More Operators Convicted: Maintenance Criticized
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A N increase in the number of prosecutions of goods-vehicle operators and a poor general standard of maintenance are mentioned in the "Summary of Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities, 1955-1956" (Statioriery Office, 3s.).
In the year to September 30, 1956, 18,435 summonses were issued and 17,224 convictions were recorded, compared with 13,262 and 12,055, respectively, in .1955. Warning letters were also sent in 6,697 cases.
Convictions for offences relating to drivers' hours rose by 91.4 per cent., and for offences concerning the keeping of records by 69.1 per cent. There was also an increase of 21.5 per cent, in convictions for using vehicles without carriers' licences, and of 18.7 per cent. for operating defective vehicles.
The practice of holding traffic checks in conjunction with the police was extended. It was found that, on average, 35-40 per cent, of drivers' records were either incorrect or had been falsified.
The standard of vehicle maintenance varied widely between areas. There was a steady improvement in the north, but elsewhere the general standard left much to be desired, especially among light Clicence vehicles. The examination of 118,826 vehicles resulted in 27,115 prohibition notices being issued, of which 8,157 were immediate. Bodywork, steering, brake, suspension and transmission defects, in that order, were mainly responsible for the issue of prohibition notices.
Because maintenance and overhauls had been neglected, many of the light Clicence vehicles prohibited were found to be beyond repair and had to be replaced.
At December 31, 1956, there were • 1,180,396 vehicles on carriers' licences, of which 5.6 per cent, were on A licences, 1.9 per cent, on contract A licences, 2.1 per cent. on special A licences, 5.8 per cent. on B licences, 84.6 per cent. on C licences.
inadequately prepared applications by newcomers and continued failure to give proper notice of the withdrawal of published applications again caused inconvenience and waste of time, although in some areas there was an improvement. There were 13,519 objections to 6,028 of the 26,441 notifiable licence applications received. British Railways made 37.7 of the objections, British Road Services 15.1 per cent. and hauliers 47.2 per cent.
The number of applications 41. A and B licences, after allowing for renewals, was fairly constant. There was an increase of 54,025 in C-licence vehicles, despite the high proportion (in some
Cases up to 30 per eent. of the vehicles involved) of licences not renewed on their expiry. Many of the vehicles had been sold, but the owners had not notified the .Licensing Authorities.
• Applications for contract A licences increased in all areas, and the number of vehicles authorized under them rose from 18,860 in 1955 to 22,237 in 1956. Except in one area where the transport organization of a large holding company and its many subsidiaries increased hiring by more than 1,000 vehicles, there was a decline in the• number •of C-hire vehicles.
Altogether, 102 applications, for special A licencei were refused.
Because they had not been used over long periods, 43 vehicles and one trailer were removed by the Licensing Authorities from 41 A and B licences.
In the Midlands there was a marked increase in coal, haulage by road over Jong distances from pitheads to gas and electricity undertakings-, industrial plants
and so on. Applications for licences for such purposes were strongly opposed, but some increased road facilities were granted.
The "Summary of Annual Reports" is prefaced by an apology for its late publication. '