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Freightliners not mentioned in BR letter to hauliers

22nd December 1967
Page 19
Page 19, 22nd December 1967 — Freightliners not mentioned in BR letter to hauliers
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

IN EVIDENCE before the South Eastern LA last week, hauliers were described as "stop-gaps" in connection with the Freightliner services.

In a two-day hearing at Southampton, British Railways applied for 15 articulated vehicles to serve the new Millbrook Freightliner terminal to be opened on January 29 next year. Only part of its case was heard by the LA, Major-General A. F. J. Elmslie over the two days; the remainder, together with the evidence of 43 objectors, is still to come.

Euston cartage officer, Mr. R. F. S. McKinnen, appeared as the policy witness for BR. He said that other terminals had been granted initial vehicle licences, and private hauliers had been hired to cater for the excess traffic until further vehicles had been granted.

On economy, Mr. McKinnon and several other witnesses said that British Railways' own vehicles were much cheaper to run than to bring in private hauliers' vehicles.

Overheads lower Mr. G. F. Stoddard, principal assistant, BR costiags department, said this was because of the size of the fleet, and consequent

reductions on spares, tyres, fuel prices, and that insurance came from within BR's

administration. Overheads too, were lower, he said, and there was a great advantage in the vehicles being parked actually at the rail depots. The returns the haulier expect to see on capital also pushed the price of hiring up. "Every haulier's quotation I have seen has exceeded that of our operating costs", he said.

On the second day, the LA said; "After a day and a half, we have not really got down to the nuts and bolts of this application". He ruled that as part of British Railway's case was that by using its own vehicles

rather than hiring those of hauliers, some evidence of this saving should be presented.

Mr. W. H. Lamport, terminals officer, Southern region BR, said that letters had been sent to 16 hauliers in January, asking about vehicles that could be hired out. Of nine replies, there were only two hauliers who could provide vehicles suitably equipped to carry Freightliner containers, he said. Mr. A. Lowth, for two of the objectors, said that no mention had been made in the letter to the hauliers about Freightliners. Mr. Lamport agreed that this was so.

Mr. Lowth said the conversion necessary to fit a standard vehicle to carry Freightliner containers was not difficult Eight customer witnesses were called during the hearing, and most said they did not care whose vehicles took the containers to and from the trains, providing the railways were employed on the long haul.

Two more days will be allocated for the hearing; a short-term licence for nine vehicles was granted by the LA to begin on January 29.


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