FTA Annual Report 2012 - Freight Transport Association

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Policy and Campaigns Success in halting fuel duty increases, not once but three times, was the highlight of several successful campaigning outcomes for FTA in 2012 and logistics was on the podium again in the year of the Olympics. Fuel costs remained the primary concern of members during 2012 and therefore the most prominent campaigning issue for FTA. We continued to be the lead sponsor of FairFuelUK that fronted the campaign on behalf of a range of organisations to reduce UK fuel duty to more competitive levels compared to the rest of Europe. The campaign enjoyed considerable success in 2011 when fuel duty was reduced by 1p, and in 2012 built on this achievement by again persuading the Chancellor to abandon planned increases in fuel duty on no fewer than three occasions during the year. Fuel duty remains 9p a litre lower than the Government intended it to be, saving truck operators over £1 billion a year The campaign strategy involved maintaining a high profile presence on various social media, directing a steady stream of information and feedback to MPs and responding to frequent requests for press and broadcast interviews . The campaign took a fresh approach during 2012 by commissioning reports by two leading economic consultancies that both showed that a reduction in fuel duty would act as a stimulus to growth in the economy. A new dimension to road taxation emerged in the autumn with the publication of a parliamentary bill to introduce a road user levy for vehicles above 12 tonnes. FTA gave supporting evidence to the parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill to ensure UK operators are fully compensated by reductions in VED; the levy is simple to pay and administer and it is effectively enforced. The staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in the summer of 2012 was a national triumph but posed serious logistical challenges to the organising authorities – how to deliver a smoothly functioning Games for athletes, officials and spectators yet keep one of the world’s busiest cities supplied and serviced. A major achievement for FTA in 2011 was to alert Transport for London to the need to understand and support logistics operators during this time. FTA worked closely with TfL and the Games organising committee, LOCOG, to bring this about with high level participation in a dedicated freight planning group, a highly successful conference in May, and numerous staff engagements to brief members and troubleshoot specific problems. FTA’s in-house IT specialists developed a web-based updating and alerting system, including FTA’s first smartphone ‘app’, to supply information in real-time to members throughout the Games period. London 2012 turned out to be one of logistics’ finest hours with nearly all planned deliveries being made, many at night under specially authorised trials based on FTA’s pioneering work with the Quiet Delivery Consortium, It was a demonstration of the resilience and ingenuity of logistics planners and operators to work around traffic and delivery restrictions and sudden peaks in demand, given adequate notice and the The Transport Hub FTA founded the Transport Hub in 2009 in order to gain greater leverage from its presence at the party political conferences by working with other organisations seeking to raise the level of political awareness of transport issues and improve the quality of debate. In 2012 the Transport Hub comprised of the following organisations and the topics covered in fringe meetings were airport policy, parking policy and enforcement. ABTA – The Travel Association Airport Operators Association All-Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group British Parking Association Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Freight Transport Association Light Rapid Transit Forum Sustainable Aviation Sustrans Chief Executive Theo de Pencier and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Brighton ©Manny Begum 8 FTA Annual Report 2012
Transport Minister Norman Baker visits the ‘Exchanging Places’ vehicle provided by Cemex at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Brighton cyclists of the dangers of passing on the nearside. The winning designer was, appropriately, also an avid cyclist. London 2012 saw many innovative solutions to making deliveries – captured in the Logistics Legacy report right information. FTA captured the successes and techniques adopted by members in the Logistics Legacy report published at the end of the year to highlight the benefits of close cooperation with London authorities and establish an agenda for tackling some of the other sources of cost and inefficiency in delivering in London in the future. FTA again hosted and managed the Transport Hub at the three main party political conferences during the autumn as part of its continuing campaign to raise the image of transport amongst politicians and advisors. FTA chose to confront the difficult subject of cyclist safety around large vehicles in its own fringe meetings – a topic that generated much anti-lorry sentiment during the year. We also presented the considerable progress made by operators in improving vehicle safety and driver awareness of cyclists and demanded recognition by cycling groups of the responsibilities that cyclists have to other road users. Working closely with Cemex, who provided a vehicle and driver at every event, FTA offered politicians the chance to sit in a truck cab and experience the driver’s view of the road . FTA also sponsored a national competition to design a new warning placard for use on vehicles to warn As the railways implemented a major restructuring of Network Rail following the McNulty Review and a review of Track Access Charges by the Office of Rail Regulation, FTA worked to protect the interests of freight users and operators. In January FTA highlighted the considerable traffic being moved by rail in the retail sector in a special report. On track! catalogued the services now operating on behalf of eight retailers and showed the critical role being played by logistics providers in making modal shift a reality. On track! was closely followed by On board! that showed similar examples of the use of waterborne transport from the point of view of the cargo owner. Both documents identified issues and opportunities that constrain further growth in these markets which will form the basis for future FTA campaigning in these arenas. Responding to members’ concerns and regulatory initiatives by the International Maritime Organization, FTA developed a range of education and briefing materials alerting to the dangers of unsafe packing of maritime containers. This is a global issue and FTA used the Global Shippers’ Forum that it established in 2010 to raise the profile of the subject around the world and take a leading role in the development of best practices. The number of fleets achieving the Van Excellence accreditation increased to 35 by the end of 2012 representing about 76,000 vehicles in total. Van Excellence accredits operators achieving a voluntary standard for compliant van fleet management and was awarded the ‘Best New Service Award’ at the Fleet News Awards in May. FTA’s Mark Cartwright and James Hookham receive the Fleet News Award for Van Excellence FTA Annual Report 2012 9
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report 2012 Incorporating th
Page 3 and 4: Contents 2012: A year in images ●
Page 5 and 6: President’s Report Dear Member De
Page 7: Chief Executive’s Report A Curate
Page 11 and 12: FTA provided compliance auditing an
Page 13 and 14: Investors in People Launched in 199
Page 15 and 16: FTA Board (2012-2013) Stewart Oades
Page 17 and 18: at no cost to the Association, in r
Page 19 and 20: Balance Sheet 31 December 2012 2012
Page 21 and 22: Cash Flow Statement for the year en
Page 23 and 24: Notes to the Accounts 31 December 2
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