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Clamped
Page 38
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An operator had to pay up £280 after one of his trucks was clamped at a service station.
Charmaine Hibbert reports.
For Irish haulier Noel Zwecker, boss of Zwecker International. of Armagh. it was business as usual until one of his trucks was clamped at a Yorkshire motorway service area. The driver, completely unaware the service station was private land, awoke to discover that the wheel of his truck had been clamped and a huge "fine" was being de-manded to release the vehicle.
This is not an uncommon story, says transport lawyer Ian Jones: "People do not realise that some service stations are a private arrangement, although they are open to the public. People who operate these stations may want to charge for parking. Those that are clamped arc unaware of these circumstances and no visible signs are there to inform them.
The driver discussed his predicament with the service station management, but to no avail. The truck was carrying a load of fresh meat bound for France, giving Zwecker an impossible choice: pay the ridiculous fine or let his truck be removed, thus forfeiting thousands of pounds worth of goods.
"The truck was delivering fresh meats to Paris — the hold up would have been impossible, not to mention very costly," says Zwecker. "I had no alter native but to instruct the driver to pay the £250 demanded to free the truck."
Unfriendly attitude
The attitude of the service station employees did not help. "My driver tried to explain there was noone there and that was the reason for parking without paying, but the staff were very nasty about it. Their attitude was, 'you parked there, therefore you should pay'," says Zwecker, adding: "Not only was my truck clamped, but so were three or four others. I'm not sure what they were charged, but if
they were in my position I'm sure they had to pay".
Zwecker was told by the service station management that an appeal was out of the question. "I'm intending to appeal," he says. "But because my driver was parked without payment I was told there was no point in even trying to."
However, under new laws introduced in May this year victims of harsh treatment can now raise an official complaint through a Trading Standards officer.
Ian Jones believes they could also take the clampers to court.