Enforcement in Germany
Page 18
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• "European Community Information", a new publication from Financial Times in association with the European Commission, records in its April issue some details of the functioning of the Bundesanstalt /lir den Gaterfernverkehr (Federal office for long-haul goods traffic), the responsible control agency in Germany.
BAG has an operating budget of DM30 million per annum, derived from dues and registration charges. There is a staff of 800, of whom 80 check documents, 125 make road checks and 100 inspect companies.
Annually, the 9600 German haulage companies produce some 10,500,000 waybills which are sent to 27 freight inspection bureaux and financed by carriers' dues. These bureaux have 58 collecting offices employing 300 people.
The percentage of irregularities is said to have dropped from 3 per cent in 1956 to less than 0.5 per cent in 1970. Infringements are notified to BAG.
Each year some 300,000 vehicles are checked on the public highway to ensure correct application of the tariff, that labour laws are observed and that the waybill agrees with the load.
Ninety-two vehicles were checked on the Saarbrucken-Mannheim motorway on December 17 1971 in a period of 3 hours: 34 of the vehicles were foreign. The police found 21 infringements, four of them in foreign vehicles. Officers of the BAG were concerned about 15 of the infringements, including all four in foreign vehicles.
BAG's 100-strong field force make some 2000 checks each year on haulage companies, forwarding agents and users. On complaints by BAG 298 fines were imposed in 1970 to a total amount of DM214,807. In the same year no fewer than 53,954 price corrections were made to a total value of DM3,475,944.
Haulage licences may be withdrawn by the Lander authorities in conjunction with BAG reports. In 1970, 538 licences were withdrawn, 76 for violations of road haulage laws.
European Community Information is available on annual subscription terms. In the UK this costs £15.40 and in Europe, £16.50. Details from : Circulation Dept., Financial Times, Bracken House, Cannon Street, London, EC4P BY.
New parts store for Volvo
• The IRTE chairman, Mr R. H. Dun calfe, on Monday opened a new 27,000 sq. ft Volvo parts warehouse on the premises of Ailsa Trucks Ltd, at Barrhead, Glasgow. Ailsa is UK concessionnaire for Volvo commercials and the new store holds +m spares worth £1m, representing an average six months' usage.
The former parts store is now being used for pre-delivery checks, at the rate of 50 vehicles a week.