Irregularities Must be Cleared Up
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HAULIERS' operating costs in the 'Hull area have generally risen during the past 12 months because too many vehicles are usually available, yet haulage rates have gone down by 14 to 26 per cent, in the same period. The Yorkshire Licensing Authority, Maj. F. S. Eastwood, heard this at Bridlington last week, from Mr. Harold Hunter, managing director of Hunter's of Hull Transport, Ltd., who opposed an application by Coastal Transport, Ltd., Hull, to transfer two special A vehicles from the North Western Area to their Hull base.
Hewson Bros. (Hull), Ltd., Key Warehousing and Transport Co., Ltd., Chapman Shield Transport and the ,British Transport Commission also objected.
Mr. A. Fawden, Coastal Transport manager, said they had no garage in Manchester, only an agency. As a result there were administrative and operational difficulties. If the application were granted the vehicles would do the same work and cover the same areas as they had during the past five years. The rest of the fleet-11 A-licence vehicles and
two on local collection and delivery— was based at Hull.
Answering Mr. P. Kenny, for the private objectors, he said the authorized base was Fleetwood, but the company had never had premises there. An office was opened in Manchester three years ago but was closed last year and handed over to a clearing house who were now the company's agents.
Seventeen Manchester customers had been lost during the past 12 months and traffic emanating from there was now only clearing house work or backloads for Hull customers, The vehicles had always, in effect, been based at Hull and they were now actually operated by Hull drivers.
Mr. Fawden denied that the vehicles had been operated illegally and that the application was designed to rectify the irregularity.
Maj. Eastwood said it was obvious that there had been irregularities and more information was needed to get to the bottom of it. The hearing would be adjourned until the exact position was known.