Let heavy recovery services charge a reasonable rate
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MUCH HAS been reported about the dispute between NYK Logistics and the Mansfield Group (CM 29 June) and the claims of excessive charging made by John Beech and Mike Eagles.
Mansfield obviously considers its charge to be a fair commercial rate, and many other heavy recovery operators will also decide that police work is not viable at £105.
What seems to be missing from this story is what Messrs Beech and Eagles would consider to be an appropriate rate for the job. Or are they implying that they would accept the £105?
Their efforts have seen Mansfield forced to accept it because of an archaic and unreasonable regulation that the police use as a tool to clear the roads.
Many more incidents like this one will undoubtedly see a rapid withdrawal of heavy recovery services and then chaos would ensue. We've all witnessed the lengthy closures of the M11,M1, M25 and A14 recently; imagine the situation without a dedicated professional recovery industry.
But perhaps that is what is needed to see fair payments.
John Buckle By e-mail