14 Centres for Lorry. Driver
Page 55
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Competition Next Year?
Less Emphasis on Highway Code in Eliminating Rounds and on Speed in Final Contest
THERE may be 14 eliminating centres in the Lorry Driver of the Year. Competition next year The.possibiltty or holding rounds at Stoke-onTrent, Burton-on-Trent, Hove and Portslade, and York is being considered. At present there are 10 centres.
An exploratory competition was held in• York this year by the Road' Haulage Association.
Two proposals by The Commercial Motor to reduce the importance of parrotlike' replies to questions on the Highway ,Code in eliminating rounds and to diminish the value of the time element in the final contest were approved in principle by the national organizing committee of the competition in Coventry on Monday. It .was agreed that the number of marks to be awarded for the Highway Code should be 50 instead of 100. The extra 50 marks will be added to the road section of the contest.
Fewer Marks for Time A. new 'executive committee with plenary powerS, which was set up an•Mombiy, will investigate a proposal that
half a mark, instead of otre mark, should be awarded for each second taken to perform a. test in the final, and that the penalty should be raised from one point to two points per inch error of judgment. It is also proposed to make the chantpionship test's more difficult.
The new executive committee consists of Cllr. R. W. Brain (chairman), Mr.
M. J. Miles (Seeretary), Mr, G. W.. Aston (clerk of the course)—the three officersMi. G. MacAulay (Treasury), Sgt. B. I.. Hale (Portsmouth), Mr. J. Patience (Transport and General Workers' Union),. Mr. M. C. Hardaker (Leeds), Mr. J. V. Pike (Road Haulage Association) and Mr.
AL'. MacFarlane (Manchester)
Key Decisions Decisions reached by the national committee on Monday were as follows:—
(1) Each eliminating centre or other organization represented on the committee should have one vote. .
(2) Operators should be invited to send suggestions for amendments to the regulations to Mr. M. J. Miles, honorary secretary of the competition, Council House, Coventry, by November 15, The rules are being completely redrafted and made so comprehensive 'that they will cover every contingency.
(3) Maintenance tests in eliminating rounds Should be encouraged, but should not be compulsory.
(4) Every driver taking Part in the final competition should receive a token, (5) Cash Prizes of £50, £30 and £20 should be awarded respectively to the Lorry Driver of the Year and the two runners-up, with £.10 for each class champion. (6) The entrance fee for eliminating rounds and the final should be increased to El 5s.
(7) Next year's final should again be held in the Midlands: A proposal to transfer it to Leeds was .outvoted.
(8) Because saturation point in the number of contestants in the final has been reached, only class champions from eliminating centres will go on to the final. This arrangement holds good for next year' Only. '
(9) The. present range of commercial vehicles will continue to be admitted to 'the contest. An attempt to exclude the smallest vans was outvoted.
(10) No driver, will be allowed to enter in more than one eliminating round in any year.
The executive committee are to consider the question of the multiplication of awards to any driver in the final. It was suggested that it was ridiculous that by coincidence the Lorry Driver of the Year should obtain some half-a-dozen prizes.
Another possibility to be considered by the executive is that of holding semifinals (but not next year) in the north and south of England. "
The reduction of. the emphasis to he placed on time in the Anal contest will be of great help to drivers, of bulky vehicles, such as heavy tankers.
It was reported on Monday that the national committee had in hand a balance of £169, , Subject to confirmation, the Portsmouth eliminating contest Will be held on June 27 next year.