Ireland  The Land Where Truckers Are Loved

Don't tell the editor of FleetWatch you're going on holiday to Ireland. You'll end up working. "Hey, that country is booming. While you're there, find out how the truckers are handling the boom. Get hold of the local association - and maybe the Minister of Transport. And then try talk to..." I said goodbye as he was in mid-sentence telling me to "then quickly nip across to Scotland to see how they're handling things..."

Thus it was that while 'on holiday' in Ireland, I found myself sitting behind the desk of David Walsh, CEO of the Irish Road Haulage Association - a tall and distinguished gentleman man who has obviously kissed the Blarney stone as he talks openly, honestly and colourfully about all issues affecting the Irish truckers.

Walsh, who has a BA in Economics and also holds an MBA, formerly worked as an auditor in the European Court of Auditors. Today his time is cut out representing this highly efficient and effective body which has nine regional branches, each one of which meets regularly to discuss local and national issues, and a national council which meets bimonthly.

Regular feedback is given to all members via a bi-monthy IRHA newsletter with the aim of keeping members informed on forthcoming meetings and events, progress being made on issues of concern at local and national level and other items of interest.

Every member of the IRHA is also entitled to a free subscription to Fleet Management Magazine, a trucking magazine published by an independent publishing house, so as to keep members up to date with the broader issues of trucking on a national and international level.

The voice of the industry
So what is the IRHA? "We are the voice of the Irish road haulage industry," says Walsh with obvious pride. "As a trade organisation, we are here to represent our members and to make sure legislation is fair - and to give hauliers a voice into any changes." His passion and enthusiasm for his association and its objectives is obvious.

In a country covering an area slightly larger than the Western Cape with a total population of only 3,6-million, the IRHA has 2 000 members and most interesting is that about 1 500 of these members operate with less than three vehicles. Let our local RFA please take note!

That the Irish economy is booming is quite apparent, particularly with respect to road traffic. In and around Dublin - and every main centre - road congestion is chronic and the infrastructure is straining to cope.

I didn't see too many old vehicles on the roads which indicates that most operators have taken advantage of the economic boom to replace their fleets. This is attested to by the fact that 33 606 new goods vehicles were licensed in Ireland last year. 

Ireland is similar to South Africa in that both countries were supplied with an extensive rail structure while under British rule. This was the backbone to the movement of goods throughout the country. According to Walsh, the British were excellent planners and builders of infrastructure. However, on their withdrawal, this rail system could not be sustained as a profitable enterprise and has slowly been replaced with road haulage. Sounds familiar, doesn't it!

"The association, which was founded in 1979 really flourished when our transport was deregulated in the 1980s," says Walsh. "Today, 95% of what is produced in Ireland is transported by road. As we are part of the European Union, we play an even more important role as 90% of our food, mostly processed, is exported. We also export a substantial amount of raw chemicals."

Most important is that it is not only the road hauliers who realise the strategic role the trucking industry plays in the economy of Ireland. The IRHA has made sure that so too does the government.

 

Good Relationship The IRHA has succeeded in bringing government on board as a partner. Seen here from left are the Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Aherne; Minister of State for the Department of Public Enterprise, Joe Jacob; and IRHA President, Jerry McMahon with copies of the "Government Programme of Action for the Irish Road Haulage Industry". Putting words into action through partnership ventures is what it's all about in Ireland. Does our President know there is a trucking industry in South Africa?

"Part of our strength as an association lies in the relationship we have with government", says Walsh. "Our Taoiseach, (the equivalent to Prime Minister) has recognised that road haulage is vital to the economy and as such, has given us a direct line of communication to his office, as well as to all his departments that are affected."

This is not lip-service support but has manifested itself in direct action. In response to the difficulties faced by the haulage sector, Taoiseach Bertie Aherne met with the IRHA and established a task force to deal with issues concerning the industry. 

Knowing how often these types of committees are set up in South Africa - and how little develops from them - the obvious question posed to Walsh was: "Has anything come of it?"

His response was a revelation. "No less that 26 meetings were held between September and December last year, chaired by Taoiseach Aherne himself. This task force developed a Programme of Action to put structures in place to allow industry and government to work in harmony for the future development of the industry."

Minister of State for the Department of Public Enterprise, Joe Jacob, is also intimately involved with addressing industry concerns. According to Jacob: "As Minister of State with responsibility for the road haulage industry, I have a keen personal interest in matters affecting this sector. In Ireland, road transport is the dominant mode of moving goods and products and is likely to remain so in the future. Consequently, the road haulage sector has a major role to play in the continued success of the economy.

"In response to the difficulties and challenges facing the sector, the Programme of Action moved the current objectives to a wider dimension and I consider this to be a prime example of partnership in operation."

To this end, Minister Jacob set up a steering group to ensure rapid implementation of the programme. Chaired by his department and comprising representatives from the IRHA, the Gardaí (police and traffic law enforcement to us), Revenue Commissioners, Department of Finance and Department of Environment and Local Government, this steering group's task is to implement a programme which lists 22 actions that aim to make a contribution to the road haulage industry.

Enforcement of regulations
Of these, a number of key elements are certainly overdue for action in the South African context. One of the issues is to ensure better enforcement of the regulations with the main priority being to enforce legal operation by licensed hauliers only and in this way, eliminate unfair competition.

This has resulted in almost doubling the number of roadside inspections - from 2 300 to 5 000 per annum - to check for licensing. According to Walsh, licensed hauliers have welcomed this move. They feel the delays caused by such inspections are well worth the long-term benefits of eliminating unlicensed operators.

We are the voice of the Irish Road Haulage Industry. David Walsh, CEO of the Irish Road Haulage Association, says with pride:

 A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consultants on the state of the industry included a sample of unprompted comments made by hauliers. Comments such as "take the dishonest haulier out of the equation", "address non licensed haulage" and "a total disregard to the rules and regulations" highlight the feeling that their businesses are being adversely affected by illegal haulage. 

And there does not appear to be any excessive red tape or draconian legislation in place for a haulage operation. Only haulage operators wishing to engage in the carriage of goods for hire or reward in vehicles over 2 500 kilograms unladen weight are required to obtain a Road Freight Carrier's license, which is then valid for three years.

And here's an interesting stipulation. To become a licensed haulier in Ireland, it is necessary to provide bank guarantees for approximately R32 000 and attend a course on Haulage Management, run by the Institute of Road Haulage. "The operator is required to show good faith in terms of his financial status and ability to run a haulage operation," says Walsh.

In South Africa, if you have the money to buy a truck, you're in business, irrespective of your qualifications. And we all know where this has got certain aspirant hauliers.

		McGrane Transport McGrane Transport - a Scania user. Not many old vehicles were seen on the roads which indicates that most operators have taken advantage of the economic boom to replace their fleets. This is attested to by the fact that 33 606 new goods vehicles were licensed in Ireland last year.

Consignors held liable
Another issue targeted has been a stricter enforcement campaign around the stipulation that consignors be held liable for using an unlicensed haulier. This Consignor Liability places the onus on them to ensure they are using licensed haulage companies. The action plan to enforce both licensing and consignor liability includes visits by law enforcement personnel to the premises of consignors, road haulage users and operators.

Although legislation is in place holding the consignor liable for ensuring that the haulier is licensed, there is concern that consignors are let off the hook in terms of being prosecuted for overweight vehicles. The IRHA is working on this and South Africa should follow its example and press for this.

It is interesting that there is a high level of co-operation and agreement between Government and members of the IRHA on matters relating to the enforcement of legislation. This is in contrast to South Africa where enforcement officials are often seen by operators as the enemy - and vica versa of course. The difference is that in Ireland, attitudes are in sync.

Take a conversation I had with Chris McGrath from Sligo, whose son is a heavy truck driver. Discussing transport in general, the conversation moved to South Africa's appalling road accident rate. He asked if drunken driving was a contributing factor. Admitting that this is a major problem but that corruption also plays a part in that certain offenders are known to pay their way out of prosecution, he was astounded.

"Over here the law is immediate and your license is suspended. Once the Gardaí get hold of you, that's it. No one is above the law and the example of sober driving is led from the top. Our heavy truck drivers are the best."

As for corruption and bribery, he just shakes his head. "You won't get away with that nonsense here," he says.

Other issues identified in the Programme of Action include training, motor insurance, simplification of official forms and registration systems. Training embraces areas such as IT, logistics, e-commerce opportunities and professional competence.

With a view to making road haulage not only more productive but also more professional, the training needs demonstrate a practical understanding of the transport needs of the country. These latter actions also highlight the fact that the IRHA negotiates with the needs of small businesses in mind - common sense when large operations have the expertise and infrastructure to cope with the complexities of red tape and technology.

Tackling insurance hikes
And it's not only through structured programmes that the IRHA pushes for the interests of its members. The executive is highly proactive in tackling problems as they arise. An example is the rising cost of insurance which has seen premiums increase between 30% to 40% over the past two years.

At a March meeting of the IRHA, the matter was discussed and the association immediately set up a sub-committee to investigate the matter for it appeared there was no specific reason for the increases other than insurance companies claiming they were not making money from motor, householders and haulage insurance.

"The levels of increase over the past two years cannot be sustained by our industry," says Walsh. "We are not alone in this predicament and want answers from the insurance industry on one simple question. If they are not making money out of car insurance, house insurance and haulage insurance, then what are they in the business for with all this cash flow at their disposal? 

Walsh says his association has started a series of talks with the Insurance Federation. "We are looking for straight answers and a possible solution to the crisis. We have to seek out the possibility of getting more underwriters involved in coverage in Ireland."

While there are a number of such problems to be tackled, one disaster which the IRHA did not have to handle was the foot and mouth disease outbreak which had such a devastating effect on operators in other parts of Europe. Strict controls, together with compliance by hauliers travelling from affected areas, has seen only one case of the disease enter Ireland - which was contained. At airports, harbours and all entry points from Northern Ireland, the Gardaí are in evidence liberally spraying every vehicle while pedestrians walk across numerous disinfectant mats.

Strength in leadership
The strength of the IRHA no doubt lies in its leadership and Walsh is full of praise for the association President, Gerry McMahon, of whom he says: "He not only complies with the mandate given to him by the members but surpasses this through his commitment to improving the industry. We have a legacy of strong leadership in the association and we have a president who delivers on his promises."

The bottom line is that this is an association which, through its actions, has earned respect from all quarters - its members (small and big), the public at large and the Irish Government. It has also succeeded in bringing government on board as a partner rather than having government distance itself as an adversary - which is what often seems the case in South Africa.

Working together for the good of the industry and the country seems to be the modus operandi - an approach South Africa needs to urgently emulate.

Traffic Congestion One surprising area that does not seem to have priority status in Ireland is the condition of the roads. While there is a plan to improve the road network, most roads linking major centres are suffering structurally due to heavy traffic. Single lanes are common and in many areas, there is hardly space for two vehicles to pass each other comfortably. Houses, both ancient and new, hug the roadside as do hedges and stone walls. Roads are narrow and traffic crawls along. Even on Dublin's freeway, one sees almost one heavy vehicle to every four cars. Another observation is that parking is completely unregulated. Cars and trucks park wherever and on either side of the road, facing any direction. Double parking is also common.  In a recent world-wide survey, Dublin came 19th out of 20 international cities comparing delivery times taken to move five kilograms of goods a distance of five kilometres. Singapore finished top with 9 minutes, Johannesburg (amazingly) second with twelve minutes, London third at fourteen minutes and Dublin notched up an amazing 57 minutes. Only Calcutta, where deliveries are done on foot, fared worse. Road users seem to take it all in their stride. One never hears the sound of frustrated horn blowing so common on our roads. Loading Areas The main road in Letterkenny - the longest in Ireland. This street has been changed to a one-way but there is no provision for loading areas so many vehicles simply double-park. It works though! A centre such as Letterkenny in the north-west county of Donegal is apparently one of the fastest growing areas in the world, second only to Los Angeles. The main street has been changed to single direction but there is no provision for loading areas, so many vehicles simply double-park. What adds to congestion is the fact that many routes lead right through the centre of smaller towns. No bypass roads have been constructed for heavy vehicles and through-traffic. This was highlighted while watching a 35-ton rig negotiate its way through the centre of Sligo one night. The road, which appears to have been constructed around all the existing buildings, had only one straight section, which was over a bridge. With cars parked on either side of the road, the rig inched its way with scant centimetres of clearance. Parking is completely unregulated. Cars and trucks park wherever and on either side of the road, facing any direction. Also, many routes lead right through the centre of smaller towns. No bypass roads have been constructed for heavy vehicles and through-traffic. Houses, both ancient and new, hug the roadside. Since no other pedestrians seemed perturbed, the possibility of the driver side-scraping every car  in its path is obviously something the locals, including the drivers, are accustomed to. It seldom happens though.