Decline in haulage business is a major concern
Posted on September 01, 2010 at 11:54 AM
The National Survey of Transport of Goods by Road for 2009 published by the Central Statistic Office makes grim reading. It shows a massive reduction in the haulage of goods by road from 246 million tonnes in 2008 to 148 million tonnes in 2009.
This is a catastrophic decline of 40% in the space of a single year. Not since the late nineteen nineties, before the full flush of the Celtic Tiger, twelve or thirteen years ago were quantities of goods transferred on our roads so low.
This is ironic considering it is only now that Ireland has had a quality road system.
The chilling message which the CSO figures reveal is that the Irish economy is in free fall. Road haulage reflects the real economy and is an accurate indicator of the dramatic reduction of economic activity in Ireland.
Many haulage companies are small or medium sized businesses and these CSO figures highlight that there is a lack of government support, particularly in the area of cash flow, being given to small and medium enterprises.
Ultimately the dramatic decline in the haulage industry means a sharp rise in unemployment as demonstrated in the CSO figures released today. The Government must make job retention and creation a priority immediately.
