Spares shortage a disgrace, says operator
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SHORTAGE of spares for commercial vehicles was a disgrace to the country, said Mr. D. Goodfellow, managing director of Kaye Goodfellow and Co. (Transport Consultants) Ltd., giving evidence at a Manchester hearing before the North Western deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. G. Newman, on Friday. He was speaking in support of his company's application for an A licence for 15 vehicles of 65+ tons. The hearing was adjourned.
Mr. Goodfellow said some difficulty had been experienced in dealing with maintenance and a short-term licence had been issued to enable vehicles to be taken off the road. Spares had been on order for as long as six months without result and in one case a £4,500 vehicle was kept waiting for a component costing only 4s. 6d.
In reply to Mr. J. Backhouse, for the applicant, Mr. Goodfellow said that the principal object of the application was to amalgamate three fleets of companies that had been acquired. The present situation had resulted in major difficulties in the matter of insurance, in interchange of drivers and the keeping of log sheets, as well as involving additional clerical work.
Businesses controlled by the applicant were Henry Bridge (Woodley) Ltd. with five vehicles, Winterbottom and Marshall Ltd. with seven and Kaye Goodfellow Ltd. with one.
Since the purchase of the two firstnamed companies the respective fleets had been replaced. Owing to difficulties with vehicle supply the licence for a tanker granted to Kaye Goodfellow had not been taken up but a four-wheeled flat had now been obtained.
Two other vehicles were needed, continued Mr. Goodfellow, one of which would be devoted to maintenance purposes. Out of the total of 15, eleven would be articulated units, the normal user being: "General goods, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Midlands, Wales, London area, NE coast and Scotland."
His company held the shares of the Highlander Crane Hire Co. Ltd., said Mr. Goodfellow, and a separate application for a B licence had been made in his own company's name which, if granted, would bring the crane organization's haulage vehicles on to the parent body's licence. The crane hire people would then be solely concerned with cranes and this would leave the one company handling all the haulage.
Objections came from British Railways, British Road Services and independent operators.