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A heavier hand on the lightweights?
Page 27
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Many hauliers felt uneasy when Mrs Barbara Castle freed lightweight goods vehicles from licensing and other controls but they were too busy opposing some of her more outrageous measures to make an issue of it. Now they say they are seeing their fears confirmed, and allege that newcomers with light vans are flouting the law, cutting rates to ribbons and damaging the industry's reputation.
Our staffman's investigation into light removals (page 60) lends support to this view, only about a third of householders being satisfied with the jobs. But this is symptom rather than cause, and in a society with free choice no government can be expected to legislate against people getting poorer service for a low price. The British Association of Removers — whose members' services have been rated highly in several independent surveys — is rightly worried about the effects on the removals industry; it has called for imposition of 0 licensing on light vehicles used for hire or reward, but we believe this -would be complex to administer and almost impossible to enforce. It would also re-establish a distinction of usage which we still think the industry was well rid of when carriers' licensing was abandoned.
And in all the criticism of light vehicle abuses it must not be forgotten that the new freedom and popularity of light vans has brought many improved services — notably in express freight operations.
The key lies in achieving a reasonable balance of control on safety grounds — and then enforcing it. This is sadly lacking
among light goods vehicles of which there are now about a million in Britain, so it is no small or simple problem. The DoE is known to be concerned about maintenance standards among the lightweights; any decisions on a remedy are bound up with the revised annual testing for cars and light vans. Here is an opportunity for Britain to lead in setting sensible, enforceable standards as a pattern for the EEC, whose Commission is still unsure what is required.