Grievance in Glasgow
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HAULIERS IN Yorkshire met this week to take legal advice and discuss possible action against Fox Freight, a clearing house based in Glasgow.
The meeting was arranged by Dow Freight, which claims to be owed several hundred pounds. But CM spoke to other hauliers who claim they are owed up to £10,000. These alleged debts go back as far as 18 months, and attempts to recover the money are said to have failed. Several hauliers told CM they had run up large debts, partly because small payments had been made, as they continued to work for Fox Freight. But they doubt if they will ever get back all the money they say they are owed.
The money is owed, hauliers claim, for haulage work done not only from Scotland but elsewhere in the country, for regional Fox Freight offices.
They are concerned also that a second Glasgow clearing house Orion Freight, is offering loads to companies which would no longer accept loads from Fox Freight. They say that Orion has the same directors and staff as Fox. Hauliers told CM that they believed Orion to be offering business last week.
These claims were all firmly denied by Alan Fox, who spoke to CM last Friday. There are no bad debts, he said. "As far as we are concerned we have not tried to avoid payment to any sub-contractor." There were the usual commercial disputes, for example, over rates. Payment was made within 60 to 90 days after Fox Freight received an invoice with proof of delivery.
Mr Fox said he was very concerned to hear that there was a lot of ill-feeling towards his company, and urged any haulier with a grievance to come to him. He would look into the case and do something about it, he said.
Orion Freight was closed five months ago, according to Mr Fox. It was set up as a marketing tool to gain two clients, which it did. But it only did E5,000 worth of trading.
Mr Fox said some temporary problems had been caused by a fire which destroyed the company's head office eight weeks ago, three months after it moved from Irvine.
Former employees also created extreme problems. "All our bills have been closed or are in the process of being closed," he said.
Fox Freight applied to join the Road Haulage Association two years ago, but withdrew its application in the light of opposition from members and the conditions with which it would have to comply.