1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238 
'Not Just a Few Black Sheep
Page 55
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I-r would be wrong to suggest that it was only a few black sheep who were to blame for the failures of the road transport industry in respect of such things as poor. maintenance, overloading, taw-breaking and excessive noise and smoke from vehicles, said Lord Chesham. Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport. on Wednesday. Speaking at the annual dinner of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, he asserted that, while it wOuld _be totally unfair to attack the industry as a whole—very Many firms prided themselves on. their efforts to maintain high standards—there was certainly room for a general improvement of standards. He hoped the 1.R.T.E. might assist in achieving this.
Earlier, Lord Chesham had quoted from Licensing Authorities' reports to support his contention that in road goods transport the standard of maintenance, loading and law observance generally " are sometimes such as we must deplore". He went on to mention the moves to control vehicle noise ('' both manufacturers and operators must make a real contribution ".! and exhaust smoke (" the results of the nationwide checks have not . . been altogether encouraging ").
The Ministry was, he pointed out. working on ways of bringing heavy goods vehicles within the annual testing scheme (see The Commercial Motor last week) and a plating scheme to stop overloading, and was devoting attention to braking standards and power-to-weight ratios.
On the new weights and dimensions proposals Lord Chesham said that if the Ministry could improve upon the I2-month pause announced in July they would do so; it was possible that the proposals might have to be modified.
Lord Chesharn. who was proposing the toast of The Institute, congratulated the I.R.T.E. on its efforts in the field of education and training, and this was taken up by Mr. Roger Gresham Cooke, the president, who responded. He said that when an examination requirement was added to the present high requirement of practical experience, an I.R.T.E. qualification would be the natural and necessary attainment of all young, up-and-coming road transport engineers.
Mr. Gresham Cooke welcomed Lord Chesharn's remarks about braking, powerto-weight and plating, saying he did not believe any of the Institute's members would shirk the additional responsibility of maintaining vehicles to a required standard of braking performance, provided that they had a full voice in formulating such standards.