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Trailer marking row
Page 12
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III by Guy Sheppard
A police proposal to identify every trailer with its own registration number will be unnecessarily costly and bureaucratic, warns the Freight Transport Association.
The crime-busting initiative is shortly due to be considered by government ministers after winning support from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
"If our members perceive this tc be a problem, they would be in touch with us. We object to having this sort of thing imposed on us. If it ain't broke, why try to fix it?"
He says police figures fail to make clear how many stolen trailers are used in freight transport. "The police say that during a threeyear period, an average of 17,000 stolen trailers are not recovered. The vast majority are horse boxes or pieces of mobile plant equipment."
The ETA also claims that trailer registration would add to paperwork and could be a precursor for a new tax.
DC Roland Thomas of the Metropolitan Police originally proposed the idea to the government's Vehicle Crime Reduction & Action Team, which includes several trade associa tons among its members. He says a proper registration system for trailers would make tracing them far easier. "It would be a lot clearer what type was stolen, how it was stolen and how and when it was recovered." he says.
Robin Dickinson, SMMT spokesman on CVs, says ETA members are probably less prone to theft than other hauliers because their trailers are highly livened and are rarely left unattended.
He adds that the UK is the only country in the EU that fails to register trailers.
Bob Stacey, head of technical services for the Road Haulage Association, says it sup
Wha t do :-.)rts harmonisation traile .4 think about I identification numhelp crtregistrati°11? WoUld it
bers that are stamped on each
trailer's bodywork, but is opposed to giving them registration number plates.