A or B Vehicle May Draw Contract-A Trailer
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THERE is nothing to prevent an A or B licensed vehicle drawing a trailer licensed under contract A, provided the normal user of the vehicle covers the activities of the trailer and the goods carried on the trailer are confined to those of the contract customer.
The North Western Licensing Authority, Mr. F. Williamson, made this point at Manchester last week, when Barber Turnock Transport, Ltd., Stockport, applied for a new A licence following an alleged change of normal user. At a previous hearing (The Commercial Motor, February 13) it was suggested by the British Transport Commission that vehicles with a local normal user had been put on regular long-distance work.
Mr. J. A. Dunkerley, for Turnocks, said they now sought an A licence for five vehicles and two drawbar trailers. The vehicles were formerly specified on three different A licences with normal users covering Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and the North East, while the trailers were on contract A licence to British Metal Crates, Ltd. They now wished to add the Midlands and London to a composite normal user because of development of work for the Crate company.
80 per cent. Local Originally a vehicle Was let under C hire to British Metal Crates. and later changed to contract A. In May, 1958, it was written off after an accident, and two trailers replaced it. These were pulled by A licensed vehicles and during the ten months ending March, 1959, 109 journeys were made to London, and 119 to the Midlands. Despite this 80 per cent, of the work was still local, and it could have been argued that this work" was outside normal user. They had, however, followed the Transport Tribunal's advice to operators in circumstances of a substantial change and applied for a new licence.
Questioned by Mr. A. W. Balne, for the B.T.C., Mr. G. Barber, a director, said the drawing vehicles had also been used for crate traffic; back loads had been confined to the vehicles while the trailers remained empty. He would give an undertaking that there would be no change in the work of the fleet and the long-distance operations outwards to the Midlands and London would be confined to crate work.
Great Deal of Difficulty The B.T.C. objection was withdrawn after it was agreed that the normal user should read, General goods, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and the North East; and goods for the British Metal Crates Ltd., to the Midlands and London."
Granting the application Mr. Williamson said Barber Turnock Transport had departed from their normal user or they would not now need the insertion of the Midlands and London. They had brought a great deal of difficulty on themselves and others because they did not come forward at the time with an amendment to the normal user of the towing vehicles.