DANGEROUS IGNORANCE
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• If you made dynamite for a living what would your reaction be if you heard that the man you hired to haul it was in the habit of tossing lighted matches out of his cab window? Chances are you'd find yourself another haulier fast.
So why is it that manufacturers of hazardous goods aren't told if the hauliers they use are bending the rules to make a fast buck?
Under current legislation official information on any breaches of the rules covering the carriage of dangerous substances cannot be released to consignors. This obsession with secrecy is disturbingly symptomatic of much of British Society and merely adds to the already disjointed approach applied to road transport law enforcement.
Few consignors have the time to check out hauliers before giving them loads. With rush jobs they're probably grateful to find anybody who can deliver the goods on time. And official accreditations on the door of the truck are not cast-iron guarantees of professionalism.
It's time to think seriously about a black list of dodgy operators who have been convicted of breaching the rules, and making that list available to consignors.
That way the work will go to people who deserve it.
There's no excuse for protecting the cowboys. As the Road Haulage Association's controller of Hazardardous and Bulk Goods makes plain, such a change to the law would be in the public interest.