13 Hauliers Oppose B.R.S. Transfer
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QTRONG opposition from thirteen independent road hauliers was presented at Chester, on Monday, against an application by British Road Services for five vehicles of 14+ tons on public A licence.
Mr. G. H. P. Beames, for the applicants, said they wanted the five new vehicles to be based at Llandudno and to carry parcels and small goods to North Wales, Lancashire, Cheshire, and the Midlands. If the application were granted five vehicles of 14+ tons based at Liverpool would be deleted from their A• licences. No extra tonnage was involved in this case and the only reason for transferring the vehicles was to improve facilities for their customers.
There were 135 vehicles based at Liverpool, nine of these working on the North Wales route. It was five of these nine vehicles which were to be transferred to Llandudno.
A long history of complaints regarding delayed deliveries had arisen, brought about by congestion at Liverpool. A 48hour delivery service was their objective but, at present, it was often taking them four days. In addition to this they wished to eliminate wasteful mileage and if the application were granted 750 miles per week would be saved.
There were 15 witnesses in court, representing companies throughout the country, who employed B.R.S. to the value of several thousand pounds a year. Details were given of various delays in transit, a delivery of rubber from Yorkshire to Llandudno having taken 21 days. Without exception witnesses said that services to North Wales should be improved. They wanted -daily collections
from their premises with speedy deliveries to their customers. Other hauliers had been approached but they had been unable to meet their requirements. There was a great difference between the specialized, large-scale service operated by B.R.S. and the services offered by the small local haulier. One witness estimated that he had recently lost 10 customers as a result of delayed deliveries.
Mr. D. C. Lovell, traffic controller of Mansfield and Sons, Ltd., Northampton, replying to Mr. Edward Jones, objecting for the independent road operators, said that he had tried to find hauliers who operated a daily service between Northampton and North Wales and had been unsuccessful, When a man carried on business in a town many miles from North Wales, he naturally made inquiries regarding haulage facilities in his own area, and did not bother about any Others.
One witness said that the B.R.S. North Wales service had been so bad that he had stopped using it. He had tried using a Welsh haulier and this had been unsatisfactory as he would not call at the time requested. The case was continued this week.
INQUIRY ABANDONED DECAUSE Samuel Johnson (Supreme), Ltd., Stourbridge, surrendered their A licence for three vehicles, the West Midland Licensing Authority cancelled an inquiry fixed for Monday. He was to have heard cause why the licence should not have been suspended or revoked because of a statement of intention that had allegedly not been fulfilled.