Tipper Pool Bid to be Republished
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PLANS to pool the transport facilities I of gravel companies in South Staffordshire were put before the West Midland Licensing Authority, Mr. J. Else, last week. Thirty-two operators, in many cases one-man, one-lorry businesses, applied for B . licences to carry road-making and building material for the South Staffs Gravel Association within a 100-mile radius of Cannock.
Mr. Else reserved his decision in all the cases after Mr. R. Webb, appearing for the only objector, the B.T.C., had criticized the wording of the publication.
The Authority said the applications would have to be republished in amended form and if there were any further objections, the case would have to be heard again.
Mr. D. B. Morgan, appearing for all the applicants, outlined the group haulage scheme. The operators, he said, had submitted their applications on the request of the South Staffs Gravel Association so that lorries operated by individual companies within the Association would be interchangeable and could be used by any of the member firms.
Some 92 vehicles were involved, he said. The scheme had come about because of the great difficulties encountered by gravel firms in obtaining suitable transport. If the applications were granted the firms would be able to use each other's tippers and would not need to go into the open market.f or Contract A vehicles. the vehicles would be limited to carrying only the produce of the Association's quarries.
It was not the intention of the Association to cut across the work of the B.T.C.
Mr. Webb, for the B.T.C., told the Authority that the published application made no mention of the names of the firms in the Association, and some hauliers might not know that the application could affect their businesses.
It was decided to republish the application including the 'names of the member companies, so that any further objections could be lodged.
The Association chairman, Brigadier. S. Westrop, said there were eight gravel companies in the Association. There were strict rules of operation which had to be complied with by everyone involved.
As an example of the difficulties faced by the gravel trade Brigadier Westrop told of the problems his firm had had in getting transport for work on the new M6 motorway. They had had to hire as many as 40 extra vehicles, many of which were entirely unsuitable for the work they were required to do.