26 redundancies as Scottish fleet closes
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• The influx of one-man haulier businesses to Sutherland became a major factor in the shut-down last week of one of the county's largest haulage fleets, making 26 men redundant.
The closure of the 19-lorry business of Sutherland Transport and Trading Co Ltd, Lairg, was confirmed by managing director Mr W. J. Johnston.
The fleet accounted for about half of the firm's diverse operations. The company will continue its interests in car sales and maintenance, electrical goods, petrol stations, and the Government-authorized mail service.
Mr Johnston said most of the redundant men had been able to find jobs with other hauliers. In some cases the drivers had been taken on by firms which had bought the lorries.
A spokesman for the company's owners, Grosvenor Estate, said: "We have had the haulage fleet in the company for a number of years and had been gradually building it up, hoping to create a viable business.
"The main factor in the close-down is that the Transport Act changed the basis of carriers' licensing. This is a complex matter, but the effect of it had been to encourage the influx of one-man hauliers and this had a very bad effect on our trade because these people can operate at lower prices."