"No" to Application for a 30-vehicle Licence
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THE request by Highland Haulage, Ltd., for an A licence which would allow them to hire 30 vehicles between September and April has been rejected (The Commercial Motor, last week). Mr. Alex Robertson, Scottish Deputy Licensing Authority, refused the application without hearing evidence from the 31 objectors.
Mr. W. H. MacLennan, managing director of the company, had stated that £70,000 was paid to subcontractors last year and Highland Haulage wanted to cut this bill They also wanted to pacify customers who had complained about inefficient subcontractors using unsuitable vehicles.
In reply, Mr. R. R. Taylor, for British Railways, put forward a four-point submission that no prima facie case had been made out. He was supported by the other objectors' representatives in contending that the application should be refused because:— 1. Peak period traffic did not justify full-term facilities which would result in excess facilities. The answer lay in short-term licences.
2. Customer witnesses had spoken mainly about English traffic, whereas the proposed normal user stipulated Scotland.
3. Hiring figures, however large, did not justify additional facilities, as the Transport Tribunal had made clear.
4. Highland Haulage had provided a composite figure for subcontracting which did not give a clear picture.
Giving his decision, Mr. Robertson remarked that he was not surprised to see so many objectors, considering that Highland Haulage had themselves opposed most applications of any sub stance by operators north of the Caledonian Canal. He did not think there was sufficient evidence of inconvenience caused by subcontractors, nor was there any complaint about the availability of vehicles.
If 30 additional vehicles were granted there would undoubtedly be a surplus of transport and there was no guarantee that there would always be such a great amount of traffic in the peak period.
No one had ever complained about the recognized practice of dealing with emergencies by short-term licences, and many small operators would suffer if Highland Haulage instead of the Licensing Authority were allowed to control seasonal transport.