TRANSPORT & VAN in Belgium

More volatile than ever Let's be honest: 2011 was not a bad year for the transport world. Almost everywhere we heard the same conclusion: "it's difficult, but we certainly can't complain". We can understand why transporters prefer not to be too enthusiastic after two very difficult years. Although it is sometimes really good for a journalist to be able to talk to an optimistic manager, a breed that we have suspected for some time was threatened with extinction. However, as this edition of TRANSPORT & VAN in Belgium goes to press, the Belgian transport sector is - once again - at a pivotal moment. While cost prices are soaring to record heights, the freight prices offered remain too low to maintain a healthy business, according to most transporters. The result is that many transporters are forced to stop their investment policy, that little or no recruitment is taking place, and that the entire sector is having to bend over backwards to survive. In the construction sector too, business confidence has fallen drastically, something that is immediately noticeable in the sales of vans. The volatility of our economy has rarely been so great, and forces every entrepreneur to be cautious again. The importance of reliable and strong partners is increasing in this current economic climate. The companies present in this edition of TRANSPORT & VAN in Belgium have also understood this well. They want to show you that they are there. Thinking along with the customer is a conditio sine qua non for them, rather than a cheap marketing term. And that is how it should be.