HGV operators should make 2015 the year of making themselves heard at Westminster, according to Bunkercard.
Bunkercard provides fuel cards to help HGV operators reduce and manage the cost of their vehicle refuelling. Steve Clarke, group marketing manager, said: “What did everyone do when the Chancellor announced no reduction in fuel duty? Most people just winced and got on with things. That is no way to bring about change.”
Steve Clarke acknowledged that there is a long history of parliamentary lobbying by various groups, often with support from Bunkercard. He suggested, however, that organised lobbying is not the only option. “We have backed FairFuelUK and the motoring organisations,” he said, “but there are other ways of getting the attention of politicians. If all hauliers wrote to their MPs the barrage of communication could not be ignored. A single petition of 10,000 signatures is a lot easier to fob off with a glib answer than 10,000 individually written e-mails. If an MP’s Inbox is constantly filling with similar demands from throughout their constituency, they cannot afford to dismiss them all.”
He suggested that each HGV operator should e-mail their own MP, stating briefly what they want from the next government and request a fast, personal response. “Every member of parliament is listed at www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps,” he said, “together with their e-mail address. How long does it take to send an e-mail?”
Steve Clarke added that hauliers should copy their e-mails to the editors of their local newspapers. “Point this out to your MP,” he said, “and let them know that you will be informing the press of their answer. Then, keep that promise.”
Photo: Steve Clarke