auliers hit out al cence plans
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• More than 80% of hauliers fear that road haulage standards will plummet if the Government goes ahead with its 0licence proposals — judging by an exclusive Commercial Motor survey of 200 UK operators. In it, 82% say the removal of good repute, financial standing and professional competence from owners of trucks under six tonnes will hit standards. One Gloucestershire haulier says: "There are more cowboy operators in this range than any other — we want more regulations, not less."
And 65% of operators slam proposals to drop the goodrepute requirement for ownaccount hauliers, although less than 25% believe that this would give these companies an unfair advantage over hire-andreward operators. No less than 90% disagree with Government plans to introduce a voluntary code of maintenance practice for HGVs and PSVs: only 4% reckon this will benefit business and 90% support a mandatory maintenance code.
A haulier from Stroud dismissed voluntary maintenance code plans as "preposterous".
"Why make it easier for the cowboys?" he asks. "I know of a number of men who have been made redundant and with their settlement, say 230,000, set up a small haulage operation on a shoestring — they automatically start cutting costs by using substandard equipment. They are a danger to themselves and the public."
Just over 50% of the firms questioned also believe plans to scrap the requirement that nominated transport manager; on the licence have to be employees of the company is unworkable. Other hauliers say that unless transport manager are full time employees they will not have proper control over a company's operations.
An overwhelming 86% also gave the thumbs down to pia] to scrap 0-licences for PSV operators running vehicles wi less than 10 seats.
However, other parts of th Government plans did win su port from Britain's hauliers. Over 50% said that the prop( als would reduce the burden 0-licencing on operators; 96c, said that scrapping five-year cences would make their life easier, and 83% agreed with the new application licence s) tern, where operators would have to specify future needs. Many industry chiefs are ;vary of the Government prop)sals. Transfrigoroute head raham Eames slams many of lae poposed 0-licence changes is "naive nonsense". TNT )oss Alan Jones says: "When ;afety is so important it wories me that the discipline of he 0-licence could be diluted. knd a drop in standards could Ove the industry a bad name vhen we have been fighting to mprove its image."
His thoughts are echoed by Jnited Road Transport Union ;eneral secretary Frank Grifin, who says that the changes riD lead to more cowboy opertors and more accidents. "It is recipe for an unsafe indusry," he warns. "Operators )ok at the commercial benefits (these proposals — but reponsible companies must look beyond cutting their paperwork as these proposals are a serious gamble and risk which could lead to some firms cutting corners and getting away with it."
The Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association are preparing official reactions to the proposals now: the RI-IA says the survey mirrors reactions from its members, although it was surprised to hear that most hauliers wanted a mandatory code of maintenance practice. El The Department of Transport says: "The CM survey is a very useful contribution to the consultation process. We will bear it very much in mind when we come to consider the outcome of the consultation as a whole."