St. Petersburg truckers again go on the warpath with officials of the Ministry of transport of the Russian Federation. On Friday, may 27, they began a new protest action aimed to force the authorities to finally start to solve their problems.
This time the action is more modest than in the autumn, when drivers of trucks weighing over 12 tons, representing almost all regions of the country, marched to Moscow. As stated by the organizers, now is not a March and not a rally, which the authorities have not given permission, a “mass movement of cars across the country”.
Pass “promotion” in two stages. Starting in the Northern capital, two trucks with the symbols of a new public organization “Association of carriers of Russia”, will travel to Veliky Novgorod, where they will be joined, as planned, a few cars, will be held “some sort of rally,” then the truck will go further. And so to Tver, then in Krasnodar Krai, Dagestan, Volgograd oblast. The second stage will affect the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Kirov, Vologda. The total length of the route exceeds the expected 15 000 km.
On the eve of this action the truckers talked about their problems and requirements at a specially convened briefing. Turned out he is quite emotional, not to say stormy. Starting with the now traditional last in time of the perturbation system “Platon”, which they call the “third predatory tax”, the audience were not silent about other urgent problems. And going drivers, by the way, nearly two dozen. Some came to this meeting directly from the flight — so it was important for them to convey to the public the truth.
After the briefing, the correspondent of “SP” talked to some of the participants.
One of the founders of “Association of carriers of Russia” the 45-year-old Andrew Bogutin, a driver with 25 years of experience, became the organizer of this “may campaign”. A year ago, as he admitted, did not think-not wondered to do anything except their main work. But that is called boiling! Asked him: how did those few months that passed after the November “standing in Khimki”? Then, we recall the March on Moscow, outraged by the introduction of a new toll payment system, went a few hundred drivers of heavy vehicles from almost all parts of the country.
— The last six months were for many of us heavy – confessed “SP” Andrei Mikhailovich. — Due to predatory tax, which we consider far-fetched “Plato, we have lost almost my entire customer base. Because were forced to raise prices for their services. But no customers, no earnings. One of my colleagues was forced to sell his car in order to feed themselves. Some guys work problems affected, unfortunately, in their personal lives — their wives, tired of the instability, the hassle, insecurity, filed for divorce…
“SP”: — how Many truckers are going to participate in your current stock?
— Would like to attend many, about five thousand people. So much is now included in our “Association of carriers of Russia”. But we decided to limit until a small number. The us Department of state does not Fund us, as someone might think, our brains “not powders”. Carry out an action on the personal funds. Help the regions, where the guys have more opportunity to earn. Someone money, some fuel. The money that we need for the March solely to feed. I’ll have to sleep on cots in their vans.
“SP”: — you Can find out how much you earn?
— On average, the St. Petersburg truckers “bring” up to 50 thousand rubles per month. While there, in recent years often still no more than 30 thousand. To 50 000 for many is considered a great success. I mean net income. Because of the fact that earn a lot of money out of us for the maintenance work of transport. It happens that up to 85%. Plus — the transport tax, plus excise tax. And “Plato”, damn it.
I can not understand why it was created? At first we were told that the collected with it, the money will be to repair roads. Supposedly mainly because of us they are so bad in Russia. But, first, it has long been proved the damage to roads from heavy trucks is much smaller than from cars. That’s just one example — St. Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospekt. We don’t go on it, is prohibited. Where, then, on Nevsky track and rather big? But it regularly repaired! We are told that the soil in St. Petersburg the “wrong” that he will not put all the “floats”. Then why was track and on cable-stayed bridge across the Neva river, where the soil no, the pure bitumen?
Secondly, the promises to repair Russian roads with funds from “Plato”, apparently, is pure bluff. I am judging from a recent statement by transport Minister Maxim Sokolov that the funds collected from us will be 10% of the road Fund. Only ten percent! So all the time that “Plato” works, we have been deceived? Convinced after all, remember that “all proceeds will go to benefit the roads.”
We are now preparing documents for the court on all legal inconsistencies this payment system. Pay attention to their claims, including on fines which obviously illegally discharged to the drivers of heavy vehicles.
“SP”: — In the course of his current “mass movement across the country,” you are going to, as I heard, to assemble some kind of “anti-government information”…
— We are against our governments are not at war, there is no such problem. We fight for their rights. When last fall stood at the walls of Moscow, in Khimki, it was a good time to study the Constitution of the Russian Federation. It turns out that we have so many rights!.. That’s just for some reason they are only on paper. In fact, the Russian working man is deprived of many of them. This is true?.. And we plan to collect information about the quality of the roads and other problems, which are many in our transport industry. Will prepare the appropriate photos and video footage to present them then to the people, and, of course, to the Prime Minister. Which is, I think, too talkers trusts his slave. That will be an opportunity to compare their words with concrete actions.
“SP”: — can You imagine private carriers, individual entrepreneurs. And don’t know what the situation is at the profile state-owned enterprises?
— I know. There is even worse. Trying to survive on the loans. Few succeed, the fleets are going bankrupt one after the other. The government provides a loan program only to those who buy domestic trucks. And what happens? KamAZ started producing now with the engine of a Mercedes. After driving 30 thousand km that the problems begin. The boys are going to brand the service, but they were not accept — assembled that engine in Russia! And in domestic service do not accept — I am told “not our”. And this machine is worth 3.5 to 4 million, and it is only the truck, it still need a trailer for half a million…
Continued the conversation on a given topic colleague A. M. Bagatina, entrepreneur, and also an experienced driver (work experience on heavy trucks 20 years) Sergey Vladimirov.
— I’ll tell you why in our industry a lot of problems, ” began Sergey. — Because all the laws that affect us, in fact so superficial and not well thought out, that often work against us. It is rather a punitive measure, not laws, to operate normally in such conditions is impossible.
Why are we outraged by “Plato”? Because we see it as another way of taking money from drivers. A kind of “third tax”. Well, or gathering, whatever you like. With the first — excises — all clear: how many passed, and paid so much. And what “Plato”? Recently during a “Straight line”, answering a question of the inhabitant of Tomsk about the excise tax on fuel, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the ruble added one from this fee goes to the feds, second regionals, and so, and others to repair roads. And not a word in this sense, the Plato! It seems that the officials and he, too, was misled, like all of us.
I personally, as an honest man, tried to register in the Plato. Tried to do this a few times. Failed. System fails. Not only that. A friend of mine, also a truck driver, went with a cargo from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back is not less than 1,600 km have Removed him “Plato” only 200 (two hundred!) rubles. It was supposed, at the rate of 1.53 rubles per one km, ten times more. And so in all. The system is flawed, not thought out, not pre-tested, and thus oblige us to use it!
“SP”: — Sergey, you took part in the protests in the autumn of carriers?
— Of course! How to stay away when they see that the work you do for decades, which demanded, openly destroy? And who? Officials, that is, office people, often very distant from the realities of our profession. And you know, after March and especially after the “standing in Khimki”, my attitude to the current government turned 180 degrees, was negative. Psychological pressure on us was the strongest. The first three days we did not sleep. Did that fought back — from those who dissed us then the CIA, then idlers. Personally, I realized then, how not our professional Ministers. And not just transport. Because of the problems in today’s Russia do not have one, truckers. But teachers, doctors, sailors. It seems the government understands only force, and to achieve their goals, we can only protest.
“SP”: — do you Have specific suggestions for improvement of Affairs in your industry?
— The main thing is: to leave one of the three tax — the excise tax on fuel. He is the most logical, natural, so to speak. All the more so to raise it to infinity just will not. And in fact, and motorists will be outraged and join us! Vehicle tax and, of course, “Plato” should be abolished. We are taking money for roads, which are not. There is in most cases some areas. Let the first will build the roads! Another important requirement is to improve the conditions of work and rest of drivers. During a multi-day flight to relax truckers nowhere. The exception is the route Petersburg — Moscow. In the regions there are no conditions for this are not created. And the farther away from both capitals, the situation is worse. To the extent that, say, in Siberia, on the night sometimes you have to get right in the forest. And so in all we have all really started.
