Hauliers Work Treble Shifts
Page 76
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nESPITE a system of double and treble
shifts, to obviate the need for extra lorries, Road Services (Caledonian), Ltd., Dumfries, had been forced to seek collection and delivery vehicles to relieve pressure on their truokers, the Scottish Licensing Authority was told last week.
Mr. W. Law, for the company, said they had found it difficult to do maintenance work, as their customers were demanding even quicker turn-rounds. They now wanted two articulated outfits on B licence to operate within a 35-mile radius of Dumfries.
Kr. Law said trunk vehicles running into Dumfries were no longer able to collect and deliver and keep to timetable. The number of tractor units was proving insufficient for day-to-day work, and there were no local operators with suitable vehicles for hire.
Many customers had complained, sonic of them asking for three collections a day. Last year, collections in the Dumfries area of lots up to 1 ton totalled 2.420, involving 15,840 deliveries. From 1-3 tons, the figures were 440 and 2,232.
A representative of the North British Rubber Co.. Ltd., Dumfries, said that Road Services (Caledonian) had handled 85 per cent. of their expanding output, including footwear and industrial belting. On many occasions delivery at two or three hours' notice was essential if they were to keep ahead of their competitors.
Replying to Mr. J. Gibson, for British Railways, he agreed that the factory was connected with the railway and that they paid £4,543 last year for rail carriage, compared with £1,738 in 1956. But, he said, this was largely due to fuel rationing.
Mr. Gibson submitted the railways had trunk and collection and delivery services in the area which could do the work. Dumfries was on the main line, and there were eight vehicles, including five articulated outfits, based at the station, whose work was not necessarily confined -to rail services. This was a substantial application for vehicles which Wei'c big for the type of. work.
Mr. Law pointed out that British Railways had previously argued that the carriers of goods were the proper persons to do the collection and delivery work, and just to suit their own book they could not go hack on it now.
Granting the application, Mr. W. Quin said that once the applicants had made out a prima facie case, of which he was satisfied, the objectors must prove they could provide facilities equal to or better than those offered by the applicants. If be refused the application and the trunk vehicles had to continue on collection and delivery, some traffic might be forced on to rail. He was satisfied, however, that a grant would lead to more efficient operation, assist maintenance and repair, and would not adversely affect the objectors.