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CRASS CUTTER

1st July 1999, Page 26
1st July 1999
Page 26
Page 27
Page 26, 1st July 1999 — CRASS CUTTER
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Having read the story about how the VI wants operators to round up the cowboys I can't help but wonder what kind of incentive the Department of Transport will have to cough up any more money for enforcement if it's getting all this help from unpaid informants.

Is this really the way we want to go with regards to catching cowboy operators?

As if the nation's road hauliers didn't have enough on their plates, now we have to act as part-time policemen too.

Where will it all end? When magistrates and judges run out of time to try the cowboys that do get caught, will they ask law-abiding hauliers to just drop by the courts and do their jobs as well?

It seems bizarre to me that we still have to have an enforcement programme where the VI goes to the Department of Transport cap in hand and negotiates with its paymaster to get the money for enforcement.

instead of setting a budget that's based on how much it will cost to weigh X amount of trucks or conduct Y amount of spot checks, when are we going to have an enforcement policy that's based on the following simple question, namely: "how much money do we need to get rid of all law-breaking hauliers for once and for all?".

Then the DOT should go to the Treasury and say that's the enforcement budget for next year.

We don't need any more "whispering grasses". We need to give the VI the resources to maintain and motivate a crack team who will do the job the industry is crying out for. And that's to get rid of the cowboys Mile we get on with our jobs.

S Millington,

Birmingham.

Tags

Organisations: Department of Transport
Locations: Birmingham

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