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Higher Rates for Hire Vehicles

17th December 1943
Page 16
Page 16, 17th December 1943 — Higher Rates for Hire Vehicles
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

WE have been called to order by the managing director of 'a haulage concern in Hants, who considers that we do not devote sufficient space to airing the grievances of the operator whose vehicles, or some of them, are hired under the M.O.W.T. Road Haulage Scheme.

This was despite the fact that in the particular issue to which he refers, we published a full page of letters on this subject, and, apparently, his main point was that we had received others which had not been inserted. At the same time, he admits. that, for years, this journal has been putting up a strong fight for the road-transport industry, but, he asks, how far this has got us. He adds that it is mit our fault, and that we have had very little support from the operators-themselves and from the prominent haulage associations, which have only. shown their ignorance of the operators' troubles when dealing with the Government.

However, we have the consolation of knowing that we are not alone in incurring his displeasure, because in another letter he says that he feels that none of the journals interested in road transport is doing enough to save the legitimate contractor from going out of business.

One interesting point raised by him is that operators are becoming divided into separate camps, i.e., the controlled undertakings (which, he says, are "sitting pretty" with an assured profit) and the hired-vehicle operators, The former are, according to our"correspandent, making use of the latter, who are running at a loss and wearing out their vehicles, so that, in the end, the controlled units will have good fleets and a goodwill subsidized by the Government, Now, if.our critic will refer to previous issues of this journal he will find that we have stated. definitely that the Government hiring rates are too low. • In fact, on July 2, we published a long article by our costs expert, S.T.R., entitled " Government Hiring Rates No Good to the Industry." This was an analysis of the whole position, sh9wing the operating costs as computed by us and how these compared with the Ministry rates. Frequent references to the low level of the Government rates have also been made in leading articles.

We would, however, point out that this journal has many interests, and the problems of the hired vehicle operator—important as they may be—con stitute on117 one seClion of them, also a case may actually be spoilt by over-emphasis; it is often better to publish a cross-section of a number of letters than to include a large number all covering the same ground. • There is_ another aspect to consider. The Government, as represented by the M.O.W.T., will not. recqgnize or pay attention to individual complaints where it has already made arrange ments with some representative body through which any suggestions for modifications should be made. In the case of hired-vehicle rates, the repre sentative of this section of the industry is the Finance Panel of the Standing Joint Committee of Road Hauliers National Organizations, and it is to this panel that the fullest details as to the bad effect of the rates should be addressed. We are assured that if and when this Panel puts fonvard a wellauthenticated ease for the increasing of hire rates, due notice...will be pailto it.

It is our own persorfal belief that the Ministry is inclined to the view that, °wit-1g partly to the greatly increased cost of tyres (taken on a mileagi basis) there is some cause for complaint, but until this matter is brought to its notice officially, no aceon can be taken. We are now informed by the S. J.C. that it has been collating a considerable number of complaints that it has already received, and that it has notified the M.O.W.T. that it is presenting a case—in fact, this may be in the hands of he Ministry almost as soon as this issue of the journal is published.


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