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Charges RHA charges
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inric7n: scale ended
■ IDER strong pressure from the Office of Fair Trading, the tad Haulage Association has decided to abandon its 30-year1 practice of recommending a scale of charges to its members.
The alternative could have meant the RHA being taken to the !strictive Practices Court.
As part of an immediate move by the RHA to show it is thdrawing all recommendations on pricing, the following itement is published in the December issue of Road Way, the Ficial journal of the association: "Notice is hereby given by the Office of Fair Trading to all -members and employees of the Road Haulage Association Lt( and to all other persons who may be concerned, that b resolution of the National Council, acting on a recommendatio of the Executive Board, all recommendations of the Associatio to members as to the charges ("rates") to be made or quoted ft their services as road hauliers are hereby withdrawn and are t be considered null and void with effect from 31st Decembe 1977.
"This applies to all such recommendations whether expresse or implied and whether in the form of guides, schedules, notice constitutional rules or in any other form, at any time made by c on behalf of the Association t its members or to any class its members.
"This notice does not affe( schedules or other documeni relating to charges for roa haulage services issued by, ( by agreement with, the usei of such services."
Headlined: /mportar .notice, Restrictive Track Practices Act 1976, it is signe by RHA secretary, E. Russell.
The move is seen as an at empt to stimulate competitioi although the Association hi already made it clear it do( not believe this will really the effect.
"We don't think it will hal a devastating effect on price We merely provide guidance "In any case, anyone goir by the minimum recor mended charges would pro ably have lost out. It is mo than likely they would hal been too low, . becaus after all, recommend( charges can only be ave ages which might not 1 right for everyone," said spokesman for the RHA.
According to one repot operators involved in co: tinental work and beyond on appear to be exempt from tl clauses of the Act.
The position of operators ( foreign routes with Briti: loads has been described 1 officials at the OFT as "delicate area" requirit further study.
But as far as nation charges are concerned, an o icial at the OFT recko members of the RHA will nc be "freer to do their ov thing".