Cause for concern on agricultural haulage
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• At the agm of the RHA's agricultural hauliers' group on Tuesday, Mr G. W. Pell, chairman, said that hauliers in the group had faced unfair competition from agricultural contractors.
Mr Pell accused agricultural contractors of using tractors and trailers substantially overloaded. He pointed out that their vehicles used rebated fuel and were subject neither to plating and testing nor Construction and Use Regulations; and there was no restriction on the number of hours their drivers were permitted to work.
It was blatantly unfair, said Mr Pell, that farmers operating tractors and trailers could substantially cut road haulage rates by taking advantage of wide loopholes in the law.
Meanwhile, Mr F. G. Garrood, chairman of the RHA's livestock group, has accused the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of endeavouring to design down to the last nut and bolt vehicles to carry livestock.
His committee felt that the Ministry should appreciate that it was not its duty to design equipment but rather to lay down requirements for animals' welfare and health.
TIR approval mods
• New conditions of TIR approval for vehicles and containers are set out in document GV 175 available from the Department of Environment Vehicle Inspectorate Offices.
This replaces RIG /TM /253.