Tippers find their voice
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
UNTIL last weekend it might have been fair to assume that, from the absence either of organized comment )r of public exhibition of their size, operators of tipping ,thicles were few in number in this country. In point of 'act, they represent nearly one in four of the vehicles iolding A, Contract A or B licences. At the last Ministry )f Transport census, four years ago, there were 46,500 .uch vehicles with a further 66,000 on C licence. So far is the public haulage sector of tipping is concerned, hey proved in no uncertain terms last weekend to be io longer just a sleeping giant but an awakening one.
The first-ever national conference for tipping vehicle Terators was held in Buxton by the national committee )f the Road Haulage Association's tipping vehicles funional group. By any measurement at all it was an outlanding event—successful in every way; it is to he toped that it will now become a regular part of the iaulage industry's calendar. So much of use came out r' this conference that it might even be a thought for he organizers in future years to consider whether there s any way in which they could invite the large number C-licensed operators of tippers to take part in the roceedings as well. Not surprisingly, the two subjects which attracted most attention from the delegates present were the ones of co-operative working and the time-honoured question of costs and rates. While the question of lack of knowledge of true costs and the menace of rate-cutting are subjects which are common to most sectors of road haulage, that of working in co-operative groups or associations (while not peculiar to the tipping vehicle industry) is certainly currently very prevalent as has been proved from recurrent reports in COMMERCIAL MOTOR of the activities of such groups throughout the country. Indeed, the basic purpose of last weekend's conference was to explore ways in which the working of such groups could be furthered in the interests of tipping vehicle operators.
It was not perhaps surprising that views were many and opinions strong. The request which the conference sent back to RHA headquarters for stronger representation nationally proves this. However quiet tipper operators might have been in the past, they were vociferously aware at this conference that they are, in fact, by far the largest functional group in the RHA.