DECISIONS DECISIONS Decisions, always decisions. And what will the Government's
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decision be on 44 tonnes? According to the rumour mill it'll back 'em. It's still a long way between now and the end of July, when the Great White Elephant (sorry, White Paper, on transport) will be unveiled. But if you believe the environmental groups (which we generally don't, any more than we believe the projected freight losses on rail from English Welsh & Scottish Railways), it's a done deal. Indeed, they're already spluttering about broken promises. If New Labour can't keep them on NHS waiting lists, why should it keep them on 44-tonnes? That's politics, folks. Time will tell if a 44-tonne limit will lead to more or fewer vehicles— or richer or poorer hauliers. Most likely there will be a flurry of new 3+3 artic registrations from the ownaccount boys and weight-driven hauliers, but we doubt if they'll add significantly to Britain's HGV vehicle parc. For unless the Government comes up with new, workable measures on cutting down traffic jams in its White Paper, congestion will act as the best deterrent to putting more freight, and more trucks, on the road. If the railways can't see that, and win business as a result of it, then they deserve everything they get. Meanwhile, truck and trailer convertors look like being the biggest immediate winners as they upgrade existing artics to meet the new limit. A furious Transport 2000 says it wants guarantees from the ETA that once it gets 44 tonnes it won't "be looking for further increase in the maximum weights of lorries". As if they alone could change the course of history. If we do get 44-tonners it will be because the Department of Transport made an irrefutable case for them in its own consultation document back in 1 996. And when the DOT finally got on board with 44 tonnes it changed from being a matter of "if" to "when". So please, tell us when...