1-licence is up
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From May 1 operator nce fees go up, but the mrtment of Transport has pped unpopular plans to rge for marginal extra ides.
t will cost an extra £20 for h licence, and will be much re difficult to gain refunds specified vehicles that are longer wanted; but the :ight Transport Association Road Haulage Association h say that the DTp was :sidering worse.
t was feared that operators iild be made to pay for each horised vehicle on the nce, and not just those cified.
'TA legal and parliamentary iirs controller David Green I CM: "It must be recogml that if the DTp had de the fees applicable to all authorised fleet, it would re increased costs for all r:rators."
['he present fee of £20 per year for each vehicle specified on a licence, which was fixed in 1979, remains unchanged.
The changes are: An additional new fee of £20 for each licence and £15 for each major variation granted, such as the total number of vehicles authorised. [ Fees paid for specified vehicles will be refunded only when a licence is surrendered and then only for complete periods of 12 months outstanding. The new fee for licences will not be refundable.
LI An increase from .£5 to £10 per vehicle for interim licences and directions.
The new rules on refunds will simplify procedures by reducing the frequency of financial transactions, the DTp says.
From May 1 there are also changes in the wording of the advertisement operators must place in their local newspaper when they wish for a licence.
Operators must state if the application is for a new or renewed licence, and if there is a variation the advert must now state what it is. It must also give more information about the rights of protestors.
Both the KM and RHA have welcomed this clarification of information.
Proposals to change the licensing requirements for waste operators have been deferred, which has disappointed the RHA and pleased the FTA.
The RHA wants the present restricted licence requirement for waste operators to change to a standard licence, so that there can be comparable competition with its tipper members.
The FTA says: "The proposal that waste operators would require a standard licence would run the risk of ignoring precedents as to what is an own account operator and what is a hire or reward one."