Ravenscraig's heavyweights
Page 6
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PROBLEMS connected with overloading at the Ravenscraig works of the British Steel Corporation were highlighted when Transport Development Group subsidiary McKelvie and Company Transport appeared before Scottish L A Hugh McNamara.
The company's licence specifies 57 vehicles and 160 trailers. The LA, considering taking action in the light of vehicle prohibitions and a large number of convictions, mainly for overloading, said he was not too concerned about the number of prohibitions in view of the size of the fleet. His main concern was the overloading.
Michael Whiteford, for the company, said trailers were loaded by BSC employees and then taken by shunt drivers to the trailer park. Weight problems arose if a heavier unit used by a shunt driver picked up the trailer for a long-distance run. But BSC had now agreed that all articulated outfits be weighed before leaving and that had solved gross-weight problems.
However, as there was no axle weigher in the vicinity, although a vehicle might be well within its gross weight, when weighed on BSC's plate weighbridge, the driver had no idea of spread over the axles.
If a vehicle was checked at the dynamic axle weigher at Beattock Summitt on the A74 and was found to have an axle overload, there was no way that the driver could redistribute a load of steel beams or plate.
Ralph Taylor, McKelvie's managing director, said urgent discussions were being held with BSC to try to overcome the problem.
Mr Taylor said the cost of triaxle units rather than tri-axle trailers would be prohibitive. He said it would look at the cost of installing its own dynamic weighbridge but there was also the problem of where to put it.
Mr McNamara commented that it might be in the best interests of hauliers carrying out of Ravenscraig to club together to purchase dynamic axleweighing equipment.
Taking no action other than to issue a warning, Mr McNamara sympathised with the company but said overloading was an absolute offence and hauliers had to comply with the law. The company must inform him of the result of the discussions with BSC at the end of six months.