Daily grind is the big issue

As I’m sure you have read in various places – including here –decarbonising road transport is the biggest challenge facing the industry in a generation.

truck-driving colleagues voted with their feet rather than strike and only got back behind the wheel when wages went up to more acceptable levels simply due to supply and demand.

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Steve Hobson Editor Motor Transport

But for the vast majority of people involved in running a fleet today there are many far more immediate day-to-day challenges that still have to be overcome to keep Britain moving.

Our regular Business Barometer on page 10 reports that UK haulage rates, after some growth in 2022, fell back in the last two quarters, largely as a result of falling fuel prices.

While fuel represents about a third of a truck’s running costs, driver wages aren’t far behind and they have risen substantially in the last year.

It is ironic that the highly unionised rail drivers are striking after rejecting a 5% pay deal while their far more fragmented

Our panel of operators assembled to pick the Fleet Truck of the Year for the MT Awards discussed some of the real issues facing them at the moment, with the cost of new trucks continuing to rocket and massive shortages of spare parts and truck technicians keeping many vehicles off the road.

Long lead times on new vehicles means they are having to run trucks for longer, which is, in turn, making problems with R&M even worse as mileages climb.

So fleet operators may be forgiven for not sharing the media obsession with electric and hydrogen trucks. They have more pressing concerns to keep them occupied right now.