Organization Plans for the Government's New Haulage Scheme
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Details of the Arrangements, Principles Governing Acceptance and Refusal of Traffics: Excluded Traffics as well as Controlled Traffics to be Subject to the Authorization or Veto of the Unit Controller
FOR the purposes of the Government -Haulage Scheme the country is to be divided in the manner shown graphically in Fig. I which accompanies this article. Each division coincides with the region of the Regional Transport Commissioner, and is governed by a Divisional Road Haul
age Officer. . The divisions are split up into areas and each area is to comprise one err two districts of D.T.O.s. The supervision of each area is entrusted to an Area Road Haulage Officer.
The controlled undertakings come next in this scheme and there will be one or more of these in each area. The undertaking will provide, in an area, the " unit ceiltre " Which is, in effect. the central office of the ',' road haulage unit."
The road haulage unit consists of a group of vehicles under the control of a Unit Controller,' who is really tile executive official. Ire is responsible for movement of .controlled traffic aesepted by him and for the supervision of " excluded " traffic (explained below) dealt with by the controlled undertakings. He is an. employee of the controlled undertaking, although officially appointed to his position by the Minister.
What Controlled Traffic Comprises Controlled traffic, in the beginning, comprises general haulage for distances of 60 or more road miles from the point of collection to the point of delivery. It is, at this early stage, likely to consist almost entirely of Government traffic a,tid that offered by customers of the controlled undertakings. None of this traffic can be carried by the 'controlled undertaking without the prior • consent of. the Unit Controller, who may. withhold his permission on the • ground that the traffic is not acceptable for carriage by road, Alternatively, he may decide that it should . be carried in a vehicle or vehicles not belonging to'the controlled undertaking.
' .Excluded traffic consists of all traffic Other than, that described above, +i.e., . short-distance work, household furniture, removals, !' smalls," bulk liquids in tank vehicles and Aniorrnal heavy haulage. . . .. It is stressed that, in the first place, the control of acceptance of traffic rests with the Regional Transport Commissioners and their officers, including SubDistrict Managers, who are, finally, responsible for seeing that such acceptance is in accordance with the policy of the Minister. To ensure that this supervision and control are effective, the Unit Controller is called upon to complete a 'daily traffic report which the R.T.C.s organization will check. Subject to the above, the initial responsibility for acceptance of traffic rests with,Unit Controllers. Certain general principles are established which must govern the selection of traffic. In the first place, goods should not be moved by road if they can be carried by any other form of transport, In the case of urgent traffic, whether Government or commercial, it should be moved by road and inquiries as to the need for the use of road transport made subsequently. The result' of such examination will serve as a guide in the event of a repetition of similar pleas of urgency.
. In determining the urgency of traffic, certain factors should be given consideration. They are: The fact that the goodsare perishable; the necessity of maintaining a flow of production; the replenishment of destroyed supplies; the need for catching a ship. If the necessity of maintaining a flow of production is cited as justifying the use of road transport it is suggested that the provision of an initial reserve of parts would obviate such urgency. Presumably, this will be impressed upon the customer—Government department or commercial operator—as a way, of avoiding such trouble in future. In deciding whether oc not traffic should go by road the Unit Controller is called upon to take into consideration representations to the effect that no means for transport other than road is reasonably practicable. Before, however, accepting such representations,. he should take all possible steps to satisfy himself that they arewell founded. He should, in this investigation, consult the Emergency Road Transport Organization (the organization of which the Regional Transport Commissioner is in ,charge).
After a time, it is anticipated that much of the procedure for acceptance of traffic will become routine. It will' he established that some classes to certain destinations are normally road traffic, whilst some will be road traffic under certain conditions of difficulty, as, for example, restrictions on rail traffic, Port traffic, when allocated for road movement .by. the appropriate sub-committee of the Port Emergency Committee, will be accepted, subject to the Regional Transport Commissioner being satisfied with the arrangement generally.
Besides providing, as mentioned above, for the 'check upon the Unit Controller, by the Area Road Haulage Officer; through the daily traffic report, other measures for close co-operition between him and the Regional Transport Commissioner's department are providecl.
Uniform Policy of Traffic Acceptance . Close contact must be maintained with the Sub-District Managers from which traffic emanates, so that a uniform policy of acceptance of traffic may be pursued. In particular cases when it is difficult to decide on general principles, or from general knowledge or previous experience whether traffic should _properly be .accepted, direct consultation should occur before acceptance,
With a similar end in view. D.T.O.3 will keep Area Road Haulage Officers informed as to the current position regarding other means for transport, . and the A.R.H.O.s will, in turn, inform the Unit Controllers.
The D.T.O., S.D.M., or other representative of the Regional Transport Commissioner should be given full access to the above-mentioned daily traffiC reports. This representative will discuss with the Unit Controller,or the Area Road Haulage Officer, any movements which he considers should not have been carried out by road.
It is emphasized that these,provisions as to acceptauee arel not confined to " controlled " traffic. The Unit Controller is also responsible for the supervision of acceptance of excluded traffic • (defined above) dealt with by the' controlled undertaking, with which he is concerned in his " unit centre." Such 'excluded traffic cannot be accepted by controlled undertaking at such a centre without reference to a Unit Con • troller, except that offered by an Area Road Haulage Officer upon whom will rest the responsibility for acceptance of , that traffic on the ground of suitability for road movement.
The Unit Controller is warned to make note, in his order book, of all traffic which he refuse's, together with a note as to the reason for the refusal. It is pointed out that both Government and commercial consignors are liable to raise questions about such refusals, and 'will refer them to higher authori
ties, in which Case the Unit Controller will be called upon to justify his attitude. He is,, further, requested to keep the local S.D.M. informed of refu§als of controlled or excluded traffic, so that he, in his' turn, may ensure that fuel' is not issued for the movement of the traffic by other road operators.
Traffic Rates That
Are.to be Charged
Under • this Schatz, Governmenteontrolfed ttaftic does not require rating put, during the' early stages at least, the rate's to be' charged for cornmercial traffic, excluded traffic too; • • *ben Carried in the Vehicles of a contained undertaking, are those which theundertaking would have applied before control.
It appears that a controlled under taking, in the early stages at least, is not necessarily entirely subject. to. con- trot the case of an undertaking
having , several branches, it may well hatipen that only one or two of the branches has provided a "unit centre." That this is so is made apparent, rather' than stated to be so, in a memo to contained undertakings, which reads: In order -that a uniform policy. of acceptance may be effected as soon as possible, it is. hoped that any branch of ll controlled undertaking whieh is not for .the time being included in a road haulage unit will follow the same general principles governing acceptance as those laid-down for Unit Controllers. This does not, however, mean that reference to a Unit Controller qr 'an
A.R.ILO. is necessary before the acceptance.
There are` no fewer than IL categories of vehicles which are available to Unit Controllersfor the movement of controlled traffic. They are divided into " horns-based" and " foreignbased," as follow:— Vehicles from "Home" and "Foreign" Bases
HOME-BASED VEHICLES (i.e. vehicles the loading of which by the 1.7iit Controller involves initiating a journey).
(i) Long-distance vehicles of the controlled undertaking, providing the unit centre, which are based for operational purposes at the place Where the unit is situated. These are vehicles of his own unit and 'he will keep himself informed of their availability.
, (ii) Home-based vehicles of ther units or other controlled undertakings in the same area, the availability of which can be ascertained from the Area Road Haulage Officer.
(iii) Chartered vehicles, still on
eliarter—under the old Road Haulage Scheme, normally baFd near the 'unit. ' These mity be notified as available from _ tittle'. to tithe by the A.R.H.O." • (iv) V„ehicles based in the neighbourhood of the tinit and belonging to operators to whom the undertaking 'nor-Many sub-contracted traffic. These will be used only with the A.R.H.O.'s permission.
FOREIGN-BASED VEHICLES:
( v) Vehicles based at other branches of the controlled undertaking providing tho unit centre b.ut. not 'forming part of tha't eentre; which -report for loads to the con . trolled undertaking. The arrival of these will beadvised to the controlled trolled undertaking according to `the normal Practice, and the controlled undertaking will advise. the Unit Controller, "
(vi) Vehicles of controlled under-, takings which have no branch in the vicinity of the _ road haulage unit. The drivers of 'thse vehicles will be instructed to report to' the Unit ' Controller. :
(vii) 5' Foreign-based " vehicles of ' other 'controlled undertakitgs with branches .in the area, The AR.H.O. . will notify the Unit Controller of these, when they are available.
(viii) Vehicles of the Meat Section of the Ministry organization which are available for loading.after carrying meat, or on the way to pick up meat at, for example, a port. These will be advised to the Unit Controller either by Meat Section Central Control, London, or by the Area Road Haulage Officer (Meat). They are to be given priority in loading if they be under orders to proceed to a point to collect meat, or if their return to home base be usgent.
(ix) Chartered vehicles still on charter under the old Road Haulage Scheme which are " foreign-based " but are'available for loading in the neighbourhood of the unit. ' Generally, the A.R.H2O. Will notify the
a Unit Controller of the availability of these, but in some cases drivers will report direct, advice having been sent to the Unit Controller from the originating A.R.H.O. (x) Service vehicres (Army and R.A.F.) or vehicles on hire to .the Government Departments which are available for loading. The Military
Transport" Liaison ,Officer or the Movement Control Officer, R.A.F., fdr the ,region (division) will either ditectly, or: through the Area Road Hatilage Officer, aclVise the aVail
ability of such ,vehieles. Unless special perrhigsion be Obtained, they must' not be delayed for loading and ntist notbe diverted mo-re than a 'short distance from . their .direct route; in any case, not more than a 20-mile. diversion is allowed. • . (Xi) ." Foreign-based Vehicles of operators. who . have customarily sought sith-contracted traffic from the .contholled Undertaking providing the unit centre, Theseshould be used onlY.With the A.R.H.O.'s permission.
The "Foreign-based" Vehicle Gets Priority.
The Unit Controller is required to give. priority, to " foreign-based " vehicles and must consult the A.R.H.O. a.s• to the general' pOsition regarding foreign-base4" :vehicles, using all that are in any' way -available before initiating journeys by " home-based" vehicles.
Consultation with the A.R.H.O. recommended . to . the Unit Controller when-problems Arise from excess, either of traffic or vehicles.
Where traffic is sub-contracted to ra.sual carriers the contra.ct is betWeen the 511h-contractor , and the controlled undertaking providing .the unit centre. It is not between the sub-contractor and the Minister. Thel)asis and conditions-of payment to the casual carrier • are to he those which the undertaking would have applied before control.