Freight News
Page 8
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Private testing fan
PROVIDED they are sold to responsible operators, heavy goods vehicle test stations could offer the industry a better service under private enterprise control, Eastern Area Licensing Authority Ken Peter told the Road Haulage Association Eastern conference.
Airing what he stressed was a personal view, Mr Peter said that responsible organisations could provide more flexible services than are possible under the present regime.
The industry could benefit from weekend and evening opening hours for testing, he suggested, and they would still be able to furnish him with information, though the cost of doing this might well rise.
He said it was important that operators should get value for money from the licensing system, and suggested that there is scope for investigating the effectiveness of the traffic area boundaries, for instance.
Mr Peter warned operators :hat he could not allow his stenlards to drop for the duration of he current recession. That vould be neither legal nor vould it satisfy his con;cience, and he pledged himself o continue to look at a steady aising of standards at the botom end, provided that he has ufficient staff.
He argued that the modern peavy goods vehicle is too complex and too potentially lethal a ehicle not to be maintained by n expert, and said that his staff were concerned by how often an operator will "bodge up" jobs.
For smaller operators, this meant that they must make increasing use of outside garages for repair work, Mr Peter said, and went on: "This may cost more, but one can be pennywise and pound foolish."
He expressed concern that even at a time when the pool of available drivers was so large, employers were prepared to appeal to the LA for the return of a licence to a driver with a bad record, on the promise that he could have his job back.