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TRTA slams MoT's failure to sell plating and testing scheme

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13th September 1968

Page 88

Page 88, 13th September 1968 — TRTA slams MoT's failure to sell plating and testing scheme

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• A major Ministry of Transport publicity campaign was required as a matter of urgency if the testing and plating scheme was to make the required impact on the road transport industry, said Mr. G. Turvey, secretary of the Traders Road Transport Association in Brigg, Lines, on Wednesday. He was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Association's North Lincolnshire area.

Publicity so far left much to be desired, he said. Over £10m had been spent in setting up the system which had anticipated running costs of £2m a year, yet there had been little or no effort to sell the scheme. Any commercial organization which made such an investment and then ignored advertising would face certain failure and all the Ministry had managed so far was one extremely dull notice in a few newspapers and technical journals. It was no wonder that at the end of August only two per cent of those liable for testing by the end of November had registered for the test. The plain fact was that innumerabh small operators had not heard of the tes scheme. The lethargy in booking on the par of operators who did know of tilt scheme was stupid, for the penalties foi non-compliance with the regulations wer( severe and vehicles without test certificatv would not have any resale value.

Mr. Turvey also criticized the plate showing permitted weights which had been produced by the Ministry and which would have to be affixed to the vehicle. It was, he said, totally unsuitable for the job in hand and the Ministry's cheeseparing attitude was much to be regretted.

Another Ministry scheme which was causing the Association concern was that for the heavy goods vehicle driving licence. Here the Ministry seemed to be ignoring the practical aspects of the availability of instructional facilities and the problem which would face garages, and similar service depots, which did not own vehicles on which their staff could take the test. TRTA had pressed both these matters with the Ministry and there were growing indications that it did not want to become involved with such problems. This attitude, which was in direct conflict with that adopted by most departments within the Ministry, was to be regretted and the officials in question, said Mr. Turvey, must realize that they could not legislate in isolation from the circumstances of the outside world.