DIARIO DEL PUERTO The protagonists 25 THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMOF REEFER TRANSPORT SPEAKS ENGLISH Road haulage companies have always looked beyond Spanish borders in search of markets and new market niches. However, the international situation is not going to help alleviate the sector’s structural problems. 2022 looks like it is going to be a difficult one and that is being generous. Brexit and the conflict in Eastern Europe do not bode well for a calm year: ”What worries our companies most at the moment is the constant rise in fuel prices, with an almost daily increase in costs”, says Manuel Pérezcarro, General Secretary of CETM Frigoríficos and FROET. There is no doubt that this escalation in fuel costs could affect themovements of Spanish lorries abroad. For themoment, thesector hasavoided theconflict betweenRussia and Ukraine since, as the General Secretary of CETM Frigorífico and FROET points out, only a minority of Spanish refrigerated transport companies make trips to these countries. However, Brexit is having a notable impact. The United Kingdom is a major importer of fruit and vegetables and it is a major destination and market for many companies. Customs obstacles with complex administrative procedures and, above all, the physical inspections of the goods to verify compliance with phytosanitary conditions that will be required from 1 July onwards are causing concern, ”because it will mean that vehicles will be stopped, lengthening journey times, reducing turnover and increasing costs”. In addition, fewer and fewer drivers want to travel to the UK because, on top of these difficulties, ”there are problems caused by illegal immigrants getting into lorries to enter the UK”. Alternatives are hard to find. Looking for new markets ”is neither simple nor profitable”, as ”you have to find new clients and for this to happen, the most important thing in this industry is price. Therefore, companies that want to gain a foothold in other markets will have to offer cheaper transport than their competitors and, in the end, this is bad for everyone”. Road transport
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