SIGNS OF SENSE
Page 3
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Commonsense must be the best distributed commodity in road haulage: everyone in the business claims to have it in abundance. Unfortunately the reality doesn't always match the perception; not least when it comes to enforcement. So when someone does come up with a good idea it's tempting to ask: "Why hasn't anybody done anything about it already?"
Last week South Wales and West Midlands Traffic Commissioner John Mervyn Pugh threw his weight behind the long-standing campaign for Vehicle Examiners to issue certificates to trucks that sail through roadside checks with flying colours, so they won't be delayed by a fullscale check soon after. Great idea.
Pugh's interest was sparked by comments made to him by a Welsh tipper operator at a recent public inquiry (see Legal News) who reported that his vehicles often had to pass up to six roadside checks. Other hauliers can tell of similar experiences.
Stopping a well-maintained truck twice in one week wastes the haulier's, driver's and examiner's time. Enforcement resources are stretched and this could free manpower and funds to target the cowboys. "Good-conduct passes" could also be used as evidence of good behaviour if a haulier finds himself up before the commissioner. Pugh says: 'When operators are before me they like to tell me they've been stopped in checks and that they were OK. A piece of paper would be helpful to them to make their point."
Now the Vehicle Inspectorate is preparing to approach the Department of Transport with a suitable scheme. There's no question that this is a good idea, so just for once let's not waste any time before putting it into practice—too much of that has already been wasted as it is.