"Efficient. Trunk Services Justify C and D Vehicles"
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I F applicants could establish that they operated efficient trunk services, they should be granted licences for collection and delivery facilities, said Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw before the Northern Deputy Licensing Authority, Mr. G. W. Duncan, at Stockton-on-Tees on Monday.
He was appearing for F. and F. Robinson, Ltd., Elm Street, Stockton, who applied for the addition of two articulated vehicles to their A licence to carry goods within a 70-mile radius. Mr. Ward law said that Robinson's had reestablished with ex-B.R.S. vehicles a trunk service between Tees-side and London pioneered many years ago by Mr. F. Robinson, senr.
This was operated every night by three vehicles from Stockton and three from London, and almost all the remainder of the fleet was now engaged mainly on traffic between the two places. The company were experiencing great •difficulty in collections and deliveries. Trunk vehicles had to be used and their maintenance was interrupted.
A similar application had been partheard by the Metropolitan Licensing Authority.
Mr. Fred Robinson, junr., a director, said the company had 13 vehicles on special A and five on ordinary A licences. These were mainly engaged on services between depots at Stockton and Cole Green, Herts. Attempts to sub-contract delivery and collection work had proved pathetic." Sub-contractors were never reliable, he said. Their charges were out of all proportion to the overall rate. Average charges between London and Stockton were 1.3 a on With sub-contractors charging 11 a ton for re-delivery it would often be better economically to leave loads in London.
Before nationalization there had been a good collection and delivery service on Tees-side, but Rritish Road Services had not kept it up.
Mr. Robinson told Mr. J. L. R. Croft, for the British Transport Commission, that he had not tried to hire local vehicles from B.R.S.
"it is not our principle to do that," said Mr. Robinson. "Quite a lot of traffic we are handling has been given to us because customers are dissatisfied with
Mr. Croft submitted that there was no customer evidence that the nature of Robinson's trunk traffic made it unsuitable for transhipment. The extra vehicles would enable the trunk lorries to turn round more quickly and intensify. com
petition with other operators. • Mr. Duncan said that he would announce his decision in Newcastle as soon as possible, If he found against Mr. Croft's submission he would allow him to call evidence for the objectors -At the same hearing, Mr. Duncan confirmed the addition of a 3-tonner and trailer to the A licence held by Mr. Augustine Bell, Ross Road, Stockton, to feed his trunk service between Tees-side and the eastern counties. .
A short-term A licence for the purpose was granted last March after the applicant had sought a B licence for collections and deliveries within a radius of 35 miles. There was no objector.