Mr. Hanlon's warning leads to 'abnormal and indivisible bid

10th November 1967, Page 91

10th November 1967

Page 91

Page 91, 10th November 1967 — Mr. Hanlon's warning leads to 'abnormal and indivisible bid

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TrTHERE was argument in 1. Newcastle this week about what represents normal user. RAH Transporters Ltd. applied at an adjourned inquiry for a new A licence for two artics with one platform and one low-loader or platform trailer exceeding 13 metres.

Sunter Bros. Ltd., Siddle C. Cook Ltd., and Pickfords Ltd. objected to the inclusion of "abnormal and indivisible loads" in the normal user.

The vehicles, licensed to Lintzgarth Transport Co. Ltd. in 1960 will be surrendered by that company. Following a warning by the Northern LA, Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, in a previous decision about employees of one company driving vehicles of another, RAH Transporters (which has similar directors to Lintzgarth), had made this new application.

For RAH, Mr. P. Kenny said that lowloader work transporting earth-moving equipment in the past 12 months represented only £2,000 of the total earnings of £15,000. Mr. R. A. Hunter, managing director, undertook not to extend operations in this special-type traffic.

Mr. Kenny said it was felt that carriage of abnormal and indivisible loads should be specified.

Mr. P. Sunter, director, Sunter Bros., said the recent drop in special-types traffic presented a "gloomy picture". The last quarter had been the worst in its history. He agreed that during the last three months RAH had sub-contracted to it £2,112 of work, mainly concrete beams. The LA had ruled that RAH could not carry this traffic under its normal user, at a Section 174 inquiry last year.

After consulting the objectors, Mr. Kenny said that if in the LA's opinion his clients could continue to do the same work as in the past without declaring it in the normal user, they would be willing to delete the words.

Mr. Hanlon said there was no magic in the words "abnormal and in

divisible". Lintzgarth had been carrying loads outside the 24 tons permitted by the C and U Regulations for a number of years. Figures submitted showed that under its short-term licence out of 62 loads carried by the low-loading trailer 29 had exceeded 13 tons and many of these had exceeded 20 tons. He was satisfied that the applicant intended to operate as previously and granted the application by adding the two vehicles to the RAH existing A licence.