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150 DoE weighbridge sites this year
Page 22
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THE DoE will have 150 sites prepared this year for use by portable, electronic weighbridges operated by its enforcement staff. This is apart from the devices being operated by the Consumer Protection Department. This was, revealed last week oy Mr J. Stewart, a senior DoE traffic examiner, when addressed a packed open neeting of the Freight Eransport Association's rhames Valley division in teading.
Mr Stewart, who was ;iving a background to the vork of traffic examiner, aid that the sites would be ocated on trunk roads hroughout the country. rhis was evidence that the )oE was treating the woblem of vehicle and axle veights very seriously, he aid.
Difficulties were most ommon at the Channel lofts, said Mr Stewart. letween 650-850 heavy oods vehicles entered the JK at Dover each day. Othough overloaded foreign vehicles were now less common, since the introduction of the Foreign Goods Vehicle Act, there were still plenty grossing 38 or 40 tons.
Foreign vehicle roadworthiness had "vastly improved" too, according to Mr R. Davidson, a senior DoE vehicle examiner, who also addressed the meeting.
During question-time Mr Davidson advised the drivers present to complete simple daily checks. This would prevent many of the "silly" defects discovered on vehicles at DoE roadside checks.
One questioner posed a question about the difficulties of keeping to correct axle weight on a vehicle where part of the load -in his case, refrigerated milk — had to be offloaded on route. Mr Stewart said that the law had no tolerance: "It is your problem," he warned. He went on to say, however, that he realized that this was often an insurmountable problem for operators with rearranging the load the only alternative to overloading an axle. "We are as fair as we can be," he said.
On the subject of weighing Mr J. F. C. Morris, an ETA regional controller, reminded operators of the two statutory defences against overloading charges. These were to prove either that the vehicle in question was proceeding to a weighbridge for weighing or that the overload (of not more than 5 per cent) had been caused by weather conditions during the journey.