New Organization to Run Driver of the Year Contest?
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MEXT year the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition is likely to bp
I taken over by a new independent controlling body on the lines suggested in the leading article on page 225. A decision to take steps to set up the organization was reached m Coventry, last Friday, at a meeting attended by this year's rally promoters (the accident prevention councils of Coventry, Portsmouth, Leeds and Slough).
Members of the Road Haulage Association and the Transport and General Workers' Union were present at the meeting. which decided that at the end of the year the leading transport organizations should be asked to send representatives to Coventry to meet the present national organizing committee to discuss the future of the competition.
At present the Coventry Road Safety Committee are running the final competition, as well as the local heats. The 'work is becoming too great and it is felt, that, without a new independent body, it would be difficult to make the competition truly national in scope.
It is probable that the Coventry committee wotild hand over to the new organizers the trophies now being awarded in the Driver of the Year com petition. A titled man who takes a keeninterest in road transport may be asked to be the first chairman.
Next, year's competition is likely to be open to coach and bus drivers, and the title will have to be altered.
Bramcote Plans Last Friday's meeting made the final arrangements for the Driver of the Year Competition at Bramcote on October 16. There will be no rbad section or test on the HighWay Code, these aspects already having been covered in the eliminating heats. .
There will be a makimum of five maneeuvrability tests, all of which will be timed. Their exact 'form is to be decided by the clerks of the course. but they will be similar generally to those used in the eliminating rounds. It is likely that one of them will require a vehicle to be parked at the kerb. between two obstructions, in three movements.
No bonus marks will be given to oilengined vehicles, as the eliminating heats showed that there was little difference in acceleration between oil and petrol engines.
On the morning of October 16 the winners in each of the six groups will be determined. In each case they will be those who put up the fastest time. In the afternoon they will compete on a handicap basis for the title, "Lorry Driver of the Year."
END OF DISPOSAL WELCOMED
• AREPORT by the transport corri make of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, presented on Monday, welcomed the Government's decision to cease disposal. Mr. C. E. Jordan, chairman. said that all the wellorganized trunk services of British Road Services would be maintained.
814 Vehicles in List 13
LIST 13 of transport units, published La on Wednesday, comprises 814 vehicles in 772 units. • The number is rather larger than was expected. No premises are offered. Over half the vehicles are in the Midland and NorthEastern Divisions. Most of them have been offered before.
The distribution of vehicles and units by divisions is as follows:—
Although most 'of the vehicles are light tYPes, 70 are eightLwheele,rs, based at the following places:—
Bermondsey (London). Turnell Park (London).
Brentford , Hayes (Micidx), Southampton. Norwich, Stanford-lc-Hope.'Stowmatket. Barnsley, Bingley. Bradford, .Gates-head-on-Tyne, Hull, Newcastle' upon Tyne. Sfiefficld, Stockton-On-Tees.
Wallsend-on-Tyne; . ork, -Birmrrighatn;' ['tatty, Melksham, Reading, Bourne, Burton-on-Trent, Cambrldge, Derby, Dudley. Northampton, Peterborough; Redditch,. Stevenage, Sioke-on-Trent. Stone, Tunstalt. Weldon: 'Weltingborough, Whittlesey. Wolvethimmon, Cardiff, Cwm, Gillingham (Dorset), Kidlington. Newport (Mon), Wellington (Salop) and Weston-super-Marc.
Tenders are returnable by November 2.
It is expected that preliminary results of list 12 may be available next week.
SHEFFIELD COACHES NEXT WEEK
QHEFFIELO will begin next Monday to use 20 private-hire coaches to supplement the municipal buses. They will run during the morning and evening periods on three routes. They will be one-man operated and passengers will place their fares in a box. Sheffield's decision to hire coaches was reported last week.
The workers attitude towards the scheme was discussed at two meetings of the local branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union last week.
At the first meeting, some 250 members were said to be opposed to the plan. At the later meeting, it was decided to leave the matter in abeyance.