Vigilantes on haulage war-path
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RHA watchdogs will report transport law-breakers
• Proclaiming that unlawful operation constitutes unfair competition, and that it is on the increase, the RHA is hotting up its war on those hauliers, whether or not members, who transgress the system of quality licensing as laid down in the 1968 Transport Act.
For some time schemes have been in operation in certain of the Association's areas whereby offending members have been confronted with evidence of malpractice and told that unless they mend their ways details may be sent to the Licensing Authority.
Now the RHA licensing committee is setting up a national network of haulage vigilantes. In each area a sub-committee, consisting of at least one member from each sub-area, is being formed to meet regularly to review Applications and Decisions in conjunction with any information on unlawful operation or unfair competition.
The vigilance sub-committeemen's job, says the Association, is to supply the ammunition by completing a report form (see accompanying example). The contents will be treated as private and confidential and the forms will be sent to area offices wherever unlawful operation or unfair competition is encountered.
Where reports concern operators who are not RHA members the information will be recorded and the vigilance committee will consider whether it should be passed to the DoE enforcement officer.
For a start it is not likely that there will be much for the vigilance committees to do but this will change when a reasonable number of report forms have been received and renewed applications by the holders of 0 licences for only oneand two-year periods are published in As and Ds. Existing operators will be treated as new applicants when their current licences expire and they will then be open to objections; the RHA is one of the bodies statutorily recognized as an objector.
"The success or failure of the Association's attempt to make operators' licensing work satisfactorily," observes Mr G. H. Mitchell, secretary of the RHA licensing committee, "will depend on the co-operation of members. If we get a reasonable amount of information and are able to lodge objections to applications where there is knowledge of unfair practice or unlawful operation we shall be helping ourselves. If we fail despite everyone doing his best we may then have a case to go back to the Government and say that the system of quality licensing does not work.