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14th May 1971, Page 40
14th May 1971
Page 40
Page 40, 14th May 1971 — letters
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

During the past 12 months, hardly a week has gone by without some detrimental comment being made in Commercial Motor about new entrants into the haulage business.

The Editorials have given quite a lot of attention to the subject, and one wonders what Janus would have found to comment on if the licensing system had not been changed.

At every meeting of the RHA and the FTA, established hauliers almost have people in tears with their dramatic speeches about this intrusion into their private world, and now to top it all in the letters page (CM, May 7) comes a direct attack from Mr R. B. Daniell.

I happen to be one of these people Mr Daniell is talking about and I don't like the way myself or persons like me are condemned. If all established hauliers had been such angels, there would not have been the need for the Ministry to take the stringent measures which have been brought in recently.

I have driven all types of vehicles for ABand C-licensed hauliers over the past 15 years and I can assure you that there has not been one of these firms for whom I have not had to bend the rules at some time or other.

I did buy a second-hand vehicle, but I don't drive it around the clock, flog it to death or overload it, and the maintenance system I use is equal to any (better than most) of those used by firms for whom I have driven. Tell Mr Daniell to come with one of your technical staff and inspect it if he wishes; I will do anything I can to stop people tarring us all with the same brush.

I am not a criminal wanting to get rich quick, but just want to be my own boss, providing a first-class service in an industry that I love.

A. J. SHORT, Bury, Hants. work day and night, overload vehicles and drive vehicles that should never have been on the road. These firms hide behind the respectability of the RHA badge plastered over their lorries; surely the RHA is not so ignorant as not to know what goes on among its own members, that it has to go through the charade of issuing its members with forms to fill in to tell tales on each other about something that they, or most of them have been doing for years.

As for asking drivers to help report offences of illegal operations I suggest the R HA do their own spying hauliers have known for years that they could break the law with little fear of drivers reporting them because of drivers' allegiance to their fellow drivers. Drivers in the Western area, particularly Devon and Cornwall, have been exploited for years. If the RHA would like to give me a form I would gladly give them all the information they require, plus proof.

Name and address supplied We will forward any communication to this correspondent—Ed.

(An RHA spokesman comments "There must be some reluctance to treat seriously a correspondent who is not prepared to allow his name to be published but is quite happy to spray serious accusations indiscriminately. Typical of this haphazard approach is his failure to realize that Devon and Cornwall are not in fact in the RI-IA Western area and are not therefore at present included in the scheme sponsored by the area after consultation with the Licensing Authority. Your correspondent believes that offences are being committed and would presumably like to see action taken against them. It is difficult therefore to understand why he should be so angry with our Western area for trying to do exactly what he wants. He offers to give the area all the information it requires but falls to give an indication of where the area can get into touch with him. "I reasonably law-abiding. However, whethe the present policy of going over the hour is either due to the economic recession or th RHA's real policy is open to debate.

Certainly, the racket of the HGV 1 drivim licence should be looked into. Cases ar being brought before me of clerks an managers having the six months' exemptios form signed and genuine lads being mad redundant without the appropriate exemptio certificate. Needless to say any driver wh is a bit union-minded is discriminated againsi Perhaps, when these emissaries from th Department of the Environment return to th St Christopher gas works at SE1 they miglcare to consult the trade union officer responsible for tipping areas as I would nc like to think our environmental emissarie are in any way biased.

JOHN W. STEVENSOls Regional Officer, Region 1.: United Road Transport Uniot

Tags

People: R. B. Daniell
Locations: Bury

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