R.H.A. Members Sign Code of Conduct for Clearing Houses
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A SIX-POINT code of conduct for clearing houses has been established 471 by the clearing house group of the Road Haulage Association. It has been signed by the members, of whom there are some 30, with about 40 depots.
Enforcement machinery has been set up, although the Association have not revealed its precise working. Breaches of the code are, however, likely to result in the withdrawal of approval from a clearing • house.
The code is as follows:—
(1) Rates paid shall be those generally recognized as fair for the traffic and destination, and shall be shown in a confirmation note in a sealed envelope to be handed to the driver at the time the collection notes are received.
(2) Commission deducted shall not exceed 10 per cent. and where the traffic is not obtained direct from the customer then the total commission deducted shall not exceed 10 per cent. Payment for banking, sorting, provision of extra labour, tackle or other extraneous services, shall be a matter between the clearing house and his customer.
(3) Prompt payment to sub-contractors shall be made and in any case not later than two months from the date of the invoice.
(4) Members of the clearing house group shall accept and pass on traffic under R.H.A. conditions of carriage or conditions no less favourable.
(5) Clearing houses shall take reasonable care to contract only with hauliers who are adequately licensed to carry goods for hire or rewaid. •
(6) A haulier employed by a clearing house would be expected to carry out the work in a proper manner and to respect the relationship between the customer and the clearing house.
Types of Member
The clearing house group has two types of member. One class owns no vehicles and the other does, but derives its main annual income, from purely clearing-house work. The code is, however, applicable to both types of member.
Members who have pledged themselves to honour it are as follows:—
Universal Road Transport, Bristol, 1 (branch in London, S.E.I); J. and H. Transport Services (Peckham), Ltd,, London, S.E15 (branch in Liverpool, 3); 20th Century Transport, Ltd., London, E.C.3 (branches in Birmingham, 21, Liverpool, 3, Manchester, 2, and Glasgow, C.3); Birmingham Road Haulage, Ltd. Birmingham, 9 (branch in Ruislip); K. and M. Hauliers, Ltd.. Nottingham; W. Orange (Haulage), Ltd., Nottingham; Nottingham and District Hauliers, Ltd., Nottingham; Chancel Transport, Ltd,, London, 5.E.] ; Arthur Wood and Co. (Transport), Ltd., Salford, 5; C. and C. Transport Services, Smethwick, 40; Transportations, Ltd., London, N.5; General Transit Services, Ltd., London, E.C,3; Roadway Services, Ltd., Huddersfield; Kennedy and Co., Birnimgham; Jones Transport Services (Liverpool), Ltd., Liverpool, 20 (branches In Salford and Birmingham); Pitt arid Scott, Ltd., London, N.7 (branches in Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow); Taylor Transport (Hounslow), Ltd., Houns a28
low; Potteries Independent Road Turnsport, Ltd„ Stoke-on-Trent; W J. Treweelc and Co , Ltd., London, E.0 3; Road Hauliers (East Midlands), Ltd., Nottingham (branches in Derby, Boston, Leicester and Mansfield); Barnsley and District Transport, Ltd., Barnsley; T. Baker and Sons (Transport), Ltd., Dudley; Direct Motor Service (Sheffield), Ltd., Sheffield, 3; J. S. Redfern and Co., Ltd., Manchester, 12; and Key Warehousing and Transport Co., Ltd., An official of the National Conference of Road Transport Clearing Houses had no comment to make on the R.H.A. code on Tuesday. He pointed out, however, that as a further step to keep the clearing house business " clean " they had recently decided to tighten up their requirements of new members.
New applicants must now satisfy the following conditions; they must have been in business for a least two years (hitherto it was one year); and they must submit a certified balance sheet for the last two years' trading for examination by the Conference's auditors.
BOARD TO NOTE DIFFICULTIES IN SCOTLAND?
THE attention of the British Transport Commission had been drawn to difficulties which might arise after denationalization in remote areas such as Campbeltown, said the Scottish Licensing Authority last week. He added that the Road Haulage Disposal Board would no doubt take them into consideration.
At the moment, he said, the Road Haulage Executive were able to provide regular services between Glasgow and Campbeltown because the structure of their organization made it possible for the financial drawbacks in the traffic, which was largely one-way, to be combated.
VAUXHALL FACTORY EXTENSION
MORK has started on a 144,000 sq. VV ft. extension to the branch factory at Dunstable of Vauxhall Motors, Ltd.,
The cost of the extension will be over £750,000.
The extra space will be used chiefly for the manufacture of spare parts for non-current models, This activity is at present divided between the Dunstable factory and the main plant at Luton. The present factory. at Dunstable, opened during the War, covers 120,000 sq. ft and employs 330 people.