Car Transporter Grants Will be Reviewed : Deliveries Too Slow
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LICENLICENSING grants for car transporters are to be reviewed early next year SING of the unsatisfactory position regarding delivery dates for new vehicles. This was stated last week by Mr. W. P. James, West Midland
Licensing Authority, when he dealt with three applications for transporters at Warwick. He explained that he did not want grants to remain unsatisfied for a long time because of the danger of having to deal with further applications while vehicles for which licences had already been granted were still not on the road.
Three Spires Delivery Co., Ltd., Coventry, applied for two transporters on B licence with the conditions: " Completely assembled motorcars in specially constructed transporters, Great Britain. for home trade only." Mr. J. FoleyEgginton, for Three Spires, asked for " on wheels and not cased" to be added to the conditions to dispose of objections.
Mr. G. T. Carty, a director, said the vehicles had operated about five months under trade plates delivering Hillman, Standard, Jaguar and Humber cars for distribution to the home market. In the past 12 months, 4,119 cars had been delivered, but it was impossible to get transporters quickly enough to deal with them. A third transporter should be delivered in March.
Mr. James said the accountant's figures did not show the number conveyed by transporter during the past five months. The application would be adjourned until these figures were provided when, if they were satisfactory, it would be granted.
Eight Transporters Wanted Motor Services (Coventry), Ltd., applied for a B licence for eight transporters in possession and five to be acquired with the conditions: "Completed motorcars on wheels on specially constructed vehicles between manufacturers, distributors and docks."
Mr. N. Carleff, for Motor Services, said the private objections would be met by the addition of: " Uncased and excluding cars for export manufactured by the Standard Motor Car Co., Ltd., and Triumph and Jaguar cars."
The company's manager, Mr. H. L. Fletcher, said that until two years ago, cars were driven by manufacturers, but they now preferred transporters. During the past year, practically their whole movement was by transporter using trade plates. The company could keep up with deliveries only by double-shifting three vehicles.
Up to April they had four transporters, and four had been added since. Five more were on order and they had assurances of delivery for November, January and February. Thirteen fulltime drivers were employed.
Mr. R. A. Webb, for British Railways, submitted that the figures of car movements-2,650 up to April and 4,365 for the following six months—did not justify five additional vehicles. Three would do away with double-shifting.
Mr. James said a traffic examiner would be sent to view the vehicle records and if his report were satisfactory a grant would probably be made. One vehicle must be regarded as for maintenance and he would require an assurance that double-shifting would stop.
Canley Car Deliveries, Ltd., Kenilworth, sought four transporters to add to 10 already on B licence, with the conditions: "Collection and delivery of new and completely assembled vehicles from the Standard Motor Co., Ltd., and Jaguar Cars, Ltd., for delivery as required." The addition of " uncased " satisfied the objectors.
Mr. Foley-Egginton, for the company, said in the first 10 months of 1458 1,380 Jaguar cars and 3,319 Standards were carried for export, plus 1,982 Standards for the home market—a total of 26 cars per day requiring nine vehicles. In the same period, 3,718 Standard cars were driven to ports for export, and 1,829 to destinations for the home market, a further 22 a day.
The first transporter was expected in March, with the remaining three in April and May.
Mr. James questioned Mr. E. A. Barber, a director, concerning drivers' hours offences for which the company were convicted on November 3. He said that if they could not control 10 vehicles, he could not see why 14 should be granted. After receiving an undertaking that positive action would be taken and offenders immediately dismissed, he granted the application.
Mr. S. Herd,. a representative of Jaguar Cars, Ltd., said their output was 12,000 cars per annum and they visualized a 10 per cent, increase in the next 12 months.