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Multi-area operators will have one designated TC
Page 14
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The ETA welcomes the change but there are questions over how the 'lead TC' for each operator will be chosen. David Harris reports.
HAULIERS THAT operate in more than one Traffic Area will have to apply to only one Traffic Commissioner for their 0-licences from this week.
litenewsystemheingintroduced on 1 August, means operators that have bases in several parts of the country will be allocated a 'lead' Traffic Commissioner (TC).
The move was unveiled in December 2006 as part of a package of measures designed to streamline the licensing system. Vosa is writing to all operators that hold multiple licences explaining the changes and telling them who their lead TC will be.
The Freight Transport Association (VIA) has welcomed the change because it should cut down on bureaucracy, hut adds there is an issue about which TC will be designated for each operator.
Joan Williams,FIA head of road freight and enforcement policy, says: "Our members want to have a TC who is easy for them to reach, but the Commissioners have been very clear that they have the final say on who the lead'I'C will be."
It is understood that one reason the TCs do not want operators to choose their own lead TC is that there might be 'TC tourism', with hauliers opting for TCs they perceive to be less strict.
But the main criterion for choosing a lead TC, says Williams, is likely to be either where the company headquarters are based or the area from which it runs the largest number of vehicles. Williams says in its discussions with Vosa it has emerged that another likely factor is that it is not considered sensible to overload one TC with too many operators.
Other measures planned to simplify the 0-licence system include a fee restructuring due for next year and, eventually, the replacement of windscreen discs with electronic enforcement technology.
FOR MORE ON THIS AND RELATED SUBJECTS
www.roadtransoort.com/cm