Make consignor pay say hauliers
Page 14
Page 15
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• An overwhelming 94% of hauliers want consignor liability to be made a part of European transport law.
The case of British "Supergun" driver Paul Ashwell has brought the problem into sharp focus, according to an exclusive survey conducted by Commercial Motor. "Hauliers are the pigs in the middle and cannot win any confrontation," says one Norfolk operator.
The survey, conducted among 200 leading hauliers, reveals that 68% of operators believe they are misled by customers over the weight or nature of goods hauled; and 14% say it is a regular occurrence.
More than 40% say they have come into conflict with the law because of customers' mistakes, frequently incurring stiff fines. One operator con tacted has been fined £1,000 for being 750kg overweight on a front axle.
There should be mandatory fines against consignors whose incorrect load information leads to a haulier being prosecuted for overloading, say 91% of hauliers. Operators point out that if the paperwork states the gross weight inaccurately, the vehicle sent out for the load could be the wrong size.
Opinion is evenly divided over whether customers would accept consignor liability. Hauliers also hit out at lack of public weighbridges, or even 'a catalogue of where they are in the UK. Commercial Motor editor Brian Weatherley has written to Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson, calling for the Department of Transport to draw up such a list.
Drivers say they are often stopped by the authorities en route to a weighbridge: "It's very unjust that drivers should be prosecuted for overloading when they are stopped on the way to a weighbridge out of their area because there are no local weighing facilities," says one operator. And the journey itself is costing the industry money, says another: "Going to a weighbridge takes time and costs money. If you are overweight you often can't take the load back without losing the work and work is short these days."
Even when hauliers manage to find weighbridges their problems are not over. "They are often located in back streets. Sometimes we have to weigh the trailer separately," says one operator. Opening hours also cause irritation; some only operate from 08:00-17;00hrs.
There is a general acceptance that small customers cannot be expected to install their own weighbridges, at a cost of around £40,000. But one operator in Suffolk suggests that a group of customers could share the expense of installing and maintaining a weighbridge.
The Ashwell case has strengthened the call for consignor liability, say 81% of hauliers — but the RHA should do more about the problem.