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Cranleigh Freight Services’s (CFS) continuing battle to operate fully from its Dunsfold Park site (see p6) is deeply worrying, and not just for that operator.
CFS relocated to the Dunsfold site in 2005. Two years later, the business had its first run-in with Surrey County Council and Waverley Borough Council, when it sought authorisation for an additional 30 vehicles on its 70-truck/70-trailer O-licence. The two councils objected because of concerns about noise. With irony, CFS said at the time: “It is noteworthy that the site has two entrances and is a fully operational aerodrome which operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and has no limitations on it.” Four years on, CFS faces the same opposition again. Assuming CFS’s Dunsfold operation is as clean as a whistle, it should be allowed to operate as it needs to.
We hope for CFS’s sake an agreement can be reached that satisfies the Traffic Commissioner.
Road freight is the backbone of UK plc, and, subject to the appropriate regulations and bylaws, the industry needs the freedom to carry out its essential role. This tale also provides a warning: as and when you need to increase your O-licence, will you be able to? And if you can’t, how will you cope?
● Meanwhile, the fuel duty campaign continues. In this week’s CM you should find a bumper sticker that voices our simple demand: “A fair deal on fuel now!” Display it with pride. And if you haven’t signed the petition at www.fairfueluk.com, then do it ASAP.
Justin Stanton
Commercial Motor – the official UK journal of the International Truck of the Year and International Van of the Year Awards