Morrissey steps down from IRHA helm

But for the fact the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) and the Department of Transport concluded a ground-breaking agreement for the development of the licensed haulage industry, just weeks before Eamonn Morrissey completed his two-year tenure as president, the affable Co. Clare haulier would have stepped down with a heavy heart. John Loughran reports.

Big wheels turn slowly. Just ask Co. Clare haulier Eamonn Morrissey who stepped down as president of the IRHA at its annual convention in Cork over the Easter weekend.

After countless meetings, hundreds of telephone calls, emails, faxes and letters it seemed as if the affable haulier was set to leave office with nothing to show for his exertions other than the knowledge that he had given the job his best shot.
Morrissey had set out his stall to tackle the problem of unlicensed haulage head on, and much of his efforts on behalf of the association were channelled into lobbying the Department of Transport in this regard.

The arrival of Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Ivor Callely last September proved to be the catalyst for progress. Following a number of meetings with Minister Callely the association spotted a window of opportunity.
Having brought Callely up to speed on pressing industry issues the association quickly presented him with an action plan for the industry. This plan represented a refinement of the findings of the 1999 *Indecon Report.

Following detailed discussions on the action plan, the IRHA and the Department of Transport concluded a ground-breaking agreement just weeks before Morrissey left office, which could help to propel the licensed haulage industry forward in the coming years.

Morrissey commented: “We made an agreement with the Minister and the Department with regard to progressing the industry going forward. Ivor Callely has agreed to deal with the issues we raised in our document over the next 12 months. Dealing with illegal haulage will be a big part of that.”

Often terms such as “ground-breaking” are used all too lightly. But there is a growing feeling that this deal could be extremely significant. “This is the first time a minister has given a genuine commitment to deal with the problems the industry is facing,” Morrissey enthused.

He continued: “Even though the deal was struck during my term as president, the benefits will be evident during Vincent Caulfield’s term of office.”
The association’s excitement at the agreement should be tempered by the fact that Callely has already gone on a number of “solo-runs” during his brief stint at the Department of Transport.

Having had his knuckles rapped, by boss Martin Cullen over his proposed £16 billion transport plan for the capital, Callely mightn’t be too anxious to put his head above the parapet in the near future.

Morrissey was also anxious to increase the association’s membership when he was elected a little over two years ago. He concedes that the association has held its own in that respect over the last two years, but has failed to make any significant gains.

“Our members would own the majority of the trucks on the road, but the majority of hauliers wouldn’t be members of the IRHA. Regardless of that fact we would represent all hauliers whether they are members or not,” he affirmed.
He contends that the numerous affinity deals the association has struck with the likes of O2 and the VHI would easily cover the annual cost of membership. But there is reluctance amongst many hauliers to join the association.

“We are constantly hearing what is the association doing with regard to rate increases? But rate increases have nothing to do with the association. It is up to individual hauliers to negotiate rate increases,” he commented.

Morrissey believes that the plight of the licensed haulage sector hasn’t improved significantly during his two years in office. Regrettably, he says much of the blame lies with the haulage industry.
“A lot of the problems are being created by hauliers themselves. In the majority of cases you are talking about individual hauliers, where their worst enemy is the next haulier,” he rued.

Hauliers’ propensity to paddle their own canoes is undermining the potential strength of the industry, according to Morrissey. He explained: “The association has brokered numerous deals (telecommunications, diesel, insurance etc) for its members. But as soon as one haulier gets a better deal he is off and the deal is broken, because you lose the strength in numbers.”

Morrissey argues that many of the issues facing the industry are within the control of the haulage industry. Stubbornly low rates are a case in point.
“The haulier hasn’t learned to say no to his customers. The sooner he begins to say no, the better it will be for everybody. Until such time as the haulier begins to make proper business decisions, he will continue to stand still and will continue to struggle.”

Hauliers need to move away from fire fighting actions just to survive and seek to put their business on a proper profitable footing. “They’ll use every trick in the book to survive. They’ll use green diesel, they won’t pay the taxman and they won’t insure their trucks. All they are doing is putting the money into the pockets of their customers. It’s a futile exercise.”