Having recently been elected as the new President of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), Laois man, Ger Hyland has said he will be focused on sustainability and road safety in his new position.
Mr Hyland, from Rosenallis, was speaking to LaoisToday about his goals and aspirations in this hugely important national role.
“I want us to retain our fuel rebate that we have with the government to allow us to green-up our fleet and to green-up our fuel,” he said.
“At the minute, we have a fuel rebate system that’s worth 7.5c per litre to us.
“The Government here and across Europe are looking to remove any supports for fossil fuels – we are in support of this.
“We’re now using HVO (hydrated Vegetable Oil) and we’re also using biofuel in the mix of our diesel.
“They are far more expensive commodities and so, we’re hoping to get more support from the government on this.
Mr Hyland also said that the safety of the IRHA’s drivers is of the utmost priority.
“Another aspiration we have is with the RSA (Road Safety Association),” he said.
“We have been disengaged from them for s number of years, but we’re now back around the table, talking to them, negotiating with them.
“They appear to want to work with us. Safety is everybody’s concern, no organisation more than our own.
“Our drivers and their family’s lives depend on road safety.”
Mr Hyland also thanked his supports and said he hopes he can continue to rely on their support going forward.
He has a long-standing reputation in the industry through his generational family business.
Mr Hyland is Owner/Director of Hyland Transport, based in Rosenallis.
Hyland Transport was started in 1920 by Mr Hyland’s grandparents, Edward and Mary.
They gained their first transport licence in 1933, before passing on the business to their son, Joseph in 1960.
In turn, Joseph passed the business on to his son, Ger in the early 1980’s, who has taken Hyland Transport to new, elevated heights.
Mr Hyland was elected to the position at the IRHA’s annual conference, held in Killarney’s Gleneagle Hotel at the weekend.
The IRHA is the recognised national representative body of the licensed road haulage industry in the Republic of Ireland.
IRHA members operate under Road Haulage Operator Licenses issued by the Department of Transport.
The association was founded in 1973, with the purpose of representing and promoting the interests of Ireland’s road haulage industry on a national and international level.
It is a non-profit organisation and is funded via both members subscriptions and a variety of sponsorship arrangements.
Mr Hyland has been Vice President of the Haulage Association for the past two years and was elected unopposed as president.
His predecessor Eugene Drennan, had been president for the last four years.
Notable former presidents include Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy, who was in attendance for Mr Hyland’s election.
There was huge support from the industry, with attendees also including Laois TD, Carol Nolan, Junior Transport Minister, Jack Chambers, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, among others.
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