• Metropolitan LA. W ams Site Hauliers
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Pl.A WARNING, to ensure that vehicles were properly authorized for their work was given to contractors and owner drivers engaged on building sites and road, work by Mr. D. I. R.. Muir, the ,Metropolitan Licensing Authority, in London on Wednesday. He granted licences for 14 vehicles for use by St.. Mary's Contractors Ltd. and St. Mary's Plant Hire Ltd., associated companies of St: Mary's Transport Ltd.
Mr. William Hubbard, a director of the contracting company, said the transport ,company had been formed partly for administrative . purposes and partly becauie of increased business. The company applying for the licences ensured that vehicles used on sites were properly licensed, he said. Previously the company had made use of owner driv,ers who had not proved satisfactory.
Mr. Muir said:. "Some 18 months ago. When work on the M4 motorway was starting, I received many complaints about illegal operations on that site, When I granted short-term licences for this wOrk I issued a public warning that my enforcement officers would be keeping
watch there. Where they have found that iny warning was not heeded proceedings have been taken against the owner drivers and also against the contractors by whom they were directly employed, for aiding and abetting." Mr. Muir went on to say that any contractor who employed an owner driver must realize that he had a responsibility to see that the owner driver's vehicle was properly authorized to carry out the work.
He continued: " I suspect that contractors or their agents, in their anxiety to get a size cleared or to get materials delivered to the site, Simply employ vehicles they can lay their hands on, without bothering to check that the law is being complied with."
Last week, said Mr. Muir, his examiners had visited a site in Buckinghamshire where 36 vehicles were found to be defective and 60 out of 70 were carrying More than the statutory weight. He said he hoped there would be no backsliding by the applicant company in respect of licences, but stressed that -the case of overweight and defective vehicles did not apply to the present applicant.