Going for smoke
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being overcome, In the Western area, Mr J. R. C. Samuel-Gibbon 'had much to say about hgv driver licensing. His examiners, he reported, had made numerous inquiries into the authenticity of certificates of experience signed by employers and, in cases where the exemption claim was considered doubtful, applicants had been required to take the test. He reported that about 60 per cent of hgv driving licence applications were not completed correctly, while a large number of warning letters were sent to applicants who disclosed convictions. The LA had also found it necessary to interview many drivers personally and expected to have to continue these numerous interviews. He had found problems with the medical aspect, too, and said he had not been able to grant licences to applicants with a history of epilepsy, while applicants without sight in one eye or suffering from diabetes had been dealt with according to the merits of each individual case, bearing in mind the BMA recommendations.
In the South Eastern area, Maj. Gen. Ehnslie reported that inquiries into new applicants last year showed that many wishing to enter the haulage industry had insufficient knowledge of the cost of maintaining a vehicle to the standard required. All new applications were followed by an inspection, where vehicles were already in possession, and where there were doubts about standards the applications were brought to public inquiry.
In the case of all major variation applications the South Eastern LA had arranged for publication and a fleet inspection. One police objection was entered to an 0-licence application but another from the RHA was withdrawn before public inquiry. The police, he reported, had been most helpful in notifying convictions to bring the LA's enforcement records up to date.
Maj. Gen. Elmslie reported that about 60 per cent of hgv licence applications were incorrect and had to be returned and he said there was also clearly an urgent need for a general approach to doctors to make them more aware of the medical guidance which had been issued.
Prosecutions for no fewer than 580 plating and testing offences had been made during the year, and it was clear that some large operators did not keep records which ensured that their vehicles were plated and tested at the correct time. Lack of attention to load distribution, to avoid axle overloading, was another factor that called for criticism.
Pirates at work The M4 Motorway roadwork was singled out by the LA as a place where many pirate tipper operators had been used and where offences of every kind had been committed. Regular checks had improved the situation and the unlicensed operators appeared to have gone elsewhere.
In the Metropolitan area defective