British steel cracks down on cowboys
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by Karen Miles • British Steel is clamping down on cowboy hauliers with spot checks on sub-contractors running into its Teesside and Scunthorpe plants.
It has sent out a letter to all its sub-contractors in the North-East warning them that every truck working for BS must have a copy of its test certificate in the cab.
"There are no plans at the moment to extend the spot checks to other parts of the country," says BS, "this is purely a local decision."
Gate security staff are checking trucks for tax discs, 0-licences and test certificates: at least one haulier has already been turned away under the new regime. BS denies that the decision to make spot checks follows a campaign to expose rogue operators by the Yorkshire Post.
The move has been welcomed by industry organisations including the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association. "This is exactly what is needed to take the cowboy element out of the industry," says the FTA.
The Vehicle Inspectorate advised British Steel on setting up its enforcement system, although the checks that are being made simply reinforce contractual obligations which British Steel already imposes on its sub-contractors.
• The Department of Transport has welcomed British Steel's spot checks on hauliers which brings it into line with their own checking policy. It says: "We applaud anybody else in the industry who does this."
The Department of Transport has been operating a spot-check policy for several years on all vehicles carrying out work on Government road-building projects. The checks are built into the contract and any vehicle failing to produce the correct documentation is automatically stopped from operating.
• Most hauliers working for British Steel welcome the more rigorous checks on vehicles going through the gates. "We know there is some checking going on and we're all for it", says transport manager Martin Plumber of Stockton-based FVS Transport. FVS has a fleet of 50 vehicles and runs daily services to British Steel's Teesside and Scunthorpe depots. Plumber believes it is a good way of cracking down on cowboy operators. He says: "There ji are operators on the roads who r don't play by the rules and this is obviously an attempt to try and stamp them out once and for all. We certainly have nothing to worry about and I would think it is aimed more at the tipper end of the industry."