RHA loses overloading law fight
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• The Department of Transport has rejected a new Road Haulage Association request that it should revise truck overloading laws and give back to operators the old defence of "due diligence" (CM 28 April-4 May).
An RHA-drafted amendment to Section 40 of the Road Traffic Act to allow hauliers the defence in court that they took every possible and reasonable step to prevent their vehicles being overloaded — and informed their drivers how to avoid overloading — has been refused by Transport Secretary Paul Channon, says the RHA. Now its board will meet to discuss further action.
Since 1972, hauliers have been held absolutely liable for this offence.
▪ More than 9,000 members of the Road Haulage Association are expected to join a new RHA national legal protection scheme when it becomes available on 1 August.
The "Roadway Lawplan" wif cover tax and VAT disputes, objections to operator licence renewals, claims alleging unfair dismissal, disputes with garages over faulty vehicles, criminal prosecutions and international operations. It was designed by Alliance Legal Protection Insurance, which pioneered the scheme with the RHA Midlands district.