International road hauliers based in the UK are doing no more than treading water against their European counterparts, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has warned.
New figures published by the Department for Transport in Road Goods Vehicles Travelling to Mainland Europe show that UK hauliers continue to account for 25 per cent of the accompanied cross-Channel freight market. While this position has been broadly stable for three years, it is a significant contraction compared to the 52 per cent market share that UK international hauliers had ten years ago.
Elizabeth Leroy, FTA economics analyst said: “International hauliers are finding themselves in a commercial cul-de-sac. In the face of more aggressive price competition for EU hauliers as a result of the euro’s sustained weakness against sterling between 1996 and 2002, they retrenched into niche parts of the cross-Channel market.”
