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FTA investigates VI
Page 12
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discrimination claim
• by Guy Sheppard The Freight Transport Assoc ation is to investigate claims that vehicle inspectors are discriminating against a Welsh haulier because most of his fleet is at least 10 years old.
Dal Owen, boss of JO Owen Transport in Caerwys, near Mold, claims delayed prohibition notices are being handed out "like confetti" because the inspectors are being set targets to issue so many per month.
"The main objective of vehicle testing was to get vehicles that were dangerous but common sense has now gone out of the window. We have had five GV9s in the last month. One was for a loose wheelnut. Every time I get a GV9, it's recorded in Birmingham and people are going to say this fellow is not fit to have a business."
Owen, a general haulier for 44 years, claims inspectors see his fleet of 11 vehicles as a soft target because of their age. He has held a meeting with Chris Douglas, the FTA's regional policy manager for Wales. who has agreed to investigate. "People have concerns about GV9s being issued all over the country" says Douglas. We intend to investigate the issues that he has raised."
The meeting was also attended by Brynle Williams, the farmer and former fuel protest leader. Williams has pledged to make the plight of hauliers one of his main priorities after securing a seat in the Welsh National Assembly as a Conservative.
"There are a lot of anomalies affecting road haulage which are putting them [Welsh hauliers1 at a severe disadvantage against foreign truckers." he says.
The Vehicle Inspectorate denies that its staff are set targets for issuing prohibitions but confirms that vehicles such as Owen's are likely to be singled out for inspections because they are relatively old and doing long journeys.
A spokeswoman for the VI says: it is a fact of life. We obviously don't want to check vehicles that are not going to reveal any faults."
She says VI staff are trying to help Owen by discussing the faults with him.