• Home
• Used vehicles
• Product news
• Dealer news
• Compliance
• Buying advice
• Archive

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266

'Gold-plated coaches?'

Zoom page

20th June 1969

Page 198

Page 198, 20th June 1969 — 'Gold-plated coaches?'

Close

Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Please select an option... Headline has errors Article text has errors Article is incomplete Submit

• At a Section 177 (1) inquiry in Birmingham last week, the West Midland LA, Mr. J. Else, accepted the surrender of eight vehicles and deleted a further two vehicles belonging to the Coventry depot of the Red House Garage Co. Ltd.

Mr. D. Skelding, for the Red House Garage Co. Ltd., said that the firm had 30 A-licence vehicles of which 15 were special-purpose or low-loader type.

He said the managing director, Mr. T. Venn, who was unable to attend the hearing, is also managing director of Red House Motor Services, a business with approximately 20 coaches. Because of the present policy to renew the lighter type of coaches with a heavier type, a far greater proportion of the money has been spent on the coach business. From the beginning of 1965 until June 30 1969, £65,396 will have been spent on goods vehicle replacement whereas from the beginning of 1966 until June 30 1969 £224,385 will have been spent on coach replacement.

When the LA questioned the company secretary, Mr. Whittaker, about a recent order for 12 new coaches costing an alleged £100,000 he remarked, 'What is he buying-gold plated coaches?"

In 1967 the earnings of the whole goods fleet was £88,200. In 1968 the earnings had dropped to £68,330. Of the 1968 total less than £9,000 had been earned by special-type work and the majority of this was subcontracted to other hauliers, although, said Mr. Whittaker, "our customers dislike the idea of sub-contracting".

"None of the 16 special-type vehicles were used in the last three months of 1968", said the LA. "Have any been used this year?" "No, none", replied Mr. Whittaker.

Mr. Skelding said the C-licensed hauliers did a lot of this work now and that the labour problem was acute in Coventry. The car factories offered more pay for less exacting work. The Red House lorries were outdated and the drivers needed special knowledge to be able to load and unload the heavy plant.

"A vocation rather than a job," remarked the LA.

Mr. Skelding continued that this type of vehicle was costly to maintain and eight of the 16 vehicles were beyond use. Now that the coach replacement programme was cornplete, Mr. Venn would be able to refit or replace the other eight, although his personal opinion was that they would be replaced.

The LA, after announcing his decision, said that the case would be adjourned until the end of the year when the earning capacity of the special-type vehicles could be reviewed again.