The Day of Reckoning Draws
Page 37
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NearerBy E. H. B. Palmer, Abolish the C Licence, Grant B Licences Freely and Limit the A-licensee to a 35-mile Radius, Suggests a Contributor, as a Means for Promoting Economy CO-OPERATIVE effort and the elimination of waste are two ideals with which we, as a Nation, are closely concerned to-day. In this connection, I venture to make some suggestions, the first of which will, no doubt, provoke trenchant .criticism. If ' these suggestions can be adopted, my claim is that they will produce many blessings, among which may be counted the discontinuance of irregular operation, a reduction in uneconomic operation, and simplification of control.
The first step is to do away with the C licence and in its place issue, without question, a B licence, provided that the holder can satisfy the Licensing Authority that the vehicle is needed primarily for his own goods. As a logical development, no more B licences should be issued unless the applicant can fulfil this requirement, but no B licence now in force should be interfered with, except for imposing a general condition as regards the carriage of goods for hire or reward.
At present, the variety of conditions imposed is infinite, and the wording is often cumbersome and sometimes ambiguous. To ascertain whether or not a vehicle is engaged in its lawful occupation, it is necessary, first of all, to catch it at rest and then to study the small disc designed to furnish such information. At times, this is exceedingly difficult, because of the microscopic writing beneath a weather-stained glass cover.
Why not attach to all B licences a general condition which will authorize the carriage of goods for hire or reward within a 10-mile radius if the base is in an industrial district, and 20 miles if it is not? The adoption of these two suggestions would, I maintain, reduce the work of the traffic courts by at least half.
As regards the A-licensee, the days of unrestricted operation are numbered. Recognizing this, and accepting the principle that road should feed rail, I submit that the effectiveness of an A licence should be limited to a radius of 35 miles.
New Identification Marks Suggested In order that the authorization of a vehicle may be checked at a glance, here is the modification of a suggestion which I made to the Ministry of Transport 10 years ago. It is that all commercial vehicles, subject to licensing under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, should exhibit on the cab doors, a geometrical figure in bold design denoting the class of licence carried and, within that figure, a numeral indicating the Traffic Area in which the licence has been granted. For example, the figure 3 in a square could indicate an A licence issued in the South-Eastern Area, and 6 in a diamond could denote a B licence issued by the North-Western Licensing Authority.
Of course, B-licensees would still retain the privilege of carrying their ,own goods without restriction, and the exceptions provided for in Sec. 52 of the Transport Act, 1947, would remain effective.
Having anticipated the future, let me say a word about the present. There is only one way by which the success of an application for a carrier's licence may be assured. Evidence of need must be unassailable. If you examine the statutory form of objection, you will discover the clause that really matters, " „, suitable transport facilities (namely, the services of the present objector and of other operators) would, if this application were granted, be in excess of requirements."
This is the clause to which I draw the particular attention of every applicant who seeks my advice, and this is the claim which can be refuted only by proving to the Licensing Authority that, in spite of it, there is still a need to be satisfied. In brief, the onus of proof rests with the applicant, and 90 per cent. of these optimists are perfectly happy about it until they are shown, under clever cross-examination, how an apparently cast-iron case can be destroyed in a matter of minutes.
Should the opposition produce a witness who asserts that he is ready, willing and able to undertake the work which the applicant proposes to do, the applicant is virtually "sunk." There are exceptions, of course. There are ways and means of meeting even this devastating counterstroke. To describe what they are and how they can be employed is not within the scope of this article and, in any case, their use depends largely on circumstances. "
The " Shop " is Nearly Closed We all realize that the day is fast approaching when the advent of a newcomer into the road-haulage industry will be regarded as a miracle. Whether this state of affairs will be approved by the established haulier and his customer alike remains to be seen. But this will not be all. The established haulier will find himself in the same old bear pit as before. Anyone who attempts to join that party will meet with the bitterest opposition, and of this there are already signs.
Those of us who are not completely blind to facts can recognize all the ingredients of a first-class struggle for survival. You, no doubt, hope to be one of those who remain and, as an elementary step to this end, I advise you to take heed of your records.
On the subject of records there is much to say and much has been said in the pages of 'The Commercial Motor." There have been special articles which you and I should have read, and which you and I should have cut out and filed. I have, but have you?
The records, and I refer to all data concerning the condition, maintenance, operation and employment of a commercial vehicle, are like some securities. They pay fOr keeping and they must be kept against a D-Day which may lie ahead of many of us.
If carefully maintained and intelligently analysed, these records may provide evidence against the curtailment of our existence. As time marches on, the need for evidence in detail increases. One of these days, facts over and above the usual figures of turnover will be demanded, and I am surprised that they have not already been required. Therefore, for your own sake and not because it is, in some instances, required by law, maintain your records in a manner which will produce facts when nothing but facts will settle a vital issue.