Curtail the cowboys
Page 8
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Falsified tacho charts...disabled speed limiters.. .pressure on drivers to exceed their hours. ..links with green diesel smugglers...being struck off—and, in the words of Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell, having no intention of running a fair and honest operation. The list of misdemeanours referred to when Bell revoked the 0-licence held by Bootle-based Transfreight Services indudes most of the worst offences a haulier can commit and underlines its total disregard for safe, legal and professional operation.
No wonder Bell plans to disqualify Transfreight's directors, Kevin and Janice Malone, from holding another 0-licence.
But when a company is prepared to reinvent itself under another name and operate without an 0licence, as Transfreight is thought to have done in its new guise as Hawthorn Transport Services, you have to wonder what can be done to stop it.
The answer, as ever, lies in enforcement. More inspectors, more spot checks and more clout— particularly the clout to impound vehicles—are what it will take to drive pirate operators off Britain's roads. Impounding is coming, but as this example shows, it can't come soon enough. Operators who play the game fairly must have the full support of the law in removing those with a blatant disregard for fair competition, proper procedure and safety. Roll on the Transport • Are we may gradually moving towards an essential user rebate on fuel, with UK government moves to extend existing rebates to some rural users? Let's hope it soon goes the whole hog by extending the scheme to hauliers nationwide.