Free range for cowboys
Page 8
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. And you can lead the VI to a cowboy, but you can't force it to draw its gun.
At least that's the way it looks with the case of Fresh Service (Scotland)—see page 4. Not only does Fresh Service seem to be a reincarnation of recently liquidated Road Movement Services; it has never held an 0-licence (it now claims it is hiring out its vehicles to a licensed operator).
So you'd think that when invited to help RMS's creditors get Fresh Service's vehicles off the road the VI would be only too pleased to oblige. It simply had to supply a statement confirming the lack of an 0-licence. But the VI failed to act and it is now too late for the RMS creditors to proceed with their action.
It makes you wonder what the VI is playing at. Because if driving cowboys off the roads isn't the VI's main priority, CM would like to know what is. The more operators are allowed to run without licences, the more will be encouraged to follow suit. How many other cowboys are riding the back of this horse that can't be made to drink?
• Allowing interest to be charged for late payments may have been a great idea on paper, but as subcontractors for Dual Carriage show, just getting your mainstream bills paid is hard enough, never mind trying to collect interest too .(see page 5).
The law may have changed, but it still offers little protection to hauliers who continue to face the same financial exposure as ever.