Bird's eye view
Page 48
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by the Hawk * In the front line
Bus crews often have a tough time in certain notorious parts of Britain, and there have been some disgraceful attacks on platform staff by hooligans and drunks. But I hadn't realized how bad the situation is in parts of the USA; largely a result of this gun-toting tradition of our transatlantic cousins, it seems.
For example, I've just been reading about a bus driver in Atlanta, Georgia, who has been the victim of armed robbery on three occasions in 18 months; he was told to hand over all his takings or be shot. He comments rather wistfully: "I haven't decided to quit, but it makes me worry. Bus driving used to be a friendly job."
His experience is not an isolated one. The American Transit Association reports that in the first five months of this year, America's 17 biggest bus operators reported 990 robberies. This rate of crime is well up on even last year, when the total was a pretty shocking 1,520 robberies.
And there is a sadder aspect. Already this year 35 bus drivers have been shot, of whom three were killed.
It makes even that drunken rough-house on the last Corporation bus on the Saturday night run seem a bit tame, you must admit.
* Testing time
I see that the proposals for goods vehicle testing and plating have caused some concern to the folk who run historic commercial vehicles, as although some of their fine models are excluded automatically because they fall within one of the 30-odd categories of special vehicles not covered by the scheme, many vintage goods vehicles do appear to fall within its scope.
Now the registrar of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club, in the club's newsletter, has attempted to clarify the situation, and has given guidance on some typical cases. He reminds members that a goods vehicle is defined as "a vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage of goods or burden of any description", so that the fact that a vehicle may be registered as private is immaterial.
The result seems to be that any weighing up to 30cwt unladen must be tested in the annual "car" testing scheme; also any heavier goods vehicle registered before January 1 1939 is exempt from plating and testing so long as it is always used unladen. But if the vehicle is used to carry anything—even crates of beer on a rally—or was registered after the above date, then it must be submitted for testing and plating under the heavy goods vehicle scheme starting in October.
Tower wagons, electrically propelled vehicles, breakdown trucks and the like are excluded from plating and testing. Anyone with any doubts about how his historic or vintage commercial will be regarded under the new legislation would be well advised to contact Philip Richards, 1 Beaufort Street, Chelsea, London, SW3.
* Extravaganza
Talking of oldies, you may be interested to know that this year will see what is described as a "Grand Transport Extravaganza which will capture the spirit of yesteryear". Bags of nostalgia inherent in that. The aim is to have the most comprehensive gathering of antique vehicles ever achieved in this country.
The venue for this is the Tramway Museum, C rich, near Ambergate, Derbyshire, on September 1-2. Inquiries to 17, Air Street, London, WI.
* Changing course
This week sees the start of a new series by Handyman in his Road and Workshop feature, and one that is likely to draw a pretty avid readership I would guess. His previous series, on vehicle recovery tactics, has proved exceptionally popular, to judge by the postbag and the 'phone inquiries and comments it has attracted. Several people have asked if it could be reprinted in book form; I can't give a firm answer on this yet, but suffice it to say that the possibility has not been overlooked.
His new series takes a look at manpower and the MoT test and will create a lot of interest, I believe. The shortage of first-class trained fitting and inspection staff is a worrying factor of the present situation. As Ron Cater pointed out last week, it is just as well that the Ministry decided to take largely unskilled men and train them for specific test-station duties, or there would have been yet another drain on repair and maintenance staffs.
* Testimonial
I was tickled to hear of the experience of a C-licence operator in South East England on .this maintenance topic. He's an enthusiastic tver of the TRTA inspection scheme, and is happy to find that the relationship between staff and inspectors has become a most harmonious one.
Recently one of his drivers had pulled into a layby for his lunch break when an MoT examiner happened along and said he'd like to inspect the vehicle. This he did—and found not a single point that he could fault. When he walked round to tell the driver that the vehicle was in 100 per cent condition he smilingly tapped the TRTA inspection disc on the windscreen and said: "That's one of the best things that has ever been introduced."
I make no charge for this little bit of advertising because it's in such a splendid cause.
* Little big 'uns
Talking of advertising, I'm quite unabashed about mentioning by name a couple of small models that came my way recently; they're Lesney Matchbox toys in the latest batch. One is a DAF six-wheeled truck with a girder body; the other, which has appealing ingenuity, is an eight-wheeled Foden concrete mixer truck which uses a plastics worm across the second axle to drive a gearwheel and thus make the mixer drum rotate as the toy is moved along.
* Birthday greetings!
Volume I No. I—in the publishing world this means champagne, relieved tensions and a creepy feeling about the future. Just as it usually does with any first birthday, and no doubt the people who produced the first issue of Texaco News, launched this month, have had their share of all those sensations. They have made a good job of it, and they earn a special mention from me for including a nice picture-tribute to their Exeter depot tanker man Reg Tooze, 1967 Lorry Driver of the Year who, having won his class at the Torbay eliminator, is now waiting to try to make it a "double" at Nuneaton in September.