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Hauliers condemn Steeton test station closure as running costs will escalate
Page 9
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OPERATORS IN WEST Yorkshire say they will face a three-hour roundtrip to their nearest VOSA test station, incurring extra fuel costs and loss of manpower, when the Steeton station closes next March.
Dave Wareing, director of Keighley-based Joda Freight, which operates 150 trucks, says: "Having to travel to Leeds will add in excess of £55,000 a year to my bottom line. It will take up three-quarters of a day for one of my drivers to go there, wait for the test to he carried out and then travel back. On average, we have four tests a week."
Neighbour R McDowell Haulage and Distribution runs 80 trucks and estimates the trip to Leeds will cost between 535,000 and £40,000 a year, while Brian Patefield, owner of Brian R Patefield, says the extra journey to Leeds will add £125 to the cost of running each vehicle.
Labour MP for Keighley Ann Cryer, who is fighting the closure on behalf of local operators, asks: -In a time of recession, should we really he adding to hauliers' costs like this?
VOSA claims the increased journey for the average Steeton customer is only 22 miles (31 minutes). but Patefield says VOSA has not taken into account how Steeton's catchment area relates to the geography and demography of the Airedale area.
Furthermore, VOSA claims that Steeton is working at just 48% of its capacity, but local operators say the figures are skewed because one of the test lanes was closed for repair for several months, and one of the full time testers is on long-term sick leave.
At a meeting with transport secretary Paul Clark on 2 September, Cryer and local operators successfully got him to agree to revisit the Steeton utilisation figures.
McDowdell managing director Roger McDowell does not hold out much hope of a turnaround. "VOSA wants to get rid of the costs of running and maintaining test stations. It has gone back on its promise not to close stations until authorised testing facilities are in place. This is poised to become a national problem as more test stations close."