Tees-side Long Steel Mr. Hanlon Explains
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prIERHAPS it was because the solicitor I appearing before him did not usually practise in his area that Mr. L A. T. Hanlon, the Northern Licensing Authority, decided to explain the motives behind his actions in the Northern area with regard to long-length trailers and their use (illegally or otherwise) on Teesside.
He did this during last week's "revocation hearing" involving R.A.H. Transporters Ltd. which came about because of an admission by the company that it had operated more than the two longlength trailers allowed by its licence.
He told Mr. P. Kenny, for the company (Mr. Kenny usually appears in licensing courts in the Yorkshire area) that it was "pretty well accepted in the industry in this part of the country—in this Traffic Area at any rate—that all the present troubles have arisen within the past two years ".
"These troubles ", continued Mr. Hanlon, "arose as part of a complaint made on behalf of certain Tees-side operators, about the activities of people with completely unauthorized vehicles." He went on to explain how a net had been set to stop the use of unauthorized vehicles. "The whole question of getting right down to the basics of all the things that have been said and done in connection with this business of the carriage of
long lengths of steel . goes back to the prevention of a person obtaining a licence under one declaration and using the vehicles authorized under it for something else ", he said.
It could be put in three ways, Mr. Hanlon went on: where an undertaking had been given not to use a long-length vehicle; where the unladen weight authorized on the licence prevented the use of long-length vehicles, or where the normal user prevented the use of longlength vehicles.
As expected, Mr. Hanlon mentioned the recent Divisional Court judgment in the Arthur Sanderson (Great Broughton) Ltd. case. "It has only just been established ", he said," that it is unlawful—not just a breach of licensing law—to use a vehicle which is in excess of the weight specified on the licence.
"The Lord Chief Justice has said that