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0 licences "an oustanding success"—FTA
Page 5
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lieves such operators are in a very small minority. Ridding the industry of cowboys will be no easy matter says the FTA, as they always have existed and always will.
But merely to tighten up access to the industry would be a simplistic view says the Association. The most effective method of dealing with cowboys is, they believe, "simply to improve enforcement".
This would involve "a quite deliberate concentration of • the limited enforcement resources available on the bad and doubtful operators.
"A logical extension of this principle would be the greater use of short-term licences (say 12 months) for new operators, of whom the Licensing Authority is doubtful, coupled with careful monitoring over that period".
However, there is no need to come up with any stiffer penalties than are already in the hands of the LA. The important thing is to make sure the penalties are enforced in the right quarter to hit the cowboy hardest.
The FTA does not think there should be any change in the criteria of 0 licensing, "pending experience with the new system of good repute, financial standing and professional competence."
Objection procedures serve no useful purpose, and a reduction of the weight threshold for 0 licensing "would be an error of judgement".
Commenting on the state of the road haulage industry the Association believes many of its problems stem from the general state of the economy rather than the licensing system.
And following that, the FTA says: "We express our satisfaction with the efficiency of the road haulage industry".
The Association concludes its evidence by opposing fun damental changes to the sys tem such as the introduction of capacity control, compul sory tariffs, or new criteria related to environment or railways as unnecessary and undesirable.