brados:
graham schroeder:
jd as a moderator and rikki why cant you organise a march on downing st im sure drivers small hauliers would all make their presence felt ie full term contracts not short term hourly rates instead of basic or fixed wages topped up with bonuses
secured parking the list goes on proper rates etc instead of insults all band together these forums could be used to make life a better place and put pressure on are govermentfor all drivers uk or eec cheers grahamSimply put - there is no backbone for that kind of action in this country. We could learn a lot from the French, as recently as last week they threatened to block Total plants - the result, Total backed down to a big extent, if the Fench use the authorities then every French worker backs the strikers, over here they send a local bobby to see what’s going on and everyone buggers off home.
Not sure about the police but the Gendarmes share the same union with transport and fishing and include other nationalised industries, hence blockaded ports , seemingly undisturbed, and roads that have an effect on govt regulation. Sadly not the case here in the UK . 
I don’t think it’s backbone as the different social structure, fishermen and lorry drivers are equally as strong as their French counterparts but combined political pressure has decreased here in recent years whilst it has grown in France.
Having said that the wages (at ND in France) are effectively the same rates as here when you account for the different costs… 
and that whilst still resisting an influx of eastern european labour, most often put forward as the reason for low wages in the UK, again as a result of pressure brought to bear on the govt by interested groups when the eec expanded.
It will be interesting to see the resulting changes when the other major economies in the eec open their markets to all member states as the UK has done for some time.