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Points that Licence Applicants Should Watch
Page 95
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Helpful Advice Given by Mr. E. F. Packer, Clerk to the Western Licensing Authority SOME valuable advice to goodstransport operators was given by Mr. E. F. Packer, clerk to the Western Licensing Authority, at a recent open meeting of hauliers at Exeter. Referring to the difficulty of bringing the Road and Rail Traffic Act into force, he said that, although the forms which operators were required to complete were made as simple as possible, it was necessary to return approximately 75 per cent, of them.
The speaker gave some interesting statistics which showed laxity on the part of operators in seeking licences in the Western Area. Up to November SO, 2,315 applications for A licences and 2,858 applications for B licences had been received. Applications for claimed tonnage had to be made prior to April 1 last, but at that date only 1,454 applications for A licences and 1,248 applications for B licences had been received.
The position with regard to C licences was even worse, for on July I last, the appointed day by which these licences had to be obtained, 5,909 applications had been received, whilst a further 4,288 had since been made. Applications for all classes of licence were still reaching the Licensing Authority daily from persons who should have obtained them several months ago, and Mr. Packer pointed out "where evidence of use is obtained, proceedings are now being taken against users who do not hold licences." The total number of applications for all classes of licence so far received was 15,370, covering 28,188 vehicles.
Alluding to difficulties that had arisen because applicants had not stated their cases properly, the speaker commented : "It should be remembered that the Licensing Authority has to base his decision on the evidence given."
"In a number of cases where application has been made for A licences," Mr. Packer continued, "and the applicant stated that he desired to operate only within a limited radius or to carry only specified classes of goods, the Licensing Authority refused the application and stated that he was prepared to grant a B licence."
"In other cases where objections were lodged, the applicants entered into a gentleman's agreement to confine their activities and, although the Licensing Authority could not take action during the period of the licence, if such an agreement were broken, the facts would, no doubt, be borne in mind when the renewal of the licence was applied for."
Speaking of the difficulty of fixing conditions for B licences, Mr. Packer remarked: "If all applications had been submitted at the proper time, it might have been possible to have grouped them in districts and steps taken to see that the conditions imposed were uniform. This is a matter which will, no doubt, be considered further next year."
Although only a small proportion of the vehicles in the Western Area had, so far, been examined, prohibition notices had been issued in respect of 830 vehicles.
"Certain operators are not paying sufficient attention to the question of drivers' hours," Mr. Packer declared.
The Commercial Motor has received a number of inquiries from operators who are not certain as to the position in connection with the purchase of a age business from another concern, and they will be interested in the following statement by Mr. Packer: "It should be borne in mind that licences are not transferable, and it does not follow that, when a person buys a haulage business from a licence holder, he will necessarily be granted a licence."
Those who have doubts as to the future of road haulage may be heartened by the optimistic note struclCby Mr. Packer, who believed that "as the demand for their services increases, licence holders will be able to arragge for the development of their businesses without much risk of interference."