6 in 2005 while the creations decreased 5

There are too many trucks on the roads of France to environmentalists, but not enough for some charterers taste! Already four years ago, a certain shortage occurred during peak periods. It has become blatant last summer. Everyone does not agree on the word "shortage". Side loaders, Christian Rose, of the Association of users of freight transport (AUTF), believes that "the term has been wasted." "When we want trucks, it eventually find". Side carriers, Jean-Paul Deneuville, of the National Federation of road hauliers (FNTR), believe that we should rather speak of "reduction of structural overcapacity. In other words, there were too many trucks previously.

Is that the alert was given. The lack of vehicles was especially felt on some areas or regions. For example, the DHL Agency of Saint-Brieuc, find more no subcontractor louageur (small carrier for short). Stéphane Levesque, delegated to Road Transport and logistics of France (TLF) activities, confirmed that some Breton operators have been saturated in the summer and observed imbalances in flows between North and South that exacerbates the tensions on some roads that will cover free freight return insurance carriers. The highest tension is felt on trucks dedicated to certain types of cargo.

Retirement

This reversal is the result of several phenomena. At the base, according to TLF, the decline in profitability of the sector has slowed investment in capacity for several years. Increase in the cost of energy helping, carriers have preferred the rescue of their profitability over volume growth. Despite these efforts, the number of companies in the sector have melted since the 1990s. Failures still increased by 3.6 in 2005 while the creations decreased 5.7. The disappearances are not limited to only TPE. A this phenomenon have been added and of retirements without purchasers and voluntary reductions of parks in particular in the transport of consignments in long and medium distance. The resale of TNT logistics by apartments and led to a tightening of the particular Park.

To top it off, some international operators, such as Leleu in Picardy, have repatriated their activity on the household. Which, as a first step, revived pressure downward price, then the disappearances of enterprises and therefore further reductions in capacity. In total, according to Jean-Paul Meyronneinc, an associate professor at the Conservatoire national des arts et Métiers (CNAM), for two years, the French fleet of trucks languished. A large majority of registrations (85) correspond to renewals and part of old vehicles are sold abroad. The decrease is blatant for holders to 2 or 3 axle working in urban areas.

This progressive contraction of the offer crossed since the end of 2005 a net increase in demand, by a better economy. The application was accentuated by the transfer of rail to the road of some traffic such as beverages and, in the Valley of the Rhone, by an insufficient supply of river shipowners for the bulk and the heavy goods. "Crisis exit faces a structural problem of the lack of drivers because there a couple truck-drivers to increase the supply," said Jean-Paul Meyronneinc. "Road transport had already experienced a strong lack of recruitment of drivers three or four years ago." "With the restart of activity, the tension reappears" adds Bernard Prolongeau, President of the AFT-Iftim, that this issue will become even more crucial in the medium term.

Lack of recognition

The main reason is the massive departure of drivers to retire. 4,000 In 2000, their number will increase to 13,000 per year between 2008 and 2010, which promises to generate difficulties, even comparable. This phenomenon is combined with a population of eighteen arriving on the labour market which decreases, a contraction of the number of job seekers and a negative image of the profession among young people. A survey for the AFT-Iftim in 2003 showed that 90 of them did not want to enter in the transport trades, although those who came from entering were satisfied to 90. The lack of candidates would be also linked to the disappearance of the compulsory military service allowing to obtain a driver's licence. For many, the cost of obtaining remains beyond their means and their motivation. By 2015 there will be enormous pressure in terms of positions to recruit, confirms Christophe Montagnon, responsible for transport in Randstad. "The profession of road driver suffers from a lack of social recognition, the sector cannot create process of career, and communication about this profession is not very rewarding." It must be asked whether if the level of recruitment must continue at the level of the BoE or climb at the bin level because the driving technique becomes less essential in a trade that requires more and more service.

The out of the crisis will pass by price increases that will allow reinvestments and rehire. Firm and final prices traditionally negotiated the year began to suffer blows of fuel since 2004 with overloads knife that appear on the foot of invoices. "The tariff changes are not yet statistically visible, but the Chargers in the ongoing negotiations for the year 2007 are concerned before proposals for increase in two-digit because they are no longer in position of strength", said Jean-Paul Meyronneinc.

This will not immediately allow to lead a reinvestment because carriers want first to clean up the past. As the digital tachograph and the environmental standard Euro 5 have trained them to anticipate purchasing to avoid the additional costs of regulatory developments. Jean-Paul Deneuville, Delegate General of the FNTR, the gap between the price and costs continues to widen. Since 2002, the delay costs reached 10 in regional transport and 8.6 in long distance. "It is therefore difficult to start reinvesting before obtaining at least 10 of the price increase," loose.