Fuel Coupons Are Now Being Distributed: 200 New Offices
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Day-by-Day Record of Work Needed : Special Arrangements in Metropolitan Area
OPERATORS of goods vehicles in some areas may expect to receive their fuel coupons today. They will be lettered " X " and will be in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, 3 and 1 units.
Each unit will be worth one gallon of petrol or two-thirds of a gallon of oil fuel. The Commercial Motor understands that coupons for operators of oil-engined vehicles will be issued in multiples of 10 and 5 units. 15 units equalling 10 gallons.
Application forms (Z/F/3) must be completed and sent with the registration books as soon as possible to the Regional Transport Commissioner for the traffic area in which the carrier's licence was issued, regardless of where vehicles are now stationed.
Extra Local Offices
Although applications for basic rations will be dealt with at area headquarters, plans are being made to open by the end of the month some 200 subdistrict offices. These offices will be the main points of contact between operators and the rationing authority, and will deal with applications for supplementary rations.
There will be no pre-determined scale of priorities for supplementary rations. Each case will be dealt with on its merits and the fact that an operator has used all his basic coupons will not be a ground for claiming a supplementary allowance. Apparently operators distributing essential commodities, such as food, will have to take their chance along with others handling non-essential items.
Basic Ration
The basic ration scale for goods vehicles is shown in the accompanying table. If it is thought that the basic ration will not be sufficient for essential work to be done during the I6-week rationing period, an application for a supplementary issue may be made.
Under a dispensation announced this week by the Ministry of Transport, appliettions for supplementary rations may be made immediately the operator receives his basic coupons. He will then be told where to apply for the supplementary allowance. This concession cancels the instruction on Form Z/F/3 that applications for supplementary rations must not be made until half the basic allowance has been used.
Operators should keep a weekly record for each vehicle, showing dayby-day details of journeys made, mileage loaded and empty, description of goods carried and the amount of fuel used. The fuelling officer may ask for these records when a supplementary application is made. This information cannot, of course, be supplied if application is made immediately the basic coupons are received. Operators would, however, be well advised to keep these records in case rationing is extended beyond the first four-month period.
The use made of the basic ration will be taken into account in assessing what
additional issue is justified. Supplementary coupons may be used only for the specific purposes stated in the application.
In assessing the weight of a vehicle for the purpose of calculating the ration (two gallons per week per half-ton of unladen weight) tractors not exceeding 7+ tons unladen are regarded as weighing 7 tons.
Articulated outfits are treated as single vehicles, the unladen weight being that of the tractor and semitrailer combined. Where drawbar trailers are normally used, the basic ration will be issued on an assumed weight of one ton per trailer.
Coupons for goods vehicles run by local authorities, travelling showmen's vehicles, self propelled engineering plant, vehicles described in the registration book as "bicycle," "sidecarbicycle," " tricycle " or "pedestriancontrolled vehicle," tankers for carrying motor fuel in bulk, : nd farmers' lorries, will be supplied by Regional Petroleum Officers.
The Regional Transport Commissioners will deal with A, B and Clicence vehicles, including vehicles authorized on hiring allowances, and vehicles which are exempt by statute from the need for a carrier's licence.
For the moment, coach and bus operators need take no action. The Commissioners will send them application forms for fuel.
No coupons will be required for oil fuel used in road rollers or vehicles for which a reduced rate of tax is payable.
It is illegal to transfer coupons unless the ownership of the vehicle changes. Coupons may, however, be banked with retailers. Dealers will have to keep records of dqposited coupons and fuel supplied against them, and return unused coupons to the depositors when their validity ends.
When rationing comes into force on December 17 it will be illegal to use special boiling spirit, white spirit or rubber solvent in motor vehicles. It will also be illegal to use kerosene in normal road vehicles.
Unused coupons held by an operator must be returned to the office of issue within a fortnight of the day on which they cease to be valid, or if the purposes for which they have been issued no longer apply, or if the licence of the vehicle expires.
It will still be illegal to buy fuel in cans.
Fast Work
Some extremely quick work was done last week by Mr. W. Morton, East Midland Area secretary of the Road Haulage Association. On Wednesday —24' hours . after rationing was announced—be sent every member in his area a note explaining the system and a copy of form Z/F/3 on which to make his application.
Mr. R. E. G. Brown, secretary of the London and Home Counties Division of the Traders' Road Transport Association, announces that large supplies of a form on which operators can keep the essential information to be submitted with applications for supplementary rations are being printed. The cost varies from 3s. 6d. for 50 forms to 2.5s. for 500 forms, including postage. Operators will find it useful to begin keeping the information at once.
Log Books Not Needed In the Metropolitan Area, says Mr. Brown, fleet operators need not send log books with applications for basic fuel, although the Commissioner may ask for them later.
On forms Z/F/3 it will be sufficient at the moment to state the total number of vehicles and the total unladen weight, divided into petroland oilengined vehicles. This procedure is designed to deal with the exceptional problem in the Metropolitan Area of supplying a great number of large fleet operators. This short cut is not being taken by either the South Eastern or Eastern Transport Commissioners.
Operators holding C-hiring margins are reminded that the owner of the vehicle must apply for the basic ration, but he may-transfer the coupons to the user. The owner must also apply for the supplementary allowance, but it will be the user's duty to supply the necessary supporting information.
The maximum supplementary rations for four months for cars used for business will be: Up to 7 h.p., 10 gal.; 8-9 h.p., 12 gal.; 10-13 h.p., 16 gal.; 14-19 h.p., 20 gal.; 20 h.p. and over, 24 gal.