Q After over 25 years as a driver in road haulage.
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I would like to obtain an A licence, preferably for a maximumcapacity artic, to engage in general haulage. In my traffic area there is a shortage of vehicles. This is often referred to in the local Press, especially for the expanding steel and chemical industries.
Would you please supply the details and procedure to enable me to obtain the licence?
A You must appreciate that to engage in
• —• this type of work you are required to obtain, first of all, an operator's licence for the tractive unit and a carrier's licence for the trailer.
To obtain the former, you will be required to satisfy the Licensing Authority that you have made adequate arrangements for the maintenance of the vehicle, that you have sufficient financial support to keep it in a roadworthy condition, that you have made adequate provision for ensuring that drivers' hours and records regulations are observed and that the vehicle will not be overloaded. Such an application would be open to objection from the police, the local authority. the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association. the United Road Transport Union, the Transport and General Workers' Union. the Union of Shop. Distributive and Allied Workers, the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union and the National Union of Railwaymen.
These bodies could object only on the grounds that you could not satisfy one of the above conditions.
The application for a carrier's licence for the trailer could attract objections from any operator in the area on the ground that he had spare capacity and, further, could meet any demand which you claim existed—though he would have to substantiate such claims.
To answer these objections, you could be called by the LA to a public inquiry.
To stand a good chance of getting the carrier's licence for your trailer it is almost certain that you would have to produce customer withesses to help prove your point that there is a shortage of vehicles in the area and that they want you to carry their traffic.
(However, it seems likely that carriers' A. B and C licensing will shortly be abolished.)