A Manchester haulage firm has successfully mitigated the fine against it for an overloading offence by blaming the freight forwarding industry for sharp practice. Edwards Transport Services appeared before Rochdale magistrates for exceeding the permitted gross weight of a 7.5-tonne truck by 11.2%. The truck in question was stopped at a check on its way to Wakefield, West Yorks, with a groupage load.
Managing director Barry Edwards said the company only worked for the freight forwarding
industry. Forwarders base their rates on their customer's declaration of weight, he said, with prices rising in 200kg bands. However, it was in the interest of forwarders to under-declare weights to hauliers, said Edwards, that way they would be charged less per load.
Alleging that it was common for forwarders to under-declare, Edwards said this was what had happened in this case. He added that the company's drivers were trained to load using their common sense, but said that the driver might have noticed in this case. They had since bought scales to weigh pallets at a cost of £2,000.
In imposing the fine of £260, with costs of £148, the magistrates said they felt the company had done everything that could be expected of it, but there still had to be a fine.
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