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ith regard to your story that the A55 is to lose its tea vans (CM 15-21 August), who says that truck drivers do not get discriminated against?
Clearly Granada Services discriminates against truckers by its statement. It must think that truckers are tramps by definition. The person from Granada wants to take his neatly-ironed shirt off and get behind the wheel of a truck.
If his truck is as fast as his gob we'll have no problem getting our loads delivered. Most companies have drivers in uniforms but he won't know—his backside seems firmly planted .On his office seat. .1 Peter C Clark, Durham
Denis Ponsdnby
nur father Denis
Ponsonby, who founded DJ Ponsonby, one of the country's most prestigious family-owned haulage firms, passed away on 8 October after a short illness. .
Denis grew up in abject
poverty in Co Donegal and arrived in Birmingham without money or qualifications, but with a desire to work for himself.
From small beginnings, he created a company that today is the equal of any in the haulage industry. His love of life, enthusiasm and kindness over-powered every obstacle put in his path. He leaves behind his loving wife Eileen and four devoted sons. DJ Ponsonby, Birmingham.
:=3 See page 47 for profile of Denis Ponsonby 's company.
No danger
Reading last week's story about the Vehicle Inspectorate's spot check on trucks and van in the Hull area gave the impression that a quarter of all trucks are running illegally.
What the author of this story fails to point out is that vehicles can receive an immediate prohibition for what are considered minor offences. For example, a few months ago I was stopped at such a check and received a prohibition because one of my back lights was broken. While I accept it is important to be seen, the other six lights at the back were all working and my vehicle was not a danger to other road users.
These stories about VI checks should say more about what the vehicles got the prohibitions for, rather than assume that they are all in a dangerous state.
T Graves, Cleveland
Isee that the nonsensical restrictions on lorry weights in Britain are being echoed by the dispute in Europe over 44-tonne trucks running between countries (CM 10-16 October).
It is significant that the European Commission says that 44-tonne vehicles are likely to be banned from running between countries until well into the next decade bemuse of "perceived" road safety problems.
Perceived? Maybe. Real? I don't think so. There is no evidence that a 44-tonner is any safer or more dangerous than a smaller vehicle. What matters is how well maintained it is and how well trained is the driver.
Environmentally it may even be that the larger vehicle has an advantage because bigger vehicles will mean fewer vehicles.
Where the European Commission is right, of course, is in the political reality of delaying the introduction of bigger vehicles. But why can't the hypocrites stop pretending there is any other reason for banning the bigger trucks?
Tim Beasby, Doncaster