Britain: An official handbook > 1956

BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
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long-distance haulage. Vehicles operating under ‘C’ licences and those used for
carrying certain specialized traffics were not affected by the Act; ‘A’ and B licensed
vehicles which were not acquired by the Commission could only be used on
journeys of over 25 miles from base under permits granted by the Commission. By
the end of 1951, when the acquisition of vehicles by the Commission was com¬
pleted, 3,266 undertakings with 41,265 vehicles and 3,018 trailers had been acquired.
Carriers’ licences were not required for vehicles operated by the various Executives
of the Commission.
The Transport Act, 1953, required the British Transport Commission to dispose
of the bulk of its road haulage undertaking, and all vehicles operated by the
Commission were made subject to the carriers’ licence system.
The Commission was to be allowed to retain a proportion of its road haulage
fleet corresponding broadly to the interest the railways had in road haulage when
they were taken over on 1st January 1948. The disposal operation was to be carried
out by the Commission as quickly as possible under the supervision of a Road
Haulage Disposal Board. Purchasers of the Commission’s road haulage property
were entitled to operate the vehicles bought immediately without restriction as to
distance from their operating centres, while the 25 miles radius limit was removed
from all operators on 1st January 1955.
The Act also provided for a levy on ordinary goods vehicles of more than 11 tons
unladen weight, and on general haulage tractors. The levy was required to defray
the capital loss suffered by the Commission on the disposal of its road haulage
undertaking and for ‘ disturbance ’ during the process. The rate of the levy was
fixed for 1954 and 1955, at a level which would produce approximately £4 million
a year, and could then be varied at three-yearly intervals according to requirements.
When sufficient money had been collected to meet the necessary payments, the
levy would cease.
Pending disposal, road haulage assets are being operated by British Road
Services (see p. 219).
The Road Haulage Disposal Board was set up in May 1953- There are six
members appointed by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation. Invitations
to tender for the first transport units offered for sale were published in November
1953. The vehicles were offered in units of varying sizes, in some cases with
premises, the Board’s policy in this matter being flexible and influenced by its
experience of demand. In particular early offers were framed so as to contain a high
proportion of units that would be within the resources of the small operator who
wished to enter or re-enter the industry. By 21st July 1955, I6,748 vehicles had
been sold, and arrangements had been made to put on sale 4,000 parcels vehicles
and 2,000 contract line vehicles. When allowance was made for a small number
of unsaleable vehicles, there remained for disposal under the Act of 1953 sontie
8,000 vehicles. On that date the Government announced its decision not to proceed
with the disposal of those vehicles required to maintain the Commission s trunk
services, which were rendering a good service to industry. A Bill would be laid
before Parliament to enable the Commission to retain for this purpose a number
of vehicles—bringing the total to over 7,000—beyond those authorized under the
1953 Act. The balance would be offered for sale as soon as possible.
At the end of 1954, 1,069,561 goods vehicles were authorized under carriers
licences including 96,853 under ‘A’ (public carriers’) or contract A licences;
64,649 under ‘B’ (limited carriers’) licences; 899,773 under ‘C’ (private carriers )
licences, and 8,286 under special ‘A’ licences issued to purchasers of vehicles
formerly operated by the British Transport Commission as part of the nationalized
road haulage undertaking.