Self-weigh sites
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IN Two reports in the 5-11 September edition of Commercial Motor illustrate the unacceptable face of Trading Standards in respect of lorry overloading.
The first quotes Hampshire County Trading Standards officer David Hughes as saying: "We have lists of public weighbridges in Hampshire, the South-East and nationwide which are all available to drivers."
The second report states that figures released by Wiltshire County Trading Standards indicate that nearly 50% of overloads are on axles only and denote poor load distribution rather than deliberate law breaking.
I am sure that all county Trading Standards organisations are well aware that there are only nine self-weigh sites in the UK capable of weighing individual axles. Five of those are in port areas.
To suggest that hauliers have only to proceed to the nearest public plate weighbridge to check axle weights is at best misleading, and at worst downright dishonest.
It is time for the Trading Standards to relinquish its responsibility for enforcement weighing in favour of the Department of Transport whose officials digplay a deeper and more enlightened understanding of the subject. This would provide Trading Standards with additional resources with which to pursue its more traditional roles. T Inman Director of operations, Road Haulage Association, Weybridge, Surrey.
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