Attic risks
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There appears to be a growing body of opinion that the Government's proposals to extend "grandfather rights" to holders of Class 2 and 3 licences, permitting them to drive Class 1 vehicles, is going to cause as much confusion in our industry as the situation concerning eyesight standards,
The position of the union is that whatever short-term advantage there is for individual members, and the industry, in using unqualified people to drive Class 1 vehicles, the risk to the industry will be considerable.
Our concern initially is that if drivers without training and experience are required to drive artics, they could be a hazard to them
selves and other road users, and this possibility would present an unacceptable safety risk at a time when the industry is working hard to improve its image.
The consultation I have had with my members satisfit.s me that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that newly qualified Class 1 drivers are at risk until they have gained a reasonable amount of experience, which of course is normally assisted by the processes associated with the current test arrangements.
There is no doubt that some sections of our industry would see an opportunity of using existing Class 3 and 2 drivers to drive Class 1 vehicles, as a way of gaining competitive advantage over
others in the industry who have trained, and maintained, a pool of qualified Class I drivers.
I believe that the industry as a whole should make its views known.
Danny Bryan, National secretary road transport (commercial), TGWU
Talking rubbish
D ecently featured in CM lkwas the new landfill tax with a variation in pricing from £7-£11 per tonne. Being a user of skips in the North-East, I decided to do my own survey.
personally know three operators whose prices start at £30 for a 9cwt skip going up to £85 (ex-VAT). To the most expensive operator we asked what would it cost us if this was builders' rubble. The reply was £85 (ex-VAT), £11 per tonne, making a total of £207.
I was astonished and thought we have a Cabinet full of people talking rubbish and making stupid decisions. I wondered how much a landfill operator would charge to bury them (the Cabinet) on his site—after all, we all know he has plenty of rubbish to bury.
Peter Clark, Durham.