in any given near future, but this does come at a cost, as anyone who has posted a parcel lately will know.  Yet although this is the case, the company that I made the purchase from identifies that consideration is given to speed of delivery, closely followed by cost, as these are the priorities when building up a business, rather than seeking alternatives to try to balance the cost to both customer and to the planet in the first instance.

Now this is exceptionally annoying as, whilst independently achieving my own little mid-life crisis, I appear to have band-waggoned by my thoughts and actions with a whole swathe of ‘Guardian reader’ type trade (soap pods in The Guardian’s ‘Good Buys’ Christmas list of 2006³).  Where it becomes ‘trendy’ to demand such eco-goods, the ‘must-have-it-now ’method of delivery can far prevail over the fiscal and planetary cost for many consumers.  Given that I am apparently (and thankfully) four years behind the trendsetting Guardian, I would have been happy to wait longer and be sure that the delivery of my product of choice matched my reasons for choosing it in the first place, rather than the very next day.  If this would have worked out cheaper, so much the better, given my current drift into thrift!

This begs the question, should some ethically-inspired companies be working more co-operatively and making better use of companies and sites such as Find My Courier so that they can supply an environmentally sound package as a whole, rather than offer an aspect of sound practice with one hand, whilst paying lip service to another?  Until this is part of everyday retail practice, so that consumers can make clear choices about whether their purchases are price-led, trend-led or conscience-led, we may be being environmentally well-intentioned in our ethical purchases, but not necessarily fully environmentally friendly.

What do you guys think about this?

¹http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downshifting

²http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=23300513&mediaId=23300515

³http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/07/shopping.christmas

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Once upon a time there was a boy who was a budding young musician that thought his old guitar needed an upgrade. “To the internet!” thought the boy as he searched for a perfect new guitar.

To his surprise, he found exactly what he wanted for a very very cheap price and it was limited edition! Of course he ordered it straight away.

Seventy-two hours later the doorbell rang and the boy ran straight down the stairs and opened the door and to his surprise, he seen the modern day hero: the courier!

However, this man stood before the boy with not one, but two guitar boxes.

The website from which the boy purchased a guitar had made a mistake with the order and so, stood the courier with two guitars.

“I only ordered one!” exclaimed the child,
“Never fear”, said the courier “this issue is no match for me! Now, sign here and I will sort this problem!”

The boy signed the form, and he got his guitar and his smile stayed with him- and it was all thanks to the courier…

Now, this short, cheesy story (based on what happened to me last year) is a shining example how helpful most couriers are.

What experiences have you all had with couriers/customers?

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