Hauliers Fight County Council .
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HAULIERS in County Durham have decided to oppose a decision by Durham County Council to abolish a I2-year agreement and obtain competitive tenders for haulage work. Under the agreement, haulage was done at fixed rates and the work was shared among operators.
At a meeting in Durham City, about 100 hauliers protested against the council's decision and decided to submit tenders under the old terms. Mr. H. L. Walker, chairman of the Northern Area of the Road Haulage Association, said that in December the council announced that it intended to revert to competitive tenders.
The hauliers had then replied that they would like to discuss the matter. Mr. Walker alleged that they had heard nothing more until an advertisement inviting tenders had appeared in the Press, He added that the county council had never complained that existing rates
were ISM' high. The decision, he said, would mean cut-throat competition among hauliers. although those at the meeting agreed not to ieduce hourly rates.
DRIVERS INVITE THEFT
IN its annual report, the Liverpool I Underwriters' Association comments on the risk of thefts from vehicles carrying valuable loads through their being parked unattended on dispersed sites at night.
A large park was manned for a time by an ex-servicemen's organization, but the experiment was abandoned because of a lack of co-operation from lorry d rivers.
Liverpool Security Committee has an experimental scheme, under which Ministry of Food drivers are directed at night to accommodation on the city outskirts. Road Haulage Executive drivers also have instructions to park vehicles at the Executive's depots or public parking places under. supervision. Although there are many parks available to which the police direct drivers, says the report, lorries loaded with valuable commodities are still left unattended. As many as WO have been reported in one night.