How to plate an old Diamond
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AFTER READING with interest your article "Special types regulations, 1(CM, January 26, p52), could you help with a solution to enable me to operate a recovery vehicle I have acquired?
I am a haulage contractor (owner-driver) and have bought a purpose-built heavy recovery vehicle with the view to starting a 24-hour recovery service in my area: My problem is, I have been refused trade plates from my local taxation office on the grounds that I di) not fall into any of the three categories they lay down, plus the recovery side is not 50 per cent of my business.
The vehicle is an ex-Second World War tank recovery Diamond T and has never been operated with registration plates — only trade plates. To have it registered and tax it goods in transit would be uneconomical, with an unloaded weight of 15 tons and the road fund tax being based on unloaded weight. By having it registered and then taxed as a heavy tractor or mobile crane at £8.50, would this enable me to do recovery work to the full or is there an alternative in this case? Also if my only solution i t( have the vehicle registered, hot* do I have it registered without Ministry release notice, whicl' must be in the hands of a pre vious owner that I may have t( trace back to 1946 when it wet released by the Ministry of De fence.
MELVIN HOGG Ponteland Newcastle-upon-Tyne