Route talks
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k MEETING between the toad Haulage Association and Eransport Minister Mr Wiliam Rodgers to discuss plans or local authority lorry routes las been requested by the The request is contained in a etter from the RHA to the Vlinister asking for a post)onement of the plans which nust be submitted to the DoT )y the end of theyear.
A national policy on lorry 7outes is needed, says the RHA ind it is asking that the plans be postponed until a national policy has been agreed on and it can then be seen that the local plans conform to that policy.
"The plans are being prepared in isolation," says the Association, "without the knowledge of or regard to the national policy on lorry routes.
Schemes vary from county to county are affected by variations in the authorities road expenditure and thus preclude a uniform system throughout the country," says the RHA letter. The LA pointed out this was a breach of the terms of the licence, which required the vehicle to be parked at the operating centre.
Mr L. Cohen, company secretary, said that there had been a failure to communicate but the driver was no longer allowed to take the vehicle home.
The LA said this was no doubt a nuisance but it was the law. No action would be taken against the licence in the circumstances.
Mr J. Williams of J. Williams Transport, Kidderminster, was granted a licence last March on condition his vehicle was kept at the British Rail yard at Kidderminster.
When it was discovered he was parking the vehicle outside his home in a residential area at night, disciplinary action was proposed.
Mr Williams gave an undertaking that it would in future only be parked at his operating centre: no action was taken against the licence.
A low-loader operator, Yvonne Barnfield, trading as Sandwell Plant, West Bromwich, appeared after failing to park her vehicles in a private compound, as licensed.
She said that originally she TRUCK SERVICING LTD, of Leigh, Lanes, has been fined a total of E491 and ordered to pay 015 costs. The company pleaded guilty at Makersfield magistrates' court to 96 cases of causing people in their employ to make false entries, 72 of permitting people to drive or be on duty for excessive hours and seven of failing to cause the keeping of up to date records.
Eight drivers employed by the firm were fined sums varying between £82 and £151 and ordered to pay £5 legal costs each on various charges involving driving excessive hours and keeping false records.
Mr Jonathan Lawton, prosecuting on behalf of the Traffic Commissioners, told the court that no amount of examining the drivers' records would have brought the offences to light.
They revealed perfectly legal amounts of driving but did not tally with clocking on cards in respect of drivers.
Inspectors looked at the company's books after receiving certain information, said Mr Lawton.
Mr Raymond Machell, who defended the firm, said there has been an argument amongst the directors of the firm, after which one of them had gone to the Commissioners with all the records.
There had been two aspects to the business — the haulage and the repairs. Partly as a result of the summonses the haulage side had ceased trading and the fines imposed on the firm would have to be paid by the repairs side — which