BRIEFS Fax slip-up bars route
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• I )erbvsh irebased Heanor Haulage was given an absolute discharge for a train weight offence after Richmond, North )i'orkshire magistrates heard of the difficulties heavy hauliers experience in notifying the movement of abnormal loads.
The heavy haulage specialist pleaded guilty to overloading a Special Types vehicle carrying mining machinery between Blythe and Liverpool Docks by almost 100".o.
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Prosecuting for North Yorkshire Trading Standards, John Gresty said the vehicle was stopped in a check at the Scotch Corner dynamic axle weighei. where its train weight was found to be 74.58 tonnes. Enquiries revealed that the movement had not been notified to any of the appropriate authorities, so it los: the protection of the Special Types Order.
Defending, Andrew Woolfall said that all that needed to be done was to notify the relevant authorities before the load was released. The company's abnormal-load department had drawn up the required notice and had given it to a clerk to fax.
The machine indicated that the fax had gone through, and as nothing was heard from any of the authorities concerned it was assumed that everything was correct.
One of the problems the heavy haulage industry faced. Woolfall added, was that nobody ever acknowledged receipt of such faxes unless there was a problem such as the need for a police escort or an amendment to the route. In fact, he said, many police authorities actively discouraged hauliers from phoning to see if a fax had been received because of a lack of resources.
The outfit had been well within the permitted train weight for the Special Types category concerned, said Woolfall. The only wrongdoing had been the failure to send the fax—technology had let the company down.
Granting the company an absolute discharge, but ordering it to pay £250 costs, the magistrates accepted that Heanor had been in a difficult position and it might be that the various authorities ought to consider acknowledging the receipt of such faxes.
See letter. page 24.