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Page 56
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A Study Manual of Professional Competence in Road Transport Management by David Lowe (Kogan Page, E8).
WITH the many candidates sitting the Certificate of Professional Competence in Road Transport Management examinations, there is an obvious need for a textbook on the subjects contained in the Royal Society of Arts examination syllabus. David Lowe's book, -Professional Cempetencel', goes a long way towards filling that need.
The author has dealt with the subjects in the order in which they appear in the syllabus and has presented the information necessary to the reader in a brief form — in many cases a mere summary of the topic has been given. For example, the syllabus reads in one section, "State the Main provisions of the C and U Regulations with special reference to [among other thingsl audible warning devices and speedometers."
No reference is made in this book to the use of horns and when it is illegal to sound them; the statutory defences to the offence of a defective speedometer are not given. If omissions of this kind are to be made in the interests of brevity, one feels that references should be given in each section to where the law can be found so that the student can make further research into the subject.
Several small errors and omissions appear. No mention is made of the Employment.Protection {Consolidation) Act 1978, which repeals several of the laws dealt with in the Section under Social Legislation, although it is true to say that this Act has made little alteration to the law..
When dealing with the powers of the police to examine vehicles, it is stated that police constables have this power when, in fact, only specially authorised policemen can carry out examinations. Dangerous driving is mentioned as one of the offences for which a notice of intended prosecution must be given. There is now no offence of dangerous driving — reckless driving is the term substituted ..by the Criminal Law Act 1977.
The author contends that the use of a mixture of cross-ply tyres on the rear axle and radial ply tyres on the front axle is prohibited on all goods vehicles but this is no longer the case. Where twin rear wheels are fitted, or in the case of sixand eight-wheeled vehicles, such mixing can be quite legal. The subject of driving mirrors is dealt with very briefly and is not adequately covered.
One feels that these shortcomings are the result of the author trying to condense complicated law into a brief summary sufficient for the CPC examination candidate, he does say in the preface that the book is not recommended as a legal work of reference for normal operational purposes. Bearing this in mind, there is no doubt that this book will prove extremely helpful to any student studying for the examination.
L.J.O.
EVERY publication issued in 1977 by the Department of the Environment and the Department of Transport is included in this 'seventh eddition of the -Annual List of Publications". It provides a catalogue of recent departmental publications on town and country planning, housing, construction, transport, local government water supply and sewerage, and all aspects of pollution and environmental protection.
Compiled in the Department's Headquarters Library, the list gives details of 1,500 publications, including those of the Property Services Agency, the Building Research Establishment, Hydraulics Research Station, Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Countryside Commission, Central Water Planning Unit, and the Water Data Unit.
The list provides the only guide to the hundreds of departmental publications which, because they were not issued by the Stationery Office, do not appear on any HMSO list, are not widely known and are often difficult to trace. Using the DoE /DTp list, it is .simple to track doWn. such items ag research reports, consultation papers, technical memoranda,
laboratory reports, inner area studies, reports of regional strategy teams, guidance leaflets for landlords and tenants, map and library guides to sources of information.
Details are given of the precise address from which to obtain any publication, and the whole work is fully indexed by subject, author and issuing agency. J.F.D.
THIS largely pictorial history of Ford's range of vehicles displays over 200 photographs of commercial vehicles despatched from Ford plants at Dagenham, Langley, Southampton and Cologne, illustrating the development of all weight categories from 1945 to the present day.
Each weight category is accompanied by a brief account of how and why development took its course.
Many of the pictures were supplied by bodybuilders showing the livery of some of the operators who used them, and for this reason alone should appeal to the enthusiast.
It is said to be the first book for 50 years to cover the Ford commercial range. B.B.
STUDENTS of automotive engineering are not well Served with text books — particula on the heavy vehicle side.
This excellent book, whl covers the usual basic topics automobile engineering as w as going into specific types a layouts including demour ables, artics and drawbars, the exception to the rule. BuE and coaches are also featured The diesel engine is well c( ered, with some expli, cutaway drawings (notak Gardner and Leyland) but su diversions from the norm as t gas turbine and the rotary E gine are also explained.
The chapter on the transm sion system is particularly w illustrated. But some of the mc complicated sectioned drawin are reproduced to such a sm scale that much of the detail lost. G.S.I
THIS BOOK is intended for L by UKand Irish-based exp ting organisations of all si; and by forwarders. There 2 three main sections coven land, sea and air, with a total over 4,000 entries for offi( and agents, showing th names, addresses, telepho and telex numbers in a simi alphabetical layout. A SL section to each of the three mi headings gives all the destii tiOns served by each carrier,
J.O.