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STRANGLEHOLD ON RATECUTTERS

25th October 1963
Page 7
Page 7, 25th October 1963 — STRANGLEHOLD ON RATECUTTERS
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Drastic Plan by Yorkshire Hauliers; Union's Possible Role L'NFORCEMENT of adherence to any I—. scale of rates agreed betweenoperators has in the past proved an intractable problem. But the Bradford and District Hauliers' Federation, formation of which was announced in The Commercial Motor on October 4, has insisted that power to make its tariff effective is as important as the agreement itself, A drastic policy of road transport price maintenance is being adopted. The outcome is seen in a three-point plan which must surely deter all but the most intrepid of ratecutters.

Originally a suggestion was considered that all those subscribing to the agreement should execute a £100 bond which would be Liable to forfeiture in the event of non-compliance but outside influences were regarded as a stronger. form of pressure and plans of action have now been formulated. Any 'member of the Federation who attempts to undercut the new figures. which have been set up for transport of wool products on export through the Merseyside and Humberside ports, will almost certainly find that his next licence 'application. will be opposed by the Federation as a body.

For various good reasons, the local branch of the Institute of Shipping and Forwarding Agents is favourable to the stabilization of charges and any defaulter is likely to be reported to this body which might then he reluctant to pass traffic to hint. A formal agreement between the Federation and the members of the other organization will probably be considered in the very near future. The two sides were due to have separate discussions on the matter this week.

The third factor in the situation is the possibility of assistance from the Transport and General Workers' Union, local representatives of which -have expressed strong sympathy with the Federation plan. What sort of action the Union might be willing to take is uncertain but some operators believe that help from this quarter would be the most effective

of all. Undoubtedly everything would depend on the nature of the first test case hut union opposition could certainly prove harassing to an unco-operative haulier. At the present juncture spokesmen on the matter are non-committal but it is easy to see that in extreme cases there might be handling difficulties at the ports for a haulier to whose actions

exception was taken. _ . • So far the fixed rates for. Federation

members apply only to export traffic originating in Bradford and the surrounding district but in a matter of weeks an effort is likely to be made to apply the plan to import traffic also, a move that would necessitate agreement on a much wider scale. While some district operators are staying outside the Federation for the present, the past three weeks have seen the membership climb from 21 hauliers to 36. This must represent a vehicle strength of something like 400 and constitutes a very high proportion (perhaps 90 per cent) of those who specialize in handling wool textiles in the area. Those concerned emphasize that the Federation is in no way a closed shop and that they would welcome further mem hers.

The Rates Increases

There were some raised eyebrows among both transport managers and operators at a reference in The Commercial Motor on October 4 to increases of certain rates of 40 per cent or more. Actually a serious attempt has been made to rationalize the whole charging positidn, the uplifts ranging from 5 per cent up to even 50 per cent, there being special reasons to justify such changes at the upper end of the scale. Havoc has been wrought during the past few years by lack of controland by the activities of what one businessman described to me as the "back street boys on wheels ". The effect has been to drive some indivi duals from the industry and to make, econom:c operation difficult for others. In the face of fresh competition, transport undertakings appear to have been blackmailed into carrying small consignments at the same rates as vehicle loads and some of the heaviest rises now concern these small lots (of 2 or 3 cwt.) for which Special journeys have to be made.

Charges for transport of bales of wool (known as "squares") have risen sharply since in this instance their bulk precludes a full-weight toad being carried. One transport man told -me that packed skyhigh by a skilled loader a 7-tonner might. carry 4-5 tons. On a run to Hull his return had recently been around £8 hut this had now risen to ill.

Members of the Federation with whom I discussed the subject do not appear to have lost traffic as a result of the rises, which suggests that the rates must be fairly generally observed. One buyer of transport is reported to have informed a Federation member that he had been quoted 2s, a ton less than schedule for particular work. It is understood that he has been asked to make available a photostat copy of the letter making the offer.

A Transport and General Workers' Union official told me that their sympathies were entirely with the reputable hauliers, most of whose men were union members. Where rates were cut in the way they had been there was a special risk of wages orders being ignored and vehicles being overloaded. If it appeared that a particular operator was not conforming to the regulations reports on the matter could be submitted to the Licensing Authority. The whole situation was being closely watched with a view to suitable action being taken, Co-operation among Bradford hauliers will not end with -acceptance of a rates structure on a wide scale. Liaison with British Road Services and British Railways on matters of importance to all providers of transport is likely to follow next and continuous study will be made of various other problems likely to affect the members. Ashley Taylor.


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