I acknowledge the men and women who keep this country moving. The Ceann Comhairle knows all about them from a previous life. Our hauliers are not constitutive of an abstract sector in the economy; they are people who deliver every product on every shelf, every medical supply to every hospital and every tonne of gravel to every construction site. They are the ones who collect our waste and recycling material before most of us have even awoken in the morning. They drive through the day and night and in all weathers so the country can function. When they struggle, the entire country feels it. Without them, Ireland stops. It is as simple as that. In recent weeks, we saw protests across the country. There were many voices involved and many genuine people were present. These are people who are feeling genuine pressure, who are watching their costs rise week after week and who simply cannot afford to absorb another price increase. Their concerns deserve to be heard with respect and without judgment. I acknowledge the work that has been done by the Government, the Minister, the Minister of State and others. The RTSS and the fuel support scheme represent a really meaningful step forward. These schemes will provide relief for many operators, and I welcome the engagement that has taken place between the Department and the sector. These schemes recognise the essential role played by hauliers, bus operators, farmers and contractors in keeping Ireland supplied and connected. However, the reality on the ground is that hauliers are still facing a perfect storm in the form of pressures that no single scheme can fully offset. On 1 January last, tolls increased again on some roads where it seems that enormous profits are already being made by the toll operators. We are talking about a 20 cent rise per journey on the M50, bringing tolls to €7.80 return, or €8.80 on other motorways. Many hauliers pass through multiple toll plazas every day. The Irish Road Haulage Association has said the average haulier now pays around €150,000 a year in tolls, with larger operators paying up to a €250,000 annually. This is not sustainable. Is it true that hauliers are legally entitled to a 10% discount under toll bylaws but in practice, they cannot get access to this very easily? Is it true that in order to claim it, drivers must stop at toll plazas every day and buy books of paper passes? That seems unsafe, outdated and completely impractical in the context of modern logistics. If true, it is a discount that exists only on paper. Applying it automatically to prepaid toll tags would be a far simpler and fairer reform that is overdue. Then there are the new charges at Dublin Port, which include a 5% increase in container prices and a new €15 infrastructure fee together amounting to a 46% rise in the cost of moving containers in and out of the country. Hauliers tell me that this comes on top of a dysfunctional operating system and model at the port, with opening hours that push trucks onto an already congested M50. They described the system as fundamentally unworkable and out of step with major EU ports. In spite of the measures, fuel costs remain a major pressure. The RTSS is designed to help when diesel exceeds €1.90 per litre and that threshold reflects the point at which many operators simply cannot cope. However, hauliers are not just dealing with diesel. This is a point I have raised with the Minister and I know he is sympathetic to this. Many operators want to use hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, and many operators are using it. HVO is a cleaner renewable fuel that can significantly reduce emissions. A haulier in my constituency is very proud of the fact that his company has moved to HVO, but there is no reward for the greening of either his company or his operating costs. Hauliers wants to invest in greener fleets and be part of the climate solution, but HVO is more expensive and, unlike diesel, there is no rebate mechanism to offset the cost. We really need to move on this. Operators that are trying to do the right thing are finding that they are effectively penalised for it. If we want to support decarbonisation in transport, this gap needs to be addressed. Insurance premiums remain exorbitant. Hauliers in my constituency tell me that they have seen no meaningful progress in tackling the cost of insurance. For many operators, insurance is now one of their single largest expenses. Without reform, this will continue to undermine competitiveness and push smaller operators out of the market. Compliance costs are rising too. New EU rules require hauliers to retrofit smart tachographs across their fleets at significant expense. Operators accept the need for both safety and compliance, but they cannot absorb every single new cost without support. I contrast the support for purchasers of electric cars with the lack of supports for the essential service of haulage. There is a shortage of drivers. We cannot recruit young Irish drivers because the testing regime has been allowed to fall into dysfunction so it is taking young men and women up to two years to get a commercial licence. Most give up and go to other countries like Australia or Canada where they can work immediately. Meanwhile, the industry is forced to recruit drivers from elsewhere. In that context, the visa process has become a bureaucratic nightmare. This is simply not a sustainable model for a sector that is essential to our economy. I want to be clear that I support the hauliers and I support the Government in all its efforts to make the daily lives of hauliers easier. I support the workers who are doing everything they can to keep their businesses afloat in the face of rising costs. I support the small operators that are barely breaking even. I support the drivers who spend long hours on the road to keep shelves stocked and supply chains functioning. I want the haulers in my constituency to know that their concerns have been heard and that their contribution is truly valued. I will continue to raise their issues in this House with Ministers and the Government. The €120 million RTSS and the €100 fuel support scheme are very welcome. They will help, but will not resolve the structural issues hauliers face every day such as those relating to toll systems that are outdated, unfair port charges that are rising faster than margins, insurance premiums that are out of control, a licensing system that is driving young people out of the industry, compliance costs that keep increasing and a lack of support in respect of renewable fuels like HVO. If we want a resilient, competitive and sustainable haulage sector, and all of us do, these issues must be addressed because, as the Ceann Comhairle knows, when hauliers struggle, supply chains struggle, when supply chains struggle, businesses struggle, and when businesses struggle, families struggle. This is not just exclusively a sectoral issue; it is a national economic issue Ireland needs a haulage sector that is strong, viable and future-proofed. I know the Government and the Minister support this. The people who keep this country moving deserve nothing less. I will continue to work with the Minister of State, his ministerial colleagues and the sector in order to ensure that the supports provided are meaningful, accessible and reflective of the real pressures that hauliers and transport operators face.

Sentiment score: 0.15