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Bird's eye view
Page 89
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by the Hawk *Mini attraction
Peter Land, managing director of British Express Carriers, was well in evidence at the NCL driving competition on Sunday when he drove the only mini Scarnmell in existence. This is a miniature artic outfit, conceived and constructed by NCL's engineers, and it was used as a side attraction principally, understand, for the children, but a number of depot managers and their wives followed the m.d.'s example and had a go. In fact while Peter Land was driving the mini he attracted more attention than did the main event.
*Are we tops?
The third BRS management training course is now in session at the company's school in Birmingham. There are 10 trainee mana gers attending and this week they had the deputy editors of CM and Motor Transport tell them how best they could use the trade Press. The students were then invited to criticize the regular contents of' the journals but were either shy or nervous—there was no criticism offered. Or am I being too coy?
*Some friend!
The secretary of America's Department of Transportation, John A. Volpe, was once regarded by railwaymen as the haulier's friend. I gather different views prevail today —he has just joined the Castle/Leber bandwagon by proposing swingeing tax increases for trucks.
* Big stuff
The Transport Act will soon be presenting us with problems of terminology in distinguishing between the professional haulier and the own account operator, when some of the latter begin carrying for hire and reward— though I support there'll always be a recognizably dominant activity, and it is only an extension of the B-licence situation in another form. At least we don't seem to encounter the sort of terminology problems highlighted by New York State Motor Truck Association's latest bulletin, I quote:— "With conglomerates, manoeuvres and fast-stepping acquisitions the order of the day in transportation, writer, lawyer and analyst alike have a hard time finding new words, categories and law to fit the times. Transport Topics listed Essex International's six
months' gross, $242 million (!), under 'motor carriers' earnings' . . . as a case in point. Where do you draw the line? Essex owns Transport Motor Express—a carrier doing less than $7m in the first quarter. Essex is readying computer analysis and control systems for automobiles for distribution in the next decade. They'll make unnecessary present engine wiring, and this side of Essex alone, one-fourth of the present gross sales volume, is expected to reach half a billion dollars in ten years. Some motor carried"
*The facts
One American haulier has been having a merry time with a local newspaper which, in an article apparently supporting resistance to the up-rating of truck weights and sizes, got its facts a little mixed. The paper said truck taxes Had not climbed in 18 years, and that the trucker ran "free" on the roads.
Now haulier Mike Petrina has asked the paper to produce its "expert" to help him claim a rebate on the extra vehicle tax he's paid in the past 18 years ($630,000, he reckons) and all the money he's paid in highway tolls. If he gets the money, he says, hey pay the newspaper half for tipping him off.