RHA bungles N d e e v a v l i f r r i Or u n ra R r H)
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Scottish objection
A DEPUTY Licensing Authority las Association's Scottish district of objection to an operator licence ap t week accused the Road Haulage being inept in its handling of an plication.
The RHA was opposing a new licence application by Kilmarnock-based Kilmaurs Freight Services and was severely criticised by Scottish Deputy LA Alex Brand.
Kilmaurs had applied for a new national licence for five vehicles and four trailers. The RHA objected on the grounds of the fitness of the nominated transport manager, Alex Dickson, who it claimed was a former director of Transit Services, a company that had failed financially. The RHA did not attend the public inquiry.
For Kilmaurs, Michael Whiteford said that Mr Dickson had not been a director of Transit Services, but had been the owner. It was not strictly accurate that it had failed financially. It had suffered a severe fire which destroyed most of its operating centre and fleet. It subsequently transpired that the firm was under-insured and it had to be wound up.
He claimed that there was a certain RHA member who would gain considerably if the application was refused.
Mr Dickson said that he had resigned from the RHA after a row with other members during the lorry drivers' strike in 1979.
Questioned by the DLA, he said the directors of Kilmaur were Mrs J. Dickson and a Mr Carmichael. Kilmaurs had been formed in June 1982 and had initially leased vehicles to Transit Services. There were no relevant convictions and the only prohibition had been a delayed prohibition based on a vehicle on loan to another haulage company.
Granting a licence for two years initially, Mr Brand said he was restricting the period as his only slight doubt was finance, there being no accounts as yet from Kilmaurs.
He felt the RHA had been exceedingly inept. In the first place its objection had been late, second it had not been completed in the proper manner and third it had failed to appear. He deplored the way the RHA had conducted their objection, RHA Scottish manager Tom Brattin declined to comment on the judgment this week or on the DLA's comments.