Watch your trailers
Page 8
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kILERS are failing much more frequently than tractive units, and icle examiners are looking at this very closely, warned West Ilands Licensing Authority Arthur Crabtree at a Birmingham inquiry.
R. Hewitt (Hewitt Transport) of Walsall, was applying to 35 trailers to its standard .rnational licence for 11 icles and 14 trailers. The apation had been opposed by sail Borough Council.
evidence, managing director lk Hewitt said the company's tractive units took trailers to ferry ports where they were 3ped unaccompanied and .ed up on the Continent by a gian haulier for onward smission.
le additional trailers were reed because the business had Nn considerably, and much k was being sub-contracted. re had been problems with -contractors, and it would nitely be better if the corny retained direct control in its hands.
3 agreed that Walsall council complained that trailers had 1 left on the highway in June. Hewitt said it had been an sual situation as the corny had been awarded a Red ;s emergency relief contract y in that month and it had to cope with a large number dditional trailers hired from
hauliers.
3rmally all the trailers were rad for most of the time. For riple, 19 trailers had been ding in North Africa for ly months for the Red Cross "handsome" sum per day as n they arrived it was found the base for the hospital had been completed. If there problems accommodating ?.rs in the future, he had now nged for additional parking ities at the Perry Bar con base.
Aestioned by Mr Crabtree, lewitt said the drivers were not allowed to take their vehicles home. The company employed four trailer fitters and operated a mobile trailer repair service repairing other people's trailers as well as its own.
Mr Hewitt claimed that it had an extremely high rate of success with trailers submitted for annual tests, as he felt that the company had the best trailer maintenance system in the Midlands.
Mr Crabtree granted the application after Walsall Borough Council indicated it was withdrawing its objection in view of the evidence.